Enh, I imagine they've learned their lesson but I will try to not use the word 'Mecca" with American customs guys.
54light15but I will try to not use the word 'Mecca" with American customs guys.
They have no sense of humor.
long beach railfan I think more metropolitan areas could be well served by streetrunning transportation in some form or another. The biggest obstacle would be funding it.
In Northern New Jersey it is common for some bus lines to follow the same or nearly the same routes street cars once used. The areas that were densely populated in the days of street cars are still densely populated.
Firelock76Next time tell them to say "beer nirvana." That should be OK.
No, that's not OK. You miss the point of the guy's metaphor.
Mecca is a place you honor so highly you make a PILGRIMAGE to it. A place you revere so much that you face toward it as you pray to the higher power.
Nirvana is very different -- it is a state, a state you get to by NOT worshiping beer or anything else.
"Beer Central" is just a place you go to get some.
"Beer Heaven" is almost entirely wrong, for reasons the Rev. Horton Heat has sermonized upon many a time...
It was best as written, Homeland Security fascisti or no... ;-}
Overmod:
"Beer Heaven" is almost entirely wrong, for reasons the Rev. Horton Heat has sermonized upon many a time..."
In heaven there is no beer
That's why we drink it here
_____________
"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
Getting back to street cars I see on News Wire that New Orleans is building another street car line that will connect Canal Street to Elysian Fields Avenue. When it is done it will be possible to get off the train and hop on the street car to visit Blanche.
Where is there a mental hospital adjacent to that line?
And anyway, she'd have to be what, at least 100 years old by now.
RME
All this talk about beer and Blanche DuBois makes me want to go bowling for some strange reason.
Maybe if you go bowling with Stanley and bring Stella along Blanche and I can have a little time for -- ahem -- romance.
Yeah, but my name's Larry, not Mitch. And it sure ain't Pablo.
Yeah, that' s a pretty fair summation of "Mecca." But, what about beer El Dorado, sought by many, attained by few? Which reminds me of the $115.00 dollar bottle of beer from the Samuel Adams brewery, 26% alcohol. Just the thing to crack open and pound down after mowing the lawn!
But, back to streetcars, I read in the paper today that there is going to be a line running south off of the King St line here in Toronto to serve a totally new development in the southeast part of the city. We're going to host the Pan Am games in 2015, the athletes will be staying in the new area and naturally, the new line won't be ready in time. That's the Toronna way!
54light15Yeah, but my name's Larry, not Mitch. And it sure ain't Pablo.
Hey Larry, good buddy. You would get on great with Stan and Stella. And gee whiz, man, all I need is a short time with Blanche. You know what I mean. I know I can count on you.
John
54light15But, what about beer El Dorado, sought by many, attained by few?
You've found the right metaphor! But you forgot to mention the beautiful golden color of the prize... ;-}
Which reminds me of the $115.00 dollar bottle of beer from the Samuel Adams brewery, 26% alcohol. Just the thing to crack open and pound down after mowing the lawn!
Why waste your money on that overpriced Yuppie scam when you could have had a Delirium Tremens (the third best thing ever out of Belgium, after Walschaerts and Belpaire)? Or for that matter, a boilermaker with New Amsterdam black and tan, perhaps the best beer (after Black Douglas of course) and a tasty touch of Everclear, if you need that much proof from beer.
Some people will buy almost ANYTHING if you mark it exclusive, jack up the price, and do enough weird advertising. (In all fairness, I do like Sam Adams, it's worlds better than the World's Most Overrated Beer (Heineken). But it's also worlds worse than Brooklyn Lager, or any New Amsterdam beer...
John WRAnd gee whiz, man, all I need is a short time with Blanche. You know what I mean.
I am very sad to hear that, and Blanche probably is, too.
May I recommend Detane?
You guys can have Blanche, for me there is only the 1941 model of Jane Russell, or the 1950 Sophia Loren. The 1955 Gina Lollobrigida will do nicely. The 1971 Pam Grier? Yes!
Delirium Tremens? Last summer I was in their pub in Brussels- Holy Flurkin Schnitt! What a place! It's about 6 different beer halls all in one building, the beer list is a loose-leaf binder with about 2,000 different brands! The streetcar system of Brussels? To die for! As well as the systems of Antwerp, Ostende and the line that goes from the entire width of the country along the channel coast. If you like streetcars and beer, Belgium is the place!
Also, there is an amazing classic car museum in Brussels with just about every classic you've ever heard of and a lot most people haven't like Minerva, Imperia and FN, all Belgium domestic makes and all long out of business. There's a lot of Studebakers there also, it seems Stude had a pretty good dealer network over there back in the 50s. Not to get off topic, but I'm a classic car guy too. In the museum is a car used by the king of Belgium until about 1995; a 1965 Lincoln Continental convertible. Them Belgians, they have good taste.
54light15You guys can have Blanche, for me there is only the 1941 model of Jane Russell, or the 1950 Sophia Loren. The 1955 Gina Lollobrigida will do nicely. The 1971 Pam Grier? Yes!
