Richard Thompson

Rail historian Richard Thompson has been writing about Oregon's street railways since 1979. His interest in industrial history comes naturally, since he is descended from Willamette Valley millwrights and holds a Masters' Degree from the University of Oregon.

His passion for the subject of trolleys has resulted in a collection of photographs and memorabilia that has served as a resource for nine books on local rail history, including five in Arcadia Publishing's "Images of Rail" series, one for The History Press, and three titles published by Fonthill Media/Sutton Publishing. He has also authored 15 entries for the online Oregon Encyclopedia and has appeared in documentaries.

Before his semi-retirement career as an author, Thompson worked as an archivist, historical museum director, librarian and streetcar coordinator.