on
Munjoy Hill Portland & Forest Avenue Railroad Company (PFRC) was chartered in 1860 with the intent to build a streetcar line from Portland's
Grand Trunk station on
India Street. Construction was delayed by the
American Civil War, but used rail was obtained from
New Brunswick in 1863 to complete a line from India Street along
Middle Street, to the main hub at
Monument Square. From there, they traveled west along
Congress Street, and then down
High Street, and west along Spring Street to Clark Street, Pine Street and Congress Street, then back east along Congress Street to High Street. Service with horse-drawn streetcars began on October 12, 1863. In 1864, an adjoining line was built along Preble Street from Monument Square, then along Portland Street (today's
Park Avenue) and
Forest Avenue to
Woodfords Corner. This line was later extended to
Morrills Corner along Pleasant Avenue and
Stevens Avenue. Lines along Congress Street were extended westward to
Longfellow Square and eastward to Atlantic Street on
Munjoy Hill. Horse-drawn sleighs were substituted for rail cars when snow and ice covered the streets during winter months to avoid ice removal inconveniencing other horse-drawn sleighs. The company's name was shortened to the
Portland Railroad Company (PRR) in 1865. The
Congress Street line was extended past
Union Station to
Stroudwater Village. A new line was built from Woodfords Corner through Lunts Corner to East Deering. Additional lines were constructed along
Commercial Street and Pearl Street from the Grand Trunk station to Congress Street. The Portland Railroad Company extended service through
Westbrook (via Forest Avenue, Woodfords Corner and
Evergreen Cemetery on
Stevens Avenue, initially, then to Morrills Corner) to
South Windham and
Gorham by acquisition of the
Westbrook, Windham & Naples Railway. Connection with the
Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville Street Railway at
Yarmouth was made by acquisition of the
Portland & Yarmouth Electric Railway through
Falmouth Foreside and
Cumberland Foreside. A planned connection with the
Biddeford & Saco Railway was begun by the acquisition of the
Portland & Cape Elizabeth Railway, but the route through
South Portland to
Old Orchard and
Saco seemingly never came to fruition. Back in downtown Portland, a section of line was constructed along Congress Street to Atlantic Street on Munjoy Hill. In 1890, the line was extended through Wilson Street and Beckett Street to
Fort Allen Park on the
Eastern Promenade, bringing the total line mileage to . A large
carhouse was built on Beckett Street. By 1874, PRR owned 26 trolleycars and 82 horses. Carhouses and stables were in existence at the corner of Spring Street and Clark Street by 1877. Thirteen years later, PRR owned fifty cars and 225 horses. Tracks were extended in 1887 from Clark Street, along Spring Street to Neal Street, Carroll Street, Vaughn Street and Bramhall Street in the city's
Western Promenade, before connecting back to Congress Street at
Bramhall Square. between Portland and South Portland shortly after its 1916 opening Portland's Union Station was opened on
St. John Street in June 1888, shortly after which PRR extended tracks from Longfellow Square along St. John Street to Railroad Square. Another extension occurred to Bradley's Corner (between the
Libbytown and Rosemont neighborhoods), bringing the mileage of the line to . From 1914 to 1933, the
Portland–Lewiston Interurban entered Portland via the Portland Railroad line from Morrills Corner. Electrification through overhead wires began in the late 19th century, starting with the Deering line. Route changes included bypassing steam railroad grade crossings on Parris Street and Kennebec Street in Portland's
Bayside neighborhood by extending PRR's tracks on Portland Street to Forest Avenue, then to the corner of Kennebec Street. The first electric trolleycar began service between Morrills Corner and Woodfords Corner in June 1891. PRR staved off competition from the
Portland & Westbrook Street Railway to provide service to Westbrook., built in 1911, in
Scarborough, MaineIn 1894, a short extension was made from Lunts Corner to East Deering post office via Washington Avenue, followed by an extension from Fort Allen Park through Morning Street to Congress Street, then along Congress to complete a loop to Atlantic Avenue. On the Stroudwater line, rails were laid west from Railroad Square on St. John Street to today's Park Avenue, passing beneath
Maine Central Railroad's
trestle bridge, then along Park Avenue to connect to the existing line at Congress Street. The last horse-drawn car ran in December 1895, by which point there was of single-track lines. Increasing automobile ownership made electric railway travel less convenient through the 1920s. The lines to Yarmouth, Gorham, South Windham, Old Orchard, and Saco were abandoned between 1931 and 1933. The remaining system operated as a city traction system until a major service contraction in 1939 and complete replacement by buses in the spring of 1941. == Liveries ==