Onboard one of the last DMUs produces by Colorado Railcar! Portland's unique commuter review

Howdy folks,
Welcome to this trip report onboard a very special commuter train. The TRIMET WES operated by Colorado Railcar DMUs.
Enjoy and don't hesitate to comment :)
TRIP INFORMATION -
RECORDED IN JUNE 2020
Railway company: TRIMET
Train type : Colorado Railcar DMU Aero
From : Beaverton Transit Center to Hall/Nimbus
Time : Around 10 min
Price : $2.50
LINK TO THE NEW PATREON PAGE : / simply_railway
SOCIAL MEDIA - / simply_railway
SIMPLY RAILWAY PRODUCTS : teespring.com/...
EQUIPEMENT - Iphone XS + DJI mobile osmo 2
English correction made by Michel Seignette de Kerobert

[@horizelux2212]

I love how you also focus on the history of the railroad, trains etc instead of just a normal review. Excellent job. and great editing too!

[@MangoMouse1604]

Source: *my dad in the 70s*

[@Steve_McMillen]

You're probably the only train person i've seen that actually likes riding trains backwards haha.

[@chrismckellar9350]

Nothing wrong riding backwards.

[@jameslovestokyo]

Travelling with Amtrak in America I was astonished that entire train sets would be turned (or every pair of seats manually turned) so everyone could face forwards. Maybe it’s an American thing - not wanting to travel backwards. European intercity trains are usually a 50:50 mix of forwards and backwards.

[@jamesrobinson9194]

@@jameslovestokyo on the Shinkansen they turn the seats after every journey

[@henrikgiese6316]

@@jamesrobinson9194 Heh. I was in Japan with a group a couple of years ago. When we figured out how to turn the seats we immediately changed them to "European" configuration. :D

[@Fedaykin24]

I like to ride backwards and actively chose to do it out of preference, it is apart from anything else far safer to be seated facing backwards. You are far more likely to survive a train crash if you are seated facing backwards.

[@michaelbruchas6663]

This is the first time that I have ever seen one of these rare trains in action! The US needs somebody to make a lot more like these for short lines...

[@paulh3086]

As someone who rode this train everyday for a year, I can attest to the comfort of the seats! I fell asleep on those babies almost everyday on the afternoon commute home.

[@SuperHornetPilot]

Just what one needs after a long day on the job.

[@jamesmeppler6375]

Sad they put so much money onto such a short line, Max or busses could use something like this, it even has wifi wtf is that on trimet...nm too many bums

[@SuperHornetPilot]

@@jamesmeppler6375 Yeah, though MAX did get several new lines over the years. I remember as a kid when it was just the Blue Line which included the subway-style Washington Park stop where the zoo is at, and then came the Red Line which went to the airport and now there's the Orange, Yellow and Green lines as well.

[@chriswalker1993]

I rode the bi-level version of the Colorado Railcar when it was being demonstrated on Tri-Rail (now it's rotting in their Hialeah railyard). Very comfortable to ride in and I regret that the company went out of business.

[@ADtranzakias]

The french RTG, reminds me the Essligen/Mercedes/Ferrosstal DMU, built for greek narrow railways in 1958.

[@alanjanos652]

The interlaced tracks at the station are actually referred to as a "gantlet track".

[@frankishknight1878]

Excellent feedback. Thank you! 😄

[@TheSynecdoche]

In a video about a freight train being driven from Hoek-van-Holland via Rotterdam to Dordrecht in the Netherlands, these tracks were described in Dutch as "strengelspoor". The line between Rotterdam and Hoek van Holland used to be a regular railway line but was converted to a metro line, as part of the Rotterdam metro network. As the metro carriages ride closer to the platforms and freight trains still make a limited use of this line, wider additional tracks were laid for them along the platforms. The same trick is used on tram tracks in narrow streets; you will find several in the center of Amsterdam. I could not find a proper English translation, until now ...

[@christophernoble6810]

@@TheSynecdoche Gauntlet track, presumably.

[@Greatdome99]

@@christophernoble6810 Gantlet, not gauntlet. Different meaning.

[@billlauretti7963]

Actually it is "Gauntlet track" . They are also common on the New Jersey Transit lines that share track with freight trains.

[@ethanstein42]

You should come to Florida and try the Tri Rail or Brightline (when it reopens) or the Amtrak silver meteor or star.

[@alejandrayalanbowman367]

I agree. Used to use the TriRail to and from MIA airport. Have never worked out why they all have "tri" in the name.

