Urban Commuter / Light Rail / Modern Streetcar News!
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Boston, MA - Progressive Railroading reported on March 22nd that the  Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) had announced the substantial completion of the Lechmere Viaduct rehabilitation project.

The 110 year old Lechmere Viaduct

The 110-year-old viaduct’s structure was restored and new track, signals and power were installed. The project, part of the agency's capital transformation program, was necessary for the future Green Line Type 10 “supercars” that will travel across the viaduct, MBTA officials said in a press release.

The Lechmere Viaduct connects the Green Line to Science Park Station in Boston and Charlestown Avenue in Cambridge. The supercars are expected to increase accessibility and deliver a modern riding experience, agency officials said.

"The Lechmere Viaduct rehabilitation project is an ideal representation of capital transformation’s vision of safety and state of good repair, accessibility and capacity," said MBTA Chief of Capital Transformation Angel Pena.

Over the project's two-year construction period, crews reinforced all 12 spans with carbon fiber wrap, renewed 3,500 feet of track and 70,000 feet of signals, replaced the overhead catenary system and completed accessibility upgrades at Science Park.

The long awaited Green Line extension to Union Square in Somerville opened to the public on Monday, March 21, 2022, thirty two years after the state promised to extend the line. Construction had started on both the Somerville and Medford extensions in 2018, with completion expected by December 2021. Complications in building substations pushed the Somerville opening until March 2022 and the Medford branch is now expected to open by the summer of 2022.

 

The first of eight Mattapan PCC cars to be refurbished, 3265, is about to enter service. The other five currently active are 3087, 3230, 3254, 3263, and 3268 with 3238 undergoing truck work and 3260 and 3262 wrecked beyond repair in the 2017 collision.

Photo and caption from the Boston Globe, March 22, 2022!

Kansas City, MO - The time is finally here for the official construction of the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension.  The  KC Streetcar Main Street Extension Groundbreaking Ceremony and Rail Signing Event will take place at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 on the Southwest corner of Pershing Road and Main Street (across from Union Station). This is an outdoor public event. Transportation is available by KC Streetcar and RideKC bus. Paid parking is available in the Union Station parking garage. 

Special guests will include Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Administrator Nuria Fernandez, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, KC Streetcar Authority Executive Director Tom Gerend, UMKC Chancellor Dr. C. Mauli Agrawal, and Bruce Marinchek, Senior Vice President of National Construction for Herzog Transit. Other festivities include a ceremonial rail signing of Main Street Extension track and entertainment provided by the UMKC Conservatory. 

After years of planning, designing and community outreach, construction for this $351 million transportation project is ready to begin. The KC Streetcar Main Street Extension is a 3.5-mile extension of the KC Streetcar System that will connect the current southern terminus at Union Station to the University of Missouri – Kansas City at 51st Street and Brookside Boulevard. The extension is fully funded with federal Capital Investment Grant funds and new local funding approved through the Transportation Development District. 

The construction of the project is estimated to take two and a half years with passengers ready to ride in 2025. Construction is being led by the KC Streetcar Constructors, a joint venture between Herzog Contracting Corp. and Stacy and Witbeck, and supported by Burns & McDonnell and JE Dunn Construction. The project is overseen by the joint partnership of the City of Kansas City, Missouri (KCMO), the KC Streetcar Authority (KCSA) and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA). 

For more information about the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension construction, please visitwww.buildkcstreetcar.com or email the KC Streetcar Constructors at info@buildkcstreetcar.com.  

Los Angeles, CA - Progress keeps being made on the downtown tunnel that will link the current Gold (L) line to the Blue (A) and Expo (E) lines., thus connecting all of Los Angeles MTA light rail lines. For many years, the A & E lines ended at a wall just north of the 7th Street Station.

The light in the center of the above photo is the beginning of the new tunnel. Trains have run through portions of the tunnel under power during the testing process.

