Monday, July 27, 2015

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

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

IMG_5027 TriMet Westside Express Service Station Sign in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 14, 2009
WES Station Sign at Wilsonville, Oregon on January 14, 2009

The Wilsonville station at 9699 SW Barber Street is the southern end of the line.

IMG_5026 TriMet Westside Express Service Station in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 14, 2009
WES Station Platform at Wilsonville, Oregon on January 14, 2009

This station features a 400-space Park & Ride lot, by far the largest of all the WES stations, 48 bike lockers, and connections to Wilsonville's SMART Transit, Canby's CAT and Salem's Cherriots.

IMG_5025 TriMet Westside Express Service Station in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 14, 2009
WES tracks at Wilsonville, Oregon on January 14, 2009

WES has its own track to the platform here, which ends at the end of the platform. Freight trains use the adjacent through track.

IMG_5021 TriMet Westside Express Service DMUs in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 14, 2009
WES Maintenance Facility on January 14, 2009

IMG_5017 TriMet Westside Express Service DMUs in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 14, 2009
WES Maintenance Facility on January 14, 2009

IMG_5016 TriMet Westside Express Service DMUs in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 14, 2009
WES Maintenance Facility on January 14, 2009

IMG_5036 TriMet Westside Express Service DMUs in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 15, 2009
WES Maintenance Facility on January 15, 2009

Wilsonville is also the site of the WES maintenance facility, which can be easily viewed from the Wilsonville platform.

IMG_5050 Interactivator at the TriMet Westside Express Service Station in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 15, 2009
Wilsonville Interactivator on January 15, 2009

There is one of these sculptures of bronze and stainless steel at each of the WES stations. They are called "Interactivators" and this one is the "Wilsonville Interactivator." They were created by Frank Boyden and Brad Rule. The vehicle and the 16 heads can be moved around in the tracks in the tabletop. The five "interactivators" are all similar but are slightly different. Each has a different color scheme and depicts a different animal on the top of the vehicle, and the heads, while representing the same "cast of characters," are slightly different at each station. These photos of the "Wilsonville Interactivator" were taken on January 15, 2009, the first day it was uncovered at the Wilsonville platform.

IMG_5055 Interactivator at the TriMet Westside Express Service Station in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 15, 2009
Wilsonville Interactivator on January 15, 2009

The following table lists the colors and animals at each of the five "Interactivators."

Station Animals

Color

Wilsonville Fish Red
Tualatin Crawfish Orange
Tigard Turtles Green
Hall/Nimbus Frogs Blue
Beaverton Beavers Yellow

IMG_5053 Interactivator at the TriMet Westside Express Service Station in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 15, 2009
Wilsonville Interactivator on January 15, 2009

The following is engraved on each interactivator:

THIS SCULPTURE, A THEATER OF SORTS, EXPLORES HUMAN INTERACTIONS FOUND IN PLACES WHERE PEOPLE COME TOGETHER, SUCH AS THIS TRAIN LINE. THE CAST OF CHARACTERS EXPRESSES VARIOUS TRAITS, GESTURES, STATES OF MIND, EMOTIONS, FEELINGS AND FANTASIES. YOU DECIDE WHO GOES WHERE AND WHAT PATH THEY WILL TAKE. BY ACTIVATING, YOU WILL CREATE NEW SCENARIOS BETWEEN THE CHARACTERS. USE YOUR IMAGINATION, TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS AND HAVE FUN.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

THE KISSER
THE SLEEPER
THE LAUGHER
THE SCOWLER
THE GOOFBALL
UNCLE SKULKY
THE BLIND HEAD
THE DOUBLE HEAD

THE FACELESS MASK
THE VEGETABLE HEAD
THE UPSIDE DOWN HEAD
THE MIRROR OF ILLUSION
THE FOUND OBJECT HEAD
THE CARRIER OF THE STONE
THE HISTORICAL HEAD MASK
THE HEAD WITH ANIMAL QUALITIES

Continue to Tualatin Station

TriMet's Westside Express Service (WES)

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

WES

On February 2, 2009, the transit system in Portland, Oregon called TriMet, or the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, began operation of a new commuter rail service called WES, or Westside Express Service, between the suburbs of Wilsonville and Beaverton on the Portland & Western Railroad. WES operates only on weekdays from 5:20 to 10:00 AM and from 3:30 to 8:00 PM, with a train departing in each direction approximately every 30 minutes. A trip between Wilsonville and Beaverton takes 27 minutes. The train crew consists of an engineer and a conductor, both of whom are Portland & Western employees.

