After a lot of "on-again, off-again" discussions, Portland WILL have a Train Day celebration at Union Station, on May 8 from 10 AM till 4 PM. Southern Pacific Daylight 4449 WILL be there, steamed up, along with one of the Pacific NW Chapter NRHS passenger cars. Several other booths and displays are scheduled, and more info is available on the NRHS-PNWC, AORTA and 4449 websites. You can ride Portland's light rail right to Union Station now, though I don't know the line involved. Things should be pretty much like last year, and any time 4449 is out and about, people gather. See my RailImages album from last year at http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showgallery.php/cat/2059/page/1
Those interested in riding light rail to Union Station will want to take either the green or yellow line. The green line travels from Clackamas Town Center up the I-205 corridor and then down the I-84 corridor to the Steel Bridge and over to Union Station. The Yellow Line starts at the Multnomah Expo Center and travels along North Interstate Avenue to the Rose Quarter, acrosss the Steel Bridge, and by Union Station. Both of these lines then proceed south through downtown to PSU. The parking around Union Station is generally hard to find and costs money, so this is not a bad option. TriMet: MAX Light Rail Service They have a trip planner to help you get from anywhere in their system to anywhere. Use UNION STATION as your destination. There are three options they give you for Union Station. They're all essentially the same place, just three different stops. I just used UNION STATION/AMTRAK DEPOT to get an itinerary using the Max.
This is probably a dumb question, but I assume the restrictions about access to the platforms is relaxed during this so people can get up close to the engine? Also, are there any other events going on in the Portland Metro? As for Travel, You can transfer to the Green and Yellow lines from Red/Blue near Pioneer square or at the Rose Garden depending on which direction your travelling, At the same time, the Walk from either isn't too bad for those with the ability, so you may wish to just walk. It is not entirely legal to do this, but often you can park at the Lloyd Center and hop the MAX into town as well. The Portland Steetcar will also drop you off only a few blocks away if that's closer. and all of that is probably in the free fair zone. In other words, no reason to park near Union Station. You could also take the Cascades train in if you live on that line. I'm excited that there will be something going on. I will now need to coordinate this around mother's day Festivities and the First day of the Beaverton Farmer's Market.
I would avoid the Lloyd Center park-and-ride option. They could ticket and tow you for that if they find out. A better option for those not near a transit line would be to go to any of the park-and-ride lots systemwide and get a MAX train from there. They are accessible on the Tri-Met website.
I should see if the Beaverton Modular club is planning to be there as I'm a prospective member. Also Also Also, any idea when 4449 will make the move and be out of the Roundhouse? I'm sure there will be a crowd on the Overpass, but I might try to see that as well.
agreed, though I've never seen this happen. Of course normally, I park there, spend time in the mall and then spend time not in the mall. So that's a bit different. THe problem with park and rides is they aren't in the free fare zone.
That parking garage right across from the station is advertising (on AORTA) a special $3 fee for the day for that show, and I'm pretty sure that's how it was last year. Just heard from Smokebox that 4449 will be facing South this year, allowing for some interesting photos with the clock tower in the background. :tb-biggrin:
You should stop by the N scale club some day if you join. My club is about 50 feet away from Beaverton Modular. Usually there are crowds when 4449 moves but they're not as big usually as you might think. I once was waiting for a bus near the UP yard and tunnel under North Portland when the UP 3985 (which I had been trying to chase on my way to work and which I had given up on since I needed to get to work) approached down below the bluff. I tried to point it out to the two other people waiting at the stop. You'd think that the largest operating steam locomotive in the world would at least merit a glance. There was absolutely no interest. It must be sad to live with Railfan Deficiency Syndrome.
Huh, I was wondering about that other building.I see that you guys meet Tuesday nights which explains why I've never seen anyone there.
We meet Tuesday nights, but we're open for pretty much all the same open house dates that BMRC is open. To us, BMRC also looks like it's never open, although we know that's not the case.
That's funny. For us worknight is Wednesday and Friday is running trains. Though last Friday I just sat in the back and swapped Stories.
To quote Shakespeare, "Aye, that's the rub". To me, "not entirely legal" is not entirely kosher. Not sure I would care to advocate doing something like this.
Yeah, in retrospect, neither would I. Though like I said, I've done it often enough when I've started out at the Mall then headed across the river without moving the car.
Hey, hope to see you guys there. YoHo, we have never met. Would like to make your aquaintance. Adam, can you get there? We need to get Satokuma to attend, as well. I will have an NRHS blue vest on, probably a Daylight baseball cap and a Daylight Sales shirt. Hmm, that will probably describe half of the volunteers there...... :tb-biggrin:
Well, Fitz, we've met before so it shouldn't be too hard for me to find you. I am hoping to bring my team (the seven year olds). They'll love seeing some trains. They've been bugging me about getting out to more train and tractor events, as they call nearly every rail event, county fair, steam-up, and so on that we attend.
For sure. I'll likely be wearing either my Southern Pacific shirt with the Bloody nose F, AC-12, 4449 and ...something in black widow... Or my Tehachapi tshirt
Well, I just talked to the wife. I am needed at our business in the morning up through about 2 or 2:30. It's parade day in my neighborhood, and it's a very busy day for our store. It looks like I will be driving down for the very end of Trainfest. Hopefully, I will make it before it ends.
Hopefully you'll make it. Looking at the pictures from last year, I'm kinda disappointed. 4449 is there and that's of course worth it on it's own, but you would think Trimet would get a WES train there, or BNSF/UP were to get a GEVO or ACE there. When Fullerton had it's railroad days, they would get 3751, Metrolink would supply a train and BNSF would park a GEVO there which they would let you sit in the cab for. Obviously Southern California is a much bigger market than Portland, but still. Trimet should at least get one of the DMU's down there. I asked the WES guys and they didn't know of anything different this year.
I've been going to rail things at Union Station in Portland off and on since 1976. What turns up there is usually just a function of that - what turns up. The folks associated with the 4449 and the SP&S 700 are really committed to these sorts of events. Some other groups have less commitment for whatever reason. Sometimes Amtrak has a good showing, like the time they had an "experimental" train, the X-2000. The groups that Fitz named above are pretty much at the forefront of railfan and rail history events in the Portland area.
