Guys,
I’ve been interested in the Mt. Hood Railroad in Oregon, and after viewing the tracks, I can’t seem to put my finger on the whole switchback wye that they use to get up the hill. Does anyone know what the purpose was for the switchback? Was, at one point, the deadend not a dead in or has it always been this way?
It looks like it gains a lot of height on this map
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=2&S=12&Z=10&X=770&Y=6323&W=1&qs=|hood+river||
As far as I know its always been that way. It’s a steep climb up onto the plateu from the george. The switchback is needed. Trains normaly back out of the yard (in HR) to the wye then go forward from there up to Odel. The line serves mostly as a tourist line these days but also does a bit of freight from the Odel area too.
It does. On the highway you climb about 350-400’ in the first couple of miles out of Hood River. The last ticket I got in Oregon was just north of the rr bridge above the highway because I picked up too much speed not paying attention comeing down the hill. They know just where to hide and catch speeders comeing down the hill.
Chad,
Dude, I got a ticket not far from Hood River too. I was doing 83 in a 70 or 75 (I can’t remember) and came around a corner and Jenny Law was sitting at the rest stop. A $175 ticket that they discounted down to $35 for just showing up.
I know that the hill is a steep one but why didn’t they continue to follow the river at an incline and then cut over to their route? Did the tracks ever go father the where they end now or did they ever go farther?
The canyon just gets too steep for that. Do you mean the wye track or the main? Well either way the answer is no. I have never seen the end of the wye but you can tell there is no where they could have gone. As for the main I am pretty sure Odel has always been the end of the line. There is still a good bit of produce around there. Lots of orchards and stuff. Follow the line on terraserve or google and you should see at least 3-4 big packing houses.
I rode it & I think I remember them saying it was used so the engine is pushing uphill & is leading coming down. They did not mention why they do not start out from the beginning with the engine pushing though.
The HRRR is a true ripoff they MAKE you pay to park + pay for the ride.