Pedal-Powered Rail Riding Comes To Oregon Coast

Railriders begin to roll between Joseph and Enterprise
Wallowa County Cheiftain
Business owner Kim Metlen, of Metlen's Oregon Easy Cycling LLC, operating under the name of Joseph Branch Railriders for this endeavor, says his two-seat recumbent bicycle operation on the rail line is only the second operation of its kind in the United States.

Metlen notes he’s been granted permission by the WURA board to carry railriders from Joseph to Enterprise seven days per week during daylight hours. For the opening weekend (May 17-18), Joseph Branch Railriders planned to transport pedaling tourists on Saturday and Sunday, but Sunday was rained out. Starting Memorial Day weekend, the weekly schedule includes Friday as well. If demand increases beyond that point, says Metlen, additional days could be added, opening the possibility for new jobs surfacing in addition to those of Metlen and wife Anita.

Metlen said nine of the two-seat railriders traveled the line on opening day, Saturday, May 17, and most...

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BikePortland.org

The Monday Roundup: Railroad recumbent, wireless bike charging and more
BikePortland.org
Securing funding for a boondoggle often seems more politically realistic than the harder problem of tackling the entrenched interests of (heavily subsidized) frequent car drivers, he writes.

Here are the great bike links from around the world that caught our eyes this week:

The “rail rider”: This looks like a fun way to get around central Oregon.​

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Pedal-Powered Rail Riding Comes To Oregon Coast
KUOW News and Information
You may have heard about "Rails-To-Trails" conversions. Thanks to some entrepreneurial bicycle enthusiasts, you don't need to wait for the rails to come out in two Oregon counties. Friday, a company begins offering scenic tours along Tillamook Bay using pedal-powered contraptions that ride on the rails.

In 2014, a northeast Oregon couple, Kim and Anita Metlen, started offering railbike tours in Wallowa County on an inactive rail line. Anita said they were perfectly satisfied cultivating that business.

"Certainly, people would talk to us and say, 'Oh man, we have this rail line in our area. Boy this would be perfect!' she said. “So you have a lot of that conversation going on."

Then Tillamook County officials called. They were able to convince the Metlens to expand to an unused stretch of rail between Bay City and Tillamook on the Oregon Coast. The entrepreneurs doubled their fleet of what they call "rail riders." These resemble a four person recumbent bicycle crossed with a rail car frame.

The rail rides are only available with a guide. The sister companies the Metlens operate have exclusive use of the rails they use for their tours.

"People really enjoy doing this because it is very novel. You're sitting on a unique four-wheeled, pedal-powered vehicle," Metlen explained. "It's very peaceful. You see a lot of wildlife and you see the birds. You see the natural habitat that you're going through."

"You're traveling where a car generally does not travel," Metlen added during an interview from Joseph.

"You see things in a whole different perspective," Port of Tillamook Bay Director Michele Bradley said.

The brand new Tillamook Bay tour operation offers a two hour, 11-mile roundtrip starting in Bay City up to three times per day. The original Wallowa County tour ...

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Riding the rails
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
Our parents warned us never to play on railroad tracks.

In fact, the advice was right up there with if you don’t stop wrinkling your forehead, it will wrinkle forever. And, the watermelon will grow in your stomach if you eat the seeds.

Now — sorry Mom and Dad — you can wrinkle your brow, eat watermelon seeds and play on railroad tracks.

All in the same day.

At least you can if you head for Joseph, Ore., a mountain paradise that puts the “day” in day trip from Walla Walla.

There, smack in the shadow of Mount Joseph, is a unique business called Joseph Branch Railriders.

The first of its kind in the United States, Railriders opened in 2014 and allows you to pedal almost effortlessly through the mountain scenery from Joseph to Enterprise and back — on a cleverly designed contraption that is half bicycle, half rail car ...


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GETAWAYS | New ways to ride old rails
Kitsap Sun
ROCKAWAY BEACH — There's a routine to visiting the Oregon Coast: drop a blanket on the sand, crack open a book and let the kids run free until sunburn or hunger drive the family inland.

Then what? You could peruse Seaside's taffy and T-shirt shops, wander Cannon Beach's art galleries — or you could head a bit farther south for rides on an old coastal railway by both pedal and steam power.

The once-abandoned Tillamook Branch Line of the Southern Pacific Railroad has been divided in two, with an antique steam train chugging along the north end and a unique rail-cycling operation taking over the south end. Both experiences can easily be done in a day.

Got morning SUN in the forecast and gray clouds in the afternoon? Head down to Bay City first for an unforgettable trip with the Oregon Coast Railriders.

Each custom-built car, or "rail rider," operates like a four-seater recumbent bicycle, with pedals forward and seat behind. An easy cadence is all that's needed to glide the car along the rails. The upright position allows riders to sit back and enjoy ...


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