[@belletiggeler2579]

the cab inside and the windows (especially from the side as you can see at 3:41) make me think of the dutch NS SGM commuter stock

[@preyaspatel5644]

Just love watching your videos.

[@blueducst4]

Occasionally they run Budd RDCs on this line.

[@____-ku3cd]

lmao, i never noticed that you had a toilets time mug 😂

[@yourlocalskoda4860]

im sorry but your name is so long that it stretches across my entire yt page

[@____-ku3cd]

@@yourlocalskoda4860 yes, thats kinda the point lmao

[@portlandbusfan]

WES has very low ridership but I love it

[@dannyvasquez4581]

WES had RDCs from TRE and DMUs from colorado railcar before opened in 2009

[@TheCriminalViolin]

Actually, they still do have those Budd RDCs! And they use them occasionally as well! I ran into their Budd RDC set at the start of this year, I believe March 5th, I think, when TriMet changed their Beaverton Transit Center layout and function, bus slot wise. I know I have a pic or two of them somewhere, at least I swear I do, and hope I do from that day! Might be on my instagram, I'll be checking to see for sure in a few minutes here. From one Danny to another, hello!

[@chesapeakerailphotography]

Very interesting train! Awesome report!

[@gladfan1989]

I had the opportunity to ride the WES a few years back. Quite a nice train.

[@johnnyjames7139]

A non plastic seat, hooray!

[@willgearhart6985]

Great video! It's great you highlight smaller systems. Quick notes, though: They always ran single-unit trains, this did not change because of the pandemic (Although perhaps they have suspended use of 2001, the unpowered trailer car which usually runs with either 1001, 1002, or 1003. The Budd cars are always operated as a pair). Before the pandemic, trains were operated every 20 minutes during peak times; WES has never operated off-peak or on weekends or holidays. Fun fact: in December 2020, it cost TriMet (and P&W) over $108 per passenger to operate WES, not including general or administrative costs. It is usually about $20. Compare that to the full fare of $2.50 and the reduced fare (youth/senior etc.) of $1.25.

[@Greatdome99]

The strange track layout at train platforms is commonly called a "gantlet track." Freight railroads often use them not to widen clearances but just the opposite: to allow two separate tracks to join together inside bridges and tunnels where clearances are tight.

[@paulw.woodring7304]

Gantlet tracks are not unheard of in the U. S. I personally know of ones at the New Carrollton, MD Amtrak station on the Northeast Corridor, and also on Conrail shared Assets Lehigh Line between Port Reading Jct. and Newark, NJ, for NJ Transit trains.

[@ingenuity168]

You're so knowledgeable about trains! 👍

[@johndornoff]

Like your video on Sounder, it is sad to see how badly COVID-19 has affected transit ridership. As someone who rode the train regularly until I moved out of Portland for a new job, the trains were always full or close to it. Normally they run trains every 30-minutes but by cutting them down to 45-minutes they can run one less train set and save on labor cost. The trains are not low floor they are actually high floor however the stations all have high-level platforms and consequently require the gauntlet tracks for freights to avoid hitting the platforms with wide freight cars.

[@bbbeezy]

Wow! I have to give you a lot of credit for hitting up even the most insignificant rail lines in the country. Pre-COVID I used to ride this every morning to work and it would hit standing room capacity with two cars, so the demand was beginning to materialize. I’m sure it will take a while before it comes back even close to that, though. And you’re right about the horn. I would make it a point to always sit in the second car so as to avoid the incessant horn blowing. Great stuff 🙌🏻

[@hoof2001]

They have a 50’s Flash Gordon comic book look about them. Fascinating: thanks for posting 😁

[@StrawberryStationMusic]

That whole railcar looks like such a blast from the past. Not in a bad way, it's just surprising (and a little telling for the US rail industry) that they were building a unit like that, when something like the SNCF X73500 had already been in service half a decade.

[@mr.conductorfromsts4204]

It’s almost sounds like the EMD GP40 with Caterpillar/Cummins HEP Diesel Generator

[@albawutz]

Very interesting. The 2 cars unit but still the command window in the middle. The DB used to have command cars without streamlined cabin in the fifties. First time i saw tracks with points just to get closer to a platform. Nice short movie

[@edisonz2006]

4:10 Cool photo taken by your dad! Also at 6:35, the train must sound a horn at every level crossing to alarm the pedestrians and cars crossing the tracks! On the Northeast Corridor, you don't hear the train sounding the horn, because there are no level crossings on the NE Corridor.

