Frank ... I reall riding Chicago's electric buses.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Having been born and raised in the city of Chicago, since 42', I can say I've experienced many rides in the cities street car system, even can relate some horror stories on the use of them...mainly due to vehicle accidents involving a streetcar. One in question was an all wood Brill and a vehicle run into it, causing the streetcar to catch fire and all the passengers could not get out...they had horizontal steel bars accross the windows to prevent people from hanging out the window's. The door opening mechanisms were jammed, so doors could not be opened....I need not say any more....It happened a half a block from My house. In a city the size of Chicago and all the vehicle traffic, they decided it was to dangerous to continue that kind of public trans.
I do recall when riding on those old Brills and They were noisy, if anything...they were running on brick streets.
Something to look at:
http://www.wbez.org/blogs/john-r-schmidt/2012-09/last-years-chicago-streetcars-102649
And don't forget Chicago's 'L':
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Loop_%28CTA%29
HO scale streetcar track:
http://www.proto87.com/easy-street-track-system.html
Take Care!
Frank
New Orleans and San Francisco still run old cars on one line, (Garden District and Market St) at least they did the last time I was there in the last 10 years.
Baltimore used 5' 4 1/2" for track width. Several other cities had track gauges different than rail.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Take a look at this extraordinary well made HO scale streetcar layout built by a Dutch transit fan.
How about building your own downtown district with a streetcar line running in the streets? Certainly different from the usual rural setting of our layouts.
Kind of similar if not close to the topic - does anyone make streetcars/light rail similar to these??
Thanks.
-Jon
Washinton, DC to reinstall trolley service, (no kidding)
Just for some insight as to the bad management that plagues many of our cities such as Flint Michigan attached is a link to a story of Washington. DC's attempt to reinstall trolley service.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2016/02/18/fourth-mayors-the-charm-bowser-sets-d-c-streetcar-grand-opening-for-feb-27/
Bob
Don't Ever Give Up
Trolleyville
http://www.trolleyville.com/trolleyville.shtml
East Pemm Traction Club
http://www.eastpenn.org/
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
As tatans said, Toronto has a huge street car system. The 'Red Rockets' as they are affectionately known are famous.
The sleek new articulated cars are made in Thunder Bay, Ontario. One of their neat features is that they lower themselves to the ground at stops to make boarding easier.
I have an older Bachmann Red Rocket which I would love to incorporate into my layout but I haven't figured out how to make a loop fit into the plan.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Here are a few "still in print" MRR resources...
[1] Modeling electrified railroads (PDF)
[2] Traction Handbook for Model Railroads (Book)
[3] (The New) Dave's Electric Railoads (80+ Prototypes)
Conemaugh Road & Traction circa 1956
Streetcar modelling is very niche, and when you consider that MR (for the most part) focuses on mainstream topics, it is no surprise that there are not that many articles about it.
Having wrote that, you could probably still find some sort of community for this, especially if you look for general transit modellers and enthisiasts. Since niche models generally don't make it into mainstream model production, you also tend to find more transit related things from the DIY circles, specialty kit makers, and 3D printing sites.
Although transit modelling is not what people ususally think of when discussing model trains, I think it is a great choice for someone who wants a simple, small urban layout. Streetcars and tram models are much shorter than most of the usual prototypes, have smaller turn radii, and can still use your choice of contol system (DC, DCC, ...).
I remember at a train show seeing a small urban layout (about the size of a ping-pong table), and it just had 2 CLRVs rolling through a couple routes in the streets. It turns out that there are a good amount of pics of CLRV models in the internet. So, even for a very unique prototype model, there are people making it work. I guess this hobby really is what you make of it.
The LION will probably post in this thread soon, and his subway modelling focus is pretty unique and somewhat niche.
G PaineThere have been a number articles in MR about traction layouts
I remember seeing those articles in the late 1960´s and early 1970´s, but to my knowledge, there hasn´t been an article on modern transit systems.
It is certainly a niche in our hobby, but an interesting one!
Dont forget IHP that makes the.modern kawasaki cars and subway equipment
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
Bowser, Con-Cor and Bachmann have made PCC streetcars in HO
http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?category=Locomotive&scale=H&manu=&item=&keywords=pcc&words=restrict&instock=Q&split=210&Submit=Search
Also, some trolleys have been made
http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?category=Locomotive&scale=H&manu=&item=&keywords=trolley&words=restrict&instock=Q&split=210&Submit=Search
There have been a number articles in MR about traction layouts
Another info source is the Seashore Trolley Muesum in Kennebunkport, ME. They have a large collection of trollys, interurbans and busses, many of them restored and operational
http://www.trolleymuseum.org/
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
Toronto, Ontario in Canadaland bought up all the castoffs from American cities when they dumped their streetcars, they have a vibrant track system and are now slowly looking to replace some older cars, not bad thinking in this day .
About 60 years after the rather inglorious demise of the streetcar in America´s cities, in which National City Lines, owned by GMC, Standard Oil and National Tyre played a doubtful role, is the streetcar gain conquering the city streets.
I am surprised to see that neither the industry nor the hobby magazines have picked up the issue - yet! Modeling the modern streetcar systems of Seattle, Portland, San Diego - you name it - is actually quite easy, as there is plenty of stuff around to do that!
Here are some pointers towards trains & track:
1. Streetcars
There are a number of different types available in HO scale, which are quite similar to the INEKON (formerly Tatra) cars used in Seattle and Portland, or those Siemens DUEWAG cars of San Diego.
Here are the resources:
Halling (Austria)
Hödl Linie 8
Roco
2. Track
Lunatram
Made by Tillig/Germany, sold in the US via Reynaulds and others.
So, if you are space-starved and have an interest in present day streetcars, why not give it a go!