March 2016 Trolleyville Times

IN THIS ISSUE:

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

Milepost 38 Toy Trains - The Other Half of the Southern California Miniature Trains Super Center!
Great Train Shows in Southern California - Costa Mesa and San Diego!
More Modern Streetcar Activity by Edward Havens
U.S. Current Light Rail News!! by A. J. Staley
Oklahoma City Streetcar! - Another U.S. City on the Modern Streetcar Bandwagon!

EDITORIAL.......

Tomorrow's Trolleyville!

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

Milepost 38
[The Other Half of the Southern California Miniature Trains Super Center!]
***

Last month we talked about one half of what we have called the Southern California Miniature Trains Super Center (SCMTSC) or Super Center for short. The Super Center was created by some incidents some of which were not pre-planned. Milepost 38 Model Trains was a model railroad hobby shop owned and operated by Jerry Keyes at 5757B East LaPalma Avenue in Anaheim Hills, CA. The store was now in its second location and as the lease on the building was expiring in May 2014. So the owner contacted Greg Arnold and Matt Haynes and asked for a meeting. Greg and Matt at that time were co-owners of Arnie's Trains.

At this meeting, Jerry informed Greg and Matt that he wished to retire and would like to offer Milepost 38 to them. After some shock and surprise a deal was reached. Economics, especially the building rental costs in Anaheim Hills versus Westminster would drive the move of Milepost 38 to the empty store next to Arnie's at 6462 Industry Way. The logical conclusion was NOT to have two stores competing with each other but to split the hobby between the two stores and the idea for the Super Center was born.

The ideal way to do this was to follow the natural division of the miniature trains hobby, namely toy trains and scale model trains. While many people consider all model trains to be toy trains, in actuality, the scale modelers are moderately to extremely fussy about strict adherence to prototype so the well known three-rail Lionel Track is totally acceptable. At the same time, that same three rail track makes operation much easier for the toy train lovers, who stress the fun of running the trains over strict adherence to prototype. So Milepost 38 Model Trains became Milepost 38 Toy Trains and catering to G (Large Scale), O (Lionel, Mikes Train House) and Thomas the Tank Engine while Arnie's Trains became Arnie's Model Trains, catering to the On3, HO and N scale enthusiast. Matt is shown below along with the symbol of Milepost 38, the replica of the Santa Fe Alco PA passenger diesel.

The Super Center opened in June 2014 to a large welcoming crowd. With 7000 square feet of store space devoted entirely and exclusively to miniature trains of one type or another, there is nothing quite like it on the West Coast. Of course the sudden, unexpected demise of Allied Model Trains, with the July 2015 bankruptcy and the August 2015 fire created a vacuum in the hobby that the Super Center was in the right position to fill.

Matt Haynes, in addition to being a co-owner is the manager of Milepost 38, handles the eBay operation for both stores and oversees the accounting for both stores. Matt started with Arnie's Trains in 1997 on a part time basis and worked up to the position that he holds today. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Cal State Long Beach and worked for an accounting firm for a few years.

Traction lovers will find that they have not been forgotten at Milepost 38. Some of the items available are shown in the next photographs:

Matt and Greg both ensure that their customers have access to the latest items in the hobby, especially the latest in electronics. On Saturday, January 23rd, Matt himself demonstrated the MTH (Mike's Train House) DCS Wi-Fi technology which allows the user to control his model trains using a tablet or smart phone. The session is shown in the next two photographs:

Great Train Shows in Southern California!
(Costa Mesa and San Diego)

Train Shows Inc. (TSI) presented two Great Train Shows (GTS) in Southern California in the first two months of this year. The first was held at the Orange Country Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, CA (Greater Los Angeles area) on January 30-31 and the second at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, CA (Greater San Diego area) on February 13-14.

TSI is the company formed by combining the Great Train Expo (descendant of the old Great American Train Show) with the Greenberg Shows, the monthly Great Midwest Train Show in Wheaton, Illinois and the World's Greatest Hobby on Tour shows. This combination allows all focus to be on the train show business as a whole and reduced actual and potential conflicts.

