相關遊程

「深澳」Railbike品山海、大啖海鮮，飽覽美景忘煩憂

相關介紹

深澳線鐵道原為運煤鐵路，2007年因深澳火力發電廠進行拆除改建，2016年恢復部份鐵道載客，八斗子火車站為深澳線終點站。2018年，新北市觀旅局與台鐵合作，活化廢棄深澳線鐵路，打造行走在鐵軌的Railbike—全台唯一依山傍海的鐵道自行車，從八斗子車站連接到深澳車站約1.3公里，單程騎乘約20分鐘。搭乘深澳Railbike，延途可以看到無敵海景、山景，隧道內用光影打造海洋聲光效果，充分感覺深澳在地魅力，串連周邊景點，讓遊客以低碳、樂活的方式，體驗北海岸之美！

注意事項

於菁桐火車站搭台鐵區間車約1小時至八斗子火車站，沿著八斗子火車站月台往深澳方向，步行約3分鐘即達Railbike月台。

不用去苗栗！北台灣最美海岸線也有山海系風格的浪漫鐵道自行車！

來到這，你可以感受漁村、礦村文化，同時欣賞山海壯麗的美景和生態〜

你多久沒看海了？你上次去玩北海岸是多久前的事了？

海岸巡禮〜台彎的北海岸全新玩法！

深澳鐵道自行車是由新北市政府與交通部臺灣鐵路管理局合作打造，起點緊鄰八斗子火車站，

沿途行經八斗子至深澳站，總長約1.3公里，共有24輛河豚造型自行車

觀旅局表示，深澳站設置Ubike 連接深澳漁港、象鼻岩、潮境公園、海洋科學博物館

及著名的水湳洞、金瓜石、九份觀光風景點

一日遊串聯整個北海岸，許多好玩的景點，都很適合親子及全家同遊唷〜

這次就跟著小編的腳步實際走一趟來看看吧，Let’s go！

附上基隆相關好吃好玩的地圖供參考

(地圖來源：基隆旅遊網)

南。多良車站，北。八斗子車站，皆是台灣最美臨海支線，一望無際的海岸線〜

深澳鐵道自行車起點就在這裡開始

票價如下：單程$150，來回優惠價$250，可選擇加購單程或來回車票

車體為河豚造型，圓呼呼的，看起來超可愛，而且每一台都有不同的顏色

由現場人員安排座次，一台限坐2人，中途不可以下車，寵物不可以搭乘

每台都備有喇叭及手煞車拉桿，工作人員還會提醒大家要與前車保持10M的安全距離

繫緊了安全帶，準備出發囉〜

沿途有海景、生態、煤礦文化、彩繪等，帶著小朋友來這邊騎鐵道自行車，吹吹海風看看風景相當的不錯

沿路會經過山洞，特別營造出以海底為主題的隧道，顆顆浪漫燈飾化作點點繁星，

彷彿進入了海底世界，完全不可怕反而很有趣

出了山洞，小徑清幽寧靜，兩旁綠蔭成林，走起來讓人覺得格外的舒服

一趟約莫20分鐘就抵達終點深澳站，在終點上略事休息，準備回程

小珊珊碎碎念：

出發〜北海岸一日遊！

所以心動了嗎？趕快安排一下出門旅遊的行程吧！

2018/12/28-2019/01/17

週五、周六、周日開放民眾免費體驗

(2018/12/27 早上9點開放網站開始預約)

周五1班次及周末4班次開放一般民眾線上預約免費體驗，

平日則開放4班次給在瑞芳區里民免費體驗詳：深澳鐵道自行車官網

  文章都看光光了，喜歡小珊珊的食記嗎？！

         有FB的朋友也給「小珊珊wow好吃好玩」來個推文跟按讚吧  

         快加入我的臉書粉絲團，隨時跟蹤小珊珊的新文章！  

Once the booking is made through the website, there will be a confirmation email of the tour package. Do take note on the selected meeting point and timing.

Our meet up point is at Myeongdong Station (Subway Line 4), Exit 2, which was shown clearly on the confirmation email. This ease the doubts and also a better picture on the meeting point.

Once everyone is gathered, there will be tour guide to assist throughout the journey.And here you go photos taken during the day trip:
GANGCHON RAIL PARK

KR: Had a wonderful cycling experience at Gangchon Rail Park (강촌레일파크). Swipe left to watch snippets of the scenery or watch my Ig stories for more. We also went to Nami Island and Garden of Morning Calm. All thanks to @trazy_korea . Address: 1385, Gimyujeong-ro, Sindong-myeon, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do 강원도 춘천시 신동면 김유정로 1385 (신동면) #hztravelogue #hazelxkorea #iphone7plus #trazykorea #trazy #travelcrazykorea

A post shared by Hazel (@hazeldiary_) on Dec 29, 2017 at 4:26am PST

Our first stop is to enjoy the ride on the old train tracks located in the beautiful countryside. There are 3 rail bike courses starting from Gimyujeong Station, Gangchon Station and Gyeonggang Station. And the distance from the starting point to the end is 8.6km in total.

