I can't tell you how many times I would've used this service if it ran more than just weekday commuter hours. Even some limited midday and weekend runs would make this so much more useful.
Yeah same here. It is pretty much parallel to hwy 217 and could provide a much needed alternative alternative for people suffering in traffic. WES needs better hours and frequency before it needs an extension.
I consider myself a railfan and I've been wanting to ride WES for a long time. I live in Portland and have never been able to make it work with my schedule because I work Mon-Fri. My mom even lives in Tualatin so it would be a great way for me to go visit her. I badly want to help this thing get better ridership just to support it, but I've literally never been able to because the schedule is so bad. Such a shame.
Colorado Railcar DMUs are fitted with 2 Detroit Diesel series 60 (600 horsepower) engines connected to Voith hydrodynamic transmissions. Making it a total output of 1,200 horsepower, incredibly powerful but very fuel efficient. Colorado Railcar's first DMU, numbered 2002, was built to meet the FRA's 49 CFR Part 238 compression load requirements, which made it the first modern FRA compliant DMU in the US! The DMU toured the US Between 2002-2004 to demonstrate the DMU to potential future operators. It even ran on the Princeton Dinky! Besides WES and the Alaska Railroad, Tri-Rail has used them too. Tri-Rail contracted to purchase rolling stock from Colorado Railcar. Tri-Rail had an ultra-dome version of the Colorado Railcar DMU but in 2005, Colorado Railcar built bi-level DMUs for Tri-Rail! Yup, unlike the ones WES got, they were bi-levels, to go along with the rest of Tri-Rail's bi-level fleet. It was part of an order for four DMU control cars and two unpowered trailer cars. These bi-level DMUs were bigger than the Bombardier bi-levels, as they were able to hold up to 188 passengers with room for bicycle and luggage, while the unpowered cars were able to hold up to 200 people. The height of the single-level DMUs are 14 ft 10 in, while the bi-level DMUs were 19 ft 6 in. One DMU train usually consisted of two DMU power cars at each end of a trailer coach (making for two complete DMU+trailer+DMU sets on the system). They had level boarding, reclining comfortable seats in a 2+2 layout, table seats and big windows on the upper level that wrapped around for a bit. In 2014, one train set was sent to the SunRail Rand Yard in Sanford, months before the SunRail system opened, for testing purposes on their new commuter line. The train set was sent back to the CSX Hialeah Yard soon after SunRail began revenue service. In 2024, the French Lick Scenic Railway in Indiana acquired the 3-car set of Ex Tri-Rail cars, consisting of powered DMU 704 and unpowered cars 7001 and 7002 The RDCs are awesome! During the years of the Second World War, there were improvements in the lightweight Detroit Diesel engines and, just as importantly, the hydraulic torque converter.[note 1] Budd, which by then had produced more than 2,500 streamlined cars for various railroads, took a standard 85-foot coach design and added a pair of 275 hp (205 kW) 6-cylinder Detroit Diesel Series 110 engines. Each drove an axle through a hydraulic torque converter derived from the M46 Patton tank, for a 1A-A1 wheel arrangement. The top speed for the design was 85 miles per hour (137 km/h). The control systems allowed the cars to operate singly, or in multiple. The result was the RDC-1, which made its public debut at Chicago's Union Station in September 1949. Budd manufactured five basic variants of the RDC. The RDC-1, an 85 ft all-passenger coach seating 90 passengers. It weighed 118,300 pounds empty. The RDC-2, an 85 ft baggage and passenger coach configuration (combine) seating 70 passengers. The baggage area was 17 ft long. It weighed 114,200 pounds empty. The RDC-3, an 85 ft variant with a railway post office, a baggage compartment and 48 passenger seats. It weighed 117,900 pounds empty. The RDC-4, a 73 ft 10 in variant with only the railway post office and baggage area. It weighed 109,200 pounds empty. And the RDC-9, an 85 ft passenger trailer seating 94, a single 300-horsepower (220 kW) engine and no control cab. WES uses RDC-2 and RDC-3, while the ex-TRE ones are RDC-1s. In 1956, Budd introduced a new version of the RDC, with several improvements. The new cars had more powerful versions of the Detroit Diesel 6-110 engines, each of which produced 300 horsepower (220 kW) instead of 275 horsepower (205 kW). They also featured higher-capacity air conditioning and more comfortable seating. The RDC inspired several derivatives, including the unsuccessful Budd SPV-2000, though based on the body of an Amfleet. 31 SPV-200 cars were built, and they proved mechanically unreliable, though interestingly six of them made their way over to Morocco for use as then King Hassan II's royal train! The New York Central Railroad installed two jet engines (second-hand General Electric J47-19 jet engines originally used as boosters for the Convair B-36 Peacemaker intercontinental bomber) on an RDC in 1966 and called it the M-497 Black Beetle. The construct was then successfully sent on test runs over the existing tracks between Butler, Indiana, and Stryker, Ohio. The line had been chosen for its arrow-straight layout and good condition, but otherwise unmodified track. On July 23, 1966, the car reached a speed of 183.68 mph (or 295.6 km/h)! Despite it being built relatively cheaply and its spectacular performance, it was not considered commercially viable and its valuable test data regarding the stresses of HSR on equipment and tracks in the US was ignored, as NYC of course merged with the Pennsy who focused on the Metroliners. M-497 continued to serve for Penn Central after the jet engines were removed until retirement by Conrail in 1977. The engines were re-used as X29493, an experimental snow blower.
