Portland & Western's OE Switcher is shown in Beaverton, Oregon during July 1997. The train is running on the connection that was built between the former Oregon Electric and the Southern Pacific's Tillamook Branch in the 1970s. At that time, Burlington Northern's ex-OE line through downtown Beaverton was abandoned in favor of running on SP.
Trackage in the foreground is the under-construction Westside Light Rail project. Between Beaverton and Hillsboro, the MAX light rail line uses the old OE right of way. The spur on the far side of the light rail track is the former OE main line. At the time, it was used to service a General Motors parts distribution warehouse. The facility closed a few years later, and the industrial spur was pulled up.
