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.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 just a bicycle with an attachment on the front,sa国际传媒� Ramsden said. sa国际传媒淚 was interested in building this because the railroad bed is maximum a one-per-cent grade, so thatsa国际传媒檚 pretty flat. I thought this would be a kind of cool way to look around and see whatsa国际传媒檚 around here that you cansa国际传媒檛 see from the road.sa国际传媒�

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

sa国际传媒淚t does glide very well,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淭he one down sidesa国际传媒� theresa国际传媒檚 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 itsa国际传媒檚 pretty tough stuff.sa国际传媒�

Ramsden said he gets a lot of his creative ideas from the Oceanside MakerSpace group. The group holds an open house on Wednesdaysa国际传媒檚 from 6- 9 p.m. downstairs in the McMillian Art Centre.

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sa国际传媒淚 joined because there is a lot of creative people there,sa国际传媒� 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.

sa国际传媒淭hat railroad is just sitting there, it has such a huge potential,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淎ll our politicians donsa国际传媒檛 seem to be able to reach an agreement with what to do with that. Isa国际传媒檝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.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淚f you look up rail parks online yousa国际传媒檒l see there are lots of areas where there are abandoned rail lines where theysa国际传媒檙e being used for tourism.sa国际传媒�

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

sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檓 sure (getting permission) would take forever. (The ICF) had seven years to do something with it. Why cansa国际传媒檛 we use it and get some use out of it? Ramsden said. sa国际传媒淚 think we need people on the respective governments with some vision that can see the bigger picture.sa国际传媒�

Ramsden believes it will be sa国际传媒渁 matter of liabilitysa国际传媒� 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.

sa国际传媒淭here could be maintenance vehicles moving up and down the rail. I would suggest that (a railbike) is not safe and itsa国际传媒檚 certainly not an approved use,sa国际传媒� Kent said. He said that people who want to access the rail should go through the ICF.

sa国际传媒淭hey would be referred to the rail operators who are responsible ultimetey for safety and liability on the rail,sa国际传媒� Kent said. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 not that somebody couldnsa国际传媒檛 get permission to use the rail but theresa国际传媒檚 a process for that.sa国际传媒�

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