[@drdewott9154]

Still quite odd considering where I'm from in Scandinavia, the law is to only sound the horn at unsecured crossings, IE, those without alarm signals with bells and lights. Plus horns here are typically quieter than in the US too.

[@AVeryRandomPerson]

@@drdewott9154 Here, unless the FRA has given permission to not use the horn based upon whether the crossing has enough safety features, there is a legally required horn sequence for at least 20 seconds at *every* crossing.

[@drdewott9154]

@@AVeryRandomPerson Jesus. Seems a bit overkill doesn't it?

[@AVeryRandomPerson]

@@drdewott9154 It would be, but I've seen people race the train thinking they can beat it, and Metrolink & the Surfliner hit around 150 people a year.

[@thejoechannel6912]

There are railroad crossings on the Northeast Corridor, in New London.

[@anteeklund4159]

Awsome video dude!

[@jdrailfan391]

2:02 Are you specifically talking about the Wes locomotive 1001, or just the Wes locomotives in general? Edit: It seems you were talking a about all of them. Except for the Budd cats I’m assuming, which I’m surprised you didn’t mention them in the video. If you didn’t know, yes, the Wes also uses Budd cars, but it’s rarer to see them, and usually they just use their DMUs.

[@crowmob-yo6ry]

So frustrating (but expected) how the US government bailed out the evil auto industry but not a rail manufacturer.

[@frenchgrama]

I can't believe you put your dirty skateboard wheels up against the fabric of the train seat...!!!! Such a beautiful CLEAN train and you didn't respect it...

[@Drewster327]

Lol your whole review was from BTC to hall/nimbus, thats literally a 2 mile trip

[@bagussatriachannel]

Excellent video

[@GEP43DC]

The Two Tracks in the middle are for freight. you are correct. as The Tracks at Union Station in New Jersey have the same set up for NJ Transit, as well as CSX, NS, BNSF, to go through

[@jason199033]

your video's are fantastic, thanks for sharing them they are very well made, if you ever come to New Zealand you would enjoy the tranzalpine journey in the south island,

[@eurouc]

Hideously ugly rolling stock. Flat, vertical sides and pudgy rounded front end 🤢

[@TWF1003]

I'd rather take these any day over the diesel light rail trains that are Stadler DMUs. They also use real multi chime train horns. And no hateful comments allowed.

[@benfryback9878]

Top speed on the WES is actually 55 mph.

[@NOOBGAMING_legend]

Yay!! You reached 50k with this video Congrats!! And a great trip report as always!!

[@spredelectric]

3:35: The train is limited to a top speed of 60 MPH, not 37 MPH. 60 MPH/100 Km/H. I'm not sure what the mechanical top speed is, but per the timetable and track conditions, the top speed is 60.

[@farmerlucas1853]

Please do the NEC next. (Metro north, new haven, etc)

[@benjamintery7847]

Awesome video ! No "toilets time" this time around 🙃 . Reminds me a bit of the X73500 due to its length

[@MrBnsftrain]

I had no idea these units had a cab at the flat end so they could run independently No many rail lines here in North America use DMUs., but most that do use European rolling stock (the eBART, NJT's River Line, San Diego Sprinter, Ottowa O-Train, and two lines in Texas)

[@johnnyboy3949]

That train was built in 2008?! I would of guessed 1958.

[@TravelTourTaste]

Hey my friend hope you are well. Sorry we haven't been able to visit you for a while we were in Bulgaria then Malta were we got stuck due to Covid and flights we're cancelled. But great to catch up with you again. Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us. Another great history lesson. Stay safe and catch up again real soon God bless. Stay safe

[@daniloosorio3400]

That sound at the first 30 seconds 😫😖

[@spredelectric]

At 3:03: Whether a train is single-car or double-car has nothing to do with COVID-19. In fact they still regularly run a two-car set, although it's wholly unnecessary based upon the passenger loads. TriMet only has four of the "DMU"s and one of them is a "trailer" meaning it doesn't have a propulsion engine - it must be towed. So, unless the RDC set is used (and the RDC always runs as a pair), there will almost always be at least one two-car train in operation unless the 2001 car is set out.

