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September 27, 2007
Train Thursday - L&N print ad, 1930s
Magazine ad for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad from the 1930s.
Long before there was Delta to take us to Atlanta in an hour or Cincinatti in an hour and a half, there was the L&N Railroad. "Two of the world's finest trains," the Pan-American and the Crescent Limited. The Pan-American ran from 1921 to 1971, linking New Orleans with Cincinatti. The Crescent ran from New Orleans to Montgomery on the L&N, then to Atlanta on the West Point Route, Atlanta to DC on Southern RR, then from DC to NYC via the Penn Central RR.
In addition to the Crescent, New Orleanians could get to Atlanta via The Southerner, operated by Southern RR. The Crescent Limited originated at the L&N passenger terminal, located at Canal and the River (roughly where One Canal Place is now located). The Southerner operated out of the Southern RR passenger Terminal on Canal and Basin Streets.
In 1970, the two trains to Atlanta were merged, and the train was re-named the Southern Crescent. The train became the Amtrak Crescent in 1972, when Southern turned their passenger operations over to the national railroad.
Posted by YatPundit at 9:08 AM | TrackBack
Turning the power back on...
RTA is turning on the 600VDC power for the St. Charles Line this week. The repairs to the overhead wiring on St. Charles from Lee Circle to Napoleon Avenue are complete, and now they've flipped the "on" switch. They'll test the wiring and make sure all is well, and soon we'll see the 900s extending their run form Lee Circle all tye way to Napoleon.
For the time being, the 900s will continue to be based out of the Canal barn, since the repairs all the way to Willow/Jeanette Streets aren't yet complete.
Earl's on the lookout for test runs. Anybody want to start a pool on which car will be first? It's usually 930.
Posted by YatPundit at 8:43 AM | TrackBack
September 24, 2007
Feature Photo - 832 on Canal Street
From 1963, Perley A. Thomas streetcar 832, running outbound on the Canal Line to the Cemeteries Terminal. 832 is approaching Galvez Street. The Canal Street neutral ground transitions from concrete to grass just past Claiborne Avenue.
The 800-series streetcars were essentially the same design as the 900s, with one major exception. The doors on the 800s were manual, and the 900s were automatic. The manual doors weren't a problem for operations, though, because the city required NOPSI to operate streetcars with 2-man teams, a motorman in the front and a conductor in the back. NOPSI howled about two-man operation for decades, arguing that the system doubled their labor costs and that streetcars could just as easily be operated by one person.
Some little details in the photo: Notice the crowbar-like tool that's mounted on the front of the streetcar, right over its number. This is the tool the motorman used to throw the manual switches at crossovers along the line and at the terminal. The route sign indicates he's operating on the Canal line (at the time, the only line running on Canal Street, of course), and that particular streetcar was the 40th run to leave the barn that day.
When streetcar service was discontinued on the Canal line in 1964, the 800-series streetcars were scrapped. A few were saved by trolley museums in other parts of the country.
(Photo courtesy of Earl Hampton)
Posted by YatPundit at 12:42 AM | TrackBack
September 17, 2007
Feature Photo: Shift Change
Perley A. Thomas car (vintage 1924), idling on Canal Street in front of Canal Station, waiting for the operator for the next shift:
(clicky the photo for a larger version)
932 had just completed a "switchback" operation. Because the operator was waiting for his replacement to come out of the station, he was idling on the outbound track. The new operator didn't come out right away, though, so 932 had to switch off to the inbound track. But then 971 was running down Canal inbound, so 932 had to switch back. We caught the 932-971 switch here.
Posted by YatPundit at 8:43 AM | TrackBack
Shift Change!
Streetcars don't need to go back to the barn for fuel, so shift changes usually take place along the line. Here's one that took place recently on Canal Street, in front of the station.
Perley A. Thomas car 971 is heading inbound:
But he encounters 932, who shifted via the Canal Station crossover, to the inbound track. 932's operator was ending his shift, but his replacement hadn't come out of the station yet. He was blocking 904 from continuing outbound, so he switched to the inbound track. Now he's blocking 971.
So, he switches 932 back to the outbound track.
Where he can wait a few minutes more for the next shift's operator.
One last look at 932:
Posted by YatPundit at 8:37 AM | TrackBack
September 16, 2007
Why things aren't moving along quickly...
On several transit-related mailing lists, there have been a number of questions regarding the slow pace of restoring transit service, particularly repair and/or expansion of the streetcar lines in New Orleans. A number of suggestions have been made, and unfortunately, there's always one or more "gotchas" to what appear at face value to be very good ideas. Here are some of them, and why they're problematic:
Military Options: In the immediate aftermath of the storm, NBC's Brian Williams (who rode the storm out in the Superdome, btw), went on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and remarked about how, when he was in Iraq, if the Army wanted a bridge, they called up an engineering unit, and there was a bridge where they watned it. It amazed him that the same army that can do that couldn't get relief to New Orleans. Trolley enthusiasts have wondered as well why Army Engineers or SeaBees couldn't come in and help with building/rebuilding roads to get the trolleys running. Williams illustrates the problem in his own statement, though, by saying "when I was in Iraq." The US Army is all but totally in Iraq. Even though the Louisiana National Guard units rotated home after the storm, they were required to leave the bulk of their equipment behind.
