ww.RonRailPictures.com PHILADELPHIA MEMORIES
VOLUME TWO SUBWAY AND SURFACE LINES
1 Hour 7 Minutes
Philadelphia SEPTA City Transit: Juniper St to 40th St subway lines through Woodland and Chester Ave surface lines and more. 1970’s PCC Cars through 1980’s Kawasaki. Experimental color
one of a kinds. Includes Routes 10 - 11 - 13 - 34 - 36. ONLY $29.95
PHILADELPHIA MEMORIES Two Discs Set 2 Hrs 23 Min
The Colorfull Years - 1970’s and 1980’s
PHILADELPHIA MEMORIES
VOLUME 1 SURFACE LINES
VOLUME ONE SURFACE LINES
Two Discs Set 2 Hours 23 Minutes
Includes Routes 6 - 15 - 23 53 - 56 - 60
From the lens of Gary Grahl. See Philadelphia PCC’s during the color- ful 1970’ and 1980’s on Routes 6, 15, 23, 53, 56, and 60. ONLY $29.95
NJ LIGHT RAIL LINES
Two Discs Set Approx. 3 Hours Explore the history of light rail in
New Jersey from Newark Subway, thru PCC’s last ride in the Public Service Era, to NJ Transit Light Rail and More! ONLY $29.95
NJ LIGHT RAIL LINES
Two Discs Set Approx. 3 Hours
Explore the history of light rail in New Jersey from Newark Subway, thru PCC’s last ride in the Public Service Era, to NJ Transit Light Rail and More!
Add $4.00 S&H per order (PA add 6% tax) See us on the web at
www.ronrailpictures.com or mail check or M/O to RonRail Pictures, DeptT
5552 Republic Way, Bethlehem, PA 18017
Connecticut Company’s Streetcars
Relive the days of Connecticut Company's big yellow cars... Profusely illustrated, this book covers every division of the Connecticut Company, the trolley empire controlled by the New Haven Railroad. This book features nearly every type of trolley car operated across the Nutmeg State until shutdown in 1948.
CONNECTICUT
STREETCARS SOFTCOVER
$21.95 PLUS S&H - ITEM #C00082 Carstens PUBLICATIONS, INC.
CARSTENSBOOKSTORE.COM (888) 526-5365
50 FEBRUARY 2014 •
RAILFAN.COM schemes and
RonRail w Pictures
Chicago Upgrading Rapid Transit
Address Change Notice: The Kelley School of Business at Indiana University — Bloom- ington is about to undergo a major renova- tion. As result of the alterations, retired fac- ulty are going to lose their offices. I need to change the address to which kind donors may send information. From now on please send news to: George Smerk, P.O. Box 486, Bloomington, IN 47402.
CHICAGO MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL declared the Red Line North-South rapid transit line as the backbone of the Chicago Transit Au- thority’s service. He also declared it worthy of upgrading and improvement. The Red Line South Project cost $425 million and in- volved heavy maintenance and upgrading of the rail line from Cermak/Chinatown Sta- tion, not far south of the Loop, to 95th and the Dan Ryan Expressway, 10.2 miles. To rebuild everything from the dirt up, the entire south portion of the rapid transit line was shut down. This permitted work to be completed in just five months. Doing the work only on weekends would have taken about four years and would have cost about $75 million more to complete. About 80,000 riders use this service on a typical weekday. Riders were shifted to alternative services, such as express buses. Red Line trains also operated on the Green Line South Side Ele- vated.
The 44 year old Red Line had the track re- placed including ballast, ties, rail, third rail, and a new drainage system. Signals, as well as the power distribution system, were up- graded, and some stations received new paint, improved lighting, new canopies and benches, and new bike racks.
Service is expected to speed up after some years of slow going because of track condi- tions; riders should save 20 minutes a day on their round trips to downtown. With the Red Line now revamped the CTA is now preparing to renovate the Blue Line which offers service to O’Hare Field. The timetable for the Blue Line project will soon be made public; in the meantime, the CTA is experi- menting with Bus Rapid Transit with a pilot project on Jeffery Boulevard (the Jeffery Jump) and is planning future BRT service on Ashland Avenue.
There is a new fare collection system with use of the contactless Ventra Card System. Bank cards may also be used to pay for rapid transit and bus rides. Both CTA and PACE suburban bus services may use Ventra. The oldest rapid transit railcars are being replaced and mid-life overhaul is being carried out on moderately aged rolling stock. Bus mainte- nance work is under way on a large scale. All of this is an important part of Mayor Emanuel’s plan to upgrade key parts of the city infrastructure. Thanks to Kent Mc- Daniel and Felix Pasternack for the news.
Baltimore Street Car Museum
Baltimore is now home to a fine light rapid transit service that is about to be expanded. To help inform today’s citizens of Baltimore of the past streetcar and public transit service,
the Baltimore Street Car Museum in 2013 published the second edition of Fr. Kevin A. Mueller’s The Best Way to Go: The History of BTCo, the Baltimore Transit Company. In ad- dition to excellent photographs of streetcars, trackless trolleys, and buses, the pictures contain historic and memorable scenes of buildings and vintage automobiles. Also, Bal- timore operated some uncommonly hand- some Peter Witt type cars supplied by both the J.G. Brill Company and the Cincinnati Car Company. Thanks to Henry Goode for the information and trip down memory lane.
Carbarn Expansion in Minnesota The Minnesota Streetcar Museum (P.O. Box 14467 Minneapolis, MN 55415-0467) needs more room in its George K. Isaacs Carbarn. The barn is heated, so work on cars can car- ry on in the very brisk Minnesota winters. Space is needed to store streetcars and track maintenance equipment and there is office space
involved. The museum is in the
process of raising funds; chip in and spend some time at the museum in the summer. If you wish to donate, send your gift to Min- nesota Streetcar Museum. By the way, the museum is usually looking for volunteers to run the cars.
Memphis Trolley Fire
In early November 2013 car No. 452, one of the former Melbourne trolleys employed by the Memphis Area Transit Authority, caught fire near Madison and I-240. The blaze did significant damage to the car and service was temporarily suspended on the Madison line; service on the Riverfront and Main Street lines continued. The streetcar involved was a 1927 vintage tram from the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways board and was one of 752 similar cars constructed between 1923 and 1956. Thanks to Dave Neubauer and the Whistletalk newsletter of the St. Louis Railway Enthusiasts, Inc.
An Exciting and Memory Filled Calendar The East Penn Traction Club produces an annual calendar and has done so for 28 years. The 2014 edition stirs memories of growing up in Philadelphia from 1933-1951. Particularly stimulating are the high quali- ty images of streetcars, interurban, and rap- id transit rolling stock from the Philadel- phia Transportation Company, Red Arrow Lines, and Lehigh Valley Transit. This column deals with the present, but there is much to learn from the past. The high quality of service by Red Arrow Lines,
PLEASE SEND light rail, tran- sit and commuter rail news items and correspondence di- rectly to Prof. George M. Smerk, P.O. Box 486, Bloomington, IN 47402.
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