Seeing a potential for the unused E&N rail line on Vancouver Island, a Parksville resident has built a recreational rail bike to ride along the tracks of the once functioning railroad.

Russell Ramsden, 71, said he found plans for the Bentley Railbike while scanning the internet. He built the attachments for the bike using wood and metal and added an outrigger on the left side of the bike that attaches to the opposite track for balance.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 just a bicycle with an attachment on the front,91裸聊视频� Ramsden said. 91裸聊视频淚 was interested in building this because the railroad bed is maximum a one-per-cent grade, so that91裸聊视频檚 pretty flat. I thought this would be a kind of cool way to look around and see what91裸聊视频檚 around here that you can91裸聊视频檛 see from the road.91裸聊视频�

He said riding the bike along the railroad is surprisingly easy.

91裸聊视频淚t does glide very well,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淭he one down side91裸聊视频� there91裸聊视频檚 a fair bit of growth on the tracks in certain areas which is really too bad. (The bike) has a little cow catcher on the front which pushes stuff out of the way. When you hit some broom or something it91裸聊视频檚 pretty tough stuff.91裸聊视频�

Ramsden said he gets a lot of his creative ideas from the Oceanside MakerSpace group. The group holds an open house on Wednesday91裸聊视频檚 from 6- 9 p.m. downstairs in the McMillian Art Centre.

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91裸聊视频淚 joined because there is a lot of creative people there,91裸聊视频� Ramsden said.

Ramsden, who is a former college woodwork teacher, is in the works of making another railbike for his wife and is also planning on making a four-person bike.

91裸聊视频淭hat railroad is just sitting there, it has such a huge potential,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淎ll our politicians don91裸聊视频檛 seem to be able to reach an agreement with what to do with that. I91裸聊视频檝e been thinking about the possibility of, once I get the four-seater bike done, possibly thinking about a tourist attraction using the rails if we can get permissions.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚f you look up rail parks online you91裸聊视频檒l see there are lots of areas where there are abandoned rail lines where they91裸聊视频檙e being used for tourism.91裸聊视频�

Ramsden has not yet received permission from the Island Corridor Foundation (ICF) to ride along the tracks.

91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 sure (getting permission) would take forever. (The ICF) had seven years to do something with it. Why can91裸聊视频檛 we use it and get some use out of it? Ramsden said. 91裸聊视频淚 think we need people on the respective governments with some vision that can see the bigger picture.91裸聊视频�

Ramsden believes it will be 91裸聊视频渁 matter of liability91裸聊视频� if the ICF contact him about his railbike.

Phil Kent, co-chair of the ICF, said the rail is private property and still considered active.

91裸聊视频淭here could be maintenance vehicles moving up and down the rail. I would suggest that (a railbike) is not safe and it91裸聊视频檚 certainly not an approved use,91裸聊视频� Kent said. He said that people who want to access the rail should go through the ICF.

91裸聊视频淭hey would be referred to the rail operators who are responsible ultimetey for safety and liability on the rail,91裸聊视频� Kent said. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 not that somebody couldn91裸聊视频檛 get permission to use the rail but there91裸聊视频檚 a process for that.91裸聊视频�

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