On March 30, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (L.A. Metro) marked the substantial completion of two construction segments in the Crenshaw/LAX transit corridor project.

 

Construction has been nearly completed for the project between the C Line (Green) and 48th Street in Inglewood, California. A third and final section between 48th Street and E Line (Expo) is anticipated to be substantially completed in the coming months, L.A. Metro officials said in a press release.

Contractor Walsh-Shea Corridor Constructors has finished system integration testing to validate the proper operation of all equipment and systems, including train control signals, underground station and tunnel ventilation, radio systems, back-up power, fire and smoke alarms, and electricity to trains and stations.

The agency will begin its own a five to six-month testing period for the new rail line. It started training Metro operations and maintenance staff in preparation for the line’s future public opening in late summer 2022. An exact opening date has not yet been determined.

"Construction of the Crenshaw/LAX line has been a very complex undertaking featuring many unique features that include every type of light-rail elements including underground, at-grade and aerial configurations, all designed to best serve these neighborhoods,” said L.A. Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins, shown below:

The agency also marked the phasing out of its Business Solution Center, Business Interruption Fund and the Eat, Shop, Play construction mitigation programs, which helped fund local businesses during the prolonged rail construction period for the 8.5-mile project.

Memphis, TN - On March 26th, the Memphis Area Transit Agency (MATA) began testing their ex-San Diego MTS U2 1035. MATA announced Sunday they are testing new light rail vehicles on the Madison Avenue line, expected to re-open sometime during 2022 after testing is completed.

Ex San Diego MTS 1035 is on Main Street along with ex-Melbourne car 539 at the Maintenance and Servicing Facility (MSF) on March 26th prior to the beginning of testing. They currently have 4 ex-Melbourne cars 234, 455, 539 and 540, one GOMACO Birney, 453, three ex-Charlotte cars for the future Riverfront line. 1035 has been in Memphis since April 2021. After operator training on Main Street, testing on the Madison Avenue line will begin in May through July 2022.

Here is a transit map of the entire system:

Montreal, Canada - Another Progressive Railroading March 22 report described the Societe de Transport de Montreal (STM) major campaign to reconnect riders with public transit. Total ridership currently is at 59% of the pre-pandemic average for a similar period, STM officials said in a press release. Rail ridership is the lowest of all transit types at 56%, while paratransit is at 66% and bus at 61%. The agency estimates that ridership will reach 75% to 85% of pre-pandemic levels this fall.

Some cars of the unique Montreal rubber tired subway!

The campaign will have three parts:
• an emotional component focused on reconnecting with riders;
• a practical component focused on supporting riders as they return to the network; and
• a component targeting STM employees, both those who have been at work during the pandemic and those returning to the office.

Campaign materials will include advertisements through a variety of media, as well as a dedicated website and videos.

"With the gradual return to normal life and lifting of public health measures, combined with the cost of living increase, this is an opportune moment to promote and remind people of the importance of public transit for daily transportation in Montreal," said STM Chair Eric Alan Caldwell.

Another 3D-printed Traction Model!

Volkmar Meier recently provided Trolleyville with a sneak preview of his HO scale, Bowser powered, model of the Atlantic City & Shore 100 series interurban.

All 20 cars were 47 feet long, double-ended, thirteen windows and seated 52 passengers. The cars could get power from a third rail in addition to overhead trolley. The 20th car was originally a funeral car, named Absequam. All cars were scrapped by 1949.Photos of the prototype are shown below. Sadly all cars were scrapped by 1949.

The Atlantic City and Shore Railroad, also called Shore Fast Line, was an interurban running from Atlantic City to Ocean City, by way of Pleasantville, Northfield, Linwood and Somers Point. The backbone of the Passenger service were the series 100 cars. 101 to 117 were straight passenger coaches, 118 and 119 combines. 120 was first a funeral car, then a parlor car and was later converted to a straight coach. These cars were equipped for Multiple Unit operation. 

