From dickmyers at wi.rr.com Wed Jul 1 14:27:52 2009 From: dickmyers at wi.rr.com (Dick Myers) Date: Wed, 1 Jul 2009 13:27:52 -0500 Subject: [milwaukee-electric] Plan Calls For Midwest High Speed Rail Running At 220 MPH Message-ID: <93B9B75FB4254CE58338B3FDE36AE2A5@DickPC> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/30/plan-calls-for-midwest-hi_n_223500.html CHICAGO (AP) -- When it comes to trains, there's fast and then there's really, really fast. Advocates on Tuesday unveiled an $11.5 billion plan for a Chicago-St. Louis high-speed line that could cut travel times to two hours from the current five. If built, it would be among the fastest U.S. lines and would rival high-tech systems already in place in Europe and Asia. Under the proposal, electric-powered trains would zoom the nearly 300 miles between Chicago and St. Louis at up to 220 mph - more than 100 mph faster than diesel-powered trains under a comparatively modest plan already advocated by eight Midwestern governors. The newer plan is generating excitement among rail enthusiasts, some of whom pooh-pooh the gubernatorial proposal - which envisions trains that reach top speeds of 110 mph - as too conservative. Tuesday's proposal - the focus of a study released by the non-profit Midwest High Speed Rail Association - would require upgrading tracks and bridges as well as electrifying the line. The estimated price tag doesn't include costs of new trains or maintenance. With backing from Illinois officials, the ambitious project could be done in time for the 2016 Summer Olympics, which Chicago is bidding to host, said Rick Harnish, the association's executive director. A deadline seven years away, he said, is ambitious but doable. "You sometimes need an audacious goal," he said. "We also need to catch up to the rest of the world." The proposal for a 220-mph service is intended to complement, not replace, the governors' plan, Harnish said. The 110 mph trains would serve more communities and make more stops en route, something Harnish and his Chicago-based group supports. Pluses of the newly proposed electric-train line would include helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Harnish said. Backers want Illinois to apply for $10 million in federal stimulus funds for further analysis they hope could lead to a detailed plan. Harnish conceded money to foot the total bill of the project may have to come from new taxes or fees. "But I think the public will accept a new funding stream if it includes paying for new ways of travel," he said. Skeptics question whether any benefits would justify the cost. "This is a classic case of a nice idea - but one where the government will end up misallocating dollars," said John Tillman, head of the conservative Illinois Policy Institute. "This would be subsidized travel when there are already ways to get to and from St. Louis and Chicago." The $11.5 billion would be better spent, he said, on buying 1 million fuel-efficient cars. He also questioned whether electric trains would be more environmentally friendly given that they would likely rely on energy generated by coal-burning plants. The estimated $10 billion proposal backed by the Midwest governors would join 12 metropolitan areas, including Chicago and St. Louis, in a network with Chicago as its hub. Upgrading existing tracks would enable trains to travel up to 110 mph, according to the plan. Currently, the top speed of trains running between Chicago and St. Louis, Bloomington and Springfield is just under 80 mph. The Midwest governors' plan and a California proposal are front runners in the race for $8 billion in federal stimulus cash set aside for high-speed rail. California wants to build 800 miles of high-speed track connecting the San Francisco-San Jose area with Los Angeles and Anaheim. The only rail service that currently qualifies as high-speed - that is, where trains travel at more than 90 mph - is Amtrak's Acela Express connecting Boston to Washington, D.C. -ASSOCIATED PRESS From x779 at webtv.net Wed Jul 1 18:53:04 2009 From: x779 at webtv.net (mrcooby) Date: Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:53:04 -0000 Subject: [milwaukee-electric] "Gridlock" airs here over Channel 10 on Thursday. Message-ID: "GRIDLOCK" FILM EXPLORING TRANSIT IN SE WISCONSIN TO AIR THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2009 AT 6:00 PM ON MPTV An hour-long version of "Gridlock - Public Transit in SE Wisconsin" ? a feature-length documentary focusing on the politically,culturally and emotionally-charged issues surrounding transit and its related government spending ? will be airing on Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 6PM on WMVS Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10.1 (MPTV). Independent filmmaker Mark Irving, producers Jon Baade and Julie Olson, along with their video/interactive production company i level media, inc., produced Gridlock and worked with MPTV to air an edited, hour-long version on July 2. Gridlock ? in both its hour-long and feature-length versions ? examines the question "Does Southeastern Wisconsin need a modern public transportation system and, if so, what will it be and how does the region go about getting it?" Gridlock focuses on the money, politics and environmental choices as well as the at-times emotional and personal stories of people in Southeastern Wisconsin and the Chicago-Milwaukee metroplex. However, the Gridlock documentary could just as easily have examined similar interurban corridors in the United States where public transportation, traffic problems, the environment and the geographic dispersal of job opportunities are becoming issues. Filmmaker Irving states that there are many metroplexes where gridlock is effecting the transportation, economy and politics in ways very similar to those seen in Southeastern Wisconsin. "We scripted and are producing Gridlock as a one-stop-shop for comprehensive information on modern public transportation systems" said Mark Irving, producer-director. "We have also researched, filmed and explored transit scenarios in major metropolitan areas across the USA while gathering a tremendous amount of data and background about the costs and benefits of either adopting ? or avoiding ? mass transit." Irving and his fellow filmmakers are looking for final funding to complete the feature-length version and have a produced a promo/trailer at http://www.gridlockdocumentary.com/ to give potential investors and future audiences a feeling for the experience that the finished film provides. From x779 at webtv.net Thu Jul 2 12:11:50 2009 From: x779 at webtv.net (Louis Rugani) Date: Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:11:50 GMT Subject: [milwaukee-electric] Midwest High Speed Rail Message-ID: Both unbelievable and believable: the conservative opposition/rejoinder to HSR is to buy, then dump one million more cars on the Interstates. O-kayyy.... =Lou= ~~~~~~~~~~ **-=\/=-** ~~~~~~~~~~ The opposite of bravery is not cowardice, but conformity.  