Street Running in the USA or Canada

[Mike Boucher]

I can’t remember! I got lost on the system......D’oh. I was only going from Copley down to the Aquarium.......

 

I found Boston more confusing than the NY Subway.

 

I rather think that it is the one you mention as it is being rebuilt and even I thought it was dangerous - the line in question curved across an underground concourse....

 

Best, Pete.

 

Sounds more like Park Street station to me...  There's at least 1 track that passengers walk across on the "inbound" side.

 

Government Center is where the passengers stand in the middle while the tracks "surround" them.  There's no tracks to cross, all the tracks are "against the wall"...

 

(Edited:  I mistyped "Downtown crossing" when I should have written "Government Center".  (Downtown crossing is both the Red/Orange line, so all the platforms there are elevated to be at "floor level" of the subway cars)

Edited April 30, 2015 by Mike Boucher

[Pacific231G]

In a novel by Mario Puzo (the Godfather author) describing life among poor Italian immigrants in New York in the 20's,  one of the characters has a job where he rides a horse through Hell's Kitchen waving a red flag to warn of the NYC train coming through the tenement area to the main rail yard.  Now that would make an interesting diorama!  For the life of me I can't recall the title, I did read it a while ago but the rice pudding between my ears won't regurgitate the name.

I don't know the Mario Puzo book (would it have been "The Fortunate Pilgrim"?) but the true story of the West Side Cowboys is fascinating

 

There's good information about them here http://highlinebook.com/cowboy.html including some remarkable film footage.

 

There is also an incredibly well detailed photo here http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/02882u1.jpg

 

A 2011 article from the NY Times includes the same photo though in far less detail but gives a good background on the trains that ran on New York's West Side 10th and 11th Avenues until 1940- though after the 1920s most of them had moved to the High Line.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/realestate/the-railroad-tracks-that-turned-a-street-into-death-avenue.html?_r=0

 

One of the "cowboys"  featured in the 1938 feature film "King of the Newsboys" and that can be found on YouTube though I don't think there's anything authentic about the train in the scene which was almost certainly shot on a far narrower street in LA.

Edited April 25, 2015 by Pacific231G

[trisonic]

Sounds more like Park Street station to me...  There's at least 1 track that passengers walk across on the "inbound" side.

 

Downtown crossing the passengers stand in the middle while the tracks "surround" them.  There's no tracks to cross, all the tracks are "against the wall"...

Thanks!   https://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/6956624609/

 

Best, Pete.

[Mike Boucher]

Thanks!   https://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/6956624609/

 

Best, Pete.

 

Great photo!

[Pacific231G]

I can’t remember! I got lost on the system......D’oh. I was only going from Copley down to the Aquarium.......

 

 

 

I rather think that it is the one you mention as it is being rebuilt and even I thought it was dangerous - the line in question curved across an underground concourse....

 

Best, Pete.

Thanks for the photo Peter. I vaguely remember that location. It seems dangerous in the context of a subway but put the same combination of platforms and tracks out on the surface and it's a normal tram terminal. The one at Amsterdam Centraal station involves a lot more walking across lines as you cans see from this 2005 image

 

creative commons lofor  AMS Central station 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 26, 2015 by Pacific231G

[trisonic]

 

Thanks for the photo Peter. I vaguely remember that location. It seems dangerous in the context of a subway but put the same combination of platforms and tracks out on the surface and it's a normal tram terminal. The one at Amsterdam Centraal station involves a lot more walking across lines as you cans see from this 2005 image

Amsterdam Centraal tram terminus cc.jpg

 

creative commons lofor  AMS Central station 

 

 

And I saved the life of the World’s foremost The Beatles recordings expert in Amsterdam by jerking him out of the way of a totally silent tram (near the Station).......

 

I’m not kidding either.

 

Best, Pete.

Edited April 26, 2015 by trisonic

[dibber25]

I shall be in Toronto in a few weeks time and I've become very interested in that spur (Burford?) that runs through the street in Brantford. I shall go and take some pictures for modelling purposes, but does anyone know how often that train of hoppers runs? I guess, not very often. It would be even better to see it with a train on it.

CHRIS LEIGH

[trisonic]

Chris, I thought that service had terminated - but Adrian Wintle should know; PM him in case he is not following this thread?

 

Best, Pete.

[GP9u]

Hi Chris,

 

I think you can still get some live action on the street in Brantford. Here's some info from the Bruce Railways list:

 

From: "steve@... [bruceRys]" <BruceRys@yahoogroups.com>

Sender: BruceRys@yahoogroups.com

Date: 14 Jan 2015 13:39:21 -0800

To: <BruceRys@yahoogroups.com>

ReplyTo: BruceRys@yahoogroups.com

Subject: [bruceRys] Photos - OSR's FP9A Trio & SOR in Brantford

 

 

'Afternoon.

 

Here's a photo of OSR's 3 F units operating together - over two years in the making:

 

http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=17676

 

And for those that don't know - Ingenia Polymers took over the Burford and TH&B spurs in Brantford as of January 1 2015. SOR has operated the train on Tuesday mornings so far - with a crew (SOR 496) ordered at 0400 in Hamilton, light power to Brantford yard. Train operates in push-pull configuration down the Burford in the early morning, and conventional on the return. Subject to change, of course.

 

Here's a photo by James Gardiner from yesterdays SOR move:

 

http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=17682

 

Cheers,

 

- Steve

 

HTH, Pete

Edited April 30, 2015 by GP9u

[dibber25]

Thanks, guys. I that case, I'll guess I'll be on the 0735 VIA to Brantford on the Tuesday that I'm in Toronto, in the hope that I strike it lucky. 

CHRIS LEIGH

[Adrian Wintle]

Pete;

 

I don't know the Brantford operations. I don't get down that way often.