After some friendly insistence from Rich Allman and ample prototype information and help from John Kennedy (KND), who had initiated but never finished his own model project, we started 3D drawing from scratch during spring 2021. The project then progressed slowly but steadily, until the roll-out of the first « production model » .

This HO kit is delivered with all parts except the drive - ready to motorize and ready to paint. The floor has all underfloor equipments, truss rods, steps and pilots mounted and is designed for a Bowser 33’’ wheel drive (SKU #125115). The Brill 27E truck frames with 3rd rail beams are delivered with this kit.

Also part of the kit are roof ladders, trolley board, bell and number board. To avoid a weak point in the floor around the cutout for the Bowser driving truck, a special bolster was designed and is delivered as part of the kit. This kit is now available on the Interurban Models Webstore.

Shaker Heights Rapid Transit Car 304!

by Richard L. Allman, MD, MS

 

Shaker Heights Rapid Transit car 304 has entered operation on Main Line Transit* .The prototype was built by St. Louis Car Company for the Aurora, Elgin, and Fox River Electric Co. in 1924, one of seven cars as part of a modernization program. Despite the new fleet of cars, the AE&FRE did not survive the Great Depression, and interurban service ended in 1935. The seven cars were purchased by Shaker Heights in 1936. A unique and imaginative SHRT paint scheme was applied; however, the cars retained their original AE&FRE numbers. They were used along with the fleet of MU-capable ex-Cleveland Railways single-ended cars and trailers and 6 secondhand curve side cars. When the first order of PCC’s arrived on SHRT in 1948, the cars were relegated to off-peak and weekend service, when single cars sufficed, and occasional rush hour operation. Two cars (300 and 301) were sold to Speedrail in Milwaukee, where they ran briefly on that ill-fated operation, still with their original SHIRT and AE&FRE car numbers and a modest alteration of the SHRT livery. When the Cleveland Transit System rapid transit line opened in 1955, with shared trackage with SHRT from E.55th Street to Cleveland Union Terminal, the 300-series cars were withdrawn, since they were slower than the PCC’s and CTS rapid transit cars, and further, were not compatible with the signal system. The double end configuration provided no advantage on SHRT, since all terminals, including those used in turn back operations, had loops. CTS purchased 5 additional PCCs from Twin City Rapid Transit for SHRT to replace the 300’s. The 300’s were popular especially with male riders since they had a rear smoking section. An interesting anecdote about the 300 cars, shared by Art Peterson is that car 303 had one end destroyed after a collision with a herd of elephants being taken to a circus along the AE&FRE. The damaged end was restored, and the car has survived, as have 304 and 306 in museums, though neither in true SHRT livery.

Car 300 outbound at Shaker Square in 1946. Photo by Anthony Krisak, Rick Krisak collection.

Rear of car 303 (the car that hit the elephants) at Shaker Square. Photo by Anthony Krisak, Rick Krisak collection.

Car 304 rear view at Warrenville yard . Art Peterson collection.

The Model:

The car shell and floor are manufactured by Volkmar Meier as 3-D prints. Volkmar, who lives in Paris, is a skilled worker in 3-D printing, very talented with the necessary CAD drawing, and a very conscientious and customer-friendly manufacturer. The floor includes the pilots at each end and underbody details and is designed to accept the Bowser HO 6 ft.-6in. drive. Volkmar has also provided accurate side frames that readily attach to the Bowser drive. Since the pilots are fragile, he also provides a spare. The placement of the removable trolley boards has eliminated any guesswork about placement of pole bushings. Pole hooks were fabricated with 0.03x0.010 in, (HO 2-1/2in.x3/4 in.) brass strips. The roof is removable and is attached to the shell with screws. The screw holes for the roof and for attaching the floor to the shell have been accurately tapped. Since Volkmar works in Europe, he uses metric screws-1.6mm with hex heads. Getting extras is a bit of a task, but not a huge one. Since there is no skirting, the car has no problem navigating the Orr switches on my layout.