Robert Anthony -----Original Message----- From: Dick Myers Sent: Wednesday, July 1, 2009 1:27 PM To: "Undisclosed-Recipient:;"@webtv.net Subject: [milwaukee-electric] Plan Calls For Midwest High Speed Rail Running At 220 MPH http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/30/plan-calls-for-midwest-hi_n_223500.html CHICAGO (AP) -- When it comes to trains, there's fast and then there's really, really fast. Advocates on Tuesday unveiled an $11.5 billion plan for a Chicago-St. Louis high-speed line that could cut travel times to two hours from the current five. If built, it would be among the fastest U.S. lines and would rival high-tech systems already in place in Europe and Asia. Under the proposal, electric-powered trains would zoom the nearly 300 miles between Chicago and St. Louis at up to 220 mph - more than 100 mph faster than diesel-powered trains under a comparatively modest plan already advocated by eight Midwestern governors. The newer plan is generating excitement among rail enthusiasts, some of whom pooh-pooh the gubernatorial proposal - which envisions trains that reach top speeds of 110 mph - as too conservative. Tuesday's proposal - the focus of a study released by the non-profit Midwest High Speed Rail Association - would require upgrading tracks and bridges as well as electrifying the line. The estimated price tag doesn't include costs of new trains or maintenance. With backing from Illinois officials, the ambitious project could be done in time for the 2016 Summer Olympics, which Chicago is bidding to host, said Rick Harnish, the association's executive director. A deadline seven years away, he said, is ambitious but doable. "You sometimes need an audacious goal," he said. "We also need to catch up to the rest of the world." The proposal for a 220-mph service is intended to complement, not replace, the governors' plan, Harnish said. The 110 mph trains would serve more communities and make more stops en route, something Harnish and his Chicago-based group supports. Pluses of the newly proposed electric-train line would include helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Harnish said. Backers want Illinois to apply for $10 million in federal stimulus funds for further analysis they hope could lead to a detailed plan. Harnish conceded money to foot the total bill of the project may have to come from new taxes or fees. "But I think the public will accept a new funding stream if it includes paying for new ways of travel," he said. Skeptics question whether any benefits would justify the cost. "This is a classic case of a nice idea - but one where the government will end up misallocating dollars," said John Tillman, head of the conservative Illinois Policy Institute. "This would be subsidized travel when there are already ways to get to and from St. Louis and Chicago." The $11.5 billion would be better spent, he said, on buying 1 million fuel-efficient cars. He also questioned whether electric trains would be more environmentally friendly given that they would likely rely on energy generated by coal-burning plants. The estimated $10 billion proposal backed by the Midwest governors would join 12 metropolitan areas, including Chicago and St. Louis, in a network with Chicago as its hub. Upgrading existing tracks would enable trains to travel up to 110 mph, according to the plan. Currently, the top speed of trains running between Chicago and St. Louis, Bloomington and Springfield is just under 80 mph. The Midwest governors' plan and a California proposal are front runners in the race for $8 billion in federal stimulus cash set aside for high-speed rail. California wants to build 800 miles of high-speed track connecting the San Francisco-San Jose area with Los Angeles and Anaheim. The only rail service that currently qualifies as high-speed - that is, where trains travel at more than 90 mph - is Amtrak's Acela Express connecting Boston to Washington, D.C. -ASSOCIATED PRESS From dickmyers at wi.rr.com Thu Jul 2 12:41:32 2009 From: dickmyers at wi.rr.com (Dick Myers) Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2009 11:41:32 -0500 Subject: [milwaukee-electric] ConCor Electroliner Message-ID: <35A22B215FF945D8877D697CA52B67B9@DickPC> I just received my ConCor HO Electroliner in the mail, and I must say I am really pleased. I ordered it last week from GHB International and paid $300 plus $7 for shipping. Since I don't have a layout I will probably get a display case to protect it. I also have an "O" gauge 'Liner as well, also in a display case. We are in the midst of moving from Racine to Chicago, so there are boxes everywhere, but I just had to sit down and admire the workmanship on this ConCor model. It would be nice to see it run on someone else's layout. They included reprints of the John Horachek 1982 Trains articles on the NSL, plus copies of some timetables. Regards.......Dick From DLeistikow at webtv.net Thu Jul 2 14:24:40 2009 From: DLeistikow at webtv.net (Don L. Leistikow) Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2009 13:24:40 -0500 Subject: [milwaukee-electric] Re: Midwest High Speed Rail In-Reply-To: "Louis Rugani" 's message of Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:11:50 GMT Message-ID: <6026-4A4CFB68-2346@storefull-3171.bay.webtv.net> Group: What to say? Wisconsin once again abandons alternative forms of public transportation. The widening of I 94 north from the Illinois State line will be out of funds before it begins construction. Billions of dollars will be appropriated for this uneeded project that continues to provide transportation through our State without a Toll Gate. Drive through Wisconsin... FREE, should be the motto of our DOT. Jim Doyle cuts budgets across the board... almost! What the highway lobby wants, the highway lobby, gets! It is time to develop alternate forms of public transportation, that includes street railways, electric rail Rapid Transit on a private right of way and commuter trains on existing rail lines. We didn't need a new upgraded Marquette Interchange that came in under budget. As not generally known, and as I understand it, the Rebar which should have been coated to assure long life, was not done by the Contractor and surely must have been known to WisDOT. So, in consequence, the Marquette Interchange will not survive the length of time for which it was intended. In simple terms, we've been short-changed. Do we need a new and expanded Zoