This is too interesting not to share. Remember the 4-car Type 4?
Well in response to that, here’s an old video that shows a 4-car Type 1 train, courtesy of mrksvideos, who recently left this in a comment on that old post. Since I don’t expect people to go back and skim old posts for new comments (though there are some good ones!), I wanted to repost this here so that you all could see it. This is a train move that hasn’t been done for 20(ish) years. In addition to that, I really like this because it’s rare to see video of MAX during the wheelchair lift, pre-low-floor car era. Really glad mrksvideos recorded it and posted it.
mrksvideos’s description of what you’re seeing:
Back in the day Tri-Met ran Light Rail (MAX) to the far end of the line in Gresham, and had a few 2 car trains terminate there. The trains would pull down to the tail track at Cleveland Avenue and park there. Then, another train whose day ended there as well would pull down to the parked 2 car train and couple up. They would then take the 4 car train to Ruby Junction for the night and tie up. This practice ended a long time ago and I have seen no other record of this type of move anywhere. This video was shot at the west end of the westbound platform of Gresham City Hall station sometime in the 1990’s when the old Gresham lumber mill was still around across the tracks in the dark. Enjoy!
And for reference, the tail track at Cleveland, which is long enough to store a 2-car consist on each track, though it is not used very often these days:
Cleveland Tail Track
Camelopardalis
MAX FAQs 
The main reason that consists were combined was due to the single track between Ruby Junction and Cleveland Avenue. There wasn’t enough time to bring one consist back before the next one was due eastbound. Neat video.
Right, that was part of the Portland Traction Company ROW, wasn’t it?
Yes, the Portland Traction rails were along the current ROW from Ruby to Cleveland. As far back as I could remember, at least into the 1970’s the line went across to the east side of Hogan St for about 100 feet. Just on the other side of the crossing there was a switch that I think serviced something close to where the tractor store is today. There is some very cool shots at, and soon to be more, of the old PTC over at http://www.oregonpacificrr.com/thenandnow.html
After doing some thinking, let me revise the comment above. The track DID cross at Hogan and continue for about 100 feet, but the switch was on the west side of the crossing, I remember now, as while waiting for my folks in the store, I went out to look at the switch stand….and throw it, and throw it back again (well, there is a first time for everything in a kids life!). The switch led to a spur down to where the old RV lot that is there now…I think it was a feed store like a CO-OP or something, but that is really getting into the cobwebs of my memory.
Also notice the absence of skirts at the trucks.
I seem to recall the skirts were added in 1997 to match the fugly Siemens SD660s.
Glad you folks like it. I hated the day the skirts went on, now they just look like moving shoe boxes with nothing supporting them.
-K
I hated the day it was decided not to raise the platforms to make for level boarding. The low floor LRVs are LOUD and have layouts that are cumbersome if you’re bringing a bike, as there are only four bike spots instead of six, and all six are horizontal instead of vertical.