Man, I love the charm of that Portland Union clock tower! It's cool that they've named their trainsets after the actual mountains in the region! They named the other Series 8 trainset they got after Mount Bachelor. The four original Series VI trainsets were named after Mount Baker, Mount Hood, Mount Olympus, and Mount Rainier. The Series VI trainset originally built to operate between Las Vegas and Los Angeles was renamed the Mount Adams when it was purchased by the state of Washington. The Mount Adams trainset was the one that derailed on the Point Defiance Cutoff. Mount Jefferson is the second-highest mountain in Oregon after Mount Hood. It reaches an elevation of 10,497 feet or 3,199 meters. Native Americans named the mountain "Seekseekqua". The British called it Mount Vancouver in honor of George Vancouver before the name Mount Jefferson was chosen in honor of Thomas Jefferson by the Lewis and Clark Expedition, as Jefferson sponsored the expedition. It was first ascended by E. C. Cross and R. L. Farmer in 1888.
@wafflesnfalafel12 ай бұрын
thanks for the vid, that is really a nice run. I believe the two remaining Talgo train sets have been dedicated to the Seattle to Vancouver BC run, with new set supposed to come on line in 2026.
@944play8 ай бұрын
I occasionally take Cascades from PDX to Oregon City. Tickets have gone from $5 to $4 then ONE DOLLAR last time I rode it a week ago.
@adventuresofamtrakcascades3019 ай бұрын
3:04 that K5LA horn gave me chills
@LonestarTrips9 ай бұрын
Agreed. The K5LA will always be THE railway horn of America.
@dennisyoung46319 ай бұрын
I’d call that Portland station “calming.” It’s helpful that way. Hope to take the train up to Seattle in the near future.
@himbourbanist8 ай бұрын
FINALLY did this route with my partner last weekend and it was awesome. We left from Tacoma Dome Station and rode down to Portland Union Station and then back. The ride was so comfortable and chill. It was a rainy day and we couldn't imagine needing to drive in such crappy weather, the train made the trip so easy and we had a lovely weekend getting around Portland on the MAX and the Streetcar. We got the Horizon coaches on our run which I believe are more common nowadays since the Talgos have become pretty scarce and Amtrak needs filler equipment until Siemens delivers the Airo sets. Amtrak Cascades has become one of my favorite routes on the network.
@harrisonhschan9 ай бұрын
Unfortunately it looks like the Talgo 8 cafe car is much more utilitarian, the original Talgo 6 had beautiful cafe cars with lots of wood, and the ceiling had a map of the coastal Pacific Northwest with little lights in them - truly a sight
@glowingfish9 ай бұрын
That is a great introduction to the Amtrak Cascades! There is of course a lot more to say about the Amtrak Cascades. One thing that doesn't come quite across in the video is that the route between Portland and Seattle isn't a super rural area, but it is also pretty sparsely populated for a place with five train trips a day. Of the places with Amtrak corridor service, the Seattle/Portland corridor is the least densely populated.
@mxg758 ай бұрын
The time savings on the Point Defiance Bypass is significant, but you miss out on the stupendous scenery of the old alignment, with the train running right along the shore of the Puget Sound.
@syrax1019 ай бұрын
Love the Cascades route! Such a relaxing ride. Can’t wait for the Empire Builder vid! I know the train had to have delays because of the freighters. Cool vid!
@jnrfalcon9 ай бұрын
Talgo specifically emphasizes that passive tilting does NOT increase speed in curves. It only improves comfort. The passive tilting mechanism basically hangs the cars on a top pivot point. In curves, the car body, along with the center of gravity is thrown outward, exacerbating centrifugal force, making the train less stable. That's why they absolutely need the low center of gravity design to keep up with normal speed. This is opposed to active tilting, which pivot at where the bogies meet the car bodies. This pivots the cars and the center of gravity into the curve, thus counteracting centrifugal force and allow higher operating speed
@LonestarTrips8 ай бұрын
Quoting from Talgo's website here: "Talgo's tilting technology can increase speeds by up to 25% through curves without having to carry out additional investments." That is what I am referring to in the video.
@jnrfalcon8 ай бұрын
@@LonestarTrips I got my information from chatting with an Amtrak Cascades engineer. And I can definitely confirm that on Amtrak Cascades, those Horizon sets runs at the same speed as the Talgos. Also, neither P40 or Charger has tilting technology of any kind, but does have a much much higher center of gravity. If they didn't fly off the rails, at the very very least, they are not utilizing the increased speed on Cascades service. Also, if it is effective, how come there are tons of companies in active tilting business, but practically only one in passive tilting?
