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Downtown Streetcar For St. Louis?
FOR SEVERAL YEARS THERE HAS BEEN discus- sion in St. Louis about a streetcar operation near Forest Park. More recently, the decision of St. Louis University to move its Law School from the midtown area to downtown brought the streetcar issue to the public no- tice. Original thoughts by the city were to operate shuttle buses, but that soon gave way to the idea of a streetcar from the new law school on Tucker Boulevard to the mid- town campus of the university. The Down- town Partnership supported a $200,000 study of the feasibility of such a plan; the study showed that streetcars operating on a ten minute headway would attract 7700 rid- ers per day.
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The city of St. Louis saw the end of street- car service in 1966, but about 20 years later the light rail MetroLink service was started. One line of the proposed downtown streetcar would consist of a double track service along Olive Street to Taylor Street. Another pro- posed line would operate along 14th Street and Florissant Avenue. There would be a streetcar loop not far from the Arch and the Mississippi River. The capital cost of the downtown streetcar is estimated at about $220 million for the seven mile facility. There would be several connections with MetroLink. The very earliest that such a service could begin is 2016. Thanks to Neu- bie for the news.
San Diego System Upgrades January 9, 2013, saw the inauguration of new rail cars along the San Diego Orange Line utilizing low floor light cars from Siemens. The cars are part of the Trolley Re- newal Project, a $720 million effort. Those who have joined the party of readers recent- ly may not know that San Diego was the first city in the U.S. to adopt the notion of modern light rail transit.
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www.greatesthobby.com and get links to hobby resources and reference materials, lists of train shows and events, and information about planning and building your first model railroad layout. We’ll even help you find a shop or club in your area willing to coach you one-on-one. It’s everything you need to know to start enjoying your new hobby. Getting started in the World’s Greatest Hobby has never been easier!
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50 MAY 2013 •
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I visited San Diego not long after the first part of the light rail service went into action. I asked a local resident why a conservative city such as San Diego was willing to invest in light rail. Conservatism here in the Hoosier Holy Land and in other part of the Midwest usually means not doing anything, but the response I got from San Diego was that the city and its residents wanted high quality in the various city services. That is why San Diego citizens enjoy an excellent zoo and excellent parks. It is a matter of pride in the city. Thanks to Bill Holman and Bill Orr for the news.
Minnesota Monorail The Minnesota Streetcar Museum (P.O. Box 14467 University Station, Minneapolis, MN 55414-0467) publishes an excellent quarter- ly magazine called Twin City Lines. The magazine focuses on interesting bits of his- tory of rail transit in the region, and is well illustrated with great vintage photographs. The cover of the Winter 2013 issue showed a picture of a monorail. There is an article by Aaron Isaacs to go along with the cover pho- to and several other pictures of the South St. Paul monorail, which had the distinction of
being the second electric railroad in Min- nesota. The Minnesota monorail was of the suspended type, similar to the Wuppertal, Germany, monorail that is still serving the public.
The Minnesota monorail was a product of the Enos Electric Co. In 1886 Enos had constructed a monorail on the facilities of the Daft Electric Light Co. in Jersey City, N.J. Two St. Paul businessmen owned land atop the bluff in South St. Paul and needed some means of reaching it with ease. The entrepreneurs learned of the Enos develop- ment and decided to use the innovative technology.
Obtaining an easement along Bryant Av- enue and 16th Street, a monorail about one third of a mile in length was built on a six to seven per cent grade. The first trip was made on May 12, 1888, and was greeted in the press with great enthusiasm. Unfortu- nately, the company was unable to get a franchise to build in St. Paul or Minneapolis. The St. Paul City Council later reversed it- self, but there was no interest in Minneapo- lis so the project came to an end. If you wish to see a memorial to the monorail, visit the front of the Clark Memorial Church at 15th and Bryan in South St. Paul.
Branford Museum is Struck by Sandy Hurricane Sandy did much mischief in Con- necticut. The venerable trolley museum at East Haven was hit hard by the storm and the storm surge. The museum is in a low area along the coast and there is little to pro- tect it from the surge. The water rose to more than nine feet above sea level and in- undated much of the museum. Many of the historic cars were subjected to water in key parts of their electrical systems. Fifteen cars out of the large collection were moved to higher ground and survived in relatively good, operable condition. The water damage involved traction motors, air compressors, line switches and brake components. The shop was hit hard and many machines were damaged. Salt water is not kind to metal and electrical gear. Rust and corrosion are major problems. Many of the cars caught in the Sandy surge were previously damaged by Irene in 2012. The Shore Line Trolley Museum, operat- ed by the Branford Electric Railway Associ- ation, is one of the senior railway museums in the U.S. It is important that the museum be restored. A major part of the salvage of the museum and work to insure its continu-
PLEASE SEND light rail, tran- sit and commuter rail news items and correspondence di- rectly to Prof. George M. Smerk, Emeritus Suite, Kelley School of Business, 1309 East Tenth Street, Bloomington, IN 47405-1701.
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