WhiteRiverProductions Hal Carstens
Railfan for Life
Enjoy a rich journey across the American railroading landscape through the lens of Hal Carstens!
Toronto’s Union Station is now linked to the city’s Pearson International Airport by the DMU-pow- ered UP (Union Pearson) Express. Trains operate as frequently as every 15 minutes during peak hours, making two intermediate station stops; total running time is 25 minutes between endpoints. Operations began on June 6, 2015, just ahead of the city hosting the Pan Am games. The Express uses existing GO Transit trackage for 14 miles from Union Station, stopping at the GO Bloor and Weston stations, before diverging onto a new 2.1-mile right-of-way into the airport. The fl eet con- sists of four three-car sets and three two-car sets for a total of 18 DMUs, built by Nippn Sharyo. A two-car set was photographed from the Bathurst Street bridge in downtown Toronto on August 19.. RON YEE PHOTO
near South Bend. Thanks to Bill Crawford and C.P. Murray.
Fort Worth Changes
In this all-new collection, you’ll enjoy more than 100 pages of color photos selected by our editors spanning Hal’s trackside adventures from the last sixty years. From coast to coast, from steam to diesel (and trolleys, too), from main lines to short lines and everything in between!
HARDCOVER Item CRS-RFLH SOFTCOVER $34.95 $ 19.95 Item CRS-RFLS
Plus shipping & handling. Call or email for rates.
You won’t want to miss this special collection, order your copy today!
877-787-2467 TOLL-FREE 660-695-4433 NON-US
WhiteRiverProductions.com 22 OCTOBER 2015 •
RAILFAN.COM
The Fort Worth Transportation Authority (“The T”) has a new president and chief exec- utive officer in the person of old friend Paul J. Ballard. Paul has had a long history in transit management starting with Bloomington (Ind.) Transit in the early 1970s, followed by lead- ership positions at the Plymouth & Brockton Street Railway in Massachusetts and several others. Paul has also been active in the Trans- portation Research Board and the American Public Transportation Association. One of the major projects under Paul’s
watch will be the construction of a rail line from Fort Worth into DFW Airport. The proj- ect, entitled “TexRail,” will be 27 miles long reaching from downtown Fort Worth, north- east across Tarrent County to Grapevine, and then into Terminal B at DFW Airport. There are to be ten stations along the line, which will be operated by diesel multiple unit trains. A contract with Stadler was signed on June 9, 2015, to deliver eight DMU vehicles. The Fed- eral Transit Administration gave its approval on June 2 so that the project can move ahead and construction can begin in early 2016. The new operation is expected to begin in
late 2018. After the first year of service, the rail line is projected to provide more than 10,000 average daily rides. Thanks to Paul Ballard and the “The T” for the news, and best of luck!
Flashes
Jonathan Goodman sent news that NEWARK PENN STATION is celebrating its 80th birth- day. Opened on March 23, 1935, the station is a combination of classic and art deco archi- tecture; Indiana limestone covers part of the
building. The station serves Amtrak, New Jersey Transit (commuter rail, light rail, and bus), PATH, private bus operators, taxicabs, and all other transportation services. By cel- ebrating the past 80 years of success and pa- tronage, the station is given the ability to see its enduring legacy in the hope for many more birthdays to come. It took 15 years to accomplish, costs $50
million, and is almost invisible. Can you guess what it is? Mid-June 2015 saw the completion of 150 miles of catenary upgrades along SEP- TA’s commuter rail service. This project is to help improve reliability on its many electri- fied rail lines. The last of the 150-mile im- provement was near the Wallingford Station. The most forlorn wire has been replaced, but there is more to do on the 286 miles of track. As a result, the commuter rail service has experienced a 50 percent patronage increase since 2000. David Harris was kind enough to send the news. Mr. Harris also sent mixed news from Maryland regarding the proposed PURPLE LINE light rail service that would link New Carrollton in Prince George’s County with Bethesda in Montgomery County. The east- west rail line would roughly parallel the infa- mous Washington beltway across the north- ern perimeter of the District of Columbia. The 16-mile line has been estimated to cost $2.45 billion to construct with an estimated operation expense of $55 million annually. Maryland governor Larry Hogan gave ten- tative approval to the project while coming out against the proposed Red Line light rapid transit service in Baltimore. Governor Hogan also wanted the two counties involved to pick up more of the Purple Line cost. This mixed news results in equally mixed emotions, as there was joy in the Purple Line region and gloom in Baltimore.
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.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74