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Going to the First Winterail in Corvallis, Oregon

I have been going to Winterail every year since I have been sober and a few beforehand. We always planned trips to Stockton, every year always finding something new to do and see. When Vic Neves (Mr. Winterail and one of its founders) retired to Albany, Oregon, the decision was made to move Winterail to Corvallis, Oregon. Chris Parker and I decided why not try it once in Oregon and if we still enjoyed it, we would continue to go, if not we could be done with it.

I purchased our Winterail tickets online so that decided we were going. After all those years of driving to Stockton, the question was how to get to Corvallis. Amtrak could work but since I was still working for Santa Ana Unified School District, I would rather save my days for my spring trip to La Plata and finally be able to ride behind Norfolk & Western 611 out of Spencer, North Carolina. Flying would be the choice, so in December, I booked a flight to Portland out of Orange County at a good fare. I thought of taking Amtrak back, but decided to fly so it cost me a little more to return via Sacramento.

Next, the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad announced they were hosting a post-Winterail special, so I bought us tickets to that. Next I contacted Bob and Elizabeth Alkire to tell them of our plan and they would decided to join us. We would ride new streetcar and trolley routes in the morning, stop by Southern Pacific 4449's new home at the Oregon Rail Heritage Centre then photograph depots, trains and steam engines on the way to Corvallis. We would attend the Friday night Railfan Pizza Party and Slide Show where I would show my yearly program, then be at Winterail on Saturday, Oregon Coast Scenic train Sunday and fly home that night. I booked Chris Parker and I a night at the usual Days Inn at 82nd Street in Portland and two nights at the Corvallis Budget Inn and mapped out our route for the trip.

I asked Robin Bowers to drive me to the airport then went through Security with no major delays. It felt good boarding this flight and I chose a window seat, deciding to photograph volcanoes on my way to Portland, Oregon.

Lassen Peak.

Mount Shasta.

Medicine Lake.

Crater Lake, a volcanic caldera, with Wizard Island, a cinder cone inside the caldera.

Three Sisters.

Mount Jefferson.

Mount Hood was my last volcano. We landed on time and I was off the plane quickly then had to wait for Chris Parker to arrive back at the airport since he had arrived earlier, bought a MAX Day Pass and rode it into town. I had called him to let him know that Bob and Elizabeth Alkire were just a block away from him and they found him and all went to Beaverton to ride the Westside Express for their first time. I called Chris and he was on the way back to the airport.

This MAX Red Line trolley waited for Chris to arrive and we went to Enterprise to obtain our rental car then drove to Elmers on Sandy Boulevard and found Bob and Elizabeth who had just finished their meal. We had a fantastic dinner then drove to the Days Inn Portland Central Motel on 82nd Street for the night.

My last time in Portland was in January 2010 and Tri-Met had built the line down to Milwaukie and the A and B Loops of the Portland Streetcar lines since. We decided to ride all of them this morning so Chris Parker and I drove to the Oregon Rail Heritage Center parking lot and a few minutes later, Bob and Elizabeth pulled in and we walked over the MAX Water Street station and bought our Day Pass. My first new ride would be south on the new line to Milwaukie. We waited just a few minutes and then I saw a train coming our way.

The MAX train arrived at Water Street station and the four of us boarded the front end. This line has stops at Clinton SE 12th, SE 17th Ave & Holgate Boulevard, SE Bybee, SE Tacoma/Johnson Creek, Milwaukie/Main Street and the final stop at SE Park Avenue, the end of this line.

Our light rail train at SE Park Avenue station.

The end of the line.

The light rail system map.

Another MAX train arrived but we reboarded the same train we came out on and the trip back was very enjoyable.

We went through Water Street and crossed the Willamette River Bridge to the South Waterfront/South Moody station and detrained.

The train departed and we walked across the street to the South Waterfront/South Moody station stop where I discovered I did not ride to Portland State. Well, we could do Portland Streetcar rides.

The B Loop train arrived and we boarded. It was National Train Operator Day so we said thank you to our operator.

The train crossed the Willamette River Bridge again before it diverted onto the B loop and more new mileage. The B Loop train would stop at stations on the route at OMSI, SE Mill Street, SE Hawthorne Boulevard, SE Taylor Street, SE Belmont Street, SE Stark Street, East Burnside Street, NE Holt Street, NE Multnomah Street, NE Broadway Street, Broadway/NE 2nd Street, Broadway/NE Ross Street then cross the Willamette River on the Broadway Bridge to the 10th Street/Lovejoy station and we went around the corner, joining the original Portland Streetcar route. When we turned south onto NW 7th Street, I had two blocks of new mileage until we returned to the original Portland Streetcar route. We detrained at NW Johnson Street.

The B Loop Streetcar that brought us here.

NS Portland Streetcar at NW Johnson Street.

Our A Loop train arrived and we all boarded. This trolley goes on a different route so it will all be new until we reach the original Portland Streetcar route at the south end of the A Loop. We made our stops at 10th Street/Lovejoy and Broadway/NE Ross Street, then to stops at NE Wielder Street and NE 2nd Street south, turned onto NE 7th Street to the lone stop at NE Halsey Street. We turned west onto SE Oregon Street and stopped there before turning south onto Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd stopping at NE Holt Street, East Burnside Street, SE Stark Street, SE Belmont Street, SE Taylor Street, SE Hawthorne Blvd, SE Mill Street and joined the B loop route. We stopped at OMSI, where Chris Parker detrained and the rest of us crossed the Willamette River Bridge and joined the original Portland Streetcar route, which we took to Portland State University and detrained. We waited for a MAX Orange Line train to take us back.

A B Loop Train ran by us.

A northbound NS Line train came next.

Another southbound NS Line train.

Our train arrived and we boarded, stopping atSW 3rd then Riverplace.

A Portland Streetcar made the turn at the bottom of the hill.

The Tillikum Crossing, also known as the Bridge of the People. We crossed the Willamette River and returned to the Water Street station and upon arrival there, I had completed the entire MAX system once again. We detrained, ending our riding for today.

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