@LonestarTrips8 ай бұрын
@@jnrfalcon Design case and use case are two different situations. The train was designed to increase speeds on existing infrastructure, whether or not Amtrak chooses to use them to their full potential is up to them. It's also possible that the allure of reduced RoW maintenance was the main factor for choosing the Talgos. All I'm saying is that they CAN increase speeds, not that they actually do.
@mariosphere9 ай бұрын
It's so strange to hear about stations who saw more trains 100 years ago than now...
@nyrmetros8 ай бұрын
Hello and welcome! 🎉
@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un9 ай бұрын
Kelso, WA was founded by Peter W. Crawford, a Scottish surveyor, who, in 1847, took up the first donation land claim on the Lower Cowlitz River. Crawford platted a townsite which he named after his hometown of Kelso in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. It became incorporated in 1889. In its early days, Kelso obtained the nickname "Little Chicago" as it became famous for its large number of taverns and brothels that catered to local loggers. The FBI finally forced the mayor to shut them down in the 1950s, with the last closing in the mid-1960s, though it remains to have a logging industry. The Columbia River got its name from American merchant sea captain Robert Gray. On May 12, 1792, when Robert Gray’s ship crossed the western river’s treacherous bar, Gray would become the first known explorer of European descent to enter the river. His fur trading mission was financed by Boston merchants who outfitted him with a private vessel named “Columbia Rediviva.” So he named the great river after the ship on May 18.
@WilliamMurphy-uv9pm8 ай бұрын
What was the original Indian name for the river or is it unpronounceable? With all the progressives in WA and OR, how come no demands for a change back to an original?
@katiobrien78548 ай бұрын
My grandfather was a mail carrier aboard the SP&S railroad (the Seattle-Portland-Spokane rail company) back in the day. I was born the same year the "Go By Train Gobytrain" sign was lit. I was about 3 when I learned what the sign said and enjoyed lots of years meeting my grandfather there on his trips thru Portland.
@tonerduckpin9 ай бұрын
I took the Cascades from Vancouver, Washington to Seattle a couple of years ago. I took a Tuesday trip at 8:00AM and it was packed. Not an empty seat on that train.
@juanmontull85508 ай бұрын
Love to see spanish trains in the US ✌ Also keep in mind that those Talgo sets run up to 300 km/h in Spain, so they are anything but bad or unsafe!!
@FlightAndTrack8 ай бұрын
Great work
@ivanoffw9 ай бұрын
I remember when I was first able to try out the Series 8 at Portland Union, one of the first things I noticed was how uncomfortable the seats were. You really missed out by not experiencing the Series 6 train sets, they were much more comfortable and felt luxurious. It's been so long since I have been on the Cascades that I did not realize that they still run the series 8 rather than the cars from Chicago.
@EmeraldCrimsonShadowPeach2K59 ай бұрын
This was great! I wonder when service to Vancouver BC on the Amtrak Cascades will be restored. Also, I'm definitely looking forward to seeing you do the Empire Builder as well!
@nkflynn8829 ай бұрын
Canada service was fully restored in March!
@EmeraldCrimsonShadowPeach2K59 ай бұрын
@@nkflynn882 That's awesome!
@WilliamMurphy-uv9pm8 ай бұрын
Are there really public phones in that station? Ancient Neon sign inside says so. Good for them. There is a small portion of the traveling public that don't have cell phones or have run out of juice for their own phone.
@himbourbanist8 ай бұрын
There's one left, I checked when I was in the station last weekend. It even accepts credit cards I think. Pretty cool
@WilliamMurphy-uv9pm8 ай бұрын
@@himbourbanist Thanks for your answer. KZbin can be a great experience if we could only hold back the whiners, haters, and constantly upset (at whatever bothers them at the moment). A lot of folks seem to want to pick a verbal or other fight. We could calmly she info as our database, us, would be huge. Happy holidays to you.