During the journey, we passed by the farms and streams. Since it is during winter time, we saw snows covered all over the places.

We also passed by few tunnels with different theme throughout the journey. Each tunnels showcase different songs and theme. Thus, it was quite interesting as we were expecting surprises each time we saw the tunnel.

There are 2-seater ( 25,000 kr won) and 4- seater bike (35,000 kr won) with different pricing. The tickets need to be purchased in advance. Lucky for us because we book through Trazy.com, our tickets are included. Thus, all we need to do is to wait forour tour guide to distribute it to us.

Gangchon Rail Park (강촌레일파크)
Address: 1385, Gimyujeong-ro, Sindong-myeon, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do
강원도 춘천시 신동면 김유정로 1385 (신동면)

NAMI ISLAND

My second time here and this beautiful island is the filming spot of “ Winter Sonata”. The island is located 63km away from Seoul and 30 minutes drive away from Gangchon Rail Park.

Nami Island is known with the tree-lined roads that gives an instagram-worthy picturesque shot! We took quite a bit of time to take the shot below because there are people everywhere. We waited patiently for people to walk away and finally I got it!
Here’s a shot that I love it very much.

KR: Same spot taken 4 years ago but different season this time at Nami Island. Making new memories all over the places… #hztravelogue #hazelxkorea #travelcrazykorea #trazykorea

A post shared by Hazel (@hazeldiary_) on Dec 30, 2017 at 4:59am PST

It was lunch time when we reached the island. Thus, we decided to have our lunch in one of the restaurants there. For muslim tourists, there are also no pork no lard restaurants as well. Apart from that, there are street snacks including pan-fried rice cake, steaming hot buns, sausages and many more along the attraction spots.

We spent 2 hours venturing the places and taking #ootd shots. It was quite fun and relaxing walking around the island.

After all the photo-taking and exploring the island, we took the ferry back to the terminal to board our bus.

Nami Island
Address: 1 Namisum-gil, Namsan-myeon, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do
Website: https://namisum.com/en/




GARDEN OF MORNING CALM

We headed to the last stop of the day, which is the Garden of Morning Calm. This place is one of the biggest festivals of lights in Korea during Winter season. Expect to see thousands of LED lights beautifully illuminate the gardens.

Here are some shots taken during my trip there:

Garden of Morning Calm 
Address: 432 Sumogwon-ro, Sang-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do
Opening Hours:
Sunday –Friday 11:00AM – 9:00PM | Saturday 11:00AM – 11:00PM
Do note that opening hours change according to seasons.
Website: www.morningcalm.co.kr
Entrance Fee:
Adult 8,000krw (weekdays)| 9,000krw (Weekends & Public Holidays)
Youth 6,000krw (weekdays)| 6,500krw (Weekends & Public Holidays)
Children 5,000krw (weekdays)| 5,500krw (Weekends & Public Holidays)

The tour bus then sends us back to Myeongdong station after the tour. So basically we only spend on food for the whole day as the entrance tickets and transportation has been covered in this tour package. The best time about travelling with tour package is that we can save time on the planning and transportation. We also get to skip the queue for entrance tickets!
However the downside is that we need to follow the stated timing for each attraction spots. If you prefer free and easy trip, you may find that there is restriction on the timing. Nevertheless, it is good for big group and family outings. This save the time and hassle-free.
If you want to cover the 3 places within a day, you can book the tour package for Gangchon Rail Park, Nami Island and Garden of Morning Calm here.

How to get to Gangchon Rail Bike Park?

The fastest way to get to Gangchon Rail Bike Park is to take the ITX Cheongchun Line (from Yongsan or Cheongyangni in Seoul) to Namchuncheon and change to the subway back to Gimyujeong Station. The Gangchon Rail Bike Park is located a 5 minute walk away from Gimyujeong Station.

For the ITX from Seoul, you can either take it from Yongsan or Cheongyangni Station. It is better to book your tickets online as the ITX Cheongchun trains are extremely popular among tourists who wish to head to Nami Island.

At the booking page, key in your departure time, departure station, and the arrival station.

For the departure station, you can key in Yongsan or Cheongyangni while the arrival station, key in Namchuncheon.

Then, from the dropdown menu, click ITX Cheongchun and the number of passengers required. On the next page, select the time of departure that you would like, and pay for the tickets.

On the day of your departure, head over to the ticket counter to exchange your printouts to the actual tickets!