Rear view of car shell, without headlight, ready for painting and decaling!

 

Bowser drive installed onto floor with one-sided PC board cemented to motor and 0.025 wire soldered to it to reach and swipe trolley pole bushing!

 

The Bowser drive was easily incorporated into the floor and Custom Traxx pole bushings (Custom Traxx part 12508) fit nicely through the mounts on the trolley boards. Initially the drive made quite a racket, which was my fault. In assembling the drive, the bushing from the worm gear that fits in the back of the gear tower was on the outside of the gear tower rather than attached to the inside. Although the car is light, it navigates my 4% grades effortlessly and has no problems in the special work.

Decals were not available, so I sent the shell and photos to Matthew Welke of Circus City Decals. He made an excellent set of decals,including stripes for the belt rails and the complex red striping for the ends, numbers for each car in the series, logos, and destination signs. Matthew simultaneously made O-scale decals for Rich Krisak for a car that he is building. The colors chosen were as always, a challenge and a good faith guess, since films, lighting and exposures are so variable. I used Reefer White (perhaps a smidge light) and PollyScale New Gravel Gray for the shell and Grimy Black for the side frames, anti-climbers, trolley boards, steps, and underbody. The roof is Rock Island Maroon. The roof and shell received a moderate over spray of grime. Rust was dry brushed onto the underbody and pilots. Masking the ends where the curved stripe was applied entailed some trial and error, but I got it reasonably close to correct. Kemtron jewels were used for the marker lights.

The model has a couple of minor imperfections, but I can live with them. The roof has some inevitable grooving from the 3-D printing process. I sanded it a tad but was fearful of distorting the contour with over-aggressive sanding. The finished car is a faithful reproduction of a classic arch roof and arch window Midwestern interurban that served most of its operational life on a busy, efficient urban system that was a precursor to contemporary light rail.

Car 304 passing Cleveland Transit System PCC 4265 at New England Village Siding.

Shaker Heights Car 304 rear view at Seaver Street	Shaker Heights Car 304 at Seaver Street Franklin Park Loop.

Car 304 finished at Keystone Junction.

Editors Note: All four preceding photos taken on Richard Allman's layout, called Main Line Transit.

To roll the credits:

Volkmar Meier https://interurban-models.myshopify.com/ whose 3-D prints are becoming must-haves for me. Previously I have done the Chicago Sedan that he and the late Paul Mayer produced, as well as his Scranton Electromobile. Volkmar holds himself to very high standards of quality. His next project, in collaboration with John Kennedy will be the Atlantic City and Shore John Stephenson “Shore Fast” cars-can’t wait!

Bowser Manufacturing, who produced what for me is the default, go-to drive. I now know how to install them expeditiously and where necessary, identify and repair them, which is seldom required other than for normal wear of a couple parts over many years.

Matthew Welke of Circus City Decals and Graphics, who did the artwork and accurate measurements to assure a perfect decal set.

George Huckaby of Custom Traxx, for advice with tweaking the drive, and expeditiously providing the needed drive and pole bushings. For those who want to build one of these, George will have the decals available from Circus City that I obtained.

Rich Eaton, for his poles, which make operation on my layout trouble-free-unless I mess up.

Art Peterson, who is so knowledgeable about these cars, and whose color photos were vital.

Doug Cowperthwaite, who was not satisfied with the logos that I initially found and instead provided a perfect high-resolution scan that helped make the decal set so outstanding.

Rich Krisak, the definitive authority on all things Cleveland area transit related. Rich is the former chief operating officer at MARTA in Atlanta and an O-scale modeler. His father, Anthony Krisak was a long-time SHRT motorman and prolific and skilled photographer.

Bob Dietrich, my forever friend and collaborator who helped with the painting and whose wisdom and good company are indispensable to any project.