been a major part missing on what is to be the Green and Purple Lines. The delay isn’t all bad news since it allows more time for CAF- USA to complete the 39-car order to provide rolling stock to serve the two new lines. It also provides time to supply more cars for the very busy original line. The first car of the order has been delivered and has passed the 4000- mile defect-free, burn-in acceptance testing. Looking ahead, in the not terribly distant fu- ture, the two new rail lines will be serving the public and baseball fans will still be cool at Minute Maid Park. Thanks to Ted Hudson and Randy Glucks- man for the information.
Not So Good News from Los Angeles
Metrolink is the commuter rail agency for the Los Angeles region, and was once the fastest growing commuter rail operation in the U.S. Thanks to the Great Recession, ridership has been falling significantly; since 2008 annual ridership has fallen by 595,000 passengers. A related difficulty is a $36.8 million operat- ing deficit in 2014. Cutting back on service to save money will alienate customers. Raising fares will also make customers less willing to use the service. Declining ridership on commuter rail ser-
vice also reflects trains habitually running late, which has led some passengers to begin driving to work once again. Job growth pat- terns across the Los Angeles region have also affected ridership. Downtown employment growth in Los Angeles has leveled off and there are an expanding number of jobs in the outlying areas; commuter rail tends to flour- ish when an urban region has a very strong center city. Lack of good connectivity with
local bus service has not been helpful. None of the negatives are easily solved, although progress toward greater integration of service is on the horizon. Thanks to Frank Bauer for the information.
Metra Refurbishes Commuter Cars
Nothing lasts forever, and that includes rail cars built for commuter service. Buying and rehabilitating rail equipment are both expen- sive propositions, but the price of brand new commuter cars is so high that renovation of existing cars makes good sense. Metra, the Chicago region c ommuter service, is saving $2 million per car in a renovation project of 176 of its cars. The job is being carried out in- house, at the 49th Street car shop along the Rock Island District commuter line. The eco- nomic life of a commuter rail car is about 25 years. If the cars are rehabilitated at around the 15 or 16 year mark, the economic life may be increased to 40 to 45 years. Moreover, the rehab job can make improve-
ments in the older cars by adding amenities, such as better seating, improved lavatories, or upgraded lifts for improved accessibility for persons with disabilities. Some properties do the rehabilitation in-house, as Metra is do- ing; others contract out the program to firms specializing in such work. Thanks to Ted Hudson for the information.
Central Pennsylvania Trolley Museum Shop
Rehabilitation of historic railway equipment is a vital and major activity of all railway mu- seums. One of the best such museums is the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Washing- ton, which benefits from individual cash con- tributions, volunteer time, and grant money
Two New DVD/Blu-ray Releases!
AND OTHER TRAINS ACROSS THE NORTH DAKOTA PRAIRIE
See unit trains of crude oil tankers, grain, frac sand, intermodals, freight and locals.
with some CP and Amtrak trains. Plus Gassman Coulee Trestle • Minot • Soo Tower • Oil Wells
VOLUME ONE – Featuring BNSF along
with BNSF, NPR, DMV&W and Amtrak. Plus Des Lacs Valley• Minot • Valley City Trestle • Oil Wells 93 min. each • Color • Rail Map • Narration On/Off
VOLUME TWO – Canadian Pacific along
SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER! Vol.1 Vol.2
DVD BLU-RAY
$2895 EACH
BOTH VOL. 1&2 ONLY $51.90
Exp. 7/31/15 | Reg. $29.95 each | WI add 5.5% sales tax PLUS SHIPPING: 1 TITLE $6 • 2 TITLES $8 • 3+ FREE
P.O. BOX 217 • ALTOONA, WI 54720 • 715-833-8899
www.pletsexpress.com PLETS EXPRESS
Two Excellent SP Books, Back in Print!
Southern Pacific’s Sacramento Shops, Robert A. Pecotich The largest and oldest of SP’s General Shops, Sacramento and its thousands of employees built or rebuilt hundreds of steam and diesel locomotives, and thou- sands of freight and passenger cars, in a history extending from 1868 to 1990. 496 pages, 605 photos, 21 drawings, bibliography, index. Price: $85
Southern Pacific Freight Cars, Volume 4 (revised), Anthony W. Thompson This limited reprint is part of a defini- tive series on freight cars of this impor- tant railroad: gondolas and stock cars (Vol. 1), cabooses (Vol. 2), and hoppers, covered hoppers and tank cars (Vol. 5). Volume 4 (rev.): 504 pages, 862 photos, 94 dwgs, biblio, index. Price: $70
Another Recent Rail History Book
Southern Pacific Ten-Coupled Locomotives, Robert J. Church Locomotives ranging from 4-10-0 El Gobernador of the 19th century, through 2-10-0 and 2-10-2 to 4-10-2, are shown with extensive photos and drawings. Complete cover- age of both history and operations is presented, throughout the SP system. 534 pages, 795 photos, 107 maps and graphics, rosters, bibliography, index. Price: $85
Free shipping, domestic individual orders
($40 shipping for foreign individual orders, Canada $30) California residents add 8% sales tax per book.
see our web site for information on all our books SIGNATURE PRESS
Order securely at:
www.signaturepress.com or order direct: 11508 Green Rd, Wilton, CA 95693
PHONE ORDERS OR DEALER INQUIRIES TO: 1-800-305-7942
23
Only
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