Monday, July 27, 2015

TriMet’s Westside Express Service (WES): Tualatin Station

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

IMG_5077 TriMet Westside Express Service Station Sign in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009
WES Station Sign in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009

The Tualatin Station is located at 18955 SW Boones Ferry Road.

IMG_5076 TriMet Westside Express Service Station in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009
WES Station in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009

It has the most sizable and visually-imposing platform on the WES line.

IMG_5072 TriMet Westside Express Service Station in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009
WES Station in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009

Nearly the entire platform is covered by a peaked roof.

IMG_5073 TriMet Westside Express Service Station Clock in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009
WES Station Clock in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009

IMG_5074 TriMet Westside Express Service Station Clock in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009
WES Station Clock in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009

The roof is topped by a 4-sided clock tower with clocks by Electric Time.

IMG_5070 TriMet Westside Express Service Station in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009
WES Station in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009

IMG_5067 TriMet Westside Express Service Station in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009
WES Station in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009

The Tualatin Station features a 154-space Park & Ride lot, 6 bike lockers and 24 covered bike rack spaces.

IMG_5071 TriMet Westside Express Service Station Sign in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009
WES Station Sign in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009

IMG_5075 TriMet Westside Express Service Station Sign in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009
WES Station Sign in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009

The station connects with TriMet's #76 bus line.

IMG_5069 Gauntlet Track at TriMet Westside Express Service Station in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009
Gauntlet Track in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009

The WES trains and the freight trains have to share the same track here.

IMG_5068 TriMet Westside Express Service Station in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009
Gauntlet Track in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009

Because of this, a gauntlet track is used. 

IMG_5066 Gauntlet Track at TriMet Westside Express Service Station in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009
Gauntlet Track in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009

This lets the WES trains get closer to the platform while still giving freight trains the clearance they need.

IMG_5061 Southern Pacific over Oregon Electric in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009
Trestle Crossing in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009

Just north of the Tualatin Station the WES line passes Tualatin Community Park and passes underneath another rail line. The rail line that crosses over the WES line was originally built in 1886 as the narrow-gauge Portland & Willamette Valley Railway Company between downtown Portland and Dundee, through Lake Oswego and Newberg. Within a few years it was taken over by the Southern Pacific Railroad and standard-gauged, and between 1914 and 1929 the line was used by Southern Pacific's "Red Electric" interurbans, a competitor of the Oregon Electric Railway that originally operated the line WES now runs on, carrying passengers between Portland and Corvallis.

IMG_5060 Southern Pacific over Oregon Electric in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009
Trestle Crossing in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009

These lines remained competitors into the 1990s, with the Oregon Electric having become part of Burlington Northern Santa Fe while the Southern Pacific became part of Union Pacific. Today, both are operated by the Portland & Western Railroad.

IMG_5056 Oregon Electric Tualatin River Bridge in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009
Tualatin River Bridge in Tualatin, Oregon on January 15, 2009

At the north end of Tualatin Community Park, the WES line crosses the Tualatin River on this truss bridge. This truss span may date from the original construction of this line as the Oregon Electric Railway in 1906. The long north approach of this bridge was rebuilt to accommodate WES trains, but the main span and short south approach remain.

The following video shows a WES train crossing this bridge during a demonstration trip on January 21, 2009.

WES Train at Tualatin River Bridge on January 21, 2009.

Continue to Tigard Transit Center

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