Keeping Kurrent Show

The Place where we talk about the ideas, issues and trends that shape your everyday life.

The Nenana river is located immediately adjacent to Denali National Park and Preserve and passes by the McKinley Village where the Host had an overnight stay. The river is glacier fed. There was a sign saying that a Grizzly bear had recently been seen immediately by this property. This river and the surrounding territory is both beautiful and dangerous. The show's host took this picture while visiting Denali National Park in Alaska during August 2004.

 

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Check out some of the ideas, issues and trends explored on previous Keeping Kurrent shows.

 

 

Trains, Trains, Trains

Wonderful picture of Japan's high speed train.

Leaves turning along tracks as you travel through the Tillamook Forest east of Portland, Oregon.

 

 

Canadian Train Trips

There's a great web site that explains the types of train trips you can take in Canada. Take a look at this web site by double clicking on its name: Fresh Tracks. For example, you can take the Western Explorer which takes 8 days and 7 nights for $1389 (US $). They identify many train trips that last anywhere from four to fourteen days.

You can observe spectacular Canadian country when traveling by train. Fresh Tracks reports that Canada is the second largest country in the world.

The Beaverton-Wilsonville, Oregon, Heavy Rail Commuter Train

The Beaverton-Willsonville commuter rail system is just starting to be built along Hwy. 217 in Beaverton, Oregon. There is an additional track being laid beside the existing rail line. See the map below for the route and rail stations. This is a heavy-rail system similar to the Amtrak train system. The commuter system will be operation by 2008. For more information about this project look at the Tri-Met web site.

Here's what the commuter rail cars might look like.

JANUARY 30, 2009 OPENING CEREMONY

WES Commuter Rail will hold its opening ceremony on Friday, Jan. 30 and begin revenue service on Monday, Feb. 2, 2009.

OPERATION UPDATE

October 1, 2008 WES Commuter Rail to open January 30 Opening ceremony on Jan. 30; revenue service begins Feb. 2 TriMet today announced that WES Commuter Rail will hold its opening ceremony on Friday, Jan. 30 and begin revenue service on Monday, Feb. 2, 2009. Over the next four months, safety certification of all WES cars and extensive and rigorous signal system testing will be completed.

TRIMET STEPS IN TO ENSURE CAR DELIVERY

TriMet purchased three self-propelled Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) cars and one trailer from Colorado Railcar Manufacturing (CRM). TriMet contracted with CRM, the only U.S. firm that builds DMUs that meets federal safety standards and complies with the Buy America requirement.

CRM has been financially distressed and is six months behind schedule. In January 2008, TriMet stepped in to ensure the cars' completion, including providing financial and rail engineering expertise and on-site technical assistance to CRM, as well as paying suppliers to get parts delivered and maintain CRM operations. When the third DMU arrived in September, TriMet engineers determined that it would not be ready for service this fall.

FREIGHT WITH COMMUTER TRAINS

Commuter rail is a new transportation mode for Portland & Western (P&W) Railroad freight operations. TriMet purchased a state of the art signal system for WES that is being fully integrated with P&W's freight service. All 35 P&W freight locomotives that will operate in this corridor, as well the WES vehicles will include cab signals that are part of an overall signal system that will prevent train-to-train collisions, similar to what occurred in Los Angeles in September. The new software system is being fine-tuned and staff are implementing an extensive training and testing program. Both TriMet and P&W want more time to break in this new mode to ensure safe operations.

"TriMet stepped in to make sure we received the cars needed for service and now we are focusing on getting them fully tested and certified to ensure safe operations," said TriMet General Manager Fred Hansen. "We are also working with P&W to reach a greater level of confidence in their operating these two modes safely together."

ABOUT WES

The 14.7-mile WES (Westside Express Service) is the first commuter rail line in Oregon and will serve the cities of Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin and Wilsonville with weekday rush hour service. It will connect to the Beaverton Transit Center with 11 bus lines and MAX Blue and Red lines, as well as bus service at each station, including Wilsonville's SMART system, which provides bus service to Salem. For more information visit trimet.org/wes.

These statements's are based on a Tri-Met news release from Oct. 1 and 2, 2008.

This information was released by Tri-Met. More information is available by double clicking on http://trimet.org/commuterrail/ .

