I'm having a very hectic summer and it doesn't look like I'll have any opportunity for a proper summer vacation, but earlier this week I did manage to clear out an entire day for a quick 501/508 daytrip to Portland and back.
The first challenge of any trip that originates in Seattle is getting to King Street Station. The Viaduct replacement project has road traffic to the Pioneer Square neighborhood tied in knots, so it's best to take light rail or public transit--and I did. There's also a construction project underway in the north stadium parking lot next to KSS, so several of the local streets near the station are blocked or re-configured. And then, when a traveler finally arrives at KSS, there's another construction project to navigate through. But there's plenty of signage to direct passengers to the ticketing and waiting area and the PA announcements are crystal clear, so there didn't seem to be any panic or confusion. However, the temporary waiting room is very small and when 2 trains are departing (501 to PDX at 730am and 510 to VAC at 740am) don't expect to get a comfortable seat while you wait unless you arrive very early. Anyway, despite the conditions my train left right on time and the only delay enroute was at Vancouver WA waiting for the bridge across the Columbia River to clear. Arrival at Portland's Union Station (PUS?) was exactly on-time at 1100am.
There's now a MAX line across the street from PUS that runs to downtown or the Rose Quarter. I bought an all day ticket ($5/good on all TriMet services) at the TVM and walked a few blocks to the Pearl District and rode the Portland Streetcar to NW 23rd Ave and had some lunch. Following lunch I walked back downtown along Burnside and then caught a bus out to the Sellwood/Westmoreland neighborhood where I poked my head into a couple of antique malls. There was plenty of railroad stuff--I bought 3 Pennsylvania RR timetables from 1965-7 for $6. After retuning downtown I spent the remainder of my afternoon at Powell's Books getting some material for the return trip.
I returned to PUS about 30 minutes before my train was scheduled to leave and found another full house. Both 508 northbound to Seattle and 507 southbound to Eugene are scheduled to depart at 615pm, but on this day an en retard Starlight's passenger were also tapping their toes and staring at their luggage during this rush hour. The Starlight did arrive just as we began boarding 508 and we were able to depart before the Starlight finished its station work. I didn't want to spend the whole return trip running behind a Superliner consist.
My car on the return trip was very full and very hot as we departed PUS. The entire train wasn't full however, so the conductor told riders to relocate to other cars if they wished while the Talgo tech worked on the HVAC. All but about 5 passengers relocated from my car and the tech was able to get the HVAC working in about 10 minutes, so I had a very pleasant ride back in a cool and nearly empty car.
The trip would have been perfect if we had had the King Tut locomotive on one of my trains, but we were powered by a P32 southbound and a P42 northbound. However, I did get a glimpse of Tut as we headed home, it looked like the King was leading train 509 southbound. We got to watch the sun set as we rolled along Pt. Defiance and arrived back in Seattle right on time.
It was a good trip. I wish I could do it more often.
Posted by yukon11 (Member # 2997) on :
Sounds like you had a nice little trip, Vincent.
I also got caught up in the 501/510 debacle at the King St. Station, a few weeks ago. What a mess. Is the renovation going to be completed by the fall? I hope so.
As you were on Burnside, while in Portland, did you get a chance to stop at Powell's Book Store? Do you happen to remember the names of the antique shops where you bought the railroad paraphernalia?
I had a similar experience when we took the Rocky Mountaineer loop about 5 years ago. One of the stops along the northern loop was the little town of Quesnel. We found a very nice antique shop about a block from where the assigned motel was. Lots of railroad and model railroad items. Mugs, T-shirts, etc with railroad logos. Also a nice collection of old automobile license plates. It was a great find.
Richard
Posted by Vincent206 (Member # 15447) on :
The mall was Stars Antiques and there was another mall close by that had quite a few HO and Lionel trains at pretty good prices. I took the #19 Woodstock bus from downtown and it took about 20 minutes to get there. Centralia WA is another place with lots of good railroad memorabilia. The shops in Centralia are just across the street from the Amtrak station.
The renovations at KSS aren't scheduled to be completed until spring 2013.
Posted by Vincent206 (Member # 15447) on :
One day after my uneventful trip on 508(17), the passengers on 508(18) had a very different experience to report. That trip was rudely interrupted when their locomotive derailed a few miles north of Vancouver WA. No injuries were reported and it doesn't appear that any of the Talgo cars left the rails, but both mainlines were blocked by the derailment. Surprisingly, there were only 86 passengers on the train and they were bused to their destinations.
I looked at Google maps and noticed that there is a crossover south of the reported location. I wonder if that might have been a factor in the derailment?
The comments section following the linked article is mostly full of the usual moronia. But within that pile there is a real gem, posted by David Madore:
Expecting the ride to cruise right along. Clouds of dust, sudden stop, whoa! That’s gotta be wrong.
Passengers and flying stuff suddenly hurled. Catapulted forward! What in the world?
Seattle or bust, with a mighty thrust. Derailed in Woodland, now plans must adjust.
Snap a picture with my phone, send it to the news. Seems we’re all OK, well one little bruise.
Kind of exciting, the commotion and the fuss. Alternate plans, now taking the bus.
OK, it's not Shakespeare or Slotkin, but it's pretty good.
Posted by Ira Slotkin (Member # 81) on :
Ah, Vincenzo!!! I am honored that you'd place me alongside The Bard.
And regarding your couplets, as archy the cockroach noted - the questions is whether or not the stuff is poetry. I say it is.
Now let's see if anyone else here knows who archy and mehitabel are... Henry, I suspect you will.
yours in tra(i)nsmigration
Ira
Posted by TwinStarRocket (Member # 2142) on :
My wife knows Archy and Mehitabel. She, too was Cleopatra in a past life.
Posted by Ocala Mike (Member # 4657) on :
Used to listen to a radio commentator in the NYC area years ago named Jean Shepherd (most famous for "Christmas Story"). He often alluded to "the cockroach and the cat" cartoons.
Posted by Henry Kisor (Member # 4776) on :
Don Marquis' archy & mehitabel collection is still available in paperback and in Kindle. I suspect that today archy would not have his old difficulty with the shift key. Both OS X and Windows offer solutions. Time marches on.
Posted by gibg (Member # 2565) on :
Archie, the cockroach, and Mehitabel, the cat, go wa-a-ay back -- 1940s or 1950s, I believe. The most famous characterizations were by Eddie Bracken and Carol Channing. Archie would type his messages on the typewriter by hopping from key to key (he could only write in lower case!). Much (if not all) of it was written, I believe, by Joe Darion, who later penned the lyrics to Man of LaMancha and other shows. Way off topic, but fun.
Posted by Ira Slotkin (Member # 81) on :
I have hardback first editions of most of his work acquired gradually over almost 50 years.
And to keep this on trains - there is one piece about archy meeting a man on a the subway.