IN THIS ISSUE:

CURRENT EVENTS ..........

Urban Commuter / Light Rail / Modern Streetcar News. by Edward Havens
Amtrak Talgo Train Derailment in Washington State!
More Urban Rail Happenings.

Amtrak Talgo Train Derailment in Washington State!
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DuPONT, WA - On December 18th at about 7:34 AM Pacific Time, the inaugural run of the Amtrak Cascades, Train 501, derailed near DuPont, WA. The majority of the train left the rails and the right-of-way. We are reporting this incident because there are a few terms with which many of our readers may not be familiar. On December 19th, Progressive Railroading issued the following report on the incident:

An Amtrak Cascades train was traveling about 80 mph in a 30 mph zone before it derailed yesterday near DuPont, Washington, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Amtrak Cascades Train 501 was carrying 80 passengers, five Amtrak crew members and one Talgo technician when it derailed at 7:34 a.m. Pacific time while crossing an overpass. The train consisted of two locomotives and 12 passenger cars when it left the track, sending several of the units off both sides of the overpass and onto Interstate 5 below. At least three people were killed and about 100 others were injured, according to local news reports.

Amtrak train 501 at the Interstate 5 crossing. Note Amtrak P42DC locomotive 181 at right.

An overhead view of the derailment!

The NTSB is conducting the accident investigation. "On behalf of everyone at Amtrak, we are deeply saddened by all that has happened today," Amtrak co-Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson said in a prepared statement issued yesterday. "We will do everything in our power to support our passengers and crew and their families."

Workmen and inspectors at the accident site

Known as the Point Defiance Bypass, the track is owned by Sound Transit, which also operates over a portion of the track. BNSF Railway Co. dispatches trains over the bypass, according to Amtrak. The derailment occurred during the train's inaugural run of a new Cascades passenger-rail service between Seattle and Portland, Oregon. The derailment caused at least three fatalities and 100 injuries. Although positive train control (PTC) equipment has been installed in the Lakewood subdivision where the derailment occurred, the system was not yet operational or certified for use, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).

Red line is the new 14.5 mile cut off - Black Line is the former route!

Full PTC implementation is slated to occur on that segment in second-quarter 2018, WSDOT officials said in a blog post. Sound Transit, Amtrak and other agencies are working to implement PTC in the Puget Sound region ahead of a December 2018 deadline, they said. The Amtrak Cascades service is jointly owned by WSDOT and the Oregon Department of Transportation. Amtrak operates the service as a contractor. The service runs from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Eugene, Oregon.

For the benefit of our readers, the Amtrak Cascades are not the typical Amtrak trains. They are "Talgo" trains which are substantially different from the passenger trains typically used in the United States. Talgo trains are built by the Talgo Company in Las Rozas de Madrid, Spain. They are a manufacturer of intercity, standard and high speed passenger trains. They have been in business since 1942. The name talgo is an acronym for Tren Articulado Ligero Goicoechea Oriol. Alejandro Goicoechea and Jose Luis Oriol were the founders of the company. They are articulated, which means that adjacent cars share wheels and axles similar to the center truck of the common three-truck U.S. Light Rail Vehicle so they function as a single unit and are not designed to be uncoupled as easily as normal train cars. This feature is supposed to increase stability and improve safety and the smoothness of the ride. In addition, a gravity-based tilt system reduces travel times while normally assuring that the passengers are comfortable and safe.

There are seven such Amtrak Cascades trainsets. The current fleet consists of five Talgo Series VI trainsets built in 1998 and two Talgo Series 8 trainsets built in 2013. The typical trainset can seat approximately 250 passengers and normally is a twelve or thirteen train consist as follows:

1	Baggage Car
2	Business Class (First-Class) coaches
6 or 7	Standard Coaches
1	Bistro (Cafe) Car
1	Lounge Car
1	Service (Head-End Power)

Locomotives are normally at each end of the train. On the newer Talgo 8 series, one locomotive is replaced with a Non-Powered Control Unit (NPCU) which essentially is a cab built into the service car. This allows the push-pull ability of the trainset to be maintained. Also recently Siemens SC-44 Charger locomotives started to replace the earlier EMD F59PHI locos leased from Amtrak.

According to a train schedule and data tracked by the site transitdocs.com, train 501, on its inaugural run, was about 30 minutes behind schedule on a run that was to showcase speed and reliability.

