
Since Albany’s Monteith Riverpark reopened in July, the new playground and splash pad there have drawn lots of children and their parents every day the weather has been fine.
It has been a few weeks since you last saw a train on this site. So let’s make up for lost time.
The train horn in the distance sounded like it came from the Union Pacific’s mainline. I was in the Willamette Neighborhood on a bike ride, so I hustled over to my favorite grade crossing to see what I could see.
Go down toward the river from the parking lot at Albany’s Talking Water Gardens and turn left. Now you’re on a dirt trail through the brush that leads to Bowman Park.
Having torn myself away from the national news Saturday night, I was taking my usual bike ride through the east end of old Albany when I heard the horn of a train coming down from the north.
On bike rides around Albany I usually avoid Queen Avenue because of the rail crossing south of the Albany yard. On Thursday afternoon I did go that way and witnessed motorists practicing amazing patience while the crossing was blocked for what seemed like a very long time.
What, another train? Already?
Yes, there’s no shortage of trains on the Union Pacific’s western Oregon mainline. And if you move around Albany much at all, whether on four wheels or two, or on foot, trains and you are often going to cross paths.
Tags: Burkhart Street crossing, Railroads, train length, trains, Union Pacific