IN THIS ISSUE:

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

Urban Commuter / Light Rail / Modern Streetcar News! by Edward Havens
Trolleyville Visits China (Again)!
More Urban Rail Happenings.

MODELING INFORMATION..........

N Scale Urban Tranit Modeling (From Interurban Models!).

Trolleyville Visits China (Again)!
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In 2007, Bowser Manufacturing Co. of Montoursville, PA and Custom Traxx of Los Angeles, CA formed a partnership in a joint venture to produce HO scale ready-to-run streetcars. They went to Southern China in 2008 to select a contractor for the development and production for the San Francisco Muni F-line PCC cars that had gone into service ion that city in 1995. These 14 cars were originally from Philadelphia and were the same cars that had inspired the old metal bodied cars made for many decades and sold by Bowser and their predecessor, Pennsylvania Scale Models for many years.

The RTR streetcars hit the U.S. markets in late 2009 and were followed by PCC cars from other cities and the New Orleans 900 series streetcars that currently operate on the Saint Charles Avenue Line. One car, car 952, is currently operating in San Francisco and another, car 913, is in the same city awaiting restoration.

Subsequent visits to the AFFA Technology Limited Facilities where the Bowser streetcars are developed and produced occurred in 2010, 2012, 2014 and from April 30 - May 3, 2018. This visit was different because the Labor Day holiday is observed on May 1st in Hong Kong and on both May 1st and 2nd in mainland China. So all of our business was done in China on April 30th and in Hong Kong (Tsuen Wan) on May 2nd. This visit was handled by Lee English, Bowser CEO, and George Huckaby, Custom Traxx.

Because of the holiday, May 1st could be used for sightseeing. Staying at the Holiday Inn, Golden Mile in Tsim Sha Tsui on Kowloon, one must take the MTR to get to Hong Kong Island where the sights abound. This very extensive electric mass subway system is essential to moving around this area due to the huge numbers of people living and vacationing there. A map of the system is shown next:

The first photo is inside the MTR trains which are usually 8 cars long and "packed". All the cars have "bowling alley" hard plastic seating except for the fourth car, which is clearly identified with yellow trim. This is the first class car with transverse fabric covered cushioned seating and requires a higher fare. They police this well.

The center photo is of double deck tram 93 which we rode from Ice House Street in the Central District east to North Point and west to the Western Market. We returned eastbound to Pedder Street and took the MTR back to Tsim Sha Tsui. The tram is the way to sightsee. There is an MTR line that parallels the tram line for those who want a faster trip.

The right photo below is a typical crowd on the streets downtown. The crowds are always huge, orderly and mostly courteous to each other. People of all nationalities can be seen everywhere. There seems to be a McDonald's on every block. While you enter at street level, many of them are up or down one flight of stairs.

The right photo below is a portion of the AFFA Production facility.

The center photo below shows the cab that took us from the DongGuan Railway Station to the AFFA facility. Noted is the cage that totally surrounds the cab driver from the passengers. There was no explanation for the need for such a cage. We just assume that China also has their versions of 'sludge'.

The left photo below is the DongGuan station, quite an edifice. To get to the plant. we walked one half block from our hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui to the MTR East Tsim Sha Tsui station (see above map) and take the MTR Purple line one station to Hung Hom, the end of that line, where we transfer to the MTR Blue line for the trip north through the New Territories (N.T.) to Lo Wu, one of two places where you meet the border of The People's Republic of China (PRC), the other being Lok Ma Chau. Then there is a walk through immigration and customs for both Hong Kong and the PRC and then you board the high speed rail to DongGuan. The entire trip takes about 90 minutes or about the time of a typical Los Angeles area commute.

We were exposed by AFFA twice in two different places to goose, which we had not eaten previously. Very delicious!

As you can see, the goose did not stay on the table very long. It is served with a great plum sauce seen at the lower left corner. Those are Coca-Cola cans (pronounced ke-ko-ke-le)!

Despite a 14 to 15 hour plane ride from the CONUS to Hong Kong, we never get tired of the trip and cannot wait for 2020.

More Urban Rail Happenings!
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CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yesterday confirmed that the federal government will provide up to CA$1.53 billion toward the Green Line light-rail project in Calgary, Alberta.The sum marks the Canadian government's largest contribution for an infrastructure project in Alberta, according to a press release issued by Trudeau's office. Federal leaders who were in office before Trudeau had promised the funds before the 2015 elections, the Calgary Herald reported.

Artist's Rendering of Green Line Project!

The first stage of the Green Line project includes the construction of 12.4 miles of track, 14 stations 70 low-floor light-rail vehicles, and a vehicle maintenance and storage facility. Construction of the initial phase is expected to start in spring 2020 and wrap up by late 2026. The line will connect the Calgary's north and southeast communities to the downtown core. In July 2017, Alberta officials announced the province would provide CA$1.53 billion toward the project's estimated cost of CA$4.65 billion. The federal government and Calgary's municipal government are paying for the remainder.