There has been a lot of talk about Positive Train Control (PTC), a system that alows trains to be stopped when they are running in a manner that is not according to the planned procedures, such as running too fast. This has been mandataed on the passenger railroads for some time but there have been technical difficulties and higher than expected costs. PTC was not yet available on this section of track at the time of the derailment. The next graphic is a synopsis of how PTC is supposed to work.

This system is beeing implemented due to the safety record of Amtrak in recent years. The next graphic shows a little of this issue.

According to a December 29th report from Progressive Railroading, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), just before Christmas, released preliminary details gathered from the locomotive event data recorder and inward-and outward-facing cameras from the December 18th derailment.

The lead locomotive's event data and video recorders were downloaded and processed at the NTSB's lab in Washington, D.C. Among the details of the initial review of the final portion of the accident sequence:

• Inward-facing video with audio captured the crew's actions and their conversations. A forward-facing video with audio captured conditions in front of the locomotive as well as external sounds. • The crew was not observed using any personal electronic devices.

• The engineer made a comment about an over-speed condition about six seconds before the accident.

• The engineer's actions were consistent with the application of the locomotive's brakes just before the recording ended. It appeared that the engineer did not place the brake handle in emergency-braking mode.

• The recording ended as the locomotive tilted and the crew braced for impact.

• The locomotive's final recorded speed was 78 mph.

The NTSB's preliminary report of the derailment likely will be posted on the board's website in the coming days. The agency expects the entire investigation to take 12 to 24 months. Investigators determined the train was traveling 78 mph in a 30 mph zone before it derailed at 7:34 a.m.

 

More Urban Rail Happenings!
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MILWAUKEE, WI - Crews have installed 90 percent of the track for the Milwaukee Streetcar's initial route, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett announced just before Christmas and was reported in a December 28th report from Progressive Railroading. Workers were able to complete the installation in one construction season thanks in part to "favorable fall weather," Barrett wrote in a year-end report on the project. The remaining portion of the initial route will be completed in 2018. Passenger service is slated to begin by the end of 2018. The first 2.1-mile phase of the streetcar will run from the Milwaukee Intermodal Station in the city's downtown to the lower east side. In July 2016, the Milwaukee Common Council approved funding for a 3/4 mile streetcar extension to the downtown convention center, the shops of Grand Avenue and the future site of the Milwaukee Bucks Arena. Workers have installed tracks and overhead wire on Ogden Avenue on Milwaukee's east side.

Tracks installed downtown! Photo – The Milwaukee Streetcar's Twitter account

Tracks and overhead wire on Ogden Avenue on Milwaukee's east side. Photo – Daniel Niepow

For the streetcar's first year of operation, rides will be free due to a sponsorship agreement with the Forest County Potawatomi Community. As a result of the $10 million, 12-year sponsorship pact, the streetcar will be named "The Hop, presented by Potawatomi Hotel and Casino." In September, the city selected Transdev Services Inc. to serve as the streetcar operations and maintenance contractor. Meanwhile, business leaders have announced plans for new developments to be located along the streetcar route, including a 25-story tower for BMO Harris Bank. Several companies have cited the streetcar among their reasons for the investments, according to Barrett's report.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - Streetcars — once pulled by horses — have been on Philadelphia’s roads since 1858, but on December 15, 1892, the city received a “shock” to its transit system: that’s when the electric trolley hit the city’s rails for the first time, on the Catharine-Bainbridge line.

One of Philadelphia's first four-wheel electric Streetcars in South Philadelphia

The Catharine-Bainbridge Line was Philadelphia’s first horse drawn streetcar line, as well as its first electric trolley line. The line became route 63 in August 1913 and ran as a streetcar line until June 1955. For more than 150 years, streetcars served the Philadelphia area and helped Center City Philadelphia retain its commercial, retail, and entertainment supremacy in an ever-expanding region. By the Centennial year of 1876, Philadelphia could claim the largest street railway system in the country. Although the motive power switched from horses to electricity (with short detours into steam and cable), most change has been evolutionary versus revolutionary.

For example, the Great Epizootic, a fast-moving equine flu, affected most horses throughout the nation in the late 1800s. Although many horses recovered, the outbreak caused streetcar operators to consider other means of power. Operators first tried steam engines on the street railways in 1876 and 1877-8, but these were unsuccessful and unpopular.

In 1883 a trio of entrepreneurs, William Kemble, Peter A. B. Widener, and William Lukens Elkins, formed the Philadelphia Traction Company to acquire existing streetcar lines and convert them to cable operation. By the mid-1880s, however, the electric trolley was invented and it was clearly the technology of the future.