FEMA Assistance: FEMA is financing the bulk of the reconstruction of New Orleans' transit infrastructure. There are two big problems when it comes to dealing with FEMA. First and most obvious is that funds coming from FEMA come to the NORTA in dribs and drabs. One of the reasons that the St. Charles line is progressing is that the funding for most of that work is based in a FTA project that was approved before the storm. The other problem is that FEMA funds are targeted at re-building, not re-designing. That means there will be money to repair the Riverfront and Von Dullen streetcars that were flooded, but none to buy/build more of these vehicles. If ever there was a time to take a step back and examine the possibility of expanding light rail in New Orleans, it's now, but the money being sent to the city will be earmarked to replace buses.
New FTA projects: This was a pipe dream even before the storm. The Canal line was financed at an 80/20, federal-to-local ratio. The Bush Administration changed that to 50/50 in 2004. I suspect that funding the Iraq and Afgan wars played a big part in that change, and the military are spending even more money today than they were in 2004.
Labor: Everything is slow in terms of the construction business in New Orleans. The reason is obvious: The amount of construction work is overwhelming. From Metairie, where 6" to 1' of water in homes meant people had to cut out drywall up to 4' high (so you could easily rebuild the walls with 4' sheets), to parts of the city where homes got 10+ feet of water, there's a lot going on. The city's largest road construction firm (and the company that built the new Canal line) is Boh Brothers. They're wrapped up in a huge upgrade to I-10 in Jefferson Parish that started before the storm and won't be finished until next year.
What really slows down the municipal contracts is the residential and private commercial work. Businesses that needed to re-open as quickly as possible after the storm, as well as homeowners who needed to be back in their houses are willing to pay top dollar to general contractors. Those contractors in turn are able to offer much better wages to their crews than Boh Brothers can for street work, re-building St. Charles Avenue, or other low-bid municipal projects. Over 200K people have not returned to the metro area, and that drop has really put a hit on the pool of semi-skilled laborers. Sure, we've got a lot more Hispanic workers in the area (here both legally and illegally), but even they aren't enough to keep up with demand.
To sum it up, it's not as simple as fixing one issue or adding one ingredient to the gumbo to make transit projects in New Orleans click smoothly. As a local, I'm simply happy that we were fortunate enough that the Canal line trackage and wiring was essentially undamaged, and the 900-series streetcars were safe in Carrollton Station, so we at least have them running.
Posted by YatPundit at 4:42 PM | TrackBack
September 11, 2007
FTA rule changes may hurt light rail...
VERY interesting and comprehensive diary entry by The Overhead Wire on DailyKos this morning. Here's his summary:
The Federal Transit Administration(FTA) has issued a notice of proposed rule making (NPRM) for the New and Small Starts program that provides funding for major fixed guideway capital projects such as Light Rail, Heavy Rail, and Bus Rapid Transit. The proposed rules are alarming on a number of levels. Most notably in that they downgrade the importance of land use and economic development despite congressional direction to the contrary, and they propose to redefine the definition of fixed-guideway to include transit funding for highway lanes that use tolling schemes.
He has other issues with the rules as well. Here are his points, click through to the post to read the detail:
1. It would allow High Occupancy Toll lanes to qualify for New Starts funding - 2. It would make the dreaded cost effectiveness INDEX the primary factor in deciding the fate of funding for New Starts projects - 3. The rulemaking pushes cheap not completely dedicated guideway bus projects - 4. The importance of Land Use and Economic Development measures are reduced or ignored by the FTA - 5. Could lower ratings for cities who are trying to address future rather than current congestion issues -
The diary encourages everyone to contact their CongressCritters, urging them to block the rule changes.
Posted by YatPundit at 12:03 PM | TrackBack
September 10, 2007
900-series streetcars currently operating.
There was a question on a streetcar e-mail list about which of the 900s were in service on Canal. I did some looking at my photos, as well as those of a few other folks, and so far I've identified the following Perley A. Thomas cars operating on Canal in the post-storm era:
910, 915, 920, 921, 922, 923, 930, 940, 945, 947, 953, 954, 961, 965, 968, 969.
Of these, 930 was the first car back operating after the storm, having been trucked down to Canal from Carrollton. The rest were subsequently moved to Randolph, to make room for the Von Dullens and Riverfronts uptown.
I'm not clear on the status of the 2000s and 400s right at this moment. I'm going to run up to Carrollton in the next day or so to see what I can see, and I'll also ask around.
