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Monday, July 27, 2015

TriMet’s Westside Express Service (WES): Grand Opening

I originally posted this on my old website on March 26, 2009.

IMG_5031 TriMet Westside Express Service DMU #1003 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 14, 2009
Advertisement on DMU #1003 in Wilsonville on January 14, 2009

The official start of WES service was Monday, February 2, 2009.

IMG_5395 TriMet Westside Express Service Banner at the Tigard Transit Center in Tigard, Oregon on January 30, 2009
WES Banner at the Tigard Transit Center on January 30, 2009

On the previous Friday, January 30, there was a special Grand Opening celebration.

IMG_5065 Banner at TriMet Westside Express Service Station in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009
WES Banner at the Tualatin Station on January 15, 2009

Free rides were offered through the middle of the day at all five WES stations.

IMG_5376 TriMet Westside Express Service Banner at the Tigard Transit Center in Tigard, Oregon on January 30, 2009
WES Banner at the Tigard Transit Center on January 30, 2009

On previous days, rides during the test runs had been available by invitation.

IMG_5377 Logo on TriMet Westside Express Service Banner at the Tigard Transit Center in Tigard, Oregon on January 30, 2009
Logo on WES Banner in Tigard on January 30, 2009

The invitations for the test runs were mainly offered to the media and VIPs, so this was the general public’s first look at the new trains.

IMG_5378 TriMet Westside Express Service Banner at the Tigard Transit Center in Tigard, Oregon on January 30, 2009
WES Banner at the Tigard Transit Center on January 30, 2009

A variety of signage was used leading up to the WES Grand Opening.

IMG_5374 TriMet Westside Express Service Grand Opening Ticket on January 30, 2009
WES Grand Opening Ticket on January 30, 2009

Here is an example of the tickets being handed out for the free rides. This is one of two I got at the Tigard Transit Center. These tickets were only good at the station they were received at, and were only good for a one-way trip. To get back, TriMet was running shuttle buses, or one could get in line for another ticket.

IMG_5387 TriMet Westside Express Service Cake at the Tigard Transit Center in Tigard, Oregon on January 30, 2009
WES Cake at the Tigard Transit Center on January 30, 2009

Free slices of this WES cake were being offered at the Tigard Transit Center.

IMG_5388 TriMet Westside Express Service Cake at the Tigard Transit Center in Tigard, Oregon on January 30, 2009
WES Cake at the Tigard Transit Center on January 30, 2009

The following video shows WES trains at the Tigard Transit Center on January 30, 2009.

TriMet Westside Express Service at the Tigard Transit Center on January 30, 2009.

IMG_5936 TriMet Westside Express Service DMUs on the Beaverton Modular Railroad Club's HO-Scale Layout at the Great Train Expo in Portland, Oregon on February 14, 2009
WES Models at Great Train Expo in Portland, February 14, 2009

I saw these scratchbuilt HO-Scale WES models, undoubtedly the first anywhere, on the Beaverton Modular Railroad Club's layout at the 2009 Great Train Expo in Portland on February 14, 2009.

IMG_5937 TriMet Westside Express Service DMUs on the Beaverton Modular Railroad Club's HO-Scale Layout at the Great Train Expo in Portland, Oregon on February 14, 2009
WES Models at Great Train Expo in Portland, February 14, 2009

The club was invited to display at some of the events for the WES opening, so they built these models.

IMG_5938 TriMet Westside Express Service DMUs on the Beaverton Modular Railroad Club's HO-Scale Layout at the Great Train Expo in Portland, Oregon on February 14, 2009
WES Models at Great Train Expo in Portland, February 14, 2009

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