Saturday, April 18 marked an important yet sad day for the history of modern interurban rail transit. TriMet, the transit agency that serves the Portland metropolitan area, threw a farewell celebration for the retirement of the venerable MAX Type 1 LRVs (Light Rail Vehicles).
Officials from TriMet and operators both past and present celebrated the long service of the Type 1s.
When the original MAX line opened for service in 1986 (today’s Blue Line from downtown Portland to Gresham), few LRVs were available. Bombardier was contracted in 1983 to build 26 high-floor vehicles based upon ones built for Belgium and Brazil. These units quickly handled the impressive surge in ridership and held an impressive reliability service record for their early years!
Type 1 LRV 124 greeted fans and well-wishers who came to see the veteran off.
The MAX Type 1s were designed for a life span of 25 years. However, thanks to the maintenance teams at TriMet and their analog nature, the Type 1s were heavily used for an impressive 38 years! It was not age that caught up with them, but rather the inability of sourcing replacement parts that began the slow removal of the LRVs in 2024.
To celebrate the final end-of-service for the Type 1s after 40 years, TriMet threw a celebration at Holladay Park next to Lloyd Center. Speeches were given, stickers were distributed, and a competition was held for the best Type 1 costume. LRV 124 had the honor of being on display, letting people take a selfie in the cabs and allowing fans to write farewell messages on the sides of the car. The Museum’s Education team traveled to Portland to document the event and leave their own message. Getting fully into the spirit, the Education team used the new 2 Line Link, Amtrak Cascades, and MAX to travel to and from the event!
The NRM’s Education team left their own message!
For those worried about preservation, never fear! TriMet donated LRV 101 to the Oregon Electric Railway Museum last year to ensure the history of modern US rail transportation does not disappear!