The railroad line that WES runs on consists of portions of two lines that were once competitors. The portion from Wilsonville to Tigard was originally built in 1906 as the Oregon Electric Railway, an electric interurban railroad that began operation between Portland and Salem on New Year's Day in 1908. The Oregon Electric eventually reached Eugene, with branches to Banks, Forest Grove, Woodburn and Corvallis. The Oregon Electric's passenger service lasted until 1933. Electric freight service continued until 1945 when diesel locomotives took over. The portion of the line from Tigard to Beaverton was part of Southern Pacific's system and was used by their "Red Electric" interurbans, which carried passengers between Portland and Corvallis from 1914 to 1929 as competition to the Oregon Electric Railway. 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_5019 TriMet Westside Express Service DMU #1002 & Trailer #2001 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 14, 2009
DMU #1002 & Trailer #2001 in Wilsonville on January 14, 2009

WES operates with Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) built by Colorado Railcar Manufacturing of Fort Lupton, Colorado.

IMG_5023 TriMet Westside Express Service DMU #1002 & Trailer #2001 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 14, 2009
DMU #1002 & Trailer #2001 in Wilsonville on January 14, 2009

There are three powered units and one unpowered trailer.

IMG_5022 TriMet Westside Express Service DMU #1002 & Trailer #2001 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 14, 2009
DMU #1002 & Trailer #2001 in Wilsonville on January 14, 2009

The powered units seat 74 people each and have a top speed of 60 miles per hour. The unpowered trailer seats 80.

IMG_5037 TriMet Westside Express Service DMU #1002 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 15, 2009
Trailer #2001 & DMU #1002 in Wilsonville on January 15, 2009

Each WES car features two bicycle hooks and free wireless internet access.

IMG_5049 TriMet Westside Express Service Trailer #2001 & DMU #1002 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 15, 2009
Trailer #2001 & DMU #1002 in Wilsonville on January 15, 2009

The first of them arrived in June, 2008. WES was originally scheduled to begin operation in the fall of 2008, but delays in delivery of the cars caused the opening to be pushed back to February 2, 2009, with the trains being tested throughout the fall and winter of 2008. Colorado Railcar's financial difficulties caused the company to shut down in December of 2008.

IMG_5048 TriMet Westside Express ServiceTrailer #2001 & DMU #1002 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 15, 2009
Trailer #2001 & DMU #1002 in Wilsonville on January 15, 2009

TriMet's WES is one of only two commuter systems to use Colorado Railcar DMUs, and the other, Florida's Tri-Rail, uses Bi-level versions, making TriMet's four single-level cars the only ones of their kind.

IMG_5039 TriMet Westside Express Service Trailer #2001 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 15, 2009
Trailer #2001 & DMU #1001 in Wilsonville on January 15, 2009

WES typically operates with two of the powered units operating separately, with the third powered unit operating with the unpowered trailer, as shown here.

IMG_5044 TriMet Westside Express Service DMU #1001 & Trailer #2001 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 15, 2009
DMU #1001 & Trailer #2001 in Wilsonville on January 15, 2009

Below are some pictures of each of the WES cars.

IMG_5045 TriMet Westside Express Service DMU #1001 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 15, 2009
DMU #1001 in Wilsonville on January 15, 2009

IMG_5043 TriMet Westside Express Service DMU #1001 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 15, 2009
DMU #1001 in Wilsonville on January 15, 2009

IMG_5046 TriMet Westside Express Service DMU #1001 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 15, 2009
DMU #1001 in Wilsonville on January 15, 2009

IMG_5041 TriMet Westside Express Service DMU #1001 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 15, 2009
DMU #1001 in Wilsonville on January 15, 2009

IMG_5020 TriMet Westside Express Service DMU #1002 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 14, 2009
DMU #1002 in Wilsonville on January 14, 2009