The LIRR's Greenport Branch also acts as a suburb-to-suburb service that's typically two cars, because the platforms were built for one-and-a-half cars. All platforms on the Greenport Branch are accessible. It goes between Ronkonkoma and Greenport, however during summers between 2016 and 2022, there used to be an evening trip ran from Greenport to Jamaica, running express between Ronkonkoma and Jamaica. The Greenport Branch gets limited service because it's the last dark territory (no conventional signals) on the LIRR, it's single-tracked from Ronkonkoma all the way to Greenport, the North Fork is sparsely populated compared to the South Fork/Hamptons, and it mainly relies on seasonal tourism like its wineries. The Greenport Branch is significantly important for many reasons! Between Medford and Yaphank is the Brookhaven Rail Terminal, a 28-acre privately funded transload facility that opened in 2011 that was designed to take 40,000 long haul trucks off Long Island roads and handle 1 million tons of freight a year. Yaphank has been planned to be closed and relocated to East Yaphank to serve the famous Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton (they also built TOD called The Boulevard with housing and a Walmart supercenter on William Floyd Pkwy to reflect the new location). Known for being home to the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, the National Synchrotron Light Source II, and the Long Island Solar Farm, the largest photovoltaic array in the eastern US with over 164,300 solar panels. Which you can actually see from the train! It is also at Brookhaven National Laboratory where researchers James Powell and Gordon Danby patented maglev technology in 1968-1969, and the first video game Tennis for Two was created by physicist William “Willy” Higinbotham in 1958. Before 1947, Upton was once Camp Upton, originally used by the US Army as a port of embarkation during WWI for 18,000 troops. During WWII, it was an induction center and internment camp for Italian, German, and Japanese citizens. It was there in 1918 where Irving Berlin wrote the iconic patriotic tune God Bless America. Riverhead is the county seat of Suffolk, with a compact downtown surrounded by farmland, with many points of interest like a bus hub at the station, transit-oriented development, roundabouts, bikeshare, the county's courts (its supreme court is right next to the station, and the LIRR once ran Jury Duty Special service from Deer Park with shuttles to the courts), Splish Splash water park, Tanger Outlets, the Long Island Aquarium, a cool pedestrian and bike-friendly riverwalk with a community vegetable garden and sculptures, the Suffolk Theatre, and the incredible Railroad Museum of Long Island. The museum has two locations in Riverhead and Greenport, with its main Riverhead location having everything from a 1964 NY World's Fair you can ride, the historic indoor 1949 Lionel showroom layout from Michigan (originally there were 43 operating accessories, which has grown to 88 working accessories in 2024), and numerous rare locomotives, passenger and freight cars stored outside like two preserved M1s and the very last PRR MP70 (its 1932 prototype) which was the world’s first all-aluminum double decker passenger car. All of these are either walking distance or a short bus ride away! The SCT 80 bus acts as a Riverhead circulator. After Riverhead, it goes through the North Fork’s wine country with 40 wineries. The influence of the Long Island Sound, Atlantic Ocean, and Peconic Bay makes it a great location for vineyards. And in Greenport, a charming maritime village, there is a ferry connection to Shelter Island, as well as the SCT 92 bus to Orient Point for the Cross-Sound Ferry to New London. This bus goes between Orient Point, Riverhead and East Hampton, making it the longest local bus route in the Northeast. But that's not all! The Greenport Branch is also important in regards to LIRR history. When Greenport station opened, you could’ve taken a ferry from Greenport to Stonington or Ledyard, Connecticut in order to board another train from CT to Boston. Because the LIRR wasn't originally meant to serve Long Island. When the LIRR was chartered in 1834, it was envisioned to be part of a combination train and steamboat route between NYC and Boston. The southern shore of Connecticut was deemed impassable due to hills and river valleys, and so a route through the middle of Long Island was considered the fastest and most effective solution. It opened in 1844, but that spirit was short-lived, however, as it was in 1848 that the New York & New Haven Railroad was opened across Connecticut. Since its plan was not to serve local traffic on Long Island, the LIRR chose not to serve existing communities along the shores, but straight down the middle, which was largely uninhabited at the time and relatively free of grade crossings. For the people on the North Fork, the Greenport Branch is their lifeline in so many ways. It’s their connection to MacArthur Airport, Riverhead, NYC, and beyond! And for an important county seat like Riverhead, it deserves to have frequent electrified service. If there was more service by upgrading the route like electrifying, signaling, or double-tracking, then they could alleviate the seasonal traffic, people from Shelter Island will take it, it can easily get more people to visit the North Fork’s farms and wineries with frequent service, and it would also make a difference in North Fork farms being enabled to take the train to sell their produce. The Hampton Jitney provides North Fork service to MacArthur Airport, Manhattan, and to JFK and LaGuardia Airports in Queens, but there should be frequent Greenport Branch service so the LIRR would be able to easily compete with the Hampton Jitney.
I guess I'm going to have to go back and do another LIRR video at some point! Really neat history, thanks for sharing! That museum sounds really neat too!
What may not be known is that the ROW from Beaverton at just south of the transit station, was once the SP line that was shared by the SP&S to Tigard. The SP broke away to Lake Oswego; the SP&S continued south all the way to Eugene. It was once, you guessed it….. the Oregon Electric. P&W is the successor to a very unique railroad history in the Portland Westside, where once SP SD9s and SP&S Alcos ran up and down this very stretch of ROW.
P&W is a really neat railroad. All the rail lines that make up the system have such an interesting history with the OE, SP, SP&S and later the BN. It will definitely warrant its own video at some point!
Very informative and well delivered. This is basically an "interurban" operation, reminiscent of the Oregon Electric Ry, or SP's Red Electric in that region, in the era between 1905 and the Great Depression. Something very satisfying about seeing this. Thanks!
Hello Mike, an interesting video about railcar traffic in Portland Oregon. Thanks for showing it, I wish you a wonderful and peaceful Christmas time. Best wishes from Germany Wolfgang
You REALLY got my attention when you mentioned that the RDC’s were built NEW originally for the New Haven Railroad! 😊. (Was relaxing in a chair adjacent to my HO New Haven layout, watching this on my iPad; I specifically think #121 is one of the RDC’s on my roster!).
Another fantastic video! I really wish Portland would get a commuter train like Seattle’s Sounder. It could serve places as far south as Salem, head east to Troutdale and even serve towns in the Columbia Gorge like Hood River or The Dalles. (Not to mention taking visitors to Multnomah Falls) Also could provide service to Scappose and St. Helens on the west side.
I lived in Portland for 30 years, and even worked in both Beaverton and Wilsonville. I have never met anyone who has met anyone who has ridden the WES. Like, your schedule has to be VERY specific.
It would be nice if the schedule was expanded into the weekend and mid day on weekdays. I think part of the problem they have is working around the Portland and Western freight schedule too. Although, I have seen them run freight trains during hours of WES operation, so it's obviously not impossible for them to run both at the same time. Some other systems, like SPRINTER in north county San Diego, can only run when no freight trains are operating.
Love video the filming is amazing. Personally i like the retro look of the Budd cars more than the Colorado Railcar ones. Its just annoying that one end of the Colorado ones is sloping and the other side isn't.
Many thanks! I have always had a soft spot for the BUDD RDCs. It's amazing these are still in service. The blunt ends of the newer Colorado Railcar DMUs emulate their look a little, but there's nothing like the original!
I’m so surprised that these trains are still running forever and the thing you said about the MAX Light Rail train, well I’ve seen one of their trains except the WES ones in Portland, but hopefully next year I’ll be able to catch the WES for the first time
@@CoasterFan2105 Thanks for visiting Portland! You’re also the first to film the crossing on Boeckman Rd in Wilsonville, believe it or not. Someone else filmed it with old SP signals in the past
The video i've been waiting years for has finally released! Also, 2001 has recently been repainted into TriMet's newer phase 4 paint scheme so once it enters service, you should try to film it.
How exciting that they have two former Trinity railway express RDC cars I am looking forward to those entering service in the near future since only one remains in the state of Texas being donated by TRE to the Museum of the American Railroad the rest being sold to Vermont I am a fan of these budd cars with their distinctive Canadian three chimeair horns and some being equipped with earlier style EMD bells with the classic sound something not too common than the standard steel EMD pneumatic bell
@ to my knowledge that was the very last RDC that was at their facility in Irving Texas and very fortunate that Trinity Railway express donated that Budd car to the Museum of the American Railroad in Frisco Texas where it resides today I have actually waited for this moment and I’m so happy that it’s there
Now we see what became of the 2 Trinity Railway Express Budds that didn't fill in for Denton County A train, then got picked up by All Earth renewable energy in Vermont which outbid Via Rail for em. So all 13 cars are idle since leaving Texas.
That traffic on 217 heading south to I-5 can be miserable... I have family in the area and have done that drive a number of times, even outside what I did when filming this video.
@stevens.5111 I know thar Rail company well. When I lived on my boat in Linton, their tracks ran along the road next to my moorage. They had a side track where they would make up their trains.
Of course the WES does need to link up with Amtrak on the mainline, because it seems completely isolated from the National Railroad Network for passengers, but Portland Union Station needs a commuter railroad too. Vancouver, Washington could use the same.
It would be neat to see a connection somewhere. I think going from Beaverton to Portland might be cost prohibitive, but maybe if they were to extend in the other direction to Salem.
Those Colorado Railcars look funky, with one end being streamlined and the other not. I am curious what that horn was at 5:18? I've heard it in several of your videos.
It is indeed a wayside horn. Basically a speaker mounted at a crossing that plays a train horn sequence. It's supposed to be a cheaper alternative to a full quiet zone. The speakers are supposed to reduce noise by focusing the sound directly at the crossing.
The marker lamps were put on one afternoon for the last runs of the most senior engineer on the Portland and Western. It was his last day before retirement.
If they have horns already on them, why do some (and only some) of the crossings have the crossing signal mounted electronic horn? I don't think they even use the train mounted horns when going through those crossings. They sound rather odd when you're close to them.
It's a device called a wayside horn. Basically, it's meant as a cheap alternative to a full quiet zone. There's a speaker (or set of speakers) mounted at each crossing directed right at approaching pedestrians and motorists. They're supposed to reduce noise by having the sound right at the crossing rather than on a moving vehicle.
The powered diesel railcars built by Colorado Railcar have cabs at both ends so they can run as either stand alone cars or as a two car train. The blunt ends have a door and diaphragm so people can pass into the next car when running paired with another car. The one trailer (unpowered) car has just one cab at the streamlined end since it can't run on its own.
I don't expect this one to be around by the end of the decade, ridership never recovered after the pandemic, they get like 400 riders a day down from the 1600-2000 a day they got before the pandemic. They're in the trap where expansion and increasing frequency would probably improve ridership, but existing ridership doesn't justify any increases in frequency or expansion of the network. Just another part of Portland's highly dysfunctional transit system.
I can't tell you how many times I would've used this service if it ran more than just weekday commuter hours. Even some limited midday and weekend runs would make this so much more useful.
Is that PeterDibble!?!
Yeah same here. It is pretty much parallel to hwy 217 and could provide a much needed alternative alternative for people suffering in traffic. WES needs better hours and frequency before it needs an extension.
@@AirshipsAviation11 literally bro
Absolutely crazy crossover
I consider myself a railfan and I've been wanting to ride WES for a long time. I live in Portland and have never been able to make it work with my schedule because I work Mon-Fri. My mom even lives in Tualatin so it would be a great way for me to go visit her. I badly want to help this thing get better ridership just to support it, but I've literally never been able to because the schedule is so bad. Such a shame.
Colorado Railcar DMUs are fitted with 2 Detroit Diesel series 60 (600 horsepower) engines connected to Voith hydrodynamic transmissions. Making it a total output of 1,200 horsepower, incredibly powerful but very fuel efficient. Colorado Railcar's first DMU, numbered 2002, was built to meet the FRA's 49 CFR Part 238 compression load requirements, which made it the first modern FRA compliant DMU in the US! The DMU toured the US Between 2002-2004 to demonstrate the DMU to potential future operators. It even ran on the Princeton Dinky! Besides WES and the Alaska Railroad, Tri-Rail has used them too. Tri-Rail contracted to purchase rolling stock from Colorado Railcar. Tri-Rail had an ultra-dome version of the Colorado Railcar DMU but in 2005, Colorado Railcar built bi-level DMUs for Tri-Rail! Yup, unlike the ones WES got, they were bi-levels, to go along with the rest of Tri-Rail's bi-level fleet. It was part of an order for four DMU control cars and two unpowered trailer cars. These bi-level DMUs were bigger than the Bombardier bi-levels, as they were able to hold up to 188 passengers with room for bicycle and luggage, while the unpowered cars were able to hold up to 200 people. The height of the single-level DMUs are 14 ft 10 in, while the bi-level DMUs were 19 ft 6 in. One DMU train usually consisted of two DMU power cars at each end of a trailer coach (making for two complete DMU+trailer+DMU sets on the system). They had level boarding, reclining comfortable seats in a 2+2 layout, table seats and big windows on the upper level that wrapped around for a bit. In 2014, one train set was sent to the SunRail Rand Yard in Sanford, months before the SunRail system opened, for testing purposes on their new commuter line. The train set was sent back to the CSX Hialeah Yard soon after SunRail began revenue service. In 2024, the French Lick Scenic Railway in Indiana acquired the 3-car set of Ex Tri-Rail cars, consisting of powered DMU 704 and unpowered cars 7001 and 7002