[@russellgxy2905]

When it comes to the sound issue, I feel like it's needed because some people at crossings are...dumb, but some railroads could be trying a bit harder at implementing pedestrian safety

[@juancarlosherrera2827]

Can you maybe one come to Denver to review RTD Commuter rail and maybe the light rail as well 😁

[@briansivley2001]

The South Shore Line has tracks like those at stations where they have tracks for the freight trains to clear the platform and tracks for South Shore Line Trains that get closer to the platform.

[@colbymaxheidke7607]

You should try the mbta Marta pan trolley in boston

[@stevetaylor8698]

It must be hell living near a railway in the US, all those bells and horns going incessantly.

[@frankishknight1878]

Correct. I love trains but i dislike their loudness while I sleep. I am just two blocks from the Missouri Union Pacific corridor.

[@stevenmontoya9950]

I lived for a year in Portland, and rode the MAX all the time while there, but I left about two years before WES opened. Brought back memories 😌

[@ivanmaggini]

Good video

[@The4905]

wow, I never thought I'd see the day of this video, but wow, i am excited

[@OrangeSkeleton1]

You should do MNR from Fairfield Metro to GCT

[@amfm889]

“Silenciousness” should be a word.

[@noahmizrahi9834]

This should go all the way to salem oregon and back daily, and their lightrail should make the leap to the coast. what is keeping them from advancing in rail travel?

[@manubird2475]

Aloha from Hawai'i! Whenever I travel to the Pacific Northwest to torment kids and grandkids, I always enjoy riding Portland's MAX system, though I have never been on this section. Very interesting! Thank you.

[@astrofabio68]

oh boy I really envy you!!! I love trains but sadly in South America the 90% of trains are gone...specially in Uruguay, a country with great net of railways and now reduced a few kms...very sad...when I was in US in 2002 I made a trip from NY to Atlanta in Amtrak crescent train

[@spredelectric]

FYI: Portland & Western is a Class III railroad, not a Class II.

[@503railfan]

Hey Erik. I think it's technically large enough to be a Class II, but lease agreements prevent it from being labelled as such (for some reason)

[@spredelectric]

@@503railfan Nope. It's a class 3. Whether a railroad is a Class 1, 2 or 3 follows a FRA definition which is based by revenue, and a lease agreement has absolutely nothing to do with it. PNWR is a Class 3 by FRA definition based upon revenue.

[@503railfan]

@@spredelectric Thanks for clarifying. I had been told by someone that P&W was large enough to be a class II, but one of the lease agreements with UP or BNSF said that P&W couldn't become a class II.

[@spredelectric]

@@503railfan Not at all. I mean, I guess if P&W got large enough (i.e. generated enough business and revenue) that UP and/or BNSF could terminate the lease and take over the lines themselves. That seems plausible with the lower OE (south of Quinaby) as BNSF has taken over two shortlines back into its own. I highly doubt Southern Pacific would have signed such a lease, nor UP demanded it on re-signing the leases.

[@FromtheWindowSeat]

Wow. What an interesting and unusual train. Thanks! I recall that there used to be more than one person creating videos for this channel but I can't recall seeing a video from anyone other than Thibault recently. Is Simply Railway still more than one person? 🤔

[@frankishknight1878]

Hi! Thibault does all the planning, traveling, filming, editing and research. I just proofread the subtitles and do some translating from French to English for him.

[@FromtheWindowSeat]

@@frankishknight1878 Ah - cool. Thanks!

[@themoviedealers]

A good companion to this one would be the Sprinter in San Diego County...

[@stanmarsh14]

When it's powering up, it does sound like a noisy UK class 170 Turbostar (Bombardier).

[@Thomas1980]

Excellent good Video! LIKE1065

[@QuarioQuario54321]

They should make this line electric

[@benfryback9878]

No, they shouldn't. This route is insanely low ridership. A freeway bus would make more sense.

[@thealexpshow782]

Yesss I agree

[@QuarioQuario54321]

@@benfryback9878 But that has traffic jams and this won’t.

[@Esperantisto]

Great video! I've been there. You even got the Beaver art! Is it still a DMU if it's not Multiple units? BTW, when we were there 2 years ago (so certainly not related to COVID) there was just one car.

[@davidng2336]

It’s interesting that they primarily operate single car trains. The only double train I see is the one with car 2001, which is the unpowered coach.

[@davidlang1125]

So interesting! Thanks for a great video tour. Are the DMU’s being replaced?

[@SimplyRailway]

I don't think so...