SEPTA’s current Route 11, Woodland Avenue, is the oldest trolley line in Philadelphia still operating over a considerable portion of its original route. Horse car service over that route, operating from 32nd Street and Woodland Avenue to 9th and Main Streets in Darby, Delaware County, commenced on December 24, 1858. The line was electrified on May 29, 1894 and was extended to Front and Chestnut Streets on August 17, 1896. Route 11 began service in the Subway-Surface tunnel from West Philadelphia to Center City (15th Street Station) on December 15, 1905. The tunnel was extended to 13th Street in June 1908. Today, the Route 11 operates out of SEPTA’s Elmwood Depot, from 13th and Market Streets in Philadelphia to Darby Transportation Center on Main Street between 9th and 10th Streets in Darby, PA. Five routes, 10, 11, 13, 34 and 36 operate in the Subway-Surface tunnel. All together, the five lines operate on about 39.6 miles (63.7 km) of route.

To celebrate 125 years of electric streetcar service in Philadelphia, SEPTA wrapped one of their current single-end Kawasaki Light Rail Transit vehicles to somewhat resemble an 1892 streetcar. The anniversary trolley will operate on SEPTA Routes 11, 13, 34 and 36 over the next year. SEPTA invites all visitors to look for this trolley in your Philadelphia area travels, snap a photo and post to social media using #TrolleyLove.

Two views of wrapped SEPTA 1981 Kawasaki car 9043.

On Friday, December 15th, SEPTA held a nice ceremony unveiling car 9043 at the Elmwood Depot that lasted about 25 minutes. Representatives of the group, "Friends of Philadelphia Trolleys" were among some of the people invited. Matt Nawn snapped these photos with his iPhone.

SEATTLE , WA - Progressive Railroading reported on Decmeber 27th that the Sound Transit's board late last week approved its application for a $1.17 billion federal grant to help fund the Lynnwood Link light-rail extension. The $3.07 billion project calls for extending light rail 8.5 miles from Seattle's Northgate neighborhood to a transit center in Lynnwood, Washington.

Artist's Concept of the expected $3 billion Lynnwood project!

The submission of the full funding grant agreement application (FFGA) came after Sound Transit completed the steps required under the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program, which is also known as "New Starts." Once those requirements are completed, the grantee is eligible to apply for and execute an FFGA with the FTA. After the FTA has reviewed the project and negotiated and prepared the FFGA with Sound Transit, the application must be reviewed by the U.S. Department of Transportation and other members of the President Trump's administration.

Meanwhile, Sound Transit's board approved the Tacoma Dome Link extension and established a $125.7 million budget for the project's preliminary engineering work. The Tacoma Dome project involves extending light rail 9.7 miles to the cities of Federal Way, Milton, Fife, Tacoma and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Reservation. The extension would connect Pierce and South King counties to Sound Transit's regional network. The Tacoma Dome project includes construction of a new light-rail operations and maintenance facility to accommodate additional fleet capacity. The specific location of the facility will be determined during project development. Sound Transit's board has executed a $10.3 million contract with HDR Engineering to begin project development services.

One Modelers Fine Work!
(Hagerstown & Frederick #164)
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One of Custom Traxx' customers, Bruce Battles, purchased a 125115 Bowser traction drive with 33" wheels during October 2017 and decided to show them what he did with it. The end product, a scratch-built HO scale model of Hagerstown & Frederick (H&F) No. 164, from both styrene and wood, used that Bowser drive for propulsion.

The side and end windows are from a Bachmann Brill Suburban trolley. The doors are from the ubiquitous Mantua/Tyco single-truck streetcar, and the baggage doors are from Grandt Line. The fenders are from a Fairfield Models Boston Type 4. The trolley poles are by Precision Scale and, of course, the drive, side frames and wheels are from Bowser.

The car has interior details in the passenger section, and on the platforms, including controls, bulkheads, seats, and a pot-bellied stove. The roof and floor are wood.

The prototype is shown below.

The prototype car #164 in service!
Photo from newdavesrailpix.com

 

Variations of car 164 over the years!
Photos from Alex Postpischil

A Rare Color Photo of H&F Equipment in Service.
Photo from newdavesrailpix.com!

 

An above scene repeated often in the 1940-1960 era!
Photo from newdavesrailpix.com!

The above photo shows the last car on the Hagerstown-Williamsport line in 1947. But the last H&F trolley actually ran in February 1954. Freight service with electric locos continued until 1955 when the wires finally came down and diesels took over. All service stopped in 1961.