The RDCs are awesome! During the years of the Second World War, there were improvements in the lightweight Detroit Diesel engines and, just as importantly, the hydraulic torque converter.[note 1] Budd, which by then had produced more than 2,500 streamlined cars for various railroads, took a standard 85-foot coach design and added a pair of 275 hp (205 kW) 6-cylinder Detroit Diesel Series 110 engines. Each drove an axle through a hydraulic torque converter derived from the M46 Patton tank, for a 1A-A1 wheel arrangement. The top speed for the design was 85 miles per hour (137 km/h). The control systems allowed the cars to operate singly, or in multiple. The result was the RDC-1, which made its public debut at Chicago's Union Station in September 1949. Budd manufactured five basic variants of the RDC. The RDC-1, an 85 ft all-passenger coach seating 90 passengers. It weighed 118,300 pounds empty. The RDC-2, an 85 ft baggage and passenger coach configuration (combine) seating 70 passengers. The baggage area was 17 ft long. It weighed 114,200 pounds empty. The RDC-3, an 85 ft variant with a railway post office, a baggage compartment and 48 passenger seats. It weighed 117,900 pounds empty. The RDC-4, a 73 ft 10 in variant with only the railway post office and baggage area. It weighed 109,200 pounds empty. And the RDC-9, an 85 ft passenger trailer seating 94, a single 300-horsepower (220 kW) engine and no control cab. WES uses RDC-2 and RDC-3, while the ex-TRE ones are RDC-1s. In 1956, Budd introduced a new version of the RDC, with several improvements. The new cars had more powerful versions of the Detroit Diesel 6-110 engines, each of which produced 300 horsepower (220 kW) instead of 275 horsepower (205 kW). They also featured higher-capacity air conditioning and more comfortable seating. The RDC inspired several derivatives, including the unsuccessful Budd SPV-2000, though based on the body of an Amfleet. 31 SPV-200 cars were built, and they proved mechanically unreliable, though interestingly six of them made their way over to Morocco for use as then King Hassan II's royal train! The New York Central Railroad installed two jet engines (second-hand General Electric J47-19 jet engines originally used as boosters for the Convair B-36 Peacemaker intercontinental bomber) on an RDC in 1966 and called it the M-497 Black Beetle. The construct was then successfully sent on test runs over the existing tracks between Butler, Indiana, and Stryker, Ohio. The line had been chosen for its arrow-straight layout and good condition, but otherwise unmodified track. On July 23, 1966, the car reached a speed of 183.68 mph (or 295.6 km/h)! Despite it being built relatively cheaply and its spectacular performance, it was not considered commercially viable and its valuable test data regarding the stresses of HSR on equipment and tracks in the US was ignored, as NYC of course merged with the Pennsy who focused on the Metroliners. M-497 continued to serve for Penn Central after the jet engines were removed until retirement by Conrail in 1977. The engines were re-used as X29493, an experimental snow blower.
The LIRR's Greenport Branch also acts as a suburb-to-suburb service that's typically two cars, because the platforms were built for one-and-a-half cars. All platforms on the Greenport Branch are accessible. It goes between Ronkonkoma and Greenport, however during summers between 2016 and 2022, there used to be an evening trip ran from Greenport to Jamaica, running express between Ronkonkoma and Jamaica. The Greenport Branch gets limited service because it's the last dark territory (no conventional signals) on the LIRR, it's single-tracked from Ronkonkoma all the way to Greenport, the North Fork is sparsely populated compared to the South Fork/Hamptons, and it mainly relies on seasonal tourism like its wineries. The Greenport Branch is significantly important for many reasons! Between Medford and Yaphank is the Brookhaven Rail Terminal, a 28-acre privately funded transload facility that opened in 2011 that was designed to take 40,000 long haul trucks off Long Island roads and handle 1 million tons of freight a year. Yaphank has been planned to be closed and relocated to East Yaphank to serve the famous Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton (they also built TOD called The Boulevard with housing and a Walmart supercenter on William Floyd Pkwy to reflect the new location). Known for being home to the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, the National Synchrotron Light Source II, and the Long Island Solar Farm, the largest photovoltaic array in the eastern US with over 164,300 solar panels. Which you can actually see from the train! It is also at Brookhaven National Laboratory where researchers James Powell and Gordon Danby patented maglev technology in 1968-1969, and the first video game Tennis for Two was created by physicist William “Willy” Higinbotham in 1958. Before 1947, Upton was once Camp Upton, originally used by the US Army as a port of embarkation during WWI for 18,000 troops. During WWII, it was an induction center and internment camp for Italian, German, and Japanese citizens. It was there in 1918 where Irving Berlin wrote the iconic patriotic tune God Bless America.