 

Adrian

[trisonic]

I’ll remember that Adrian. Seems like Chris got his answer anyway.

 

Cheers, Pete.

[GP9u]

You may be able to find out more about the local shortlines' specific ops schedules on these Yahoo groups:

 

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/BruceRys/info 

 

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/SouthernOntarioShortlines/info 

 

I find them great for reference for modelling and railfanning around Southern Ontario. I have seen ops schedules listed a few times. But some branch lines seem to operate on an "as needed" basis now and I think the Burford spur is down to only 1 or 2 customers, so maybe worth asking for a "local expert" update on the Bruce list in case the Tuesday thing's changed. 

 

Here's a taster from the end of the CN era:

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

Pete

Edited April 30, 2015 by GP9u

[pH]

A passenger train and a freight street running together in Santa Cruz:

 

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=529559&nseq=0

Edited May 4, 2015 by pH

[trisonic]

Lovely find that, pH!

 

Best, Pete.

[trisonic]

I’m trying to find a video (EDIT: See second link below) I can link to of the event partly contained in this photo from Metairie, LA. Whilst not accurately street running; behind the photographer the containers and the cars fell into the street off the Huey P. Long Bridge. They were blown off the bridge by the gust front of a Thunderstorm. The winds were estimated to be in excess of 75mph i.e. hurricane strength.

 

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/528887

 

I hope this link works: Talk about being in the right place at the right time with your news camera: http://wgno.com/2015/04/27/watch-strong-winds-knocks-over-train-in-jefferson-parish/

 

Best, Pete.

Edited May 4, 2015 by trisonic

[bingley hall]

I’m trying to find a video I can link to of the event partly contained in this photo from Metairie, LA. Whilst not accurately street running; behind the photographer the containers and the cars fell into the street off the Huey P. Long Bridge. They were blown off the bridge by the gust front of a Thunderstorm. The winds were estimated to be in excess of 75mph i.e. hurricane strength.

 

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/528887

 

I hope this link works: Talk about being in the right place at the right time with your news camera: http://wgno.com/2015/04/27/watch-strong-winds-knocks-over-train-in-jefferson-parish/

 

Best, Pete.

 

Can only find the Facebook link to the video https://www.facebook.com/KTBS3/videos/10153879568462575/?pnref=story

Edited May 4, 2015 by bingley hall

[trisonic]

Thanks bh - the second link in my post takes you to the local TV channel and viddy... Actually can you try to see if it works please?

 

Best, Pete.

[pH]

Actually can you try to see if it works please?

 

Best, Pete.

Works for me (you have to wait for it, though).

[The Stationmaster]

Thanks bh - the second link in my post takes you to the local TV channel and viddy... Actually can you try to see if it works please?

 

Best, Pete.

Works for me Pete (after an ad in Japanese    ).

[trisonic]

Don’t you just hate that, Mike? That is the sort of thing I get on the BBC site if I want to watch a short news video and their’s are invariably 30 seconds long plus you get the same advert over and over again...

 

By the way there was a thread on the UK prototype wondering what happens during massive storms in the US but I can’t remember where it was to place  the video. 

 

Best, Pete.

[Pacific231G]

I’m trying to find a video (EDIT: See second link below) I can link to of the event partly contained in this photo from Metairie, LA. Whilst not accurately street running; behind the photographer the containers and the cars fell into the street off the Huey P. Long Bridge. They were blown off the bridge by the gust front of a Thunderstorm. The winds were estimated to be in excess of 75mph i.e. hurricane strength.

 

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/528887

 

I hope this link works: Talk about being in the right place at the right time with your news camera: http://wgno.com/2015/04/27/watch-strong-winds-knocks-over-train-in-jefferson-parish/

 

Best, Pete.

Interesting, thanks Pete. The report said that five cars and eleven containers had blown off the bridge. Does that mean the train included double stack containers and was it just those that went over?

 

Just out of curiosity after watching this I had another look at N.American loading gauges (vast) compared to ours (tiny) and Europe's (reasonable).

 

ISTR that railway engineers used to have a rule of thumb that the loading gauge should have a maximum width of about twice the gauge and a maximum height of about two and a half times the gauge. Apparently the British engineers who bult India's railways decided on a gauge of 5ft 6ins to enable freight to be carried more efficiently in larger wagons but with extra stabliity to allow for the prevalence of cyclones. The standard LG there seems to follow that pretty closely though they now have routes with higher limits to enable double stacked containers to be carried on flat cars. The UIC "Berne" gauge is higher than 2.5 x standard gauge but very arched at the top. 

 

Clearly improvements in suspension and design have enabled much larger vehiclesI to operate safely but I did wonder whether a wider gauge similar to that in the Indian subcontinent would have suited N. American conditions better and wasn't 5ft gauge the most common in the southern states before the civil war?.

I also wondered how much of a problem US RRs (or perhaps rather the communities they pass through) have with freight car stability especially in the high winds that often affect the country? .  

Edited May 7, 2015 by Pacific231G

[trisonic]

It was more than five cars; that bridge is longer than a reporter’s memory.  If you look at the movie they looked to be single stacks. The location of the movie is different from the initial report (and photographs).

 

Best, Pete.

[Mike Boucher]

The first minute or so is appropriate for this subject...

[Adrian Wintle]

It was more than five cars; that bridge is longer than a reporter’s memory.  If you look at the movie they looked to be single stacks. The location of the movie is different from the initial report (and photographs).

 

Best, Pete.

 

The video shows a set of doublestack wells going over. I'm guessing a single car (albeit a 5-unit articulated one, hence the 5 cars statement) went over, which tallies with 11 containers (one well only had a single). 

 

Adrian