@himbourbanist8 ай бұрын
not a problem at all, totally agreed, and happy holidays to you!@@WilliamMurphy-uv9pm
@harrisonhschan9 ай бұрын
Cascades is a great service. I've ridden it several times down to Seattle from Vancouver, BC, back when they used F59PHIs hauling the older Talgo sets. I just wish the Vancouver BC trips went the full length to Portland and Eugene... Definitely interesting to see the range of cars they've used - Talgo sets, Horizon cars, and Superliners too... I actually got stuck overnight once when there was a track issue on the Canadian side, there's no intermediate stops between Vancouver (which is a preclearance facility) and the border so we couldn't be let off. It so happened to be on a Superliner set so it was very comfortable though. Definitely better to spend a night on than a Talgo set or Horizons
@himbourbanist8 ай бұрын
I didn't know they ever used Superliners on this route, that's really unique. Seems like they're using whatever is available (mostly Horizons) until the Airo sets are delivered. Can't wait to ride the new trains it'll be an absolute gamechanger for the line
@bos2pdx2yvr8 ай бұрын
Okay, wait... you did a trip report about Amtrak's Cascades route, spent several minutes talking about an accident, and didn't mention the STUNNING scenery of Puget Sound out the windows?? That's the best part of the trip! I realize you were seated on the opposite side of the train from the view, but it deserves at least a mention or a camera shot out one of the lounge car windows. Also, yes, the passenger cars are showing their age, but they'll be replaced in 2026 with new Siemens 'Airo' trains (a variant of the popular 'Venture' coaches) and locomotives. This is a beautiful train ride and I feel like you didn't do it justice.
@LonestarTrips8 ай бұрын
The train doesn't go alongside the Puget Sound anymore. The Point Defiance bypass makes sure of that lol. Also I'm aware the trainsets will be replaced in 2026 by the Airo fleet, I just didn't talk about it in this video because I already mentioned it in my previous ride in Business class when heading from Seattle to Portland.
@bos2pdx2yvr8 ай бұрын
@@LonestarTrips That's too bad that the new route takes it away from the scenery, but I guess it's understandable given the time savings.
@LonestarTrips8 ай бұрын
@@bos2pdx2yvr Yeah it's a real shame, but time savings will always win out. That being said, there will be plenty of beautiful scenery (Including a great look at the Puget Sound) in this week's video.
@stephenkeever60299 ай бұрын
I finally understand the Talgo wheels and tilt system thanks to your explanation. Was there any interesting train souvenirs in the Portland station?
@jslasher19 ай бұрын
Is there a water shortage in the Pacific Northwest? Filthy exterior. Why wasn't the equipment put through a washer?
@johnburke13179 ай бұрын
Nice video 👋
@LonestarTrips9 ай бұрын
Thanks!
@user-uo2ps9wz7i9 ай бұрын
By the way, my great-aunt lives in Portland.
@SeijinDinger13 күн бұрын
Opening day of the bypass a friend lost their life in the accident
@Robbi4969 ай бұрын
They also found that the Series 6 Talgos were not crashworhty!
@erik_griswold9 ай бұрын
They were certainly crashworthy, except when you run them at 79 mph through a 30 mph curve. I’d love to see how a Superliner or a Horizon Car would fare if the same thing was done to them.
@Robbi4969 ай бұрын
The NTSB when they invested the accident determined they were NOIT crashworthy and made them be removed from service
@rockyshore70174 ай бұрын
The Talgo locomotives are still in service, or not? At the end of the video we see them parked in the yard.
@LonestarTrips4 ай бұрын
I’m not sure what you mean by “Talgo locomotive.” Are you referring to the Talgo cab cars?
@rockyshore70174 ай бұрын
@@LonestarTrips The Talgo trainsets originally came with Talgo locomotives... near the end of your video we see two of them parked at the King Street station.... apparently they're no longer in service, or so I read.
@LonestarTrips4 ай бұрын
@@rockyshore7017 The Talgo sets never came with locomotives. The two you are referring to at the end of the video are the Talgo cab cars, which are a part of the series 8 trainsets.
@samtrak12049 ай бұрын
It looks like the Talgos with the beautiful bistro cars were sidetracked?
@sgt.eclair9 ай бұрын
scrapped.
@marsillinkow9 ай бұрын
So the odd spanish looking train with a duckbill is no longer in service? Shame
@elliebean3689 ай бұрын
No, the Talgo 8s (the duckbills) are still in service. The older Series 6 trainsets were all decommissioned and scrapped and the new Airo sets won't arrive for another three years
@OfficialETandM9 ай бұрын
When are you riding on the SMART Train here in Sonoma County?
@samtrak12049 ай бұрын
Dirty train and windows? Has Amtrak stopped washing cars?
@danabe32205 ай бұрын
In my opinion the Portland Union Station is one of the most beautiful stations in the US. Shame about the rest of Portland.