Riverhead is the county seat of Suffolk, with a compact downtown surrounded by farmland, with many points of interest like a bus hub at the station, transit-oriented development, roundabouts, bikeshare, the county's courts (its supreme court is right next to the station, and the LIRR once ran Jury Duty Special service from Deer Park with shuttles to the courts), Splish Splash water park, Tanger Outlets, the Long Island Aquarium, a cool pedestrian and bike-friendly riverwalk with a community vegetable garden and sculptures, the Suffolk Theatre, and the incredible Railroad Museum of Long Island. The museum has two locations in Riverhead and Greenport, with its main Riverhead location having everything from a 1964 NY World's Fair you can ride, the historic indoor 1949 Lionel showroom layout from Michigan (originally there were 43 operating accessories, which has grown to 88 working accessories in 2024), and numerous rare locomotives, passenger and freight cars stored outside like two preserved M1s and the very last PRR MP70 (its 1932 prototype) which was the world’s first all-aluminum double decker passenger car. All of these are either walking distance or a short bus ride away! The SCT 80 bus acts as a Riverhead circulator. After Riverhead, it goes through the North Fork’s wine country with 40 wineries. The influence of the Long Island Sound, Atlantic Ocean, and Peconic Bay makes it a great location for vineyards. And in Greenport, a charming maritime village, there is a ferry connection to Shelter Island, as well as the SCT 92 bus to Orient Point for the Cross-Sound Ferry to New London. This bus goes between Orient Point, Riverhead and East Hampton, making it the longest local bus route in the Northeast.
But that's not all! The Greenport Branch is also important in regards to LIRR history. When Greenport station opened, you could’ve taken a ferry from Greenport to Stonington or Ledyard, Connecticut in order to board another train from CT to Boston. Because the LIRR wasn't originally meant to serve Long Island. When the LIRR was chartered in 1834, it was envisioned to be part of a combination train and steamboat route between NYC and Boston. The southern shore of Connecticut was deemed impassable due to hills and river valleys, and so a route through the middle of Long Island was considered the fastest and most effective solution. It opened in 1844, but that spirit was short-lived, however, as it was in 1848 that the New York & New Haven Railroad was opened across Connecticut. Since its plan was not to serve local traffic on Long Island, the LIRR chose not to serve existing communities along the shores, but straight down the middle, which was largely uninhabited at the time and relatively free of grade crossings. For the people on the North Fork, the Greenport Branch is their lifeline in so many ways. It’s their connection to MacArthur Airport, Riverhead, NYC, and beyond! And for an important county seat like Riverhead, it deserves to have frequent electrified service. If there was more service by upgrading the route like electrifying, signaling, or double-tracking, then they could alleviate the seasonal traffic, people from Shelter Island will take it, it can easily get more people to visit the North Fork’s farms and wineries with frequent service, and it would also make a difference in North Fork farms being enabled to take the train to sell their produce. The Hampton Jitney provides North Fork service to MacArthur Airport, Manhattan, and to JFK and LaGuardia Airports in Queens, but there should be frequent Greenport Branch service so the LIRR would be able to easily compete with the Hampton Jitney.
I guess I'm going to have to go back and do another LIRR video at some point! Really neat history, thanks for sharing! That museum sounds really neat too!
@@CoasterFan2105Thanks. Avoided Riverhead my entire life in complete ignorance of all you enumerated. They need a better tourism department.
Really cool to be seeing RDC’s be used in 2024!
That it is!
Them RDC’s really are some incredible rail cars , 70 years later and they still more reliable then these modern trains lol
Built to endure!
What may not be known is that the ROW from Beaverton at just south of the transit station, was once the SP line that was shared by the SP&S to Tigard. The SP broke away to Lake Oswego; the SP&S continued south all the way to Eugene. It was once, you guessed it….. the Oregon Electric. P&W is the successor to a very unique railroad history in the Portland Westside, where once SP SD9s and SP&S Alcos ran up and down this very stretch of ROW.
P&W is a really neat railroad. All the rail lines that make up the system have such an interesting history with the OE, SP, SP&S and later the BN. It will definitely warrant its own video at some point!
I see that almost every thursday at around 9:15 in Beaverton!
Mike watching your Train videos helped me through my darkest times!
Glad I’ve been able to help! Thanks so much for watching!
Happy to see RDC units still in operation.
What a cool operation.
Wish more RDC's were still running!
I do too
@@CoasterFan2105 Just love the look of the Budd units!
Maybe I am strange but the square blunt nose is impressive
@@railroad9000 Agreed. It has a neat look to it!
It's actually so awesome to spot WES Commuter Trains in Portland
Indeed it is!
@11:30 Good to see you got some real Oregon weather in there.
The old Budd cars still look new
That stainless steel holds up remarkably well.
The RDCs were sold to Amtrak by Penn Central in 1971. The ex-TRE cars were purchased by TRE in the 1990s from VIA Rail. Splendid catches Mike!
Thank you!
Very informative and well delivered. This is basically an "interurban" operation, reminiscent of the Oregon Electric Ry, or SP's Red Electric in that region, in the era between 1905 and the Great Depression. Something very satisfying about seeing this. Thanks!
Oooh, I love me some RDCs!
Me too! Although, I feel like you've probably seen more than I have!
@CoasterFan2105 true. Precisely two more 🤣
Hello Mike, an interesting video about railcar traffic in Portland Oregon. Thanks for showing it, I wish you a wonderful and peaceful Christmas time. Best wishes from Germany Wolfgang
Hi Wolfgang, thank you very much. Best wishes to you for a nice Christmas and a happy New Year.
