As a local, I just wanted to add that this is the only commuter rail in all of Oregon not just Portland.

@yourlifeexplainedbyme.4666

Жыл бұрын

You wouldn’t consider Cascades commuter rail?

@hotswap6894

Жыл бұрын

@@yourlifeexplainedbyme.4666 are you referring to Amtrak Cascades?

@yourlifeexplainedbyme.4666

Жыл бұрын

@@hotswap6894 yes

@hotswap6894

Жыл бұрын

@@yourlifeexplainedbyme.4666 hell no, granted I have only rode it a few times but I can't imagine anyone paying like 100 bucks a day to ride it from Salem to Portland or wherever. The general purpose of commuter rail is to use it twice every workday to get to work and back home.

@yourlifeexplainedbyme.4666

Жыл бұрын

@@hotswap6894 same it’s more of inter-regional rail like Amtrak San Joaquins in Cali

Only a true railfan could wax so enthusiastically over a single diesel railcar. This was very interesting and I would certainly be trying it out of I was there.

@Thom-TRA

2 жыл бұрын

A normal phenomenon in Europe is a rare occurrence in the states!

As a portlander who frequently takes the max and bus system... I've never heard of this. It is in a side of town I almost there go, but still.

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

Something fun to try out next time you have a weekday off!

What is now called "WES" and "Portland and Western" was originally "Oregon Electric Ry." So you are looking at a former interurban electric railway that once ran from Portland through Beaverton, Tigard, and Wilsonville all the way to Salem and Eugene. For most of its history, the "OE" was a subsidiary of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Ry. (SP&S). Regular passenger service ended in 1933, and electric operation ended in 1945. It then continued as a BN branchline until Portland developed the MAX light rail system.

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info! Kind of depressing that what used to be an electric inter urban is now an underserved diesel line…

@pacificostudios

Жыл бұрын

@@Thom-TRA - Maybe. But the OE was never located in a very good location for passenger service. The ex-SP line goes through all the cities between Portland and Salem, especially Oregon City. In addition, the population of this part of Oregon was low until WWII brought in defense-related industry. The population of western Oregon is still pretty low for developing a transit-oriented community compared to Seattle, NorCal, and SoCal.

If WES had less stupid operating hours, I'd be able to use it to visit my mom. I imagine that there are more people that would use it for something other than commuting to work if it was available for that.

Oh my gosh, the WES is sooooo much weirder than I rememeber. The main thing i remember is how often i would fall asleep. Dont usually fall asleep on public transport, but this one just did the trick i guess.

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

Those seats will do that to ya, they were very comfy

eBART in the Bay Area uses Stadler DMUs. It's branded as a single line on the Yellow Line even though it involves a cross-platform transfer. It meets almost every BART train. Too bad the eBART stations are suburban and car-centric.

Sometimes I forget all about this system. This has got to be the least known commuter rail system in the USA. I was gonna say it almost looks like a light rail, but there's something about the train shell that easily leads me to realize it isn't a light rail. Probably the width of the train. The train looks significantly heavier than a light rail or tram while simultaneously looking like a bus on rails (sort of). Great video!

@Thom-TRA

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! This is such a different system than anything else in the US. Definitely should be part of anyone’s itinerary in Portland. Glad to hear from you again, Carlos! Hope you’re doing well

@233CFH

2 жыл бұрын

@@Thom-TRA I do sincerely apologize for being super inactive on this channel. The last few months (especially June) were quite busy months on my end. I'll try to comment more. In any event, I'd actually love to make a visit to Portland and ride this some day.

@Thom-TRA

2 жыл бұрын

@@233CFH hey, no need to apologize! I enjoy your comments, but your time is your time! Hope you can have a fun and relaxing summer

@insertchannelnamehere8685

Жыл бұрын

Idk about least known, there are lots of very obscure one line systems out there (e.g. Music City Star(Nashville), Sunrail(Orlando), Northstar(Minneapolis)), but I'd agree it's probably the most unique

@AlarmSilenceCub

6 күн бұрын

It IS heavier. It’s a diesel engine. It sounds and feels just like a school bus. BTW - it is a re-done Amtrak car, which is why it’s so comfy

I live within walking distance of the Wilsonville station and use to work within walking distance of the Tualatin station. I would have used this if the hours matched my old work hours. A shame ridership is so low and the Salem extension will never happen.

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

I hope it doesn’t just close altogether. That would make me really sad.

@ridley2333

Жыл бұрын

The salem extension just might happen considering wilsonville just introduced a bill to study the feasibility of it some time last year

@abuBrachiosaurus

Жыл бұрын

​@@Thom-TRA The whole existence of the WES was an experiment by TriMet to see if commuter rail would be beneficial, so far they have concluded that it wouldn't

@gavinjohnson8063

6 ай бұрын

Could happen one day, supposdly wilsonville is looking into it. Would be nice if they added another one that went from union station down through lake oswego and McMinnville to Corvallis. Would make commuting the university there more feasible

Don't forget the NJT Camden line (River Line) which also runs deisel rail cars!

@Thom-TRA

2 жыл бұрын

Oh right! The Stadler GTW trains, how could I forget. I want to ride it someday, didn’t get the chance last time I was out East.

@Truckdriverplays

Жыл бұрын

That light rail. Not commuter

@phillyzfynest7

Жыл бұрын

Yes, but it isn't considered commuter rail. It's actually considered "light rail".

@wxairy

Жыл бұрын

@@phillyzfynest7 but it uses heavy rail cars for some reason

@phillyzfynest7

Жыл бұрын

@@wxairy laws and costs.

WES usually run 2-car units, but for lower volume trips, they also can run single car units. I think it became more pronounced since the pandemic... They have another 4 cars from Budd. I've never seen them, except for in their shop in Wilsonville. But I don't usually travel to Beaverton when WES is operating... It's much nicer to sit in the trailer car when available. Very quiet.

Obviously any transit is better than no transit, but in this specific case I think the wrong mode was chosen. A MAX extension down this corridor (perhaps the Red Line?) would attract way more users and be much more useful.

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

I agree. I wonder if it would have been possible, though, with the freight railroad that hosts the line.

@losh330

Жыл бұрын

There was a referendum in 2020 to extend the green line to Tualatin, meeting with the WES in the middle, but it failed.

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

@@blue9multimediagroup river line has nothing to do with WES

@chrisinnes2128

6 ай бұрын

Or an extension of WES commuter rail in downtown Portland

@cduemo

6 ай бұрын

@@chrisinnes2128 WES to downtown Portland would be great, but I'm not sure what right of way you'd use.

As a Chicagoan, it was interesting to see the WES line compared to our big busy trains. Thanks.

@Cupertinorail

Жыл бұрын

Awesome, I cannot get enough of metra time lapses

Tri-Met WES is a commuter rail service in Portland. The WES also uses Budd Rail Diesel Cars. WES unfortunately is a diesel commuter rail for now. One day it may become an electric commuter rail in Portland. The WES for now mainly relies on diesel power trainsets. It uses Colorado Railcar and Budd RDCs. I'm glad you get to enjoy trains across the U.S. . Happy travels. Next video idea: you guys visit Montreal's exo commuter rail.

Almost got a MAX extension from Portland to Bridgeport, North of where you got off the WES. I wish the WES ran on weekends because I would have taken that instead of driving to the Commons for Community Day...when I got a speeding ticket...

@Thom-TRA

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, no service on weekends really is a flaw in American commuter rail systems. Some of the Metra lines here in Chicago are also solely rush-hour focused, which makes the train inconvenient for anyone not working a 9-5 in the city.

@compdude100

Жыл бұрын

@@Thom-TRA agreed. I bet if they expanded service on WES, more people would actually use it. I know, really hot take there. :)

I remember being pumped when the Wes was introduced when I was in high school and used public transportation quiet often, and the wee cut down my journey like 30 minutes

@Thom-TRA

2 жыл бұрын

I liked it a lot, I would totally come back and ride it again! 30 minutes is an incredible timesaver, I’m sure it made your life a lot better!

@ryansadventurepage7336

2 жыл бұрын

@@Thom-TRA it was very convenient when it was running that is

They usually run as two car trains, making the ends symmetrical. When they do that, one of the cars is unpowered and only has a cab on one end. The powered cars have cabs on both ends, and I've seen two powered cars end to end as well. I think the biggest thing hurting it right now is the frequency and the length of service day. Having token service after hours, even if only a single shuttle giving priority to freight, would go a long way in usability. Just getting there is better than nothing. Doubletracking the line could really help both freight and passenger service on that line, and it really needs to go all the way to Canby or Salem, or maybe even start thinking about making the Santiam Pass crossing as a regional rail stretch goal, or close to it. Of course, some of this criticism is also valid of MAX. Even a once-hourly service all night would be a big help for a lot of people on that network. And both systems (including the theoretical double-tracked WES corridors) would benefit from bi-directional signalling so they can run in either direction on either track at normal speeds, so maintenance (and freight on the WES corridor) can occur without completely disrupting a token nightline service.

The Long Island Railroad runs DMU on some of its non third rail lines. Love your work here. You have a true honest passion for trains

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! It’s fun to see my passion recognized :)

@lil5713

Жыл бұрын

Do you mean emu? LIRR has no dmu trains

I love love love the WES! I take it to go see my wife after I'm off work, and my son gets so excited to ride it every time. Every time he hears the horn, he looks up and says "daddy, choo choo!!" and its become one of my favorite little things about living in the area. Its really a gem. Would be awesome if they expanded it to weekend service to Salem or something!

@Thom-TRA

3 ай бұрын

Awwww. I can’t wait to have that for myself someday.

Never seen the WES until now, and never expected a commuter rail train to be smaller than a normal MAX one, lmfao. If you want to see an amazing commuter rail, come up to Seattle and ride the Sounder. If you haven't done so, you would enjoy it I bet!

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

Seattle is very high on my bucket list of places to travel to!

@ironwolfosiris

Жыл бұрын

@@Thom-TRA They're very comfortable, the routes are interesting and provide some good views and the distances are quite decent that they cover, and have like 12 cars per train set or something. Sounder trains have upper and lower decks in their cars too! If you ride the North line, sit on the left side of the train for some gorgeous views of puget sound and the beach all the way from Seattle to Everett. :D

The front sort of looks like a 1960's first generation Japanese bullet train.... without the speed!The rear train driver cab is much less streamlined!

Great review. I am travelling to Portland in February and this will now be on my list. 👍

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

It’s a unique little train and a fun ride!

I wrote it once, and there was like three people on it but one of the best commuter rails I’ve written

Great video! Really enjoy seeing such a complete tour of rail and transit services.

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

I love figuring out and showcasing transit systems!

Hey Tom, I just discovered your channel. Just wanted to say that I love it! Brilliant job, can't stop watching your videos.

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

Thank you, I appreciate comments like this a lot!! Btw, my name is Thom :)

The only thing weird and ridiculous about the Wes is that It doesn't run on weekends imo. Plus it's called a Diesel multiple unit or DMU if you don't know already

@Thom-TRA

2 жыл бұрын

I know they call them DMUs but I don’t really want to call them that because technically they’re not DMUs. It is ridiculous they don’t run most of the time! Rush only is primitive imo.

Now if other American cities will get onboard with these great light rail ideas!!!

I've lived in Portland for the last 7 years and I've NEVER even heard of WES.

Moving to Portland in March...can't wait.

The main reason they went with such a weird design is because the line is still an active freight line as well. The WES runs partly on the ex-SP line from the crossing at Farmington/Beav-Hillsdale/Lombard until the Tigard transit center. Then it follows the ex-Oregon Electric to Wilsonville. Both lines now run by P&W. The SP line had another branch further west that ran through Forest Grove, Yamhill, and Carlton to rejoin at the wye east of Mcminnville, but that line was torn out in the 80's or 90's. If they'd kept it open, the line through Beaverton and Tigard might have become another MAX line instead, but it probably would have been developed over like the old Oregon Electric wye in Garden Home and the ex-SP line through Raleigh Hills.

As always Thom another interesting & informative video, this time on a somewhat unique train system. Good to see it is still operating given the low patronage. I could never understand why so many USA train station platforms were not level with the train doors - it seems a rather inefficient system for the conductors to have to place a removable yellow stand at the train doors so passengers could get on/off the trains. Even worse if passengers had mobility issues as they have to use a manual lift. However, I have since been informed the reason why is that most long-distance passenger trains use freight lines & there could be clearance problems for some freight wagons. What an efficient solution to use the gauntlet track system, especially for those stations with high patronage. We have a similar system to cater to the 3 different railway gauges used here by each state in Australia (standard, broad & narrow gauge). Appears the new Amtrak Seimens passenger cars have automatic steps to overcome this problem (however I understand that they have reverted to using the yellow stand again as they are having problems with the automatic steps on some trains). Stay safe.

@Thom-TRA

2 жыл бұрын

I saw the new steps when I rode the Siemens cars a few weeks ago. I only used stations with low-level boarding on that trip, unfortunately still the norm here in the US. The gauntlet tracks look really cool! In Rotterdam, the Netherlands, there is a stretch of metro tracks that also have freight trains run on them at night. This line also uses gauntlet tracks.

Just discovered your channel; from the p.o.v. of a Union structural Ironworker, history buff, and railfan: you got something good going here, keep going. If you have the time someday I recommend the East Troy Electric Railroad in East Troy, WI. Preserved working interurban electric commuter line. (My uncle volunteers as an electrical engineer there, we'll show you the train barns, hit me up) Green Bay has an Epic Railroad museum, also.

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tip! That sounds like a lot of fun

I also never heard of this thing, and I know everathing! Thanks for doing this.

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

You’re welcome! It’s a fun little train

I think most people in Portland, even daily TriMet riders, barely know this line exists. It is sort of a strange choice of a way to spend resources because although it's serving an area that needs transit, it goes to Beaverton, not downtown. What would be really nice would be a MAX extension through SW Portland to Tigard, Tualatin and Wilsonville. I suspect that for a lot of people living in those SW suburbs, it's a shorter trip taking the bus, rather than a bus or bike or car to the WES station and a transfer at Beaverton.

Thanks for the video Thom. It's certainly an unique looking train. Looks comfortable though for the short ride. We have the Class 153 diesel car which operates in Wales for comparison

@Thom-TRA

2 жыл бұрын

Ah, the super sprinters! I would love to take these on some of the more remote branch lines in the UK. Your country is climbing higher and higher on my "train bucket list" every day!

@CameronLandels

2 жыл бұрын

@@Thom-TRA Hi Thom. That's really good to hear! I'm always happy to assist if you do decide to come to the UK. Transport for Wales are getting new stock but will retain some class 153s for some rural routes (Heart of Wales line). TFW operate the class 230 which is an upgrade from an old London Underground unit 😊🇬🇧

The WES makes me sad. It's so good but it's also way too short a line. The 76 bus stops at every WES station except Wilsonville and the trains only run during rush hour, which seem to sabotage the ridership. I used to go to college in Wilsonville, and as soon as I learned of this train I went out of my way to take it because it was so much more comfortable. It makes me wish Portland had more commuter rail of this quality, either extending this line to Salem or starting up a new line (maybe to Vancouver WA or Oregon City?)

salt lake city actually achieves level boarding with it's commuter rail

You didn’t think the slow motion travel was weird? When we rode Max from PDX to Hillsboro it took longer than the flight from SFO. WES doesn’t seem much of an improvement

I spent a lot of my childhood through high school in Tualatin, and having access to a car at the time I never even learned about this service, let alone considered riding it. Now I'm a car-free, transit obsessed adult who wishes I had shown it some support back then. It's so depressing that the frequency is so abysmal and that it doesn't run at all on weekends. If it did, I'd love to take the MAX Blue line to Beaverton and ride it to visit family in Tualatin and Wilsonville.

Recently posted by TV Ontario (*Canada) 3 hour documentary on the Sudbury to White River train. "TRIPPING Train 185 | A TVO Original" One of the last remaining Budd RDC still in service. (back then, "RDC" was synonymous with DMU in North America because Budd was first with them in the 1950s. The ones in the above video were totally rebuilt in ~2010 by ISRI in Mo cton New Briunswick.

you can take the Bus any where in portland oregon all the time. i went from salem oregon cheriotts to wes to light rail to downtown portland oregon to gresham, back to beaverton and hillsboro then back to portland all in one day, im not even gonna mention where i went on da street car in portland

@komohale3522

Жыл бұрын

Sheesh. Denny's, right?

The WES Commuter Line reminds me of the Community Rail lines here in SW England and Kernow. Especially Plymouth's Tamar Valley Line, the Maritime Line from Falmouth to Truro, St Ives Bay line linking the Fishing,Artist and Beach resort of St Ives with the mainline and a 🅿️+Ride site, The Looe Valley Line linking Liskeard on the mainline into local buses and a 🅿️+Ride site. These coastal Park and Rides really help small beach towns getting traffic snarlled in Summer. The units used are 2/3/4car Sprinter units. However comparable passengers numbers to Tamar Valley Line which is also about 14 miles long and gets about 400 passengers a day on a seven day a week operation compared with WES 200 (both of these are post/part Covid period years) I think what Oregon's WES proves is that there is an untapped market for community/commuter rail and if WES could have bidirectional running throughout the day like the SW Branches there is more potential. in it. Portland isn't weird it's just fabolously European being home to a sensible Strassebahn (tram) system, Stadtbahn (Light Rail) and mini S-Bahn (WES) it's also home to the USA's Athletic Championship with Diamond League and World Championship in Portland or Eugene. 🙃🙃🙃🇪🇺🇪🇺🇪🇺 Funnily enough our Sprinters were Single car en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_153 but passengers figures improved for two car 150/2 trains to be the standard

We still have a few single car diesel units in The UK, mostly in Wales now. The Class 153

Fun fact: these cars were built by Colorado Railcar, but...that company went bankrupt. TriMet actually bought their facilities, JUST so that the trains would get finished.

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

I didn’t know that, that is a fun fact!

@abuBrachiosaurus

Жыл бұрын

​@@Thom-TRA And that these are super unreliable due to improper cooling, all because of the "Built in America" policy, they wouldn't have them be built by Siemens like all their other rail transit and instead went for a failing company in Colorado

Great video! The WES is an awesome train and yes, it does have free Wi-Fi

@Thom-TRA

2 ай бұрын

I enjoyed riding it, even if it was short!

They put the horns at the crossings? Hey, what could go wrong?

I saw this train at the Beaverton Transit Center earlier this month.

Weird choice of railcars for an inter-urban light commuter rail. Seems like I want to compare to one-man diesel trains in rural Japan

Very nice Video! :-)

@Thom-TRA

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Just an awesome video.

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Man it's neat to see what we in Denmark would consider a local train in the US, but absolutely depressing to see how poorly it's run. There's actually a very similar line to this in Copenhagen called Nærumbanen or the Nærum line. This is a small 5 mile long branch line railway running from Jægersborg Station on the S train (basically Copenhagens suburban express Subway ie Patco or BART style), to Nærum through the suburbs using tiny RegioSprinter DMUs which are only the size of an S70 LRV or NJT RiverLine DMU. However this trains run every 20 minutes, all day! It puts the WES to shame. Similar local lines further on the metropolitan areas fringe usually run half hourly, with hourly service during evenings and weekends, or in the most rural cases hourly. But the WES still ples compared to it. And for comparison, the Nærum Line carries about 1 million passengers a year. Or in other words about 2700 riders per day! The WES really needs to just provide a better all day service to be actually useful to people! Even just starting with half hourly trains during peak and hourly off peak or something like that would be a tremendous improvement!

Westside Express competes with WeGo Star in Nashville for smallest or least known commuter rail. Colorado Railcar did fine building some 60 Ultradome scenic viewing cars for Rocky Mountaineer and Alaska cruise operators. But building a much smaller number of DMU cars may have been their undoing, causing the company to fold.

I have a video I posted that talks about expanding the frequency of the WES Train from Rush Hour Service to Frequency Hours.

I do like the fact that they have RDC cars on the run. Other than the Via rail train between Sudbury Ontario and White River this is the only scheduled RDC cars in use today.

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

The trains are my favorite part of this line!

NJT river line is DMU

One thing to put the WES and its low ridership into context, is that right before it opened, oil prices were at a historic high in the US. It opened in 2009, but in 2007 and 2008, before the housing crash, gas prices were going up, and it seemed more likely that many commuters would welcome a train. Then the housing crash happened. So that is one reason why it never quite worked out the way it was supposed to.

As far as im aware (not 100% sure, i just drive TriMet busses), the Chicago Rail Cars TriMet bought new, it's our RDC's that we bought used from the Alaska RR and the Trinity RR. I definitely prefer riding the RDCs as they harbor a true nostalgia feeling.

This is my favorite train in the world. I love it a lot. It's safe and strangely used more than North Star in St. Louis.

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

It was on my bucket list and I was so happy to ride it!

@Cupertinorail

Жыл бұрын

@@Thom-TRA well I ride it almost every day when I’m in Oregon. Everyone who rides it is so nice.

@Cupertinorail

Жыл бұрын

The only thing I dislike is no weekend service

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

@@Cupertinorail it really should just be half hourly all day every day

@Cupertinorail

Жыл бұрын

I just rode it today and it was awesome.

2:40 the back looks ok but.. WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST WITNESS

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

Chopped straight in half lol

@174Devin

Жыл бұрын

It looks alot better when 2 units are coupled together. It allows for passengers to cross between the cars via the gangway

What an interresting train. It definitely has some interurban vibes.

One day if I’m an Oregon Law Maker, I would look into proposals to expand The WES Commuter Train into Salem as Phase 1 Albany Phase 2 Eugene Phase 3 Roseburg Phase 3 and and finally Medford Phase 6

The engines in those trains are off. Pretty much semi truck style inline 6 engines but laid on there side with a strange oil pan system. Cummins in Portland works on them. Seen them in person outside of the train. They also have an old train that runs the wes line every once and a while when the new ones brake down. Which happens more than they would like to admit. Those engines are not super reliable.

The train looks like the Franco-American gas turbine Amtrak unit. The seats remind me of the seats that one would find on a 142 Pacer.

"Nothing in Portland is weirder than it's commuter rail system" I can name many things weirder about Portland. That place is crazy. I've also been to Tualatin and Beaverton many times and it is cool to see people coming to see our trains.

I wish they ran the WES all the way down to Salem or Keizer. The tracks in Wilsonville continue down that way, and there’s decent amount of people who commute to their state job at in the Capitol city!

this thing is profoundly strange. i really want it to be a frontrunner equivalent but we just do not have the critical mass for a megalopolis that such a train would actually service. scheduling-wise it's kind of gimped as it will only ever function as a commuter rail, although there is at least the potential to access the southernmost PCC campuses if you line up your schedule. it was really cool for its time when it launched though -- wifi on the train was still huge back then!

@Thom-TRA

10 ай бұрын

If it went to downtown Portland I’m sure it would generate a lot of ridership

8:17 if you don’t know, those are wayside horns and they are there because there are homes near the crossing, and everyone hates wayside horns especially me.

The interior reminds me of a pacer in the UK

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

I can see it

We should expand more advanced passenger trains. For both Commuter Trains and Non Commuter Trains. And also for Branchline Passenger Trains Shortline Passenger trains and Mainline passenger trains.

looks like this train got hit hard by the pandemic. before the pandemic, it had ~1.5k daily ridership. still not great, but seems like a serviceable investment to give people car alternatives and avoid building out more highway lanes. but, yeah, really hasn't recovered much since the pandemic landed.

I believe the single car diesel train also connects Santa Fe with Albuquerque in New Mexico

@Thom-TRA

Ай бұрын

No, those use locomotive-hauled cars like most other commuter rails

@casebeth

Ай бұрын

@@Thom-TRA ah ok my bad.

My plan is to extend the WES Train Into Salem Oregon.

The platform height on these is what should have been on the MAX as well. And yes, I also mean the on-street portions. MAX is completely unsuited to low floor cars. The high floor cars ride fine but all of the low floor cars, no exception, ride like reconstituted liquefied ass trash when they're fresh from maintenance, and usually way worse in reality on that system.

I very like that train because that’s better then the max trains

@phattang3209

Жыл бұрын

And why did I reply myself because the max train is more different or then this train

Wow, those Colorado rail cars are fugly. I do still want to experience the WES. While I do spend a few nights in Portland per quarter, it seems I’m always there on the weekend when WES does not run. Denver’s commuter rail lines were supposed to use Colorado Rail Cars. Glad they went out of business before Denver completed building its commuter rail system. Not that Denvers Silverliner’s are exceptional looking. They do add a bit of east coast workhorse transit grit and look way better than these.

@TWF1003

10 ай бұрын

No you are. The DMUs are the best looking modern DMUs ever.

Wes also has 4 Budd cars

@Thom-TRA

2 жыл бұрын

I believe they’re not in service yet though?

@Thom-TRA

2 жыл бұрын

Oh, I see now the former Alaska RDCs have been in service since 2011, and the former Texas ones haven’t entered service yet. I got mixed up. I don’t think the Budd cars were in service during the pandemic, but maybe now they are?

DMU? More like DSU because no one rides the damn things enough to justify actually coupling them up. First time I saw one, thought they were just moving stock around because it's so obviously supposed to be MUed.