Upon arrival at Namchuncheon, head over to the subway platform and get on the train to Gimyucheong Station. The train timings from Namchuncheon is quite infrequent, so do ensure that you quickly head to the platform to get the train, if not, it may mean that you’ll have to wait about 20-30 minutes for the next train. If that is the case, you can always head out of Namchuncheon to grab a bite at the nearby stores before heading back up to take the train! (Do note that if you exit the station, you’ll need to buy another ticket to take the subway)

At Gimyucheong Station, you’ll be able to see the rail park and it is only a short 5 minute walk away!

How to get the Gangchon Rail Bike Park Tickets?

Do note that you should also book the rail bike tickets beforehand. Especially during weekends, the Koreans love heading to the countryside! There are the 2-seater bikes and the 4-seater bikes for your selection.

However, the booking process is quite tedious as the only way to book it is through the website and it is only available in Korean!

So you can either…

1. Use google chrome to book it, or

2. Book through Klook.com

* Do pay the extra 1000 won for the VR experience! Although it was quite a short VR game play, there was real pyrotechnics used in the tunnel and we really enjoyed it!

As we only decided to head to the rail bike park when we were in Seoul, we checked online for the available bikes the day before. We saw that they had about 10 bikes at the time slot we were heading to and decided to try our luck! Thankfully, we managed to get the tickets and there we go!

The route for the rail bike takes about 40 minutes of cycling and you will reach a rest point where there is a cafe that you can purchase some drinks, and a snack and souvenir store. Here is where you can also have a toilet break! Thereafter, you will take a scenic train ride all the way to the old Gangchon Station! From there, you can either ride the shuttle bus back to Gimyucheong Station or take a 15 minute walk to the new Gangchon Station.

We really enjoyed the rail bike experience with the beautiful scenery and the different themed tunnels. It will definitely be a memorable experience for both the young and the old!

Railbike Adventures director Geoff Main said he believes the project, on a 90-kilometre stretch of the line between Gisborne and Wairoa, will be a world first.

The company has just won an expressions of interest tender with KiwiRail to operate a cycle route on top of the tracks. It will retain the current infrastructure without requiring any capital expenditure or maintenance.

Main said he came up with the idea in the middle of the night about six years ago.

“The cycle actually sits on the railway line, it’s got special guide wheels,” Main said. “If you can imagine two bikes sitting side-by-side, one on one rail and one on the other, with a chassis that joins them together.

“It’s a cycle, the only point of difference is you don’t have to steer it and you don’t have to balance it so it’s accessible to a whole lot of people.”

The company was also working on an electronically-assisted version, and eventually one for paraplegics.

It has only built the prototype so far but plan to build about 200 tandem bike units

“We based the numbers on what the Otago Rail Trail’s doing and we think we’ll do the same sort of numbers, which will mean we’re setting off two or three hundred people a day,” he said.

“We all know how cycling has boomed in the last five, 10 years so we wanted to fit in with that trend and we believe that this does quite nicely.”

The bikes were designed so that, should a pair want to overtake slower cyclists, the bikes can be easily lifted off the tracks and fitted ahead of them.

“The other side of that is if you see a place where you want to have a picnic, of which there are hundreds, it’s a very beautiful area, you can just stop, pull the bike off an have lunch.”

The trail had been designed as a two-day ride, with people setting off from Gisborne, staying the night in Mahia, then heading to Wairoa the next day.

“You’re in the saddle for about four hours a day; it’s a pretty easy day.”

Main hoped the first tourists would be on the trail by early 2018.

“We’re supremely confident that this product is going to be an absolute winner,” Main said.

“We’re just over the moon that we’ve got it. It’s taken six years to get to this point.”

It would be up to New Zealand Transport Agency to decide if cyclists would be required to wear helmets on the bikes.

In November 2016 KiwiRail asked for expressions of interest from tourism operators to run services on the section of the Napier-Gisborne line, which was closed after major storm damage in 2012.

KiwiRail has reached separate agreements with Gisborne City Vintage Railway for the Gisborne-Muriwai section and with Napier Port for the Napier-Wairoa section.

KiwiRail spokesman David Gordon said Railbike Adventures would help to grow the region’s economy by bringing a new, innovative tourism experience to New Zealand.

“It was important that we found the right fit for this section of the track, not just for KiwiRail but for the local community,” Gordon said.

A Joseph Oregon “Rail Rider” — What a blast to ride!!

July 2014 – While roaming around the backside of the pretty town of Joseph, Oregon, we came across a guy working on the most unusual looking tandem bicycle.

It had two seats side by side and was sitting on the old railroad tracks of an unused railway line.

The Joseph Branch Railriders is a fantastic excursion on the old railway.