You REALLY got my attention when you mentioned that the RDC’s were built NEW originally for the New Haven Railroad! 😊. (Was relaxing in a chair adjacent to my HO New Haven layout, watching this on my iPad; I specifically think #121 is one of the RDC’s on my roster!).
I enjoyed the TriMet Commuter Train video 📹 👍🏾
Thanks for watching!
Another fantastic video!
I really wish Portland would get a commuter train like Seattle’s Sounder.
It could serve places as far south as Salem, head east to Troutdale and even serve towns in the Columbia Gorge like Hood River or The Dalles. (Not to mention taking visitors to Multnomah Falls)
Also could provide service to Scappose and St. Helens on the west side.
Thanks so much! It would be neat to see more commuter routes in the Portland area.
I lived in Portland for 30 years, and even worked in both Beaverton and Wilsonville. I have never met anyone who has met anyone who has ridden the WES. Like, your schedule has to be VERY specific.
I rode it for 6 months to work in willsonville. Its ok
It would be nice if the schedule was expanded into the weekend and mid day on weekdays. I think part of the problem they have is working around the Portland and Western freight schedule too. Although, I have seen them run freight trains during hours of WES operation, so it's obviously not impossible for them to run both at the same time. Some other systems, like SPRINTER in north county San Diego, can only run when no freight trains are operating.
Great video, thanks for presentation, from Germany
Many thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
Love video the filming is amazing. Personally i like the retro look of the Budd cars more than the Colorado Railcar ones. Its just annoying that one end of the Colorado ones is sloping and the other side isn't.
Many thanks! I have always had a soft spot for the BUDD RDCs. It's amazing these are still in service. The blunt ends of the newer Colorado Railcar DMUs emulate their look a little, but there's nothing like the original!
I’m so surprised that these trains are still running forever and the thing you said about the MAX Light Rail train, well I’ve seen one of their trains except the WES ones in Portland, but hopefully next year I’ll be able to catch the WES for the first time
It’s a neat commuter line! Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.
@@CoasterFan2105 Thanks for visiting Portland! You’re also the first to film the crossing on Boeckman Rd in Wilsonville, believe it or not. Someone else filmed it with old SP signals in the past
I think it would be a cool idea to extend the line as an express from Beaverton to Salem!
Today was a half-day and because today is when Mike uploads today’s gonna be a good day
The horns on the RDC’s sound like K5HL’s and the horns on the DMU’s sound like K3LA’s but they sound awesome. Keep up the good man👍
Thank you, will do!
The video i've been waiting years for has finally released! Also, 2001 has recently been repainted into TriMet's newer phase 4 paint scheme so once it enters service, you should try to film it.
Thanks for watching! I’m glad I was finally able to make it!
Awesome video! Definitely an interesting commuter rail using RDC’s that are pretty cool to film.
Thank you! I always enjoy seeing the RDCs.
Love the RDCs
They're really cool!
0:11 Happy Friday always too. 🙂❤️
Happy Friday!
How exciting that they have two former Trinity railway express RDC cars I am looking forward to those entering service in the near future since only one remains in the state of Texas being donated by TRE to the Museum of the American Railroad the rest being sold to Vermont I am a fan of these budd cars with their distinctive Canadian three chimeair horns and some being equipped with earlier style EMD bells with the classic sound something not too common than the standard steel EMD pneumatic bell
I never got to see them in service at TRE unfortunately. Glad one is going to the museum!
@ to my knowledge that was the very last RDC that was at their facility in Irving Texas and very fortunate that Trinity Railway express donated that Budd car to the Museum of the American Railroad in Frisco Texas where it resides today I have actually waited for this moment and I’m so happy that it’s there
Great video on trimet wes commuter train
Thank you, Paul!
@@CoasterFan2105 your welcome
Now we see what became of the 2 Trinity Railway Express Budds that didn't fill in for Denton County A train, then got picked up by All Earth renewable energy in Vermont which outbid Via Rail for em. So all 13 cars are idle since leaving Texas.
Seeing RDC's in regular passenger service in this era is a little weird. Seeing them carrying old-style oil marker lamps in this era is VERY weird.
Anachronistic, some might say!
Good content.
Thanks!
I HAVEN’T SEEN THE RDCs IN SEVICE FOR OVER 2 YEARS!!!
They don't run as often now that the schedule has been reduced. Would be nice to see them running again regularly!
@ they will likely run more in 2025. The rest of the DMUs are getting the new TriMet livery and will be OOS
Amazing video as always! The cab on on the train looks like one another a bombardier coach.
Thank you!
@@CoasterFan2105 no problem!
So basically modern RDCs! Nice catches mike!
Pretty much! Thanks for watching!
They have old RDCs that they have used before. And I've ridden on them
Portland doesn't sound too bad. I would like to check out their transportation system over there.
