It depends on what you mean by rapid transit. Beacon Street, Boston, was the earliest, center-reservation streetcar line, and originally was an a surface operation, with the downtown street runng in pavement replaced by subway in four steps to a now subway and center-reservation-only operation, and Commonwealth Avenue wuuld be the second. Certainly, today, these are rapid transit as well as light rail.
Much later came the relocation of Pacific Elecdtric's Glendale - Burbank line to a center-reservation in a highway.
The first center-reservation pure streetcar line, with no rapid-transit pretensions was St. Charles in New Orleans.
Ignore previous 'answer' I posted here; I misread the reference.
What is more interesting, perhaps, is what was the first one, and why is it poignant? (The Judge would know!)
When this rapid transit line was built, it was only the second median strip operation in the United States. What is the line, when was it built and what was its original through routing?
The Met (Metropolitan West Side Elevated) started it, then entered a joint arrangment with CA&E, then pulled out, leaving CA&E to finish. CA&E ran the last recorded funeral train in July 1934. CTA took over from Met successor Chicago Rapid Transit in October 1946. Your question.
The city is Chicago, the agency is the Chicago Transit Authority, and the charter is funeral trains. Chicago Rapid Transit, and the Met prior to that, ran funeral charters to west suburban cemeteries near Westchester.
When this city took over its transit systems from private ownership after World War II the new agency's charter gave it the right to run a certain type of charter train, a right which it has never exercised. One of the predecessor companies had engaged quite successfully in this charter business, but at the time of the agency's takeover a charter of this type had not been run in more than a decade. Name the city, the agency, and the type of charter.
Very precise and look forward to your question.
A tunnel connection under the Narrows was proposed after WW I to connect with the BMT Fourth Avenue line - the tunnel a victim of New York infighting, the depression and Robert Moses (who wanted, and got, the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, successfully defending an attempt to have the SIRT use it.) SIRT matched its equipment and electrification to BMT specs in anticipation of the tunnel.
Finally, whew! And you know the reason the B&O used New York City subway couplers on these cars, so state it!
Oh - Staten Island Rapid Transit (technically B&O...)
Again, there were no track connections ever directly. One would have had to drag the MU equipment over thraee bridges to make an all-rail move. Some of this equipment may have made this move. If they did not, part of their move was on water. Like most new equipment delivered to the TA.
I'm surprised you don't remember, because in previous postings you demonstrated as much knowledge about these MUs as me! And the operation.
The NYCentral, NYNH&H, and LIRR never had equipment that could couple directly with NYCity Subway equipment. (The LIRR and NYN&H both probably had wood equipment at one time equipped with Van Dorns, but probably requipped with MCB-Janneys when use was elsewhere from use of elevated tracks.)
New York Central? There were and are some track connections besides the originally planned connection in the basement of GCT.
No. again, the entire fleet. Only only one type of car.
The system had no direct connection with the NYCTA. One was planned but has not been realized. Expensive. I think on the Trains Forum, I've already expressed the hope that it will be realized for frieght as well as transit, instead of a more expensive frieght-only connection now being proposed.
I know there were track connections with both New Haven and Long Island, but I'm going to go with LIRR.
I did not know that, and it is a good answer, if you are sure you are right. Can you post a photo?
I have a different answer. The hint is that eventually some of these cars actually did couple in shop moves with some NYCTA cars. And air, if not even MU, was compatible.
Photos of both the NYCTA cars and the other system's cars have been on this Forum.
Aparently, I was wrong about the TA changing to a different coupler. With different and shinier material, looks more like a modified Tomlinson, which is in effect what the Westinghouse always was.
Would you like to provide this second answer as well? Who and why?
Delaware River Port Authority's Bridge Line from Philadelphia to Camden (predecessor to today's PATCO Lindenwold High Speed line) used them on their Bridge cars. I think the original intent was to keep them separate from cars on the connecting Broad Street subway. They did operate on Broad Street (but only with other Bridge cars between 1968 and the early 1980s after DRPA upgraded the Bridge line.
The Westinghouse automatic coupler that included electrical and air connections was introduce with the original New York City IRT subway cars in 1904 and continued in use in all New York City subway cars until just about the start of the 21st Century on new equipment. IRT-BMT-IND and the Unified NYCTA. Only one other system used these couplers an they did use them for all their MU electric cars. Who and why?
By all means go ahead. I haven't come up with a Degges-level question and that's now the standard to follow.
Overmod, I've been waiting for your question.
I know you can come up with a good one, but if you wish to pass the baton to me for the moment, I do have one ready.
OM, you had it right off the bat. I was thinking of the Southerner on SOU. My earliest train memories are of the Southerner passing my Grandfather's place in New Orleans.
I already miss Johnny writing about Southern passenger trains.
New-England States vs. entire Northeast
Day White-Mountains Express vs. entire New England
Gulf-Coast Limited vs. all Florida or all Southeast
East-Coast Champion and West-Coast Champion vs. all of Florida
Well, either of two 'Southerners'. But there's no fun in that. (None of the 'Westerners' or the 'Northerner' count, because those aren't specific regions like the South. But...)
I'd be more partial to 'Yankee'. Or "New Englander".
What train was named for a term used to denote an individual from an entire, specific region of the US?
Bumping this up....
Best question ever.
CSSHEGEWISCH The railroad is the Norfolk & Western and the trains are the "Powhatan Arrow" and the "Pocahontas".
The railroad is the Norfolk & Western and the trains are the "Powhatan Arrow" and the "Pocahontas".
Those are the answers... you get the next question.
daveklepper Did the C&O ever operate a Washington other than George?
Did the C&O ever operate a Washington other than George?
No...only as the D.C. version.
ZephyrOverland If I may, I would like to pose a quiz question in honor of Johnny Deggesty. We exchanged a number of messages over the years and one of them concerned a potential quiz question he was considering posting. I don't think he ever posted this question: "What two trains were named for a man and his daughter?"
If I may, I would like to pose a quiz question in honor of Johnny Deggesty. We exchanged a number of messages over the years and one of them concerned a potential quiz question he was considering posting. I don't think he ever posted this question:
"What two trains were named for a man and his daughter?"
Some clues:
- Both passenger trains were operated by the same railroad.
- Look into early American history.
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