A friend of his made H&F box motor No. 6 on a 3D printer, and Bruce has promised that if he'll make one for him, he will obtain another Bowser drive, provided there is sufficient room for one inside. They are doing "Systems Analysis" on that project now!

This is an example of some of the real 'fun' of model railroading when you make a model that you want that is not commercially available.

West Coast Traction Supply Update !
(Something old ... something new!)
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In our previous issue, we introduced you to 3D printed models made by West Coast Traction Supply (WCTS). Progress is being made at an exponential rate and we think you should know about it.

......Something Old........

First, we discovered that WCTS is making a 3D printed version of the Pacific Electric Railway (PERy) 100-114 Saint Louis Car Co city cars in HO scale. These cars were purchased in 1930 and would be the last new conventional city cars that Pacific Electric would buy. The PERy wished to upgrade its local service in both Long Beach and Riverside. These would be much more economical than using the 600 series Hollywood cars, which at that time were strictly "two-man" cars. They were originally assigned to the Belmont Shore - Seal Beach run and the East Long Beach - North long Beach (Willow) run. In the Riverside area, the cars initially ran between Riverside and Arlington and on the Colton-Highland Ave (D Street) line in San Bernardino.

In 1938-1939, one car, car 107 was modernized with treadles, individual seat lights, side and end skirting and a special paint scheme. It was a fixture on the interurban line between San Marino and Sierra Madre during off-peak hours from 1939 to 1942.

PE112, original dress, in 1939

PE107 in 1938 in Pasadena.

In February 1940, PERy abandoned local rail service in Long Beach so those cars went to Riverside and San Bernardino. As was the trend at the time, local service in Riverside and San Bernardino was abandoned in 1942 so the scars went to Los Angeles where after a thorough rehabilitation at the Torrance Shops, there were sent to the Echo Park line which was their final PERy assignment. They became surplus when that line was abandoned in 1950. They were all sold to the Cooperativa de Transportes Urbanos Y Sub-Urbanos, Vera Cruz, Mexico where they were single-ended and ran for a long time in their original PERy paint scheme.

PE104 in 1942

Vera Cruz 204 in 1952

One of the first WCTS PERy series 100-114 models from Shapeways was assembled and painted by a member of the Southern California Traction Club. This modeler even painted the car "before" final assembly as it is easier to insert the glazing in the windows. The car assembles so precisely that no seams are noticeable in the final product.

The same car shown in pieces above was later assembled into the model that is shown next. An interesting drive was used for this model. A Bowser 125130 drive, originally designed for the New Orleans Car was obtained and the 33" wheel/axle sets were exchanged for 26" wheel/axle sets. The 4'10" wheelbase trucks represent very nicely the 5' 4" wheelbase trucks of the prototype. WCTS made excellent St. Louis E.I.B.-64 sideframes that fit the Bowser mechanism.

WCTS PERy 100 on the Custom Traxx demonstration module!

WCTS PERy Modernized Hollywood Car 701 on the Custom Traxx demonstration module!

WCTS PERy "Valley Seven" Hollywood Car 701 on the Custom Traxx demonstration module!

In our opinion, these are among the finest HO scale Pacific Electric models made to date. If you have a PERy collection and it does not include one of these, your collection is just not complete.

Watch for models of other Southern California gems......

......Something New........

The models of current urban electric rail vehicles continued to progress. The first such model was the P865 vehicle that returned urban rail transit to car-crazy Los Angeles where you can hardly move these days in a car. The freeways are turning into parking lots, even during times when they were easy to traverse just a few years ago.

P865s, 54 of them, were built by NipponSharyo and opened the Blue Line in 1990. They were joined by 15 almost identical cousins in 1995, but they are called P2020. WCTS now has 3D printed models of these cars available on Shapeways. Custom Traxx tells us that decals for the P865 cars will be available within a few weeks.

The newest electric vehicle in Los Angeles urban transit is the P3010, built by KinkiSharyo. So far over 100 of them are in service on Los Angeles' Blue, Expo, Gold and Green lines. Beginning in September 2019, WCTS has had 3D printed models of these cars available on Shapeways.

One very ambitious member of the Southern California Traction Club has finished his WCTS P3010 model using some preliminary Custom Traxx decals and has installed lights using fiber optics and LEDs.

WCTS P3010 model with working headlights, roof headlight and marker lights!

WCTS P3010 model with working tailights !

Custom Traxx tells us that decals for the P3010 cars, Set CN-3010, will be available at $16.95 per set by the time you read this.