We discovered that this fellow was Kim Metlen, and this bike was one of his fleet of eleven “rail riders,” a clever invention he has designed so folks can ride the old railways under their own power.

What a fantastic idea!

There are 63 miles of old unused railroad tracks near Joseph

As we discovered in Baker City, all of eastern Oregon is a mecca for road cycling.

Kim has been part of the local cycling industry for decades, having owned a very successful bike shop in nearby LaGrande for ages.

Our friends Katie and Dick check out the rails

Now that he is retired, he has put his energies into creating an inventive new use for the old railroad tracks that criss-cross his beloved eastern Oregon.

We had seen the sign for his excursions next to Red Horse Coffee Traders, the wonderful coffee shop and gathering place for locals and visitors that we had been frequenting everyday.

Woo hoo!!

By crazy coincidence, friends of ours from Arizona who are both cyclists and RVers were in town, and they had signed up for the ride.  What a fun thing to do together!

Our starting time was 9:00 on a Sunday, but it was a casual affair with couples and families arriving and getting set up on their bikes and starting the ride at their own pace.

We jumped in our rail car and soon got our crazy contraption rolling – what fun!

Currently, the excursion is a six mile ride between tiny Joseph (pop. 1,000) and the “big” town of Enterprise nearby (pop. 2,000).

The two sets of pedals are independent.

It is a very mild descent from Joseph to Enterprise and then a very mild climb back to Joseph, and everyone was grinning as they took off on these super-easy-to-ride bikes.

Built of standard bicycle parts, Mark and I kicked back in our recumbent seats and pedaled independently.

Sometimes I stopped pedaling so I could enjoy the views and snap photos, and sometimes Mark quit and let me do the work.

It was very cool going over the track switches at the beginning near Joseph’s depot, sitting on this tiny open air pedal-driven train.

What a way to see the scenery around Joseph!

It is so cool to ride where the trains used to go…

The view was filled with the glorious snow-capped mountains of the Eagle Cap Wilderness, and we saw deer along the tracks and pretty red barns in the distance.

Kim had been operating Joseph Branch Railriders for only five weeks when we took our ride, yet with rides offered at 9:00, noon and 3:00 pm, the weekend we went was all booked up!

There are 63 miles of rails in the region, although this fabulous rail ride uses only 6 miles of track at the moment.

Just can’t stop taking pics of those pretty red barns!!

Kim is a very clever engineer and has a hoist system to ensure his bike is always at the back of the group.

With any luck, Kim will one day obtain permission to expand his fabulous outings to run on all those other lines as well.

He accompanied the group in a specially equipped rail rider that he rode behind us all.

His rail car had a small motor (afterall, he does this ride three times a day!).

At the turnaround point in Enterprise, he hoisted his rail rider up so all the other bikes could be rolled ahead of his underneath and he could ride the back of the group on the return trip too.

In Enterprise we all turned our bikes around to point back towards Joseph.

Then we picked up our bikes and turned them around to face the other way.

And we were off once again!

Later, when we mentioned our ride to locals around town, everyone we talked to was really excited about it.

“I can’t wait to try that!” we kept hearing from folks who had heard about it but hadn’t yet been out themselves.

Getting ready for the return ride to Joseph.

Sometimes the railriders spread out and sometimes we bunched together.

There are lots of rails-to-trails programs across the country, and especially in the northwest.

We loved the 72-mile Trail of the Coeur d’Alenetrail in northern Idaho and the Wood Valley Trail System in Sun Valley Idaho.

Most of these rails-to-trails programs involve removing the rails and replacing them with pavement or gravel.

Kim’s brilliant invention is a really creative way to retain the integrity of the rails and let people ride them on their own without removing them.

The beautiful views surrounded us.

He has hopes of eventually opening these thin strips of land along the railways to a variety of modes of travel.

Rather than replacing the iron rails with pavement or gravel, he envisions a “Rails AND Trails” program.

People could not only ride the rails using his special bikes, but they could also walk or ride traditional bikes on a paved or gravel path that runs alongside.

Obtaining the agreement of ranchers whose properties abut the railways is not so easy, but these rail cars are such a blast to ride that the idea can’t help but catch on.

Everyone had a blast!

As Mark and I pedaled, we started fantasizing about being able to ride all the unused rails on this continent in this way.

Wouldn’t it be fun to do a multi-day trip, riding from town to town across the west?!

We could hop off to explore places on foot, and spend nights camping or staying in little hotels along the route…

This ride was one of the biggest highlights of our visit to Joseph!

A friend of ours who was a conductor for Pacific Union in the northwest said one of the best parts of his job was the spectacular scenery he saw out the window every day.

Riding this little six mile section of track, the views of the snowy mountain peaks grew all around us and kept our heads turning.