IMG_5024 TriMet Westside Express Service DMU #1002 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 14, 2009
DMU #1002 in Wilsonville on January 14, 2009

IMG_5014 TriMet Westside Express Service DMU #1003 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 14, 2009
DMU #1003 in Wilsonville on January 14, 2009

IMG_5015 TriMet Westside Express Service DMU #1003 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 14, 2009
DMU #1003 in Wilsonville on January 14, 2009

IMG_5018 TriMet Westside Express Service DMU #1003 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 14, 2009
DMU #1003 in Wilsonville on January 14, 2009

IMG_5038 TriMet Westside Express Service Trailer #2001 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 15, 2009
Trailer #2001 in Wilsonville on January 15, 2009

IMG_5040 TriMet Westside Express Service Trailer #2001 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 15, 2009
Trailer #2001 in Wilsonville on January 15, 2009

IMG_5042 TriMet Westside Express Service Trailer #2001 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 15, 2009
Trailer #2001 in Wilsonville on January 15, 2009

IMG_5047 TriMet Westside Express Service Trailer #2001 in Wilsonville, Oregon on January 15, 2009
Trailer #2001 in Wilsonville on January 15, 2009

These following views show the interior of a WES train.

IMG_5382 Interior of TriMet Westside Express Service Train on January 30, 2009
Interior of a WES train on January 30, 2009

IMG_5383 Interior of TriMet Westside Express Service Train on January 30, 2009
Interior of a WES train on January 30, 2009

Related Links:
TriMet: Washington County Commuter Rail
TriMet: WES Commuter Rail Service
Westside Express Service (WES) from Rose City & NorthWestern
Colorado Railcar DMU Roster
First railcars arrive for west-side commuter line (Oregonian, June 19, 2009)
Westside Express Service faces delays (Oregonian, July 29, 2008)
TriMet's new Westside Express Service prepared to take to the rails this fall (Oregonian, August 21, 2008)
TriMet delays opening of Westside commuter rail line until February (Oregonian, October 1, 2008)
TriMet's Westside Express Service delayed (Oregonian, October 9, 2008)
Westside Express deal cost TriMet millions (Oregonian, December 14, 2008)
Company behind TriMet WES railcars fails (Oregonian, December 30, 2008)
Ready to ride? On board the westside commuter rail (Oregonian, January 21, 2009)
WES train rolls out for inaugural run (Oregonian, January 21, 2009)
Electrical problems on Westside Express Service sidelines trains (Oregonian, February 20, 2009)
WES service needs bus help for several more days (Oregonian, February 23, 2009)

The next posts will take a look at the five stations on the WES line:

Wilsonville Station
Tualatin Station
Tigard Transit Center
Hall/Nimbus Station
Beaverton Transit Center

Continue to Wilsonville Station

ORHF Holiday Express on December 14, 2008

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

Continued from NRM #2955 James J. Gilmore

IMG_4774 Southern Pacific Daylight GS-4 #4449 at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Southern Pacific Daylight 4-8-4 #4449 on December 14, 2008

On Sunday, December 14, 2008, the last scheduled day of the Holiday Express, a rare snowstorm descended on Portland.

IMG_4775 Southern Pacific Daylight GS-4 #4449 at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Southern Pacific Daylight 4-8-4 #4449 on December 14, 2008

Initially the Holiday Express was going to be cancelled for the day.

IMG_4776 Southern Pacific Daylight GS-4 #4449 at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Southern Pacific Daylight 4-8-4 #4449 on December 14, 2008

After some riders arrived despite the weather, two runs were made before the weather deteriorated even more.

IMG_4798 Southern Pacific Daylight GS-4 #4449 at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Southern Pacific Daylight 4-8-4 #4449 on December 14, 2008

The rest of the event was cancelled for the safety of drivers, who were having difficulty on the road leading to Oaks Park, which was beginning to freeze.

IMG_4799 Southern Pacific Daylight GS-4 #4449 at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Southern Pacific Daylight 4-8-4 #4449 on December 14, 2008

I braved the snow and rode the first of the two runs, and took pictures and video of the second run from the ground.

IMG_4800 Southern Pacific Daylight GS-4 #4449 at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Southern Pacific Daylight 4-8-4 #4449 on December 14, 2008

This was a rare opportunity to see #4449 operating in the snow.

