Joseph Railriders pedal railroad tracks for fun in Wallowa County
Updated Jan 09, 2019; Posted Jun 18, 2015
Joseph Branch Railriders
Gallery: Joseph Branch Railriders
By Terry Richard | The Oregonian/OregonLive
There is one thing you must go to Wallowa County to do _ or to Maine.
That's it, should you want to take a guided tour in a bicycle-type cart on a railroad track. Those are the only places in the country where you can, according to the couple who run Joseph Branch Railriders.
Kim and Anita Metlen of Imbler, longtime proponents for bicycling in northeast Oregon, had some time on their hands after retiring and needed something to keep them busy. And it just happens that Wallowa County owns a rail line that gets minimal use.
A few years ago the county bought an unused spur railroad that runs between Elgin and Joseph. The idea was to use it as a tourist attraction, but mainly to keep it as a viable rail corridor should it be needed to haul freight in the future.
The Eagle Cap Excursion Train operates 15 times this year on part of the live. It leaves the depot in Elgin with historic train buffs aboard and runs through the Wallowa River Canyon in Minam. Other parts of the rail line are unused, which sparked the Metlens' creativity.
How about if they built simple framed carts with seats for two, then add bike pedaling technology to travel on train tracks? They researched the technology on the Internet and got a Tualatin company to build big, polymer tires that fit directly on the rails. And they got the county commission to approve a permit.
The business started last summer and was an immediate success. It has expanded from its original Joseph-Enterprise, 12-mile round trip, to offer an all-day 26-mile excursion between Minam and the City of Wallowa.
Families love it because it's unique (at least in this part of the country), fun, healthy and has beautiful scenery. It's also inexpensive, with the shorter trip going for $20 (or $10 for ages under 12). If someone has trouble pedaling all the way, the tour leader operates a cart with a motor at the back of the pack to push them home.
Carts weigh 100 pounds and can be lifted by one person to change direction, though there's a switching device at Enterprise to speed midpoint turnarounds. The short tour lasts two hours and is offered Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. Make reservations because the tours have been selling out; 541-910-0089, jbrailriders.com.
And by the way, don't try this on a railroad at home.
Terry Richard
trichard@oregonian.com
503-221-8222; @trichardpdx