Although most of the staff at TSI has extensive experience with model train shows going back to the Great American Train Show, the demographic of the hobby are changing. Besides everyone getting older, the hobby supply chain has changed. With most of the hobby items coming from overseas in containers, the number of small vendors has been reduced with a few vendors getting larger. There are more vendors getting more than three tables and they arrive with big trucks and large trailers. Getting these people in and out of the hall has been solved by a staggered approach. Dealers are allowed in at 11:00 AM on Friday and are told that they have two hours to unload and leave the hall as the layouts, which normally are at the back of the hall or close to the large roll-up doors are held back until 1:00 PM. If the large trucks are still in the hall after the layouts set up, they occasionally have great difficulty getting out of the hall. With this procedure being strictly followed, we noticed that this worked well at the Costa Mesa Show.

Because there had not been a major model train show in the Southern California area since July 2015, crowds were everywhere, even though the weather was not "California-like". It rained for major periods of both days of the show. But there were many customers at the show that were intrigued by the San Diego MTS Siemens S70 models which were not available elsewhere at that time.

LAMTA 3148, 3156 with NORTA 972 on one of the SCTC Modules

Akihisa Saitoh. member of the SCTC, discussing the display with customers.

Mother Nature was much more receptive to the Del Mar show on February 13 & 14. Because of TV coverage of the show, the Custom Traxx booth containing the Light Rail Vehicle display was "mobbed" by local residents who immediately recognized the San Diego MTS S70 Light Rail Vehicles and most of them, including representatives from Reed's Hobby Shop in La Mesa, CA, wanted to know how and when they could get one or more of the models. They were very disappointed to hear the obstacles in the way of getting such models into production but were told that efforts were being made.

The compact 42" by 90" SCTC LRV Display at the Del Mar Fairgrounds!

More Modern Streetcar Activity in Seattle, Washington;
Sacramento, CA; Santa Ana, CA; Tempe, Ariz and others!
***

According to media reports on February 10, 2016, the federal budget proposal by the current administration includes funding for construction of modern streetcar lines at Seattle, Washington; Sacramento, California and Santa Ana, California; and Tempe, Arizona.

A proposed $75 million grant to Seattle would pay more than half the $135 million cost of the Center City Connector to provide a rail link along First Avenue for the disconnected First Hill and South Lake Union car lines, Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.

The Sacramento Bee newspaper reported that the budget plan includes $75 million toward a 3.3-mile, $150 million car line to link the cities of Sacramento, California's state capital, and West Sacramento via the Tower Bridge.

Santa Ana in southern California south of Los Angeles would receive $125 million toward its 4.15-mile, $289 million car line to be built partially over former Pacific Electric "Red Car" right of way from the train station at downtown Santa Ana to Garden Grove, according to the Orange County Register.

Elsewhere in the West, the budget plan would fund $75 million of the three-mile, $177 million modern streetcar line at Tempe, the home of Arizona State University, just east of Phoenix. Wire-free alternatives to overhead trolley wire are being examined as reported by the The Arizona Republic newspaper.

Phoenix, Arizona Valley Metro also announced that its 3.2 mile northwest extension will open at 10:00 A.M. Saturday March 19. It will extend the LRT route northward from the starter line terminal opposite Christown shopping mall. A community fair will be held to celebrate the opening.

A light rail opening in the Pacific Northwest is scheduled for March 19 when Sound Transit opens its downtown Seattle to University of Washington campus LRV subway excavated by boring machines. It's the first leg of northern extensions that eventually will reach Northgate Mall and suburban Lynnwood, KING-TV reported. The project is being completed six months early and about $150 million below budget.

Also in Seattle, KIRO radio reported that the First Hill modern streetcar line was scheduled for its official grand opening ceremony February 12 with free rides ending February 16, the day after the Presidents' Day federal holiday, when fares were to be charged for the first time.