Posted by YatPundit at 3:44 PM | TrackBack
Feature Photo: The "Moving Beam" streetcar
The "Moving Beam" Car
In the 1870s and 1880s (before the electrification of street railway lines), streetcar operating companies were constantly working on methods to run the cars without using animal power. Steam power wasn't usually acceptable, because steam locomotives were too noisy for street railway operations. Anybody with an idea for a propulsion system could get an interview with a streetcar company.
One of the ideas that made its way to New Orleans was the "moving beam" streetcar, seen here being tested near Canal Station. The operator on the left-hand side of the photo would crank up the weel at the end of the car, which would move counterweights and turn gears, which would in turn move the overhead beams. The beams would then turn the large wheel at the back of the streetcar. That big wheel had blocks which came in contact with the ground. As the blocks pushed off on the ground, the car moved forward.
There were a number of problems with this propulsion method. It relied on the operator to occasionally crank it up, which could make for a long work day. The propelling wheel (which looks to me like a land-locked paddlewheel) did not adjust or compensate for irregularities in the street or gorund (such as potholes), so the ride could be bumpy.
The New Orleans City Railway Comnpany never took the "moving beam" car out of the testing phase, so the mule-powered "bobtail" cars continued to be the mainstay of Canal Street operations until electrification.
Posted by YatPundit at 8:15 AM | TrackBack
September 4, 2007
meta...
I've got a review of Bayou Coffee House on YatCuisine, and an article on New Orleans Public Schools on YatPundit.
Posted by YatPundit at 12:16 PM | TrackBack
Weekly Newsletter 2-September-2007
CanalStreetCar (dot com) Weekly #95
Posted by YatPundit at 12:09 PM | TrackBack
FSJNA Board Meeting
Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association Board meeting
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Monday September 10, 2007
Fair Grinds Coffee House - Upstairs - on Ponce de Leon
All are welcome
Posted by YatPundit at 8:07 AM | TrackBack
Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Watch
INTRODUCTORY MEETING
September 11th, 7 PM
McDonogh #28 City Park Academy
2733 Esplanade
Be Concerned, Be Careful, but most of all, Be Involved
Neighborhood Watch is a citizen's involvement program where citizens, in cooperation with the New Orleans Police Department, directly participate in the detection and prevention of crime in their neighborhood. Citizens involved in Neighborhood Watch are trained how to recognize suspicious or criminal activities and how to report these activities to the N.O.P.D. Neighborhood Watch Groups are trained by District Crime Prevention Officers focusing on particular crime problems in their neighborhood.
Neighborhood Watch works because people want to assume a more active role in making their community a safer place to live. Residents within a neighborhood are aware of who belongs there and who doesn't and what activity is suspicious. The most important reason Neighborhood Watch works is that citizens began working with, instead of relying on, law enforcement to combat crime in their community. You can do something about crime in your neighborhood by becoming involved in NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH.
Sponsored by the Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association
Posted by YatPundit at 7:56 AM | TrackBack
The Kobe Earthquake and Katrina
A very interesting seminar/conference is coming up next week:
Organized by the Louisiana State Museum, the Consulate General of Japan in New Orleans
Sponsored by the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership,
Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution
Date: Saturday, September 8, 2007
Time: Part I: 10:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m., Part II: 2:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m.
Venue: The Cabildo, the Louisiana State Museum historical museum complex
The program/agenda for this seminar is available here as a word document.
Posted by YatPundit at 7:53 AM | TrackBack
September 3, 2007
Mid-City Recovery Action Meeting Moved to Next Week
Mid-CIty Recovery Action Meeting Moved to Next Week
Monday September 3, 2007
6:30 pm - 8:00 p
Grace Episcopal Church
3700 Canal St
Due to the Labor Day holiday, our regular Mid-City meeting will be held one week later than normal. Come join us on Monday September 10th to find out the latest on Mid-City's recovery, elections, and other important issues.
Posted by YatPundit at 5:20 PM | TrackBack
Feature Photo: Perley A. Thomas on N. Carrollton
clicky photo for larger version
Perley A. Thomas streetcar 969 heading inbound on N. Carrollton Avenue.
Prior to the return of the Canal line in 2004, streetcars had never run on N. Carrollton Avenue. The Canal Belt line ran along City Park Avenue to Wisner, then across Bayou St. John to Esplanade Avenue, and the Esplanade Belt line ran in the opposite direction. The City Park line made its way through the neighborhood to City Park Avenue, N. Carrollton Avenue itself never had streetcar trackage.
The idea of the Carrollton Spur was to entice visitors who stay downtown to venture into Mid-City. Attractions such as City Park, the New Orleans Museum of Art, as well as a number of neat restaurants and interesting pubs await those who want a break from Da Quarters.
Since the storm put the Von Dullen cars out of commission, the 900s have been pressed into service once again outside of Uptown. Seeing the Green Ladies in Mid-City is a treat for the streetcar fan, since almost every photo of these streetcars in the neighborhood from the 1940s and 1950s is in black-and-white.