City of Portland auctioning streetcar with one 'caveat'

For the first time ever, the City of Portland is auctioning a streetcar from its fleet, officials told KOIN 6 News.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – For the first time ever, the City of Portland is auctioning a streetcar from its fleet, officials told KOIN 6 News.

The city is auctioning streetcar #015, which was a prototype built by United Streetcar and Oregon Iron Works and paid for by the Federal Transit Administration.

While the cities of Portland, Tucson, and Washington D.C. later bought streetcars from the production line, the City of Portland said the vehicle up for auction had operational issues.

“Because it was a prototype, it had a number of issues and eventually a critical flaw with the propulsion system that was unable to be fixed or replaced. Because the FTA paid for it, the only recourse the City has to get rid of it is to put it up for auction (as mandated by federal rules),” Portland Streetcar spokesperson Andrew Plambeck said in an email.

The streetcar is listed on GovDeals, a liquidity marketplace for government agencies, with a $250 bid as of June 10 and is described as over 11 feet tall and 66 feet long.

The streetcar was in service for a few years starting in 2012, “but never quite worked reliably,” officials said, noting the vehicle has not been in service for about five years.

While the streetcar is up for public auction – meaning anyone can bid – there is a "caveat," according to Plambeck: The buyer is responsible for removing the streetcar from city property and moving it to a new location, officials said.

Estimates for moving the non-operational streetcar run around $50,000, including costs such as insurance, “so, the buyer must be prepared to navigate that process,” Plambeck said.

The auction closes 4:30 p.m. June 24, according to the GovDeals listing.