Excellent taste -- but those are movie actresses, not theatre girls. And none of the screen versions of Streetcar had even remotely believable Southern women in them. What's with these English girls playing Southern girls (Tandy, Leigh, Taylor) when they could have had something genuine -- Ava Gardner, for one, or Bette Davis, or even Lucille Fay LeSueur for heaven's sake (Texas being Southern enough). And then... I for one would like to see Samantha Anderson, er, tackle the role of Blanche. I am disgusted that I can't remember the name of the Southern actress with that fantastic contralto voice -- she'd bring a great deal to the role without Delta Dawning it.
On the other other hand, probably the finest portrayal of a -- different -- kind of Southern girl was done by Australian Nicole Kidman; it's a triumph, just enough truth to keep it out of farce. That takes talent!!
If you think I don't know who Lucille Fay LeSueur is, you are sadly mistaken. (snicker) The story I heard about how Vivien Leigh got to play Scarlett O'hara? She went for a screen test and every man in the room said "What a set of T...!" She could hold my trolley pole any time.
54light15 If you like streetcars and beer, Belgium is the place!
If you like streetcars and beer, Belgium is the place!
Objection, your honor!
How about Germany? The Ruhr Industrial area most likely sports the largest streetcar network in the world, connecting 7 major cities in that area. One line even has an on board meal service.
Let´s not talk about beer - the Belgians make beer out of strange things, not necessarily only water, hop and yeast.
Ulrich, you're never going to hear me putting down the beer and streetcars of Germany! I rode the line from Essen to Bochum-Dahlhausen a few years ago to see the rail museum there. A pity the beer tent was closed. Yes, they make beer out of different stuff in Belgium, but Canada's got them beat. A brewery in Ottawa makes a beer without hops, using spruce and coriander and other items. It's called a "Gruit" and it's horrible!
I was in Munich a few years ago riding the streetcars and I think it's where line 20 turns around. There's a shed there selling cigarettes, newspapers and lottery tickets and the all-important Weissbier Fruhstuck which I enjoyed most pleasantly, thank you very much!
Sir MadogThe Ruhr Industrial area most likely sports the largest streetcar network in the world, connecting 7 major cities in that area. One line even has an on board meal service.
Not to mention the Schwebebahn, which makes any piddling little streetcars look puny...
henry6 Today's philosophy is for "light rail" which is a combination of old trolley-street car running and interurban private right of way running.
Today's philosophy is for "light rail" which is a combination of old trolley-street car running and interurban private right of way running.
No, the new streetcar revolution is not light rail, per se, which still is growing in many metropolitan areas as a commuting option.
The "modern streetcar" follows the examples done by Portland and Seattle, where a rail vehicle, standard gauge, though smaller in size and heft than a LRV, circulates around a retail district. Where light rail lines are more than 5 miles long and are entirely publicly funded, the modern streetcar is less than 5 miles in length and is funded by a public/private partnership, generally in the form of local business sponsorships or an assessment district in the immediate area. In Portland, stations are named after the nearby businesses that have sponsored them.
Stakeholders in Downtown Los Angeles recently voted to build a modern streetcar, which would link offices, residential buildings, shopping areas and sporting/entertainment venues (Staples Center/LA Live).
All that is old is new again. However, I predict that cities will not return to horsecars in order to produce manure for suburban gardens.
Interested in how a streetcar network evolved from a horse-drawn streetcar line into a state-of-the-art "people mover" in a German city?
Here is some reading:
Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe
The earliest street railway in the US that I know of was the New York and Harlem Railroad. It began in lower Manhattan in 1832 using horsecars and by 1837 was completed to 125th St. in Manhattan. It ran north along Park Avenue (then 4th Avenue).
Two outside tracks were added. They left Manhattan at Williamsbridge and meandered up New York State east of the Hudson River, reaching Chatham in 1857. Steam engines pulled the cars on these outer tracks.
In 1864 Cornelius Vanderbilt had retired and needed something to amuse himself. He brought the street railway as a plaything. He would live to see it become the biggest, wealthiest and most powerful railroad in the country although the Pennsylvania would ultimately push it into second place.
The ouside tracks for four tracks north of Grand Central Depot were not added until the construction of the first building of that station around 1871. The Bridge where the original two tracks crossed from Manhattan to The Bronx is not at Willliams Bridge, which is named for an east-west bridge that crossed a creek in The Bronx. The exising bridge, which is the fourth in its location, runs between 130th Street Manhattan and 133rd Street in The Bronx. In New York Central days, the first station located north of 125th Street was at 138th Street and was named simply "The Bronx." Williams Bridge is still a Bronx local station on the Harlem Division line, cut back from Chatham to Wassaic, and is approximately at East 215th Street, Gun Hill Road.
One day during my 1971-1996 stint as a reverse commuter on that division, there was a serious problem at Grand Central Terminal, and my homeward bound train discharged all its passengers at Williams Bridge, where we told to walk two long blocks east and pass through the exit gate of the IRT Gun Hill Road station to continue our Manhattan-bounnd journey on the subway.