When the ride ended (all too soon!) and the pairs of riders came back into Joseph, everyone was grinning and saying what fun they’d had.

If you get to Joseph, Oregon, get a cuppa Joe at Red Horse Coffee Traders and look for Kim and his unusual bike display and signup area next door.

Don’t miss this train!!

For more info, visit this link: Joseph Branch Railriders.

Old School Bug Out Vehicle.

In our second episode of the Father Son Prepper Podcast John promised to write an article on the little known Bug Out Railroad Bike.

When it comes to Bug out Vehicles A bug out bike is a must have. Even if placed on your full size bug out vehicle.

First let me say that I love the idea of a regular bicycle as a bug out vehicle. There are other options and I understand that some of you want an RV or a Truck, but those are short term options. A bicycle could potentially last years and its use when adapted as a rail bike are formidable to say the least.

Some things you can do to make your bike the ultimate bug out vehicle.

• Get puncture proof or solid rubber tires.
• Get an extra set of tires, or better yet store (cash)  a few bikes in your area.
• Store them on your other Bug out Vehicles.
• Build saddle bags on them for storage.
• Pack all the gears and brake lines in grease so that they are stored well.
• Pick one bike and ride it to your bug out locations.
• Get your family set up with their own bug out vehicles.

Rail Bike. Possibly the coolest and most useful bug out vehicle

Get out your spandex and chai tea. We think you preppers are going to love this obscure hobby.  The official name is RailBiking. The photo at the top of the post was found on a neat site called RailRiders. This guy sells Full motorized vehicles as well as castors made for custom rail vehicles. His vehicles are not really bikes, however they are very cool. In our opinion this may be the ideal Bug Out–SHTF–TEOTWAWKI vehicle. He is also a United States Military Veteran! Drop us an email if you want us to help you order one. (We aren’t being paid to help or to recommend this)

I did some of the research for you guys and I found a book on the hobby. Its called RailBike: Cycling on Abandoned Railroads. (not an affiliate link) It doesn’t have many reviews so I can’t vouch for its awesomeness however its almost the only one!

One last thing is that I wanted to put a link to a Railbiking website list. There is an annoying popup ad, but the content is good. RailBike Site List.

Drop us an Email any of you want more information, we may be able to get an interview on the show. 

Rail bike? Like a bike that goes on train tracks? — Yes, said Phranque, a bike that rides on train tracks. This one’s going to be twobikes, side by side. — How do they stay on? — There are guide wheels, and the steering is locked. — How will it go around curves if the steering is locked? — The curves are wide, they have to be, a train can’t take much of  curve. And there’s enough play between the bike wheels and the guide wheels to make it. Trains can’t take much of a grade either. So it’ll be pretty flat all the way out to the coast.
And it was. Though we didn’t make it to the coast; the bike was nearly dead by the time we hit Veneta.

You may be wondering what about the trains? Fortunately, we had the advantage of train-less track. There was (at the time) a decommissioned line from Eugene to the coast, meaning the track was maintained, but not utilized- perfect.  A totally abandoned line seems like it may be best, but its not. Depending on how long its been abandoned it may have a bunch of things growing in it, trees fallen onto it, it may be damaged or dismantled. One of things that’s seemingly counter intuitive about rail lines is that repeated use keeps them in good shape, rail lines that don’t have trains running over them will twist and pull apart over time. It makes sense when you think about it, the train is constantly ironing the tracks flat.

I had never heard of a rail bike until i came to Eugene. Its an awesome idea- ride a bike on your own personal highway through the wilderness- no traffic, no developments, no one else around. Even better, you don’t have to steer, the track guides you entirely. Not having to steer (or balance) is an incredible freedom- you can look all around you, you can even have your eyes shut, or like we did on our ride, you can ride backwards.

Rail bikes aren’t a new idea, it actually goes back to the 1800’s, though they were called railway velocipedes, or track velocipedes back then. Depending on the actuation style, it could also have been called a hand car, apump trolley, a pump car, a jigger, or a Kalamazoo! 

While looking into the history of the railway velocipede I had the good fortune to come across The National Velocipede Rally, a British organization that holds annual rallies of human-powered rail vehicles in the UK. A brief history of the railway velocipede from their site: 

Jacqui Thomas, organizer of The National Velocipede Rally, was kind enough to be interviewed for this post:

Jaqcui, tell me a little about your organization. 
[We’re] the biggest and oldest one in the UK, over a dozen machines attend at the Churnet Valley Railway. Only a Sunday Rally, but I  hope to make it weekend Rally  in 2014. Other Rallies are appearing, The North Yorkshire Moors Railway in November but not organised by me. Hopefully one in 2013 at the Langollen Railway in Wales again not organised by me.