Also shout out to g#

You did MNRR Review?

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

Not yet! Hopefully soon

Kinda odd the first station don't got NO TRAIN HORN sines cool P&Ws.

The WES could have more riders if it just had more stations. It runs through dense areas but makes so few stops.

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

It does seem to just randomly exist in some sort of vacuum they’ve created themselves

They’re not always single car btw.

If you would have shown up before the pandemic, you would have seen two car trains and a lot more people.

Good story. Were they still making people wear masks when you filmed it?

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

Yes, as was commonplace in March 2022

top speed 60

@Thom-TRA

2 жыл бұрын

It’s 37 in passenger service

@TWF1003

2 жыл бұрын

that's only average speed, top speed is 60

@Thom-TRA

2 жыл бұрын

@@TWF1003 small segments of the track are suitable for that speed, you are right. Many segments have lower top speeds, and the timetable is designed for 37mph operation. I didn’t notice us going much faster, but I can imagine they would when there are delays.

@phantompdx09

Жыл бұрын

Correct MAS is 60 and we operate 60 on a lot of the system including as soon as you enter the mainline from Beaverton. 37 is the average speed on the system from end to end. Thom was going 60 mph as soon as he made the turn out of Beaverton onto the ML. WES and PNWR is a shared corridor. PNWR will move freight during WES operating hours on double track sections. There is no agreement whereby PNWR will not move freight during WES operating hours which is why WES has fully FRA compliant cars - no temporal separation. WES ridership peaked in 2013 at over 2200 daily boarding's. The ridership mentioned here (400) is due to COVID and related service reductions.

Am I the only one looking in from the outside that thinks that Portland should prioritize a TRUE commuter rail baseline as opposed to the likely current planning commitments on putting half of the downtown MAX lines in a subway? Particularly Kelso/Longview WA & Salem being the baseline with potential for secondary (less frequently served) lines going to: >Hood River >Camas/Washougal WA (piggybacking off of existing Amtrak infrastructure if not just north of The Dalles exclusively to directly connect Amtrak services at a presumably less busy station than Downtown) >Astoria (with potential for a BRT line from there and Seaside and an Express Bus service between Seaside & somewhere within suburban Portland) It’s clear enough that Portland hates highways enough to where the whole exurban region should simply be thankful for what they have today on that regard. It seems that a regional rail SYSTEM should be the top priority for that entire region.

@losh330

Жыл бұрын

Why not have both the suburban rail and the MAX subway!?

@schwenda3727

Жыл бұрын

@@losh330 funding priority wise, regional rail first, upgrading existing LRT lines after the fact. 90 if not 110 mph worthy tracks/trains (if station spacing allows enough time to get to such speeds). Much less plentiful security precautions/improvements inbetween.

@frafraplanner9277

10 ай бұрын

Build both a regional rail network as you described, and a MAX subway

I have a better plan to expand the WES Train.

Was this 2 years ago? (The mask)

@Thom-TRA

2 жыл бұрын

This was this spring, when the pandemic was still a very real thing

Diesel-powered trains?!?! That's such a faux pas for the ecologically-obsessed Pacific Northwest!! LOL!

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

Lol for real. Freaking freight railroads.

Why isn't it electrified???

I'm surprised they don't just use Stadler trains

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

Why? This line was opened before Stadler was a thing in the US.

A waste of money! A commuter bus can perform better and cheaper to implement

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

Trains are not a waste of money. This is a corridor that exists and can be expanded. We know better than to bus everything now.

@sek153

Жыл бұрын

@@Thom-TRA Trains are not a waste of money yes I agree with this. But this train IS a waste of money. Carry a meagle 2000 riders per day, you could have used the money to put in a commuter bus with more frequency. Heck, it is just a railbus after all.

@Thom-TRA

Жыл бұрын

@@sek153 I think the better solution is to actually improve it so more people want to ride it.

@TWF1003

10 ай бұрын

No you are. A teenager can perform better and cheaper to implement.

@davidaldinger113

2 ай бұрын

⁠​⁠@@Thom-TRAI couldn’t agree more about the need to actually improve the line to build up ridership. That’s not all they need to do though. Extending it down to Salem wouldn’t hurt either. As it is this line gives rail transit a bad name.

Colorado Railcar also built a bi-level Diesel railcar that was purchased by Miami’s Tri-Rail.

It’s more of s rail bus.