most recently after a derailment on Septem- ber 5, 2013. The NTSB investigated and found the operators had been using a tree branch to hold down the start button and over-ride a safety system. Problems noted in an NTSB report reveal the flaws in the oper- ation. The little railway that links the Hill Street shopping district with Bunker Hill will remain closed until the California Pub- lic Utilities Commission gives it’s approval. Thanks to Frank Bauer, John A. Lee, and Douglas I. Duncan.
Newark City Subway Upgrade The Newark (N.J.) City Subway, now called NJ Transit’s Newark Light Rail, opened in 1935, and major station rehabilitation proj- ects are under way. The station platforms at Davenport Avenue and Bloomfield Avenue are being raised to afford level train board- ing. An elevator is being added at Bloomfield Avenue. Station lighting is being upgraded all along the line, and Branch Brook Park will enjoy major platform renovations. Inte- rior cameras will be installed on all trains for passenger safety. The rail service is also attempting to help people realize that it is dangerous to be distracted by cell phones around the tracks. Thanks to good friend Jon Goodman for the information.
CIRTA News
The Central Indian Regional Transporta- tion Authority has named a new Executive Director, Jeff Jackson, a native of Con- nersville and a former student of mine. Jeff has worked for a number of transit proper- ties, including Florida’s Tri-Rail. He also worked for several steam lines including Colorado’s narrow gauge. CIRTA is to help improve transit service in Indianapolis and it’s collar counties. Good luck Jeff!
New Jersey Car Storage Improvement Hurricane Sandy did major damage to New Jersey Transit locomotives, multiple unit cars, and other rolling stock. By fall of 2013, about two-thirds of the damaged equipment was back in service. Sandy’s storm surge flooded NJ Transit’s Meadowlands Mainte- nance Facility, causing damage to 343 cars and locomotives stored there. Safe Harbor yards at Garwood Industrial and Conrail in Linden should protect equipment in the fu- ture. Thanks to Charlie Bogart and David Harris for the information.
Flashes The METROPOLITAN ATLANTA RAPID TRANSIT AUTHORITY is moving ahead with planned transit oriented development at the King Memorial Station in downtown Atlanta. The four acre site is located in a rapidly developing part of town and is zoned for medium to high density development that could be used for commercial, educa- tional,
the news. In Salt Lake City, Utah, the extension of
the TRAX light rail service from Sandy to Draper was occasion to draw attention to Draper’s historic role in the egg business. Draper Eggs were famous for being milky white in color when many eggs were spotted. The Draper station features a refrigerator car painted as a North American Dispatch reefer with 1920 vintage billboard paint ad- vertising Draper Eggs. Thanks to Craig Gra- ham for the news. Oh yes, the Draper TRAX line went into to service on August 18, 2013. Do you want to operate an electric street- car? If so, the CONNECTICUT TROLLEY MUSEUM (P.O. Box 360 East Windsor, CT 06088; 860/627-6540) is the place to contact. For $55 you can receive training and get to be a honest-to-goodness motorman. The mu- seum has five cars running, hence the need for operators. Thanks to Carl Edd. Streetcar operations in TUCSON,
ARIZ., have been delayed until the second quarter of 2014 because of delays in deliver- ing the new cars from the United Streetcar Company of Portland, Ore. Thanks to Ross Gonzales for the news.
Red Sox Nation has a problem: thieves are stealing bicycles form the Alewife sta- tion of the MBTA rapid transit Red Line. To help keep people honest, a life size card- board cutout of a transit police officer was installed and it appears to be working. Per- haps a life size cutout of Big Papi with a baseball bat in his hand would be more of a deterrent. Thanks to Peter Perreault. Any changes in the location of SOUTH SHORE LINE tracks in Michigan City, Ind., will probably take a long time. Money is an issue as is public support. Starting rail tran- sit in Indianapolis will also take awhile be- cause of reaction to the cost. Central Indiana may get much improved bus service, but that will probably be a battle too. A strange thing happened to the street
residential, or cultural purposes.
MARTA is searching for a partner to carry out a master development plan for the station. In Miami, it is now possible to take METRORAIL rapid transit directly to Mia- mi International Airport thanks to the 2.4- mile “Airport Line” extension of the rapid transit service from the Earlington Heights Station to the new Public Transportation Center northeast of the airport. The center provides access to Tri-Rail commuter trains, taxis, county bus service, rental cars, and the automated people mover to the airport terminals. Thanks to Pete Stockbridge for
railways of the U.S. during World War I; rid- ership was way up but the industry was plagued with bankruptcy because of high costs. President Wilson created the FEDER- AL ELECTRIC RAILWAY COMMISSION in 1919 to study the situation. If your com- munity is blessed with a really good library you are likely to find the multi-volume re- port. The first person to testify was former president Taft, who predicted that public ownership of transit would be very bad. The failure of the 138,000-volt feeder line on September 25, 2013, shut down an eight- mile section of the Northeast Corridor. This created chaos for 12 days along METRO NORTH’s New Haven Line. At a hearing on the failure, Consolidated Edison accepted no blame and refused to pay Metro North or Amtrak for the delays or other problems. Thanks to Nat Baer. Toronto, Paris, and Berlin enjoy the use of articulated subway cars that have two or three sections. The cars do not have bulk- heads or train doors in between but the long cars are much more spacious than normal rapid transit cars. NEW YORK CITY may consider ordering such cars in the near fu- ture. Cost will be a consideration, of course. In 1924 the New York subways installed “triplex” cars that were in service for 40 years on the B, D, Q, and R Lines. I rode on a special trip using the “triplex” cars in the 1990s with George Krambles and Bill Middleton. The event was during an APTA meeting.
From Then to Now, To There and Back
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