www.ronrailpictures.comww.RonRailPictures.com PHILADELPHIA MEMORIES
VOLUME THREE - THE RED ARROW TROLLEYS
The story of a surviving suburban trolley system from the 1950's to today. Includes Routes 101 - 102 - 103 and 104. As seen through the Super-8 lens of Gary Grahl, a look back at the marvelous Brill, St. Louis and Kawasaki rail cars through Delaware County to West Chester, Ardmore, Sharon Hill and Media. 126 Minutes ONLY $29.95
VOLUME TWO - SUBWAY AND SURFACE LINES
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 schemes and one of a kinds. Includes Routes 10 - 11 - 13 - 34 - 36. ONLY $29.95
The Colorfull Years - 1970’s and 1980’s
PHILADELPHIA MEMORIES
VOLUME 1 SURFACE LINES
RonRail w Pictures
Metra Moves On 1 Hour 7 Minutes
VOLUME ONE - SURFACE LINES
Two Discs Set 2 Hrs 23 Min 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
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
Life on a Locomotive
Originally published in 1971 this reprinted 219 page hardcover book chronicles the life of Buddy Williams, a C&NW locomotive engineer working in Wisconsin during the late steam era. $34.95 postpaid.
CNWHS-C, PO Box 1068, North Riverside, IL 60546 order online at
www.cnwhs.org IL residents add 8 ½% sales tax.
RAILFAN $37.95
ONE YEAR 12 ISSUES
USA ONLY
Foreign/International rates delivery rates higher. See web site for details.
WHITERIVERPRODUCTIONS.COM (877) 787-2467
16 JULY-OCTOBER 2014 •
RAILFAN.COM www.whiteriverproductions.com
METRA IS THE COMMUTER RAIL OPERATION serving Chicago and northeastern Illinois. The agency is celebrating its 30th birthday in 2014, but has experienced major prob- lems in recent years, namely political inter- ference and scandals over officials stealing money. On the latter score, longtime execu- tive director Phil Pagano benefitted himself by eloping with several hundred thousand dollars; while under investigation, he com- mitted suicide by stepping in front of a Me- tra train. Pagano’s successor left Metra after a short time, complaining of political inter- ference. Several studies reviewed the politi- cal interference and the findings were pub- lished in newspapers. An investigation concerning Michael Madigan, speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives and reput- edly the most powerful elected official in Illi- nois, turned up evidence that he attempted to influence hiring decisions at Metra. Pub- lic confidence in Metra waned. Metra attempted to clean up its reputa-
tion by choosing a new board chairman, Martin Oberman, and a new executive direc- tor/CEO, Don Orseno. Orseno is a long-time railroad man who worked his way up at Me- tra, starting as a brakeman. The new Metra leadership is working hard to better serve the public and once again become a national leader in commuter rail service. The new man- agement team is addressing operating per- formance and necessary capital improvements. Everything wears out eventually, and for
rail passenger equipment it is very impor- tant to overhaul rolling stock periodically. Metra is now undertaking a major overhaul of its 176 Ameran cars at the shops at 49th Street and the Dan Ryan Expressway. By the late spring of 2014, 98 cars had been overhauled. The work includes new wheel chair lifts, new flush toilets, overhauled air conditioners, new seats and new floors. The doors are being equipped with sensitive edges to keep passengers from getting squeezed. There is other good news about the proj-
ect; it is being carried out in-house, and 60 high-paid craftsmen jobs have been kept in the Chicago area. This is a similar policy to the Northern Indiana Commuter Trans- portation District, which overhauls its cars at the renovation facility next to the Michi- gan City shops. By the way, the Ameran cars were constructed by Morrison-Knudsen between 1995 and 1998; the overhaul is ex- pected to extend the life of the cars by 12 to 15 years. The fleet in question consists of 97 trailer cars and 79 cab cars. Cab car over- hauls cost about $800,000 each, trailer car renewal costs about $700,000. New cars sell for about $3 million each, so overhaul is a good idea. More good news came for Metra when
Union Pacific and the Illinois Department of Transportation recently announced a $45 million investment each in the UP/Metra West Line. The $90 million will go toward construction of new third main line track on sections of UP/Metra’s West Line from River Forest to Melrose Park and from West Chicago to Geneva. The new line should im-
prove commuter service by reducing con- flicts between passenger and freight trains along the Metra lines. Many thanks to Steve Scalzo and Charles Bogart for the news.
Los Angeles Celebrates
May 3, 1939, was a banner day in the City of Angels because it marked the opening of the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal, which is currently celebrating its diamond anniversary (and is now known as Los Ange- les Union Station). The station is now busier than ever as it plays host to Amtrak long distance trains, Metrolink commuter trains, the Red Line subway, and the light rail lines to Pasadena and East Los Angeles. In the future, when the Downtown Con-
nector is completed, there will be Blue Line, Exposition Line, and Crenshaw light rail lines serving Union Station. The 1.9-mile light rail line connecting the Gold, Blue, and Expo lines has been awarded $670 million in federal funds, which will enable Los Angeles to close a gap in downtown rail service. Cur- rently a rail trip across Los Angeles County requires two transfers In addition to the anniversary of Union
Station, Los Angeles can be proud to be served by the first commuter railroad to em- ploy Positive Train Control. Metrolink com- muter rail service began use of PTC on the lines from Los Angeles southeast to Fuller- ton, northeast to Riverside, and north to San Bernardino in early 2014. The railroad hopes to have all 512 miles of its system cov- ered by the end of the year. A safer, more in- tegrated rail and transit service is some- thing to be proud of. When you take your train trip west, be sure to stop in Los Ange- les and enjoy a steadily expanding and in- creasingly useful rail system. Thanks to Douglas I. Duncan, Frank Bauer, John A. Lee for the good news.
NICTD/South Shore Line Strategic Plan
Since the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District was formed in 1977, the Chicago, South Shore & South Bend Railroad has been almost completely rebuilt and many improvements and upgrades have been made. I recently had lunch with NICTD General Manager Jerry Hanas. We discussed the strategic plan recently carried out, and marketing manager and head of planning John Parsons sent more information. There is a great deal of building going on, so much so that John declared NICTD is a con- struction company masquerading as a railroad. Strategic plans are long range, but there
PLEASE SEND light rail, transit, and commuter rail news items and correspondence directly to Prof. George M. Smerk, P.O. Box 486, Bloomington, IN 47402.
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