I'm sitting here working on my computer with the KGW (Portland NBC affiliate) 11 p.m. news on the the TV in the background, and what should come across the news but a report that TriMet is purchasing a pair of surplus RDCs from Alaska Railroad to use on the Beaverton-Wilsonville Westside Express Service (WES) line.

According to the news report, the cars will get a retrofit and be ready to hit the rails by the Spring. One piece of work that the cars would require is door modification to match the high-level platforms along the WES route.

The WES is currently going through another period of bus substitution for several trains because one of its DMUs is out of service for maintenance and repairs.

These cars will join several other RDCs currently in Oregon. The three former BC Rail/ODOT cars that ran on the Portland-Astoria "Lewis and Clark Explorer" from 2003 to 2005 (two RDC-1s and an RDC-3) now run in seasonal excursion service in northeastern Oregon on the Wallula Union RR, and a pair of former Jersey Central/NJT RDC-1s were operating in excursion service along the Oregon coast on the Port of Tillamook Bay.

A pair of former B&M/MBTA RDC-9s, belong to the Pacific NW Chapter of the NRHS and arre stored in the Portland area.