[@emeraldzebra9360]

I'd UP the horn power 😂

[@ceylonrailfans9331]

Nice footage...greeting from sri lanka 🇱🇰 💖 💕 ❤

[@eX0dus77]

Man, there'd be awesome to have models made of.

[@DanielsUKT]

good trip report on a diesel commute unit in Portland i liked the horns and bells throughout the video even for a small train like that

[@aliaslisabeth1031]

No one seems to mention that this is a former interurban railway, the former Oregon Electric. It used to run all the way to Salem and Eugene. Much of the Blue Line LRT is also former OE, except the entry into Portland and the street running section, of course. OE passenger service ended in 1933, and all electric operation ceased in 1945.

[@AJtheRatty]

In normal operation WES runs only one two unit set (one powered, one non-powered) on the schedule, with two other powered units each running as a single unit consist as depicted in the video. Overall, WES owns the 3 powered units, 1 matching non-powered unit, and a former Metra BUDD RDC set for backup service when a regular power unit is in the shop.

[@NoahMDub]

I was born in Portland and I always liked to ride the MAX as a young kid, and I NEVER knew this train existed until fairly recently!

[@codesstudios8698]

Hi Thibault. You should come over to Ireland to do a trip report I recommend the Enterprise from Dublin to Belfast. Bye

[@andrewhurricane]

It sure looks like a product you would see on a regional or intercity route in the EU. Those Colorado built trains really are a treasure! Dramatically over engineered... TriMet is definitely not a customer in need of a train capable of acceleration to 90 MPH!

[@danw2112]

I rode this train on the first day of service back in February 2009, from Beaverton to Wilsonville and back. I really liked it.

[@jeanpierreragequit1726]

Welcome int the 20th century Murica !! Greetings from France..

[@jamesmeppler6375]

The Colorado company really sucked. They were always asking trimet for more money and always late. Trimet had to take over their company to get ANY trains to us at all. It was cheaper and better to get them from Canada or Europe than to get a train seen here from the Colorado train company Nice to see beaverton, its rarely mentioned when talking about portland

[@joevalentine2048]

I can tell you that the FRA may be deciding to allow loud horns and bells since one well to do town in northern NJ banned their use at after 7 pm. As a result several teenagers were on the tracks around a curve and were killed. I wonder if those demanding silence regret it. The engineer was only allowed to sound a warning when he actually saw someone one the tracks. By then it was too late.

[@vasilicastoica416]

Salutări din România my frends 🖐🖐🖐🇹🇩🇹🇩🇹🇩🇹🇩🚄🚄🚄🚄🚄

[@ironmantrains]

Reminds me of the British Rail class 153 single car trains

[@farmerlucas1853]

But... RTG = turboliner?

[@edisonz2006]

Yeah I think so

[@frankishknight1878]

RTG from the French "Rame à Turbine à Gas." (Gas Turbine Train set.)

[@edisonz2006]

There are two Amtrak Turboliner models, RTG and RTL. The RTG model was build by the French and it's very similar to the French RTG Turbotrain.

[@IndigoFei]

Reminds me of the SMART train in LA. The doors remind me of the German Regional Express

[@edisonz2006]

SMART train is not in LA, it's near San Francisco.

[@annyer262]

Do they still have a Budd RDC in service on this line? If they do, catch a ride on it and post about it. I really like the Budds!

[@harrywood6502]

Even Americas new trains are old as hell lol

[@asbjrne.stackmest5015]

I feel like I'm a tetetubbie walking when watching this video, with all the bouncing up and down 🤸🏃

[@seprishere]

Surprised it's allowed to run when the Vivarail ones were stopped when they went bust.

[@Toast0808]

Oops. There is no such word as “silenciousness” in English. You just use “silence” or “silentness”.

[@portermcsorley]

You’re a brave man for stepping anywhere near downtown Portland.

[@CrazyDash9]

That is the weirdest American train I’ve ever seen lol

[@johnp139]

You should try the Cleveland Rapid Transit.

[@Tsurnari]

What the residents should have done was fight for separation of track from road and do away with the need for train horns altogether.

[@prokopsvoboda992]

good job video i love train

[@Atlantjan]

For 2.50 I don't even get to the next village 3km away in Germany

[@nleak92]

The train wouldn't look out of place in the 60s

[@juancarlosherrera2827]

Also Colorado has also have great trains in the mountains like the royal gorge railroad

[@billy98102]

first train trip at 125 mph, Paris to Caen on an RTG in 1971!