locations, can earn much more than pocket change. In 1995 Susie Tannenbaum wrote a book about the buskers called Underground Harmonies. Thanks to Doug Barron for the interesting item. A tunnel boring machine is busy digging
the new Central Subway in SAN FRAN- CISCO. In the fall of 2013 the machine was on its way from south of Market Street and beneath the Powell BART Muni stations to Union Square; the BART crossing is a tricky business. When the subway is finished the Third Street Line light rail will use it. Thanks to D. Martin for the news. January 16, 2014, was the sesquicenten-
nial of rail service between San Francisco and San Jose. Now called CALTRAIN, the commuter service was first operated by the San Francisco & San Jose Railroad, later by the Southern Pacific, it is a ride worth tak- ing. Thanks to John A. Lee for the news. William Everett sent a picture of his mod-
sible for breakdowns and interruptions in service. The replacement plan for the early fleet members will have to be speeded up. WASHINGTON METRORAIL expects
NATIONAL TRAIN DAY TOLEDO
May 3, 2014 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
FREE ADMISSION
els of PACIFIC ELECTRIC cars. He has several displays of the quarter inch scale models, one of which is in the old Pacific Electric Building at Sixth and Main Streets in downtown Los Angeles. He also has a dis- play at the California State Railroad Muse- um in Sacramento, and the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris. He writes that he began his PE modeling in 1946 and con- tinued into the 1950s. He says he built hun- dreds of models of the Big Red Cars. David Menard sends word that the light rapid transit cars in CALGARY, ALBER- TA, have soldiered on; however, the first batch of Siemens U2 cars from the early 1980s are showing their age and are respon-
FREE PARKING
Come to one of the biggest Train Day celebrations in the country! Locomotives and Amtrak cars, huge model layouts, memorabilia and artwork. Food and children’s activities. Indoor and trackside exhibits.
Toledo Amtrak Station Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza 415 Emerald Ave., Toledo, Ohio
to begin service on the new Silver Line in the first part of 2014. The new line will be 11 miles long and will reach from East Falls Church to Reston, Va., and will have four stations in Tysons Corner and one in Reston. Mid-2014 should see the second phase of about 12 miles to Dulles Airport and Loudon County under construction. The DETROIT STREETCAR PROJ-
ECT will be built along Woodward Avenue between Baltimore and Congress streets and is planned to serve revenue passengers in early 2016. The whole project is expected to cost $137 million and the line will be 3.2 miles long. Key contracts for design, con- struction management, and rolling stock were to be completed by the end of 2013. Maryland’s MARC commuter rail service
initiated weekend service on the Penn Line on December 7, 2013. Nine round trips will be operated each weekend day between Washington Union Station to Baltimore Penn Station and Martin State Airport. A purchase of several dozen cars and ten loco- motives will help to protect the service. Las Angeles METROLINK rail
com-
muter service has some serious accounting problems. To go over the books, KPMG was employed to troubleshoot the records. A seri- ous forensic audit will be pursued later. Thanks to Douglas I. Duncan, John A.
ToledoTrainDay@aol.com | 419.241.9155 |
www.tmacog.org
Northeast U.S. Steam Tour September 13-21, 2014
Is this the best Eastern U.S. Steam Tour? Ever?
• Eight private steam charters, many with freight cars • All three types of U.S. geared logging locomotives in action • VIP Access to unusual locations
• Four major steam museums and two trolley museums
• Three roundhouses and three spectacular train stations • PLUS AN EXCLUSIVE VISIT TO THE AGE OF STEAM ROUNDHOUSE! Railroads and Attractions Include:
Grand Central Terminal — Steamtown National Historic Site Electric City Trolley Museum — New Hope & Ivyland Black River & Western — Strasburg Rail Road
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania — Wilmington & Western Durbin & Greenbrier Valley — Cass Scenic Railroad Age of Steam Roundhouse —Warther Museum
Pennsylvania Trolley Museum —Western Maryland Scenic Steam Into History — B&O Railroad Museum
Trip includes all rail rides and admissions, motor coach transportation, lodging and most meals.
For more information contact Carl Franz 240/720-8686
cmfrr@aol.com
All proceeds benefit the Wolsztyn Experience The greatest steam footplating experience in the world 10 APRIL 2014 •
RAILFAN.COM
Lee, Dave Martin, Charlie Bogart, Frank Bauer, Carl Edd and Homer McDancy for the information.
one that uses the appeal of railroad history to its benefit. Many museums look to their tourist rail-
Railroad Photos day And Night
road cousins with envy, as they see being able to offer a train ride a real draw to bring in more visitors (and therefore, more finan- cial support for their museum activities). The challenge is how to operate a successful train ride that helps support the organiza- tion’s preservation mission without becom- ing overwhelmed and ignoring the other im- portant aspects of running a museum. Likewise, the ride can suffer if your group doesn’t have enough resources to dedicate to regular operations. Conflicts can arise be- tween the volunteers who focus on the ride versus those who administrate the museum as each struggle for resources and funding. The use of vintage equipment by muse-
Stop by and visit our completely redesigned website. R&R readers get 10% off all print orders using checkout code RR0214F.
www.railroadphotographer.com
ums and tourist railroads alike are both an asset and a liability. Steam locomotive oper- ation is an expensive proposition to begin with, never mind the federally-mandated rules and regulations on mandatory inspec- tions and rebuilds. Diesel locomotives pro- vide a different set of challenges, especially as parts and mechanical expertise become scarce. Regular operation subjects all trains to regular wear and tear; tourist lines con- sider this part of the cost of doing business and make repairs as needed, museums have to consider if they are causing irreparable damage to valuable artifacts. I was a volunteer with one organization
that had a collection of equipment in need of a permanent home. The opportunity came up to acquire the lease of an unused branch line, and the equipment was moved in. It was decided that the operation of a regular excursion was the only way to draw visitors and financial support for a proposed new museum. All resources were dedicated to getting the railroad and trains ready, and a successful operation developed over the years. However, regular train operation meant precious few resources to establish a permanent museum or embark on any new restoration projects. Upkeep of the railroad in accordance with the lease and regular main- tenance on the operating fleet keeps every- one busy. Nearly 20 years later, the group is finally taking its first steps to reverse years of stalled progress to establish a permanent museum to compliment their popular train rides (and not for lack of trying, either). Meanwhile, at the other end of the state,
is an organization with nearly the opposite problem. Also having a collection in search of a home, this group selected a site that was once home to a bustling engine terminal. Fa- cilities were reconstructed, and equipment moved in. However, the museum site is sur- rounded by an active freight railroad, and does not have enough of its own track or ready equipment to operate any kind of train ride for the public. Instead, this group has come up with many creative events host- ed at the museum site to draw visitors in. Whether you’re a business or a museum, operating any kind of train ride can be a challenge. Consider the Fort Wayne Rail- road Historical Society, owners of the famed Nickel Plate 765. Their mission is, “To pre- serve, restore, and operate historic railroad equipment and artifacts significant to Northeast Indiana.” While they do not have permanent museum grounds open to the public, they realize their goal through regu- lar steam-powered excursions throughout the Midwest. The FWRHS has established
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