But at Houston, Texas, riders on the East End car line received bad news. The completion of the Harrisburg bridge over freight railroad tracks to complete the full length of the LRT route will be delayed by four months for various reasons as The Houston Chronicle reported on February 9th.

The long-awaited public service debut of the Washington, D.C., modern streetcar line was announced on February 18th by Mayor Muriel Bowser for 10:00 a.m. Saturday, February 27, with all rides free of charge on the 2.2 mile car line because it lacks a system of collecting fares. The Washington Post reported that The H Street-Benning Road route will operate six days per week with no service on Sundays. The same newspaper also said that the streetcar line's cost has hit the $200 million mark. Photos of the exterior and interior of the new cars follow:

The "M Live dot com" web site along with Progressive Railroading reported in late February that Ann Arbor, Michigan, the sixth largest city in that state, is considering building a light rail line that could cost $500 million to $700 million to serve the University of Michigan campuses. Public meetings on the plan are set for March 24. The city's electric interurban service ended in 1929 and their first generation street railway system ended in 1925 with a "scrap heap" parade, shown below:

The 4.7 mile line was unveiled by the University of Michigan and the City and would run from the downtown portion of the city to parts of the University's campuses (See route map below). This so-called "Connector would have nine stations including stops at the University's Central and North campuses and would terminate at the Green Park and Ride on the eastern edge of Ann Arbor. The University's students and staff are expected to make up a large part of the weekly ridership which is projected as high as 31,600.

The U.S. urban rail transit story that attracted the most media coverage worldwide was the endorsement of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for a 16-mile, $2.5 billion waterfront area streetcar line linking Brooklyn and Queens. The mayor unveiled the plan in his February "State for the City" speech. In a commentary posted by The New York Times February 10, Chicago planner Yonah Freemark, founder of the "Transport Politic" web site, said the streetcar plan is flawed in that it lacks dedicated lanes for streetcars and priority signals at intersecting streets. He cited Paris light rail system as example of a quick-moving streetcar network.

U.S. Current Light Rail News!

by A. J. Staley

The year 2016 will see triple the number of light rail, street car, bus routes and lines opening across the country than were put in service in the year 2015. It is expected that more than 240 miles of new transit will come on line in the U.S. Canada and Mexico. More cities are realizing the need to reduce their traffic jams. They are rethinking the mode of transportation for their cities as well as the use of their downtown areas.

In part, this is due to the Urban Circulator and TIGER grants distributed by the U. S. Department of Transportation, but also due to the allocation of significant new funding from cities and states to transit agencies.

Some of these areas include California, Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, St Louis, New York and Seattle.

On March 5, 2016, California’s METRO Foothill Gold Line extension will open to passengers an additional 11.5 miles of rail line, which will reduce traffic on the over crowded California U.S. Highway 60, Interstates 10 and 210 freeways to the east of Pasadena. The extension will service 6 cities along the route and include two stops for students of Citrus and Azusa colleges. Most of the communities have rebuilt their downtown areas to create an environment where the citizens can meet, shop and reside within walking distance of the stations. Each station was designed and built using décor to represent the community.

Gold Line Arcadia Station Plaza

Gold Line Arcadia Station

On February 17, 2016, a preview run took place. Metro CEO Phillip Washington, on board the $1 billion extension inaugural ride, welcomed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Board, staff, local politicians and the media. “Nothing that occurred during the ride will delay the opening”, he said, ”although train testing will continue up until March 5. Metro has received all the cars it needs to begin to operate the line: 15 new P3010 model Kinkisharyo rail cars. A total of 78 cars have been ordered, with the next batch to go to the 6.6 mile extension of the Expo Line from Culver City to Santa Monica along the Pacific Ocean. On Thursday, February 25, the transit agency, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LAMTA), announced that service will begin on May 20, 2016. This restores service abandoned by the Pacific Electric "Red Cars" in the 1950s.

One of the new P3010 Kinki Sharyo Cars during testing!

Los Angeles to Santa Monica Expo Line Route Map.