On average, how many people attend your rallies?

We send out about 100 Newsletters and about 30 attend the National Rally, families of those bringing machines, those building and restoring, and Railway Photographers.

How did you come to be involved in this work?

My father was a shedmaster on a sugar cane railway in Zululand, South Africa when I was a child in the 50’s and I noticed the dumped hand power machines that had been replaced by petol machines. I kept noticing and the interest grew. I built a Velocipede from photos and measurements collected in Santa Clara Railway Museum, California before I came across Steve Kay who started the UK Rallies. Also a pump trolly which I cut down from standard gauge bits. I did train as an engineer but never did it as a job, I worked in the technical/studio side of publishing.

I also try to track down all the preserved machines and send them the Newsletter in the hope they will come along. I’m also writing a book on the subject, and help any one who wants  information on restoration or new builds. I also get hand powered queries passed onto me by the National Railway Museum. It’s my retirement hobby.

…

For more information about The National Velocipede Rally, documentation of some fascinating human-powered rail vehicles, and even downloadable schematic files (to build your own!)  visit: http://www.velocipedes.co.uk/

Returning to our side of the pond:

The building of this particular rail bike was envisioned and enacted by Phranque, former pastor of the Bike Church. I helped out with the construction some, but it was mostly Phranque who built it, with help from a couple others in the shop. It sat there finished, just waiting for someone to ride it, but for weeks no one did. I finally asked Phranque if i could take it out for a ride and he was happy to have someone take it on its maiden voyage. I told my buddy Kyle about it, and he was pumped. (I knew Kyle would be into it).

The trip started off only a few blocks from the church, we walked it down to the tracks. Honestly, we were both a little paranoid that “someone” might see us and consider our trip, for lack of a more euphemistic term, illegal. But it was sunday, the trains weren’t running, and apparently neither were the cops. Giddy with adrenaline and the thrill of doing something we knew we weren’t supposed to, we sped away from the road as fast as we could.  

We didn’t get too far before we noticed that we were missing one of the nuts on the front of the bike, specifically, one of two holding on the front right wheel (as well, holding the right side of the front guiding structure). We stopped and looked around, but to no avail. The bike seemed to do fine so we kept going.Within another 10 minutes we’d lost another. After that we tried to keep our eyes on the nuts, stopping every so often to re-tighten them, but even so we lost the third before we’d gone an hour. We did the majority of the trip with the right fork missing both nuts for the wheel, and the left fork with only one. The pressure of our weight was the only thing keeping it all together. Several times throughout the trip we needed to lift up the bike to switch tracks and each time the whole front end would just fall off. By the end of the day it was something of a cruel Sisyphean joke. 

The first leg of our trip was through the industrial section of Eugene. It was interesting seeing the backsides of industry, the undersides of highways, and secret hobo camping grounds. The line we were on wasn’t, even while in operation, a commuter line- we were seeing things very few ever got to. 

Though what we mostly encountered were long stretches of beautiful country side and woods.

On our way out of the city was my favorite moment of the whole trip. I wish SO much that I had it on video, but it was one of those things that you don’t stop to take video of:

As we were leaving the industrial section and heading, more or less, straight into the woods we encountered our first road crossing. We saw it coming and slowed down to strategize- okay, so pull up slowly staying out of sight, then i’ll get off and walk up to the road, once we have the all clear, you pedal like crazy, i’ll run along side and jump on the bike– It sounded like a good plan, or at least our best option. What actually happened was very different.

As we approached the road the warning bells and blinking lights went off and then the motorized arms dropped. Shit, a train! We looked behind us and there was nothing. In front of us, nothing. Didn’t hear anything, the tracks weren’t rumbling… it was us, weset it off.  At this point the cars were starting to pile up: four, seven, twelve…. Fuck. What do we do? Lets just wait, maybe the arms will go back up. No, said Kyle, we have to go to the other side. Why do we have to go to the other side? The arms are going to stay down until we cross. We just need to go for it. Go for it? Yeah, really fast.

We sped across the tracks as fast as we could (which was not very fast) laughing and screaming the whole time. The looks on the faces of the drivers was priceless.

We booked it as hard as we could for as long as we could. Once we’d gone a ways, we turned to see if the road was re-opened and it was.

It was pretty much smooth sailing from there on out, well, it was smooth in respect to run-ins with people in cars. Just about everything else was not smooth, namely using the rail bike. Two steel frames, with a lot of excess metal supports, plus our gear was already heavy enough. But what really slowed us down were the guides keeping us on the tracks- four flanged metal wheels both riding on the tracks and running down alongside them. The drag from the friction of the guide wheels was huge, it was like having the brakes on the whole time. So while everything stayed really flat, it felt like we were pedaling up hill the entire way. Plus it was absurdly loud, we were two feet apart but had to shout to be able to hear each other. The roughest part, however, were all of the crashes.