CINCINNATI, OH - The 1,000,000th passenger was carried on the system on April 13th, a mere 18 months after the line was officially opened.

Cincinnati Bell Connector #1175!

KANSAS CITY, MO - Sunday, May 6, 2018, marked the KC Streetcar's second anniversary, or birthday, in downtown Kansas City. Two years ago, the downtown KC Streetcar service opened to much fanfare after five years of planning, designing and construction. With four vehicles and 2.2 miles of route, the KC Streetcar has completed 4,037,499 trips since opening day.

“In two short years, downtown residents, employees, and visitors have embraced the KC Streetcar and have ridden at record numbers. The transformation of downtown and the excitement its generated is nothing but remarkable," said Tom Gerend, executive director of KC Streetcar Authority. “We thank Kansas City and greater downtown, including our partners with the City of Kansas City and the KC Area Transportation Authority for the amazing support and believe the best is yet to come," continued Gerend.

During the first two years of service, the KC Streetcar traveled 257,840 miles and logged 32,550 vehicle hours. The KC Streetcar team (operations and maintenance) has 30 employees who keep the streetcar running 7 days a week, 365 days a year. In addition to providing free, reliable and efficient public transit, the KC Streetcar also supports local businesses, events and the arts community by supporting programs such as Art in the Loop, National Travel & Tourism Week, Downtown Dazzle, Tech Week, etc.

As response to the demand in ridership, the KC Streetcar Authority ordered two more streetcar vehicles for the downtown route.  Those vehicles should arrive in 2019.  Additionally, the KC Streetcar Authority, along with the City of Kansas City, the KC Area Transportation Authority and Port KC, are planning for future streetcar extensions north towards Berkley Riverfront as well as south to UMKC. More information on both of those projects can be found on the KC Streetcar website.

For KC Streetcar inquiries, contact Donna Mandelbaum with the KC Streetcar Authority at 816-627-2526 (office), 816-877-3219 (cell) or by e-mail at dmandelbaum@kcstreetcar.org. The KC Streetcar is also online at www.kcstreetcar.org and on Twitter (@kcstreetcar), Facebook (@kcstreetcar) and Instagram.

LOS ANGELES, CA - On Wednesday, May 30th, California Governor Jerry Brown came to Los Angeles County’s South Bay (Torrrancs, CA) to speak in support of S.B. 1 – the recent gas tax increase that is funding transportation infrastructure around the state. Brown, joined by L.A. County elected officials, appeared at the site of the future Torrance Transit Park and Ride Regional Terminal. Construction is just getting underway for the Torrance transit center, which is scheduled to open in mid-2019. Torrance’s transit center will initially serve bus riders, then later become a Metro Green Line Station. The future Green Line extension is largely funded by Measure M, which anticipates the extension would open circa 2030. The project is targeted to be accelerated under Metro’s 28 by 28 initiative. The route of the extension would look like the following:

From Left to right: Kim turner, Torrance Transit; Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles Mayor; California Governor Brown, Janice Han, Los Angeles County Supervisors; Al Muratsuchi, Assembly Member and Patrick Furey, Torrance Mayor!

In April, the state awarded Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program grants, which included $231 million for the Torrance extension. If Republican-led efforts succeed in repealing the gas tax increase, then funding for the Torrance Green Line extension would need to come from somewhere else. Governor Brown urged Californians “to vote ‘no’ on those crazy efforts” to repeal S.B.1. at the polls next week.

County Supervisor Janice Hahn, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and State Assembly member Al Muratsuchi all echoed Brown’s defense of the gas tax increase, saying a repeal would lead to congestion, traffic, and failing infrastructure. Metro even brought one of their new Kinki Sharyo P3010 cars, now running on the Green Line, to Torrance for the event.

MEMPHIS, TN - As expected, the heritage trolley system in that city reopened about 11:30 AM on April 30, 2018. The MATA Trolley is a heritage transit system that began operating on April 29, 1993. Service was suspended on June 2014, following fires on two cars. After nearly four years and repeated postponements, the reopening of the Main Street Line took place about 11:30 AM on April 30, 2018. The last line of Memphis’ original streetcar network closed on June 15, 1947. The three cars available for the day were 234, 453 and 540, all of which are shown below:

Now that the Main Street Line is coming back, MATA officials are turning their energies to bringing back the Riverfront Loop in 2019 and the Madison Avenue Line in late 2019 to early 2020.

The fleet and the OCS (overhead catenary system) were converted from trolley pole to pantograph current collection in early 2003, during a three-month suspension of service which started on January 5, 2003.

However, on May 12th, the first accident occurred when one of the MATA cars collided with one of the vehicles belonging to a local pedal tavern company, Sprock N Roll, near the intersection of Main and Gayoso. During an interview, a trolley rider described the moments before the two collided. "They were going along the track when she blew her whistle, and evidently he thought he could speed up, beat her. He turned too short in front of her and she hit him," the man said. The witness said Sprock N Roll tried to race past the trolley despite the trolley operator ringing the bell. Memphis Police Department said the trolley operator was taken to the hospital, but is expected to be okay.