The Cincinnati, Ohio Streetcar system is nearing completion and is expected to begin serving passengers on September 15, 2016. The city will open a 3.9 mile loop connecting various Cincinnati landmarks including Smale Riverfront Park, Great American Ball Park, The banks, Downtown Cincinnati and will go north to Findlay Market and the north edge of the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. It has faced challenges both politically and financially since it was first proposed in 2007. After securing a boost of private funding, the project has finally moved ahead. Future plans are to extend to the uptown neighborhoods, the University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Zoo. They will be using five 100% low floor CAF Urbos which were ordered and assembled here in the United States.

Cincinnati Streetcar - Car 1175

April 22, 2016 marks the opening date for the extension of the University of Colorado A Line in Denver. The 23 mile line will run from Downtown along Interstate 70 to the Airport bringing service into new neighborhoods and employment areas. There will be a total of 8 Stations and 6 Park–n-Rides providing service to River North, Cole, Elyria-Swansea, Clayton, North Park Hill, Stapleton, Morris Heights, Gateway, Montbello and Green Valley Ranch. Passengers will travel on new commuter rail vehicles, just as they will on some of the other lines in the Denver area. Commuter rail vehicles are similar to SEPTA Silverliner Vs but have only high floor level boarding at all doors of the train, travel up to 79 mph, have a total capacity of 209 people including seating for 91 people and have two wheelchair spaces per car. These trains also have larger seats, overhead storage, luggage towers and bicycle racks.

RTD (Denver) Hyundai-Rotem Car.

Kansas City will be opening a 2 mile, downtown circulator Tramway, called the KC Streetcar, on May 6, 2016. They will be operating four CAF Trams which were add on to the Cincinnati order of Urbos and will be added to their existing Cisco System they are currently running. The line will run from the river Market downtown to Union Station. A series of street parties will be held along the route during the first two days of operation. Car 801 is shown downtown during testing earlier this year. It should be noted that these CAF Urbos along with the Cincinnati cars are the first 100% low floor streetcars running in the United States.

In December 2016, Detroit plans to open 3 miles of rail using Brookville Equipment Company 320m Liberty cars 3-section Trams, similar to those used in Dallas, which will be fitted with batteries as 60% of the line will be without overhead wires.

Santa Rosa-San Rafael, California, SMART (Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit) will be opening 43 miles of diesel light rail interurban sometime in 2016 using four two car and three-three car DMU’s supplied by Nippon Sharyo. The opening route will connect the California Bay Area communities and eventually reach Larkspur for the ferry to San Francisco.

Artist's conception of SMART car.

Seattle (First Hill), Washington will open a 2.5 mile route linking Capitol Hill and International District. It has not been without difficulties in that the 6 trams which had been ordered from Czech company Inekon had to be assembled by the Pacific Marine Company. The new fleet will operate under battery power on part of the downhill segment of the line on Broadway because of difficulties crossing trolleybus wiring already in existence.

EDITORIAL ..........

Tomorrow's Trolleyville!
***

George Huckaby, webmaster

The Trolleyville site along with the Trolleyville Schoolhouse and the Times was created in 1997 by Greg Luke and Darin Volpe of GLA Computer Services in Atascadero, CA with some assistance from George Huckaby of West Los Angeles. The main purpose was to advance the modeling of streetcars and other electric railway vehicles that operate from live overhead wire. It was inspired by the East Penn Traction Club with such ardent modelers as the late Ed Torpey and Richard Vible.

For almost thirty years, except for New Orleans, the term 'streetcar' was a dirty word in the United States along with 'trolley'. When San Diego opened their first light rail line in 1981 from the Santa Fe Station downtown to San Ysidro just across the river from Tijuana, they called it the San Diego Trolley, a term that it still uses today. They are on their third generation of cars and all the original cars have been retired. Car 1014, one of the original cars ordered in November 1980, that opened the line, is shown at left before air conditioning was added. Car 1018, one of the second order of cars made in November 1982, is shown below right after the air conditioning pods were installed. It rests today at the Bay Area Electric Railway Museum in Rio Vista, CA.