 

Steam and Diesel Trains

Around the World

Traveling on trains is one of my favorite activities. I've traveled on trains while in England, Japan, Scotland, Spain and Portugal and even in Oregon. I anticipate taking at least one train trip while visiting India during 2007. The trains are all so different. Trains are a great way to meet people and even try out your language skills. You find people eating food they brought from home as well as eating in the nicest dining car or sitting in the cushy, lounge seat in the first class cars of the Spanish trains.

During the 9th Season I will be sharing some pictures of trains that I have recently taken or would like to take. If you have had similar opportunities to train travel and would like to share them then let me know.

One of the recent train rides I took was on the Oregon Coast Explorer. This train operates on the weekends. It is part of the Port of Tillamook Bays Rail transportation system. During the week the train hauls products such as logs and gravel. On Saturdays it takes passengers along a variety of routes such as from Banks to Enright or Rockport to Enright. These trips last for about 8-9 hours and include a light breakfast and very special barbecue lunch special. M-m-m-m was that barbecue good. It included ribs and chicken with cabbage salad and beans. The company was great and the staff were friendly and helpful.

Several of the diesel engines used to haul the cars to Enright. There were additional locomotives at the other end of the training to help push the train up the relatively steep 3% grades to Enright. The train traveled about 20 miles per hour which allowed everyone to see the scenery. The train stopped in Banks, Oregon, which was founded in 1921 and was named for Robert Banks and his father John Banks. The Banks Lumber Company on the east side of tracks is a major shipped on the Tillamook Line. There were piles of logs and processed lumber on the north side of the tracks.

It's a little to see these cars in the morning sun. They were nicely painted and the tables and chairs were made of a nice light colored wood. You needed to be reasonably fit to get into the cars as passengers entered from ground level. Wheel chairs or walkers would not work on this train. Staff did help one individual who needed assistance walking up the stairs. Perhaps the Port might consider developing a loading system similar to the Mt. Hood Railroad. You can see more about the Mt. Hood RR site by clicking on MTHOOD.

There seemed to be quite a crowd of people getting on board. Most people had signed up for the first class service (perhaps 100 people) and the balance (about 35 people) had signed up for the standup lunch served in the baggage car turned into buffet car. The buffet crowd actually did fairly well for themselves. They still had a nice table, however, it didn't have silverware and a tablecloth and the meal wasn't served by a waiter or waitress. The $20 difference was more than what I wanted to pay.

There was one open car where people could sit on wooden benches and watch the train whiz by the countryside. The train is approaching of one the three tunnels between Banks and Enright. Two of them are fairly short, however, one of them is quite long and very dark except for the light emitted by the camera screens and the lights of the cars. You got a eerie look at the cement walls of the tunnel as you rode along and listened to the buzz of the passengers as they talked about their experience.

This was a mill pond that had served the lumbering community years ago. You can just see a couple of individuals standing at the edge of the pond and someone's hand just extending into the picture. We were sitting and standing on the open car as we clanked along the tracks. It was a gorgeous, warm day.

 

The train travels along the Salmonberry River all the way up to Enright. The Nehalem River started on the top and ran down the reverse side of the hilly terrain until it reached Nehalem Bay.

 


 

Travel Japan By Train

This is a special feature found in Nipponia,a quarterly magazine which introduces modern Japan to people all over the world. One of the articles in the December 15, 2007 magazine provides some spectacular pictures of various modern and restored trains. In addition, for the traveler has an opportunity to learn about Japan's Rail Network, the luxury sleeper express, Cassiopeia. If you serious about rail travel, here is a great opportunity to explore that country from the south to the north islands. There's more too. You can find on the Nipponia. You'll find the 43rd issue in their archives with more pictures.

Japan's Bullet trains are wonderful and continue to evolve.They travel over 100 miles per hour (270 KM/hour). They don't travel through the entire country. Also, there are many private rail corporations. America has a long way to go to catch up with the train systems in many countries, many which are far smaller tlhan the USA. With the energy crisis and the green house gas glut it behooves American leaders to show the way into the next generation.

JR Honi Main Line tlhat runs through part of Mount Aso, wlhich includes an active volcano.

Picture courtesy of Nipponia

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tokaido/San'yo Shinkansen debuted in 1997 and broke the world record for rail travel with a maximum speed of 300 KM/hour.

Picture courtesy of Nipponia

 

 

 

 

This is the Botchan Ressha Train which is operated by lyo Railway in Ehime Prefecture.

Picture courtesy of Nipponia