Get some rail exercise
Tie your weekend together with a Railrider excursion
Story & photos by Gretchen Ammerman
Oregon Coast TODAY
You develop a bit of weather toughness when you live in the Pacific Northwest. As the saying goes (with a slight modification), “If you like the weather, just wait 10 minutes.”
For those that have to be out in it, every day, all year, it helps to have a sense of humor. Enter the men of the Pacific Railway & Navigation, Co., or the PR&N. These men laid the train rails that would, centuries later, become the tracks for the Oregon Coast Railriders.
“The railroad workers didn’t really like this line too much because in the winter it’s prone to tree falls and landslides and the route has many blind turns,” said OCR General Manager Brian Cameron. “They started using the letters in the company name to coin it ‘Punk, Rotten & Nasty.’”
The tracks, laid in the early 1900s, originally connected Portland and Tillamook. These days, there are sections that have fallen into disrepair, and others that just fell into disuse, making them the perfect spot for modified rail carts. Operating seasonally, the Railrider excursions are a great way to see the Oregon Coast at its best. And from now until the end of the season, the best is yet to come as the days turn cooler and the leaves start their fall color displays.
“Our last tours will be run the first weekend in October this year,” Cameron said. “We don’t run during the really bad weather, but I loved that story about the name. I’ve become really fascinated with the historical aspects of the line and I love how these trips provide a unique experience of activity and local rail history. I also think ‘Punk, Rotten & Nasty’ will look great on a t-shirt.”
Riding the rails in the open air is almost as old as the first train track, with handcars of different designs in use throughout the years.
Cycling enthusiast Kim Metlen started the first Oregon rail riding business in Joseph, using a “severely modified internet design.” The primary difference being that instead of standing and pumping a hand crank like someone in a Charlie Chaplin movie, you use foot pedals similar to riding a recumbent bicycle.
Former Tillamook County Commissioner Mark Labhart stumbled upon the Metlens’ original rail riding business and thought of those disused tracks around the county.
“I thought this would be a tremendous opportunity for the coast,” Labhart said. “To get the Metlens on board, we put together a ‘red carpet’ team consisting of people from Tillamook County, the Port of Tillamook Bay, the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, Visit Tillamook Coast, the chamber and the City of Bay City.”
Cameron was part of the original start up in 2016, left to pursue other work opportunities and came back this season to manage the business. He sometimes gets to bring his kids to work, six-year-old twins Josephine and Jackson Collinsworth-Cameron, who are just big enough to help peddle the carts. In general, age isn’t a factor but if your feet can’t reach the pedals, you need to be in a car seat, which staff will help you attach.
“We’ve had passengers as young as three months, and as old as 96.” Cameron said, adding that people with physical challenges can contact Railriders to discuss the ride. “Our concern is always to keep our passengers safe, so there are cases where we’ve had riders with limited mobility, and other times where we and the customer agreed that it wasn’t the best idea.”
You can choose from two routes; the coast route goes from the Fish Peddler Restaurant in Bay City into north Tillamook and includes classic bridges and the rare opportunity to see the back of the Tillamook Cheese Factory. The route is 11 miles roundtrip, and takes about two hours.
The Wheeler route heads east from the small town just south of Manzanita and Nehalem, and roughly follows the Nehalem River.
“I like both routes of course,” Cameron said. “But if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the Wheeler route. It offers an intimate river view of the Nehalem. We also pass the Nehalem Bay Winery.”
The Wheeler route is also shorter, coming in at about four miles less pedaling than on the coast route.
Because each car holds four people, there are opportunities to peddle a lot or to simply sit back, enjoy the ride and let your friends and family do all the work. There are no major hills on the route, so different fitness levels can make the cart go.
But don’t be deceived, there is a workout if you want it, as Cameron found out when he started regularly working the rails this year.
“My COVID bump was gone pretty quickly,” he said.
During COVID times, masks are encouraged and seating in each cart will be for families or people who arrived together.
“Even though we are an outdoor activity, we want to be as safe as possible,” Cameron said. “We won’t seat people next to strangers so if people come alone, they can have the cart to themselves.”
Oregon Coast Railriders excursions run all week and leave at 9 am, noon and 3 pm. Tickets are $30 for adults, $16 for kids under 12. Arriving a half hour before the take-off time will help insure your seat is adjusted properly and any other needs are addressed. The final trips for 2020 will be on October 3. For reservations, call 541-786-6574 for the Wheeler route and 541-786-6165 for Bay City. For more information, go to ocrailriders.com.