Atlanta, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City (see story in this issue), Portland, Seattle, Tucson and Washington, D.C. have already opened or will be opening their modern streetcar lines in the next year. Some of them have the word STREETCAR plainly written on the sides.

Ed Torpey, featured in the very first issue of the Trolley Times in June 27, 1998, introduced me to the Metropolitan Philadelphia Railway Association in 1963 and to the East Penn Traction Club in 1987. His passing in May 2004 was followed by many others. Soon we will be passing the torch to new hobbyists whom we know will be younger and smaller in numbers. Recently, we had a great demonstration in Del Mar, CA on how much today's riders love their new urban transit vehicles.

If you are reading this and have any interest in streetcars, light rail vehicles, interurbans, subway/elevated cars or commuter railroads, please let us know what you want to see. Please feel free to contact us and tell us what your think. If you do not wish to be contacted about your answer, tell us that too. Your name and email address will not be used for any other purpose. So please, if you have something to say, just email this address. The future of this publication may just depend on your input.

Oklahoma City Streetcar!
***

Oklahoma City jumped on the streetcar bandwagon some time ago, after it was mentioned in a 2005 regional transit study known as the Fixed Guideway Study. the concept was dormant until a local businessman, inventor and political activist, Jeff Bezdek, promoted the project to the Oklahoma City Council to be considered as part of the Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS 3) program. He launched a strategic campaign called the Modern Transit Project to generate public support for the initiative. When polling indicated strong support for the streetcar plan, the Oklahoma City Council incorporated the concept into the MAPS program.

The Oklahoma City Streetcar (OKC Streetcar) or Downtown Streetcar ia a 4.5 mile system that could open as early as 2017. It will connect the Central Business District (CBD) with the entertainment district, the Midtown District and Bricktown. Expansion plans are already under consideration. Initially five vehicles were to be ordered with a sixth already being considered and another six planned for the future. Wireless operation would be planned for several hundred feet under existing BNSF railway bridges that separate the downtown Oklahoma City CBD from the Bricktown entertainment district. This is the planned route:

The Oklahoma City City Council approved the awarding of a $22 million contract to Inekon of the Czech Republic for the purchase of five streetcars, as well as spare parts and training. However, according to internet sources, when Inekon failed to meet a one-month deadline for submitting required financial-guarantee information, project staff recommended that they switch to Brookville Equipment Corporation, another manufacturer that had submitted a bid on the order. On November 10, the City Council voted its approval for the staff to begin negotiations with Brookville for the streetcar contract.

Shown in the next photograph is Dallas 302, A Brookville "Liberty" low floor modern streetcar with off-wire capability. The OKC car could be somewhat similar:

Streetcars last ran in Oklahoma City in 1947. According to Allison Chandler and Stephen D. Maguire's 1980 book, "When Oklahoma Took The Trolley", the system in the city looked like the next map:

Some of the cars are shown:

Cars 145 and 118 are shown at the 17th Street station in April 1947. This was the first major interchange stop north of the central terminal for interurbans bound for El Reno and Guthrie as well at the Bell Isle City cars. Both cars were sold to other operators.

Even the Birney car made it to Oklahoma City with 23 of them eventually operating there. Most were new but a few came from San Diego Electric Railway.

Even during the depression in the 1930s, Oklahoma Railways kept their cars in immaculate condition. They also accumulated a very interesting variety of cars including some with inside bearing trucks. Refer to the Chandler/Maguire book for more information.

The bottom line is that we are coming full circle. The streetcar, after being reviled in the United States for over 50 years but cherished in other countries, is being revived in many cities to do what the original inventors envisioned. They can move large numbers of people smoothly and comfortably. So add Oklahoma City to Atlanta, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Portland, Seattle, Tucson and Washington, D.C. that have already opened or will be opening their modern streetcar lines in the next year.


March 2016