Our first crash was right across from the fern ridge reservoir park. There was a wooden cross way going over the tracks to let cars drive over into a nature preserve. Unfortunately, there was a spike that hadn’t been hammered all the way down and it was just tall enough to catch on our front guide support beam. We flew forward and impaled ourselves on the bike, Kyle more so than I. 
Of course, i wanted to stop and take pictures of the accident, but at this point we were next to a highway and could have been spotted easily. We had to get out of there fast. So we pulled the bike off the tracks and into the nature preserve. The timing worked out well for lunch.

When we returned to the rail bike we took a closer look at the damage. Fortunately it was just the front guide support that had been damaged. It had bent in at a weak spot, moving the guide wheels out of alignment. We took it apart and wedged it into a nearby metal gate, using its own length to leverage it back into alignment. Having been bent twice we knew that the metal was compromised, it was already pretty rusty to begin with. Kyle, being an eagle scout, and generally just a really resourceful person, said we should splint it. Made good sense to me. We had brought along a large crescent wrench thinking we’d need it for its intended purpose, but it proved to be far more useful as a splint.

Not too much further past our first crash/lunch-break spot was a bridge going over a small waterway. As we pulled up we could see there were a handful of people jumping off the bridge into the water, a family, and some kayakers. They were all pretty excited to see us. They had lots of questions.

By this time in the afternoon, the foggy mist had burned off and it was just plain hot, especially riding our heavy home-made locomotive. Jumping in the water was a much welcomed respite.
Before we left i asked one of the kids to take a picture of us. For the history books.

We continued our westward journey, almost in Veneta at this point. As we forged ahead i wore out pretty hard, i had clearly passed my peak and was needing to stop with greater frequency. Kyle naturally has about 3 times more energy than the average person, and about 5 times more than I, he picked up the slack as best he could. My drop in effort clearly started to wear on him, but he’s a good sport and tried not to let it show. It was probably for the best that we ended up crashing again.

We came up to our second road crossing, though this time no drop arms. We were far enough out on the tracks that those kinds of things had been shut down til further notice. At this point we were in Veneta. We hopped of the bike, waiting for a break in traffic, too tired to care who saw us, and walked it across at our first chance. As we made it onto the other side a group of weather-beaten drunks cheered us on. They were sitting at the edge of the green along side the tracks, 50 feet from a Dari-Mart, drinking conspicuously in the summer sun. We continued on, but two merging tracks confused our high-tech guide system- the left side popped up onto the tracks, we skidded askew and then ate it again. This time the front guide support beam was toast, it broke entirely, the only thing holding it together being the wrench. Kyle, once more, employed his eagle scout abilities and found a perfectly shaped branch to reinforce it from behind. It was rideable, but just barely.

Another crash called for another food break. We pulled the bike of the tracks and wandered back toward the Dari-Mart. The drunks were happy to see us again, they really liked our bike and seemed to think us comrades, something akin to railway renegades from another era. I vaguely remember them talking about some of their own foolishly hazardous escapades, being none too impressed, and mostly just wanting water.

We stocked up on trail mix and fruit at the Dari-Mart. Kyle surreptitiously filled the water jug outside of a local pizza joint. We wandered around “downtown” Veneta for a bit. It was clear they had put a fair amount of money into making the place look nice, and whereas there were maybe one or two interesting businesses, it struck me as unwarranted optimism for an unlikely renaissance. We did run into a lady painting a mural on the outside of a hardware store, that was fun.

Our crash convinced us it was time to turn around. We weren’t sure if the bike was even going to make it all the way home. But it was our only choice. Exhausted, we pedaled back, mostly in silence, well, i mean we didn’t talk, it was still really fucking loud. 
We had one final crash before returning home. Merging tracks, guides ride up, bike goes off. The bike flipped up and flung us forward this time, face first toward the track. Arms outstretched, neither one of us suffered any injury to head or face, which was lucky. 
The rest of our efforts home were put toward crash prevention and front-wheel-falling-off mitigation. The bike in its frail state was significantly more susceptible to derailment; things that we barreled over the first time we had to take with great caution on the return trip. And, of course, any time we had to switch tracks the stupid front end would fall entirely off. Neither Kyle or I had the patience for this anymore, our communication had broken down almost entirely to frustrated grunts. 
We did make it back eventually, miraculously, to Eugene. We were sunburnt and worn-out and it was worth it. It was an awesome adventure.

