Dave Knows Portland

Archives for May 2010

Tuesday Timbers Tidbits (05/04/2010)

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TimbersSurprisingly, Ryan Pore did not score a goal Saturday as the Timbers lost 3-1 to Costa Rica’s Puntarenas in a friendly (but that’s only because he, and several other starters, did not play).

The whole team will get some rest now too. Midfielder James Marcelin, however won’t get quite as much; he and the rest of the Haiti National Team are traveling to South America to face Argentina on Wednesday, May 5th. He returns Thursday, May 6th so he should be ready to go for the Timbers’ next match on Thursday, May 13th, when Crystal Palace Baltimore make their PGE Park debut. A fun stretch begins at PGE Park that day, as matches follow on Saturday, May 15th (AC St. Louis) and Wednesday, May 19th (Montreal).

No match was played this past Sunday, May 2nd, but the date marked a special day in Timbers history. The team played their first game ever on May 2nd, 35 years ago. New Timbers blog, Throw ins, by Timbers Army legend Drumman, has more.

In more supporter news, there’s yet another new Timbers Blog: TA Bike Brigade: Rose City Til I Die on Two Wheels. And the Timbers Army is looking for volunteers for the first Sunday Parkway of 2010, which takes place Saturday, May 16. Visit the Facebook page to find out how you can be an Intersection Superhero while representing the Timbers Army.

May 8: National Train Day 2010

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Update: Photo gallery of the National Train Day event at Portland’s Union Station, May 8, 2010

National Train Day 2010National Train Day 2010 takes place this Saturday, May 8th. Portland’s celebration runs from 10am to 4pm at Union Station (800 NW 6th).

National Train Day celebrates America‘s love for trains with events across the country. This year marks the third annual celebration with large-scale, family-friendly events that provide opportunities to explore interactive, educational exhibits that bring to life the rich narrative of how trains have transformed America and will continue to do so in the future.

We thoroughly enjoyed last year’s National Train Day celebration. This year’s event features giveaways and drawings (prizes include an HO model train set and an Amtrak train trip), historical and aficionado exhibits, and of course some impressive locomotives.

4449Trains on display include the Amtrak Cascades Talgo train, and a caboose, but again this year the star attraction is the 110 foot long, 10 foot wide, and 16 foot tall SP 4449. One of three locomotives owned by the city of Portland, the 4449 weighs 433 tons and can reach speeds over 100 mph with its 5,500 horsepower engine. In the 1940s and 50s it pulled the Southern Pacific Coast Daylight coaches from LA to Portland. In 1958 it was put on display at Oaks Park, but was restored in 1974 so that it could pull the 1975-1976 Bicentennial Freedom Train. (Visit the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation website for more information about the other locomotives and learn about the foundation’s efforts to build a permanent home for these historical locomotives and other rolling stock.)