Pictures from Outing

[ccyko]

-Chris
MSTS Chicago-L

[msavianney]

Hi Chris,

Nice shot. It's good to see Melbourne equipment getting around the world. I am old enough (31 yesterday!) to have grown up in Melbourne, Australia while many of these cars were still in regular service. They had semi-open centre sections, and date from the 1920s. The last of them were retired about fourteen years ago, but I remember them well. I did get the opportunity to drive these cars at Melbourne's tramway museum and enjoyed it immensely. The attached pic (thanks to Clive Mottram) is how I remember them, with canvas blinds, open centres and timber seats. They sounded like real trams too! Aaah, the memories. I missed the opportunity of purchasing one, complete and operable, back in 1987. As a high school kid, I didn't have the $700 AUD at the time, although I nearly cry now to think about it! There are now a number of these cars operating in the US, having been purchased and rebuilt by Gomaco of Iowa. I'll get around to building one for MSTS sometime.

Cheers,
Matt A

[dvdhoven]

Hi,

Real beauty that car. Looks very good.

Dick van den Hoven
http://forums.flightsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3c3739ad2f412aac.gif

[Traindude]

We got some of those in Seattle.
<http://www.railwaypreservation.com/vintagetrolley/Seattleshop.jpg>

The Seattle Waterfront Streetcar is a 2-mile single-track line with two passing sidings. It utilizes a former freight line through the city's central waterfront district as well as a .4 mile extension in city streets to reach the International District, where it connects with the downtown transit tunnel and the Amtrak station, and is a short walk away from the new ballpark. The system operates five double-ended Melbourne streetcars with up to three cars running at one time. Each of these rebuilt 1924-vintage cars can carry up to 52 seated and 40 standing passengers, and have accommodations for one wheelchair. The line uses high-level platforms exclusively, all of which are on the same side of the track. The cars have been rebuilt for level boarding, and have doors on only one side. Conceived in 1974 as an easily-implemented tourist amenity, the idea quickly encountered a series of political, regulatory and other obstacles. Operation of the initial 1.6 mile leg finally began in May 1982, with a .4 mile extension in 1990. In 1998 the line was thoroughly rebuilt including installation of concrete ties. The line is operated by King County Metro as its Route 99, and uses exclusively paid staff. Two-person crews are standard practice, and fare collection is on board the cars, utilizing fareboxes. The fare structure is standardized with other King County Metro Services. Off-peak fares are $1.25, and Peak fares are $1.50. Transfers good for 90 minutes are available at no additional charge, permitting riders to hop on and off as they choose, making the streetcar a great way to see the sights along the waterfront. The cars are maintained in a modern maintenance building at the north end of the line. The maintenance building was constructed in 1982 with the opening of the line, and was later expanded from two tracks, to its current three-track configuration. Heavy overhaul work is done at another Metro facility, and cars are trucked back and forth. It should also be noted that the northern part of the line is on a shared right-of-way with a busy BNSF railroad mainline, and shares four grade crossings, all of which are equipped with gates and flashers. No special fencing exists between the shared tracks, although all of the tracks are, as a group, separated from the paralleling sidewalk with a low-level fence.

ADA Accommodations: The entire system is ADA accessible. With level boarding at all the stations, the Melbourne cars lend themselves very nicely to wheelchair access. Each car also carries a supplementary ramp which can be placed on the floor by the conductor to bridge the very small gap between the car and the platform edge.

Summary: Despite the fact that much of the waterfront district served by the line is paralleled by a very ugly double-deck concrete freeway, the area is humming with pedestrians and commercial activity. The locals are very proud of their streetcar line, and that's reflected in the manner in which the line is operated. Its been in operation almost twenty years now and it's really a model operation.

[csx7381]

that kind of streetcar can also be found in Seattle,WA


Mike
Future Norfolk Southern engineer


P.S. I live in Pittsburgh,PA the city once had one of the largest PCC fleets in the U.S.

[septalrv]

Quote:
P.S. I live in Pittsburgh,PA the city once had one of the largest PCC fleets in the U.S."
End Quote.

I could of sworn that I have read countless stories about Phillidelpia (Where I live, By the way...) having the most PCCs. And I hear they (SEPTA) are going to restore some and run them on the trolley routes.

Matt R.
Future PATCO/SEPTA/MARC/AMTRAK (I don't care...) Operator