the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Au- thority. Commuter rail service to Worcester and the south coast will be added to the sta- tion and Amtrak hopes to increase its high- speed Acela service in the Northeast Corri- dor in the near future. The station is so busy that in peak travel periods a train arrivesor leaves every 90 seconds. The project in- cludes moving the adjacent U.S. Postal Ser- vices facility. The idea of a tunnel linking South Station
and North Station is still alive in some hearts including former Governor Michael Dukakis. That would allow trains to run through from the north side to those areas on the south of Boston served by commuter trains. The service possibilities are similar to those in Philadelphia when the commuter services focused on Suburban Station and those targeting the Reading Terminal were fused together by way of the Market Street East project. A part of the positive side of the project for MBTA is the right to build an of- fice tower above the station and enjoy at- tractive rental revenues. Part of the rebuilding of Philadelphia’s
Market Street near 30th Street Station will be the construction of pedestrian plazas on both sides of Market Street between 29th and 30th Streets. For years it has not been a hospitable area and the station has long seemed cut off from the rest of the city by the Schuylkill River. The project has support from Amtrak and the Southeastern Penn- sylvania Transportation Authority, as well as Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania. Growing up in Philadelphia many years ago it always appeared to me that the handsome station was almost an is- land. SEPTA must be doing something right because the transit system had 334 million passengers during the fiscal year of 2011, which is the highest ridership since 1989. Thanks to David Harris, Fred Cole and Ray Walburn for the information.
The Model T Powered Streetcar In response to a question raised in this col- umn several months ago, Bob Davis found a picture of a Birney-sized streetcar with a Model T Ford engine. It is in Trolley Car Treasury by Frank Rowsome, Jr., and pub- lished by Bonanza Books in 1956. It is in the chapter titled “Weird and Wonderful Horse- less Cars.” He sent along a copy of the pic- ture from the book and it is one ugly street car. It appears to have begun life as a horse- drawn car. He also reminded me that the Los Ange-
les Railways funeral car Descanso has been restored and is currently receiving visitors at the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, California.
Transit Progress in Indiana The words “Indiana” and “progress” usually are not found in the same sentence. There is no telling where this is going to go but there is movement afoot in the State House to give the go-ahead for a referendum on how to pay for a multi-county transit authority that would serve Indianapolis, Carmel, Fishers, and Noblesville. The enabling legislation has strong support from Mayor Greg Bal- lard of Indianapolis and several other lead- ers, including key members of the General Assembly. The envisioned project is a ten year $1.3
billion plan for expansion of bus transit ser- vice in Indianapolis and the surrounding area to the north and a rail line from Fish- ers into downtown Indianapolis. The fund- ing mechanism appears to be a 0.3 per cent income tax in the counties serviced. That is what the referendum is about. Holding up the matter, and everything else in the leg- islative session, is an effort to make Indiana a so-called “right to work state,” which drew strong reaction from organized labor when the issue was came up in 2011. The issue may stall much legislation.
STEVE BARRY
Rediscover the Boone & Scenic Valley
Featured at the NRHS convention this June, the Boone & Scenic Valley combines elements of two iconic Iowa interur- bans, the right-of-way of the Fort Dodge, Des Moines & Southern (right), and an interurban car from the Charles City Western (below). See both lines in their original incarnations on TGM's Everett White in the West, along with more Iowa
interurbans like the Waterloo, Cedar Falls & North- ern (below right) and other systems from Chicago to the West Coast.
Everett White in the West is $29.95. Please add $5.00 S&H per order.
DVDs from Transit Gloria Mundi are the traction fan’s best choice for accuracy, quality, selection and value. Ask for our free catalog.
www.transitgloriamundi.com (800) 428-7003
36 E. 27th St., Dept. B-148, Baltimore, MD 21218
Vol. 1-Northern N.E.
DVD-R 53 min. Music & Narration.
Color and B&W $2395 (postpaid)
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DVD-R 63 min. Music & Narration.
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Corgi Models and many other DVD’s, Videos & Books available.
A new Silverliner V car rolls out of the Wilmington, Del., station heading for Philadelphia on April 1, 2012, passing the Amtrak 40th Anniversary display train. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) purchased 120 Silverliner V cars from Hyundai-Rotem with delivery expected to be finished by the end of 2011. By the end of 2011, only 54 had been delivered, with 44 in service. Delivery is expected to continue at the rate of six to s even cars a month until mid-2012. Meanwhile, Rotem is racking up $200 per day in fines per undelivered car, with $8.4 million accumulated by the end of 2011. Delivery of the Silverliner V’s will allow SEPTA to retire its aging fleet of ex-Pennsylvania and ex-Reading Silverliner II and III cars.
E-mail us or Visit our Website and see our Online Catalog
Kennebunkport, ME 04046-1690
Seashore Trolley Museum P.O. Drawer A
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carshop@gwi.net www.trolleymuseum.org
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