Portland Traction Company - PTC 100
"The most famous diesel engine in the Northwest"
The PTC 100 is the most famous diesel locomotive in the Northwest.   For almost its entire non-stop 55 year career, it has
served the same short line railroad and been a mainstay of the Portland railroad community.

The 100 was purchased brand new by the Portland Traction Company along with her sister, the No. 200, to replace the
electric and steam engines that switched the PTC lines for a half century prior.    The two diesels were the only the
locomotives used by PTC for many decades and operated on the inner East Portland trackage, as well as Milwualkie and on
the two branch lines that extended as far south as Oregon City and as far east as Boring.

The 100 was purchased in Feburary 1952 as builder number 16899 and is a EMD SW1, making 600 h.p.   The No. 200 was
purchased a year or so later.   The Portland Traction company was almost entirely made up of electric engines, but the new
Milwualkie Industrial area would not be electrified and that's a major reason the two diesels were purchased.

At some point in the late 1980s, both the 100 and 200 were sold off and replaced by Southern Pacific SW1500s in the final
years of the PTC.  The 100 went to a paper mill in in Wallua, Washington that was being switched by WATCO.   It was
purchased to replace WATCO's 1200 h.p. switcher there, which didn't work out too well.  The 200 went to Wisconsin, where it
still operates today with the Harvest States Co-op.

WATCO desperately wanted to sell the No. 100 because it was not working out and Mr. Samuels was able to purchased it in
approximately 1987.    However, because the 100 had friction bearing trucks, the Union Pacific required that Mr. Samuels
repack each journal and ride in the cab of the 100 while it was being transferred from Hinkle back to Portland.

Mr. Samuels set about restoring the 100 and repainted in exactly the same colors and markings as when it served the
Portland Traction Company.

The PTC 100 would be the first at many historical moments in history.

It was the locomotive that towed and placed the SP 4449 and SP&S 700 steam engines into Oaks Park in the mid 1950s.   It
would be the very same engine that would remove each each engine years later for their restorations.  The SP 4449 in the
early 1970s and the SP&S 700 in the late 1980s.   The PTC was still operating when the SP&S 700 needed to be removed,
but was using the heavy SW1500 engines.  Mr. Samuels had just purchased the PTC 100 and his lighter engine was called
upon to move the SP&S 700 a few years before Mr. Samuels would officially take over the line.

The PTC 100 is the very first full size locomotive that Mr. Samuels would use when he established the East Portland Traction
Company in 1987 to scrap the Boring line and the very first locomotive that would be used when the East Portland Traction
Company took over the East Portland Branch in 1991.   It would also be the first Samuels owned locomotive to operate on the
Molalla Branch in 1993.

The PTC 100 has been regularly used on the East Portland branch.   Today it is not used everyday, as the 802 was pressed
into service in 2004 for several years and later replaced at East Portland by the new 1202.   But both the 1202 and 100 do
regularly operate.   The 100 hasn't been repainted in a while and is scheduled for a fresh repaint in the future.  However, the
engine has recently undergone a full rebuilt and is ready for many more years of service.

Of all the locomotives owned by the Samuels family, there are others that are newer, more modern, perhaps even in better
condition, but none will ever replace the PTC 100, which is no doubt the most significant locomotive to the OPR and its history.

Mr. Samuels admiration for this engine goes back to at least 1960, decades before he later own and operate it.   It was then
that he built an operating 1-1/2 inch scale version.  Check out this page for more info and photos.

This Craig Bass photo show the PTC 100 in operation with the PTC in 1981.   Check out Craig's PTC history page.
These photos of the 100 were taken at the Milwaulkie Shops in Jan, 2005.  These are my first photos of the PTC 100
Photo: B McCamish 1/2005
In Dec 2005, the PTC 100 was the lead locomotive along with the OPR 802 used to rerail the SP 4449 and SP&S 700 during the Holiday Express
2005.Photos on the left are from the derail...photos on the right are from the following weekend's Holiday Express after the repairs were made to
the track.  Photo: B McCamish 12/2005
In Dec, 2006, the PTC 100 was used for the 2nd Holiday Express, 2006, to shuttle cars around for the SP&S 700.  Seen on the left parked at East
Portland just prior and just after being fired up by Mr. Samuels.  On the right, a few minutes later a rare night shot of the PTC 100, blue strobe
blazing, at it shuttles cars around in preparation of the Holiday Express 2006, the following day.
Photo: B McCamish 12/2005
These photos of the 100 were taken by Greg Brown in the early to mid 1990s on the East Portland Line.  The far left photo is of particular interest,
because it shows one of the two bridges of the Boring branch in this very interesting staged shot of the EPTC 100, a boxcar and the EPTC
caboose No. 11 with the SP 4449 passing underniegth.   Not long after this photo was taken, the Boring branch was scrapped out and this
bridge removed.  In addition, the EPTC No. 11 was taken out of service and used as the office of the EPTC and remained in a fixed position at the
Milwualkie Shops until Dec, 2006, when it was used for the first time in 16 years behind SP&S 700 for a winter steam event on the OPR.    The
next photo shows the 100 southbound on the East Portland line near Holegate Ave.  The next photo shows the 100 southbound from the East
Portland yard, near 4th Ave.  Photo: Courtesy of Greg Brown (dates noted on photos)
These photos of the PTC 100 were taken by Greg Brown on the Molalla Division when it was first taken over my Mr. Samuels in 1993 and initially
named the Molalla Western Railroad.   The PTC 100 was used as the primary engine on the Molalla Branch for a few months, but was replaced
with the 801 and brought back to Milwualkie.  Photo: Courtesy of Greg Brown (dates noted on photos)
Last Update:  November 11, 2007
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Brian McCamish
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Portland Traction Company No. 100
The PTC 100 at Railfair 1988 at Union Station in Portland.  This is shortly after Mr. Samuels acquired the 100 and gave it a fresh repaint in
original PTC colors and markings.
Mr. Samuels PTC 100 pulling the SP&S 700 out of Oaks Park in preparation for its full restoration.
Various photos of the PTC 100 taken in 2006 and 2007.
Mr. Samuels at the controls of the PTC 100 in the summer of 2007.
Cab of the PTC 100.
Mr. Samuels 1-1/2 scale version of the PTC 100 that he built himself in 1960.  Includes a gas engine, generator and four traction motors, plus
operating air brakes.  Check out this page for more info and pictures.
More pictures of the PTC 100 can be seen here.