Waterbuffalo
05-20-2008, 12:48 AM
Yep, your reading this from my own mouth. And did you read it in the local news media?
I rode the Fourth plain from my place into Portland expo yesterday at noon. Got a call from that C-tran driver over the louspeaker telling me there were some "technical issues" with the Portland Maxx from Downtown Portland to Expo. So I spend a 1/2 hour waiting for the bus with a nice group of folks around noon at the station.
Then we get on the train and you know the question was being begged to be asked. Yes, the one: "What is happening with Maxx?"
Was told that the Yellow line train was down due to power switch problems. I thought ok, understood, some times the Maxx has hiccups or technical problems. No transit system is perfect and I'm willing to let things go.
Then about 5 minutes later just north and before the Rose Garden over the radio in the bus comes the news that the Steel Bridge had to be raised and lowered to accommodate some boat or river traffic.
I thought ok, understand that one...
But it even GETS FUNNIER and more serious than that.. One of the bridge tenders screwed up. Its seems when they lowered bridge, they lowered the bridge internally "lower" than the outside struts..
So guess what happens? You BET! Maxx runs over the lower than average internal structure that was not properly lined up and damages the internal rails and some other stuff on the bridge.
Get to the Rose Garden and guess what I see? I wish I had a CAMERA for what I saw.
Too bad the local news media did not cover it.. But I can tell you, it would not take another one of these "Special" accidents take Both the bridge and Maxx for some time to come.
If someone reads this and sees it in one of the news casts or papers, will they let me know? 8-)
So if anyone thinks Light Rail is "invincible" and one cannot believe its not prone to breakdowns or total failure, please note for the past 18 hours today until about 10pm tonight, Light Rail in Portland was at a standard for electrical problems on the Yellow Line and Steel bridge oops...
I rode the Fourth plain from my place into Portland expo yesterday at noon. Got a call from that C-tran driver over the louspeaker telling me there were some "technical issues" with the Portland Maxx from Downtown Portland to Expo. So I spend a 1/2 hour waiting for the bus with a nice group of folks around noon at the station.
Then we get on the train and you know the question was being begged to be asked. Yes, the one: "What is happening with Maxx?"
Was told that the Yellow line train was down due to power switch problems. I thought ok, understood, some times the Maxx has hiccups or technical problems. No transit system is perfect and I'm willing to let things go.
Then about 5 minutes later just north and before the Rose Garden over the radio in the bus comes the news that the Steel Bridge had to be raised and lowered to accommodate some boat or river traffic.
I thought ok, understand that one...
But it even GETS FUNNIER and more serious than that.. One of the bridge tenders screwed up. Its seems when they lowered bridge, they lowered the bridge internally "lower" than the outside struts..
So guess what happens? You BET! Maxx runs over the lower than average internal structure that was not properly lined up and damages the internal rails and some other stuff on the bridge.
Get to the Rose Garden and guess what I see? I wish I had a CAMERA for what I saw.
Too bad the local news media did not cover it.. But I can tell you, it would not take another one of these "Special" accidents take Both the bridge and Maxx for some time to come.
If someone reads this and sees it in one of the news casts or papers, will they let me know? 8-)
So if anyone thinks Light Rail is "invincible" and one cannot believe its not prone to breakdowns or total failure, please note for the past 18 hours today until about 10pm tonight, Light Rail in Portland was at a standard for electrical problems on the Yellow Line and Steel bridge oops...