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Oregon Coast Railriders offers pedal-powered fun, relaxation for everyone

By Tim Martinez, Columbian Assistant Sports Editor
Published: July 26, 2017, 6:16pm
2 Photos
Riders pedal their railrider car across a trestle ( Tim Martinez/The Columbian
Riders pedal their railrider car across a trestle ( Tim Martinez/The Columbian Photo Gallery

BAY CITY, Ore. — The trouble sometimes with family fun in the summer is finding a consensus.

The adults often want something leisurely, perhaps with a view.

The kids want something fun, something to do.

On the northern Oregon Coast, they may find the perfect solution.

Oregon Coast Rail Riders is in its second season offering excursions in pedal-powered rails cars over inactive rail lines from Bay City to Tillamook.

“I sort of hate to keep bringing it up,” owner Kim Metlen said. “But this has worked out so well. It’s heartwarming to be able to offer something that works for everyone, no matter what age or ability.”

Five years ago, Metlen owned a bike shop with his wife Anita in La Grande, Ore. Looking to provide riding opportunities for the community, the Metlens became involved to a Rail-to-Trails initiative over more than 50 miles of inactive rail lines in the Wallowa Valley in northeast Oregon. But progress to that goal was slow.

“So we started to think ‘Isn’t there something we could do on the rails?” Metlen said.

Metlen began researching pedal-powered vehicles that could run on the rails. He found some groups that had developed a vehicle on the East Coast.

“That’s where we started,” he said. “But that first rail rider we modified significantly, so the ones we use are very much different from what we started with.”

On the rail riders, passengers sit in an adjustable recumbent-style seat. The rail rider provides seats for four passengers, sitting two-by-two. The independent gearing system allows one rider to stop pedaling and rest, if needed, while allowing the other riders to pedal the cart forward.

“The biggest reaction we get is people think it’s going to be hard to get it moving,” Metlen said. “But it’s really very easy. We’ve had little kids to 90-year-old grandmas ride with us and have a great time.”

Metlen started his rail rider excursions in the Wallowa Valley four years ago, not really sure if they would be a success. But much like his rail riders, the venture took off with ease, becoming a popular attraction in the region.

Eventually word spread all the way to the coast, and Metlen was put in contact with a commissioner from Tillamook County.

“They were looking for something that would help boost tourism,” he said. “I was given the phone number of the commissioner. But I was so busy with what we were doing here that I just put the number in my pocket.”

Eventually, Metlen made contact with the folks in Tillamook County. “And it was the best thing that could have happened,” he said.

The Oregon Coast Rail Riders began excursions last summer and like the ones in the Wallowa, they quickly took off.

“We are usually booked out a week ahead,” he said.

Oregon Coast Rail Riders lead three excursions each day Thursday through Monday during the summer. The excursions consist of 10 rail rider cars that can take 38 riders, plus two guides.

The guides help maintain the pace and safety of the caravan of rail riders. They also control traffic at five road crossings.

The journey begins in Bay City and heads south between Tillamook Bay and Highway 101. It makes more than a dozen trestle crossings over rivers, creeks and roads. It eventually crosses beneath Highway 101, goes behind the Tillamook Cheese Factory and through pastures and farms of Tillamook, ending six miles later at Goodspeed Spark in Tillamook. There the guides use a metal contraption called a rotator to turn the rail riders around so the convoy can make its return journey to Bay City.

The entire trip takes about two hours.

“Most people think it’s going to be tough, tough, tough,” Metlen said. “We’re so used to being in our cars and putting the pedal to the metal and going. But you’d be surprised how far you can go when you’re just rolling along at your own pace.”

The Oregon Coast Rail Riders offers excursion trips at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. It costs $22 per person, $10 for 11 and under. Reservations can be made online at www.ocrailriders­.com or 541-786-6165.

“We recently added a one-hour trip at the end of the day,” Metlen said of a 6 p.m. trip offered on weekend days only. “It’s for the folks who think they can’t make the two-hour trip. But, of course, when they finish, they figure out they could have done the two-hour trip. But I guess you have to start somewhere.”

The 2017 season will last through Oct. 2.

“We tried to ride through October last year, but the weather shut us down,” Metlen said. “Some of the nicest days on the coast often fall in October. But for whatever reason, they don’t seem to fall on the weekend.”

Looking back, Metlen can hardly believe the success his rail riders have had in two corners of Oregon.

“We’ve had people come up to us and say ‘OK, we’ve done the two-hour trip from Joseph to Enterprise, done the half-day trip (from Miniam to Wallowa) and now we’ve done the trip in Tillamook. Where are you going next, Kim?’ ” Metlen said.

Metlen will let someone else answer that question. Right now, he’s just happy to rolling along at his own pace.

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