Dave,
I relied on Wikipedia, The New York and Harlem Railroad, for the information about the line to Chatham. Here is exactly what is says:
"January 19, 1852 - north to Chatham 4 corners with a connection to the Albany and West Stockbridge Railroad and trackage rights northwest to Albany."
Is than an error?
But it was still a two-tradk railroad up Park Avenue in Manhattan. No error, no conflict. What the Vanderbilt's did, to separate the horsecars from the steam trains, was to build a separte horsecar line on Madison Avenue, one block west of Paek Avenue. Possibly this is what was meant by the 4-track reference you may have seen. And the "first streetcar line in North America" even when converted to bus by GM management in 1935, continued to run of 4th Avenue and Park Avenue South (name changes at 33rd or 34th Streets), a block and a half (fist intersectionn is with Vanderbilt Av. but onlyoon the north side) on 42nd Street, and north to the 138th Street bridge and east to the New York Central "The Bronx" station. This was the first "Green Lines" system that was converted to bus, and GM made quite a todo out of it, with a ceremoial booklet giving the history. GM bought the then conduuit streetcar line from the Vanderbilts in 1932, but it had been operated pretty much as part of New York Railways "Green Lines" (bought from the Metroplitan Railway bankrupt proceedings by GM iin 1926) ffor some years prior. The 86th St. Crosstown was part of the NY&Harlem, and it was inclllluded and was the last of the "Green Lines" converted,, and I rode that line often, converted to bus in the summer of 1936, at my age of 4-1/2. (I let out quuite a bawl at having to use the bus.) Later, the 138th Street bridge and the street trackage in the Bbronx was shared with the Third Avenue ("red car") system,, and was the very last streetcar line in Manhattan with the exception of the Queensboro Bridge Ry, 136th was converted in the summer of 1948. the QBRy in 1957. But NY&Harlem-NYRY conduit current supply was never installed across the bridge or on 138th Street. So NY&H then NY Railways had three of their standard streetcars equipped with trolley poles to use Third Avenue's overhead wire, and ran a shuttle from 135th Street where the conduit streetcars from Park Row, lower Mnahattan, reversed. Bur tthe conduit did continue up to 138th Street, and I saw it when ridiing the crosstown, which used 135th Street in Manhattan the Madison Avenue between 135th and 138th. Its remence could be seen until the 138th crosstown went bus and the tracks finallly covered over.
The station "The Bronx" was underutillized in later years and was torn down, I think about the time the NYC replaced the 4-track Harlem River drawrbridge with the current lift bridge inn the 1950's.
Thank you Dave for these fascinating details. It never occurred to me that horse cars and steam cars could share the same track. I suppose they sent the steam (express) train first with the horse car (local) following it.
KC Streetcar has begun overnight testing its newest streetcar, #807,following conclusion of service on Feb. 7. This marks the first timethat #807 traveled along the downtown streetcar route after in-shopinspections and testing
Just five days after its arrival from Elmira, N.Y., KC Streetcar #807hit the tracks under its own power to perform nighttime testing. Thisfirst test run of #807 was conducted along Main Street between 18thStreet and Pershing Road and included various propulsion and braketests. During that time, Main Street was closed to all traffic andon-street parking was prohibited between 18th Street and PershingRoad. Members of the streetcar project team, including KC StreetcarAuthority, the city of Kansas City, Mo., Herzog Transit Services Inc.and CAF (manufacturer of the streetcar vehicles), workedcollaboratively on this first test run of the KC Streetcar #807.CAF-manufactured streetcars contain three different braking systems:friction, dynamic and track (emergency) brakes. Nighttime tests willmonitor all three braking systems and are performed with empty, orlight load, streetcars, as well as fully loaded and weightedstreetcars to simulate crowded and max loaded streetcars. Upcomingtest runs will include further tests of the brake system in variousscenarios, including under maximum vehicle speeds of 43 mph. Duringon-route testing, the public is asked to keep a safe distance fromcrews while tests are being performed. Any automobiles in unsafeproximity to testing will be towed.Since its arrival on February 2, KC Streetcar #807 has gone through aseries of inspections and static (non-movement) vehicle tests withinthe Singleton Yard Vehicle Maintenance Facility. These inspectionsincluded visual inspections and systems checks (vehicle leveling,interior sensors, door mechanisms, etc.). KC Streetcar #807 will gothrough several weeks of testing before being put into publicoperation once all tests are successfully completed and the streetcaris deemed safe for passenger service.As with the original streetcars, each new streetcar is abi-directional vehicle approximately 77 feet long and weighs 78,000lbs. New streetcars will come with new interior displays showing nextstop arrivals, an enhanced on-board video surveillance system andother system upgrades including exterior lights, air compressors,train-to-wayside communication system and an advanced driver assistsystem (ADAS). All existing streetcars will be retrofit to meet thenew specifications.
I would assume that a 77-foot LRV is probably articulated.
Yes/ By all means Google the Autority's website and view and download a photo.
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