IMG_4777 Doyle McCormack in the Cab of Southern Pacific Daylight GS-4 #4449 at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Doyle McCormack in the cab of #4449 on December 14, 2008

IMG_4801 Southern Pacific Daylight GS-4 #4449 at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Southern Pacific Daylight 4-8-4 #4449 on December 14, 2008

IMG_4802 Southern Pacific Daylight GS-4 #4449 at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Southern Pacific Daylight 4-8-4 #4449 on December 14, 2008

IMG_4782 Holiday Express Sign at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Holiday Express Platform at Oaks Park on December 14, 2008

In addition to the steam train ride, speeder rides were also offered, but due the snow the speeders weren't running on the last day.

IMG_4784 Milwaukee Road Speeder #7917 at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Speeders at Oaks Park on December 14, 2008

Oregon Pacific's SamTrak caboose was also parked there for both weekends.

IMG_4785 SamTrak Caboose #900 at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
SamTrak Caboose #900 at Oaks Park on December 14, 2008

Here are pictures of some of the Holiday Express passenger cars in the snow at Oaks Park.

IMG_4778 PNWC Sleeper-Lounge #600 Mount Hood at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
PNWC Sleeper-Lounge #600 Mount Hood on December 14, 2008

IMG_4780 PNWC Sleeper-Lounge #600 Mount Hood at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
PNWC Sleeper-Lounge #600 Mount Hood on December 14, 2008

IMG_4779 DLMX Coach #1210 Plum Creek at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
DLMX Coach #1210 Plum Creek on December 14, 2008

IMG_4786 PNWC Coach #6200 at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
PNWC Coach #6200 on December 14, 2008

IMG_4783 Northwest Rail Museum Daylight Observation Car #2955 James J. Gilmore at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
NRM Observation #2955 James J. Gilmore on December 14, 2008

The following pictures were taken from inside the James J. Gilmore round-end observation car as it led the train during the reverse move toward East Portland.

IMG_4752 Inside Northwest Rail Museum Daylight Observation Car #2955 James J. Gilmore in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Aboard the ORHF Holiday Express on December 14, 2008

IMG_4753 View From Inside Northwest Rail Museum Daylight Observation Car #2955 James J. Gilmore in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Aboard the ORHF Holiday Express on December 14, 2008

IMG_4757 View From Inside Northwest Rail Museum Daylight Observation Car #2955 James J. Gilmore in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Aboard the ORHF Holiday Express on December 14, 2008

The following photos were taken from the Gordon N. Zimmerman baggage car heading back to Oaks Park.

IMG_4763 Ross Island Bridge in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
View from the ORHF Holiday Express on December 14, 2008

IMG_4764 Ross Island Bridge in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Ross Island Bridge in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008

IMG_4765 Willamette River in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Willamette River in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008

IMG_4769 Southern Pacific Daylight GS-4 #4449 in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Southern Pacific Daylight 4-8-4 #4449 on December 14, 2008

IMG_4770 Southern Pacific Daylight GS-4 #4449 in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Southern Pacific Daylight 4-8-4 #4449 on December 14, 2008

The following pictures show #4449 departing Oaks Park on the second trip of the day.

IMG_4787 Southern Pacific Daylight GS-4 #4449 at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Southern Pacific Daylight 4-8-4 #4449 on December 14, 2008

IMG_4791 PNWC Sleeper-Lounge #600 Mount Hood at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
PNWC Sleeper-Lounge #600 Mount Hood on December 14, 2008

IMG_4792 Southern Pacific Daylight GS-4 #4449 at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Southern Pacific Daylight 4-8-4 #4449 on December 14, 2008

IMG_4793 Southern Pacific Daylight GS-4 #4449 at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Southern Pacific Daylight 4-8-4 #4449 on December 14, 2008

IMG_4794 Southern Pacific Daylight GS-4 #4449 at Oaks Park in Portland, Oregon on December 14, 2008
Southern Pacific Daylight 4-8-4 #4449 on December 14, 2008

The video below was filmed on December 14, 2008. All the footage aboard the train was from the first run and the footage on the ground was from the second run.

ORHF Holiday Express with SP Daylight #4449 on December 14, 2008.