Sprock N Roll released the following statement: While attempting to park on a road we have accessed for 3 yrs we were struck by a trolley. The trolley never slowed as it rear ended us turning us perpendicular to the front. See debris from the wood and a passengers to-go box showing how hard we were hit & far we were carried. Memphis Police Department said Sprock N Roll were cited for the incident.

Sprock N Roll is a "party" bike, available for rent. It requires a minimum of 6 riders and each bike has a maximum capacity of 16. It comes with a driver, an experienced bartender, a premium sound system, an electric assist motor, and a DJ on board to play your favorite tunes. Each rider is expected to assist in the propulsion of the vehicle by pedaling, but they have nothing to do with the operation of the vehicle. One of the vehicles is shown in the next photo.

MINNEAPOLIS-SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA - Progressive Railroading reported on Thursday, May 17th that Metro Transit's Southwest light-rail project had jumped in price by $145 million to more than $2 billion, according to a statement made by Metropolitan Council Chair Alene Tchourumoff on May 14th during a project update. The cost increase is due to factors such as freight-rail negotiations, additional environmental analysis and the rebidding of the civil contracting, Tchourumoff wrote to the council's corridor management committee.

In addition, property acquisition costs have gone up as property values have increased since appraisals in 2016 and 2017. The cost of materials such as steel and labor also have increased. "Because the federal government capped its contribution in 2016, any additional cost will be borne by the local funding partners," she wrote. Project leaders plan to ask Hennepin County and the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority to cover the funding gap. Metropolitan Council officials have worked with the county to implement cost-cutting measures, such as reallocating some functions for the planned operations and maintenance facility in Hopkins to existing facilities.

Siemens S70 Three Unit Light Rail Vehicle train on Metro Transit!

In September 2017, the Metropolitan Council rejected the four civil construction bids it received for the project. The council determined all the bids were "too high and nonresponsive," Tchourumoff said. The council reissued the invitation to bid in October 2017 with changes to address the issues.

"It's important I point out that we would not have been able to move forward with awarding the bid in 2017, even if cost and responsiveness had not been an issue," Tchourumoff added. "The bids are only valid for 90 days; given the additional environmental work we were directed to complete, we would not have been able to wrap it up and award the contract before that 90-day window expired."

An extension of Metro Transit's Green Line, the 14.5-mile Southwest project would run from downtown Minneapolis to St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA - Quebec government leaders have adopted special legislation that will pave the way for the Societe de transport de Montreal (STM) to acquire new Azur subway trains. The move will allow STM to order additional Azur units from the Bombardier plant in La Pocatiere, Quebec, the Montreal Gazette reported. The legislation includes a clause that rules out any legal challenges to the purchase, according to the newspaper. The new law means that STM can begin negotiations for more Azur trains, agency officials said in a press release.

Once the negotiations have been completed, the STM will be able to specify the time line for commissioning the new trains and certain details related to the agreement according to agency officials.

An AZUR train during the testing phase!

The release didn't state how many new cars STM plans to order. Bombardier's current contract calls for building 468 cars. The agreement is valued at CA$6.3 billion, according to the Montreal Gazette.

The Quebec government previously asked STM to study scenarios for replacing its MR73 subway cars, which date back to the 1970s. Since it's not practical to replace all units in the short term, the agency proposed replacing part of the fleet.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI) is preparing for two-car trains of the new Siemens cars and is testing three car consists for the N-Judah line. Muni officials have begun testing three-car trains at night as evident in a new YouTube video posted by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency on Thursday May 3rd.

New Siemens S200 LRV #2008 in testing at West Portal in February 2018!

The transit agency plans to begin operating three-car trains sometime in the spring but will first launch two-car trains on the N-Judah line, which serves an average of 45,000 passengers on the weekday – the transit agency’s heaviest passenger light rail line. The MUNI expects to have the first 24 new Siemens LRVs on hand by the summer, and to have a total of 64 by next year.

TACOMA, WA - The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded a $75 million Small Starts grant to Sound Transit for its Hilltop Tacoma Link extension. The 2.4-mile light-rail extension will run along Commerce Street and Stadium Way to the Hilltop District in Tacoma, Washington. The line will include six new stations. The $217 million project's other funding sources include Sound Transit 2 dollars, money from the city of Tacoma, and other federal and state grants.

"Tacoma will continue to attract more and more people and jobs in the coming years," said Sound Transit board member and Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards. "The expanded Tacoma Link system will improve transportation around the city and connect riders with regional light rail, Sounder trains and bus service at the Tacoma Dome." Construction is scheduled to begin in fall, with service starting in 2022.

Sound Transit chose HDR Engineering Inc. in 2016 to provide final design services for the Tacoma Link's Hilltop extension.
Voters also have approved a separate Tacoma Link extension to bring the line to Tacoma Community College by 2039.