TriMet is one of the best things about Portland.
There's a lot of neat transit lines in Portland!
I didn't even know this commuter railroad existed until now!!!!
Well, now you know!
Amazing video CF2105!
Thank you!
I have used it with the MAX to make runs out to Tigard a few times when I did not want to deal with traffic.
That traffic on 217 heading south to I-5 can be miserable... I have family in the area and have done that drive a number of times, even outside what I did when filming this video.
I love the Wes diesel multiple unit cars
They're pretty unique cars!
Ancient history indeed.
Great captures of the WES commuter trains!
Thank you!
Very nice!
Thank you!
Awesome video!
Thank you!
This video is very well made, great work :)
Many thanks!
Great video
Thanks, Evan!
@ No problem Mike!
They may in the future opt for overhead electrification. The rail bed is the hard part already done.
I don't see that happening, at least not like the MAX is. This runs on the Portland & Western Railroad which sees regular freight use still.
@stevens.5111 I know thar Rail company well.
When I lived on my boat in Linton, their tracks ran along the road next to my moorage. They had a side track where they would make up their trains.
This is everything that the Santa Cruz branch line should be! 😊
Wow, nice video!
Thanks!
Great video. “Alcian”
Thank you!
6:56 SLIVERLINER5 HORN🤯🤯 from septa😀😀
That’s just a Nathan AirChime K3LA. Very common horns
I live in Philly and I hear Sliverliner5 horns all the time
@@Bababoey-n9j ok
I hope they restore the pre 2020 30 minute frequency they used to have.
Of course the WES does need to link up with Amtrak on the mainline, because it seems completely isolated from the National Railroad Network for passengers, but Portland Union Station needs a commuter railroad too. Vancouver, Washington could use the same.
It would be neat to see a connection somewhere. I think going from Beaverton to Portland might be cost prohibitive, but maybe if they were to extend in the other direction to Salem.
Quick note: at every WES station there's special artwork. The artwork is different at each station and WES is also is high platform boarding
I heard something about that! Very cool!
Those Colorado Railcars look funky, with one end being streamlined and the other not. I am curious what that horn was at 5:18? I've heard it in several of your videos.
its a wayside horn
It is indeed a wayside horn. Basically a speaker mounted at a crossing that plays a train horn sequence. It's supposed to be a cheaper alternative to a full quiet zone. The speakers are supposed to reduce noise by focusing the sound directly at the crossing.
very interesting.
The only way the WES is getting more ridership is if they extended the route from Beaverton to Salem rather than Beaverton to Wilsoville
Excellent ❤❤❤
Thanks!
Εξαιρετικό, εύγε!!!
Thank you! Cheers!
5:08 was that 1001's horn? Cause that defiantly doesn't sound like the K3LA.
I think it was a cement truck at a nearby construction site.
wait…when did 1702 get caboose style markers?
The marker lamps were put on one afternoon for the last runs of the most senior engineer on the Portland and Western. It was his last day before retirement.
@ makes sense not the first time ive seen P&W crews put special items on their equipment to celebrate something
It needs to be battery electric EMU for through running WES into the greater network
If they have horns already on them, why do some (and only some) of the crossings have the crossing signal mounted electronic horn? I don't think they even use the train mounted horns when going through those crossings. They sound rather odd when you're close to them.
It's a device called a wayside horn. Basically, it's meant as a cheap alternative to a full quiet zone. There's a speaker (or set of speakers) mounted at each crossing directed right at approaching pedestrians and motorists. They're supposed to reduce noise by having the sound right at the crossing rather than on a moving vehicle.
The 2001 has gone out of the shop repainted into P4
the Trinty cars, is that the same Trinty rail system in Dallas/FT Worth?
Yes, it is! Before TRE, the cars were owned by VIA.
@@CoasterFan2105 thanks
What are those diesel multiple units used by wes
Aye!! Wyd here?
This is confusing my brain bruh
A cab car at the back and the front is a normal cab what the heck is going on?! 5:27,5:37
The powered diesel railcars built by Colorado Railcar have cabs at both ends so they can run as either stand alone cars or as a two car train. The blunt ends have a door and diaphragm so people can pass into the next car when running paired with another car. The one trailer (unpowered) car has just one cab at the streamlined end since it can't run on its own.
@CoasterFan2105 I see ok👍
railbus
DMU
I don't expect this one to be around by the end of the decade, ridership never recovered after the pandemic, they get like 400 riders a day down from the 1600-2000 a day they got before the pandemic. They're in the trap where expansion and increasing frequency would probably improve ridership, but existing ridership doesn't justify any increases in frequency or expansion of the network. Just another part of Portland's highly dysfunctional transit system.
Like one on a*
Safelite repair safelite replace
Ok
1234
Usless system that should be removed
Another example of the disaster that Tri-Met is.
Stop hating!
No one cares what you think. people come here to share their love of trains not listen to people like you spread negative opinions.