and then walked a long block down a short residential street and past a coal and build- ing supply business to reach the little strip of macadam between the tracks and West Chester Pike to wait for a westbound trolley. Many thanks to Manny Reider for alerting me to this superb series of calendars.
Dubuque and the Fenelon Place Elevator Dubuque, Iowa, may be placed someday within the Smithsonian Institution; much of the city is on the National Register of His- toric Places. One of the wonders of the city is the Fenelon Place Elevator, which is actual- ly a very short railroad that connects to flat- land at river level with the bluff above. The Elevator is 296 feet long, or two feet shorter than the Angels Flight in Los Angeles. The Iowa funicular was built in 1882 and
has been owned by the same family since 1912. It is clear that the Fenelon Place Ele- vator is, indeed, a railroad because it was in- spected by the Transportation Security Ad- ministration. The word in Dubuque is that the line rises at 74 degrees in some places. Thanks to John A. Lee for the news.
Washington: Return of the Streetcars Streetcars bowed out of Washington, D.C., on January 28, 1962, leaving fond memories for some people. Now it appears that the streetcars are going to return to the nation’s capital in 2013. Indeed, tracks have already been put down in H Street. There are plans afoot for a 37 mile, $100 million system of streetcars that will help to connect places not adequately served by the Metrorail rapid transit system. There has also been conversation about additional subway service in the downtown area where the capacity of the current sub- way lines are often stressed. The formidable cost of building subways is in part the rea- son behind the return of streetcars. Many thanks to Henry Goode for the reminder.
Flashes The WASHINGTON METRORAIL line to Dulles International Airport (which is re- puted to be located in Wyoming) is under construction and has been named the Silver Line by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority. There are 11 miles of railroad and five stations now under construction. WMATA is expected to spend $20 million on the Dulles line in fiscal year 2013. Coeval with this, the pension costs of the Authority are expected to reach $148 million in the same fiscal year. The pension costs reflect a make up in the fund to ac- count for the losses suffered from stock mar- ket declines in 2008. Also on the horizon is an eight per cent increase in employee healthcare costs and an increase in insur- ance costs because of claims on a 2009 sub- way crash that injured dozens of riders and killed nine people. Ouch! Thanks to Peter Perreault for the expensive news. Things are going to get better for travel-
ers in MIAMI. The long simmering Miami Intermodal Central Transportation Facility opened in late September of 2011. The new facility is to the east of the airport and con- tains a rental car center. By the end of 2013 the Miami Metrorail rapid transit system will be extended to the intermodal facility, along with Tri-Rail commuter rail service, Greyhound, Metrobus and Amtrak. The air- port proper and the intermodal center are linked by an automated rail service. Based
on past planning statements, eventually there may be a light rail link from the center to Miami Beach. David Harris provided the good news. Even though the proposed tunnel from
New Jersey to Manhattan was cancelled by NEW JERSEYgovernor Chris Christie, it will still cost the state about $600 million in pre- liminary costs and purchases made in expec- tation of completing the project. The money will be spent with little posh or finesse. As Oliver Hardy would say to Stan Laurel: “A fine kettle of fish you got me into.” Thanks to N.R. Seidelman for the kettle of fish. Neubie reports from ST. LOUIS that the
rail transit scene is quiet and there is no great news to report. He wrote that the sun went up and went down every day. That’s Dave Neubauer from the City of the Cardinals, now the team that won the 2011 World Series. Henry Hobson Richardson is considered
one of the greatest of American architects. His great work is Trinity Church on Copley Square in Boston, but he also designed a large number of railroad stations and his professional successors Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge designed additional stations, in- cluding South Station. In these cash strapped times the MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY is aiming to cash in on its property holdings so the Newton Center Station has been put up for sale. The station is on the MBTA Green Line Highland Branch, and was built as a depot on the Boston & Albany Railroad and was one of 32 stations from the drawing board of Richardson and his successors. Many of these 19th century stations were razed by the B&A and the MBTA in the late 20th century. Newton Centre survives and, who knows, may get a new lease of life by re- moving it from the aegis of a cash-starved and deeply in debt transit authority. Roy Crane and Bill Crawford supplied the news. It has been interesting to live over a time
span that almost saw the end of much of ur- ban rail transportation. Then came the tran- sit revolution and slowly but very surely the rails have been returning to North Ameri- can cities. I feel fortunate in growing up in PHILADELPHIA when the city was blan- keted with the vast streetcar operations of the Philadelphia Transportation Company, the suburbs were given excellent service by Red Arrow Lines and the Philadelphia & Western, and it was possible to take the fab- ulous interurban Lehigh Valley Transit Lib- erty Bell Limited line from 69th Street Ter- minal to Allentown. The frosting on the cake was the Fairmount Park Transit Company which operated a fleet of open cars that linked 44th and Parkside and 33rd and Dauphin with Woodside Park. The trip to 33rd and Dauphin required a trip over the wonderfully delicate ironwork of the Straw- berry Mansion Bridge. On vacations to Wildwood, Ocean City, or Atlantic City, New Jersey there were Brilliners in Atlantic City (Margate, Ventnor, Longport) the Shore Fast Line between Atlantic City and Ocean City, and the open cars of the Five Mile Beach Electric Railway Co. in Wildwood. Wow! Now, back to earth. Now would be a good time to make a con-
tribution to YOUR FAVORITE STREET- CAR OR RAILWAY MUSEUM. All of them need money in these tough times. Don’t forget the New England Electric Rail- way Historical Society, P.O. Box A, Kenne- bunkport, ME 04046.
From Then to Now, To There and Back
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