Matthew Corson-Finnerty at 11:10 AMShare

5 comments:

1. Adam Corson-FinnertyFebruary 2, 2013 at 11:34 PMThis is hilarious!Reply
2. AnonymousJuly 8, 2014 at 10:33 PMThis needs to be viral! Super jealous and that thanks for sharing!Reply
3. Trainguy01February 17, 2016 at 11:25 PMFantastic Idea and design. But may I ask, where did you source your flanged wheels from? I am doing a similar thing and the flanged wheels are perfect for the job.Reply
4. zubair aliJune 24, 2016 at 2:16 PMA debt of gratitude is in order for sharing this data. I truly like your blog entry all that much. You have truly shared a useful and intriguing blog entry with individuals.. Read More
   Reply
5. AnonymousAugust 8, 2018 at 8:19 PMHave a close look at the vintage railway velocipede in the photo- look at the wheels. Upon close inspection, you might notice that they have wooden centers, and in fact most pf the machine is made of wood. This serves two purposes- for one, it makes the vehicle lighter than it would be if it was metal, also allowiing for a smoother ride. Secondly, is the big one- wood doesn’t conduct electricity. The wheels are insulated from the track. And railroad signals and railroad crossings are actuated, by metal wheels and axles on trains, connecting the two rails. Your bike was not electrically insulated, so it set off the crossing. Be sure that the bike is rebuilt with insulated wheels, because otherwise your setting off signals will mess with the system, and they’ll send someone out to find our what’s been causing the signals to go off…
   
   Your vehicle had a disadvantage that most velocipedes and hand cars do not suffer from- your vehicle was quite likely, rather light weight, compared to the vehicles of yesteryear. So you were more prone to derailing, as a result. Also note that the guide wheels on the bike are much smaller than the wheels of velocipedes, and handcars. This also makes your vehicle more prone to derailing. That would explain your trouble with switches, I think. What an adventure, good thing you didn’t get caught or you’d be in a mess of trouble.Reply

You’ll probably be asked this question hundreds of times this summer by anyone from your most extreme friend to your grandmother’s knitting buddies. That’s because the newest outdoor activity on Earth is beloved by adventure seekers of all ages.

Put simply, rail biking is riding pedal-powered machines along railroads that have no train traffic. Rail bike tours are new and expanding all over the world, making use of defunct rail lines that traverse scenic natural areas. Here’s a closer look at the best rail bike tour operators.

RAIL EXPLORERS USA

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Rail Explorers USA/Facebook

This company provides rail bike tours in the Catskill Mountains and Rhode Island (a Las Vegas operation is slated to open soon). With scenic views throughout the relaxed excursion, these trips are perfect for those looking to get off the beaten path and check out the region in a very new and exciting way.

Rail Explorers USA offer two types of “Explorer” vehicles: a tandem for two people or quads for up to four people. They are safe, well-designed and easy to use.

The Catskills tour brings people alongthe historic Ulster and Delaware Railroad, where they travel alongside Esopus Creek through the woods. Bring a snack and a drink for lunch at the creekside turnaround. The trip is eight miles roundtrip and takes about 2.5 hours.

The Rhode Island trip offers two tours: “The Northern Ramble” and “The Southern Circuit.” The Ramble takes guests on a six-mile jaunt from Portsmouth to the Sakonnet River. It’s a one-way trip with a return via shuttle bus. The Circuit trip is six miles roundtrip and allows guests to eat lunch at a private waterfront picnic area.

FLEKKEFJORDBANEN

Who says southern Norway doesn’t have some of the best rail biking on Earth? Well … no one. But if you’re in the Flekkefjord area and looking for stunning nature scenes, architectural wonders and some leg-pumping, self-propelled action, the rail-biking tour at Flekkefjordbanen is not to be missed.

This railway line operated for nearly all of the 20th century, connecting Flekkefjord to Sørlandsbanen. Though the last journey made by the Flekkefjordbanen train was in 1990, visitors and locals alike can once again tour this magical area by rail — by bike.

Norwegians in this area are intent on preserving the railroad and turning it into a living museum. Example A: The slogan, which goes “cultural salvation through active use.” Rail biking is the perfect way to put that slogan into action. An activity suitable for old and young alike, the track takes you through a beautiful natural landscape and no less than 17 tunnels. There are tours every day in the summer.

REVOLUTION RAIL CO.

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Revolution Rail Co.

The Adirondacks-based Revolution Rail Co. leads riders on a six-mile adventure through the forest along the Hudson River in New York. One of the highlights of this fairly flat-terrain ride is crossing a trestle bridge over the Hudson (think Stand By Me sans train). At the turnaround point, riders can refuel with a snack and a drink while the bikes are readied for the return trip.

This trip will truly be an exploration for most, considering this section of the Adirondacks has never seen passenger traffic before. Tours run throughout each day and there is no minimum age requirement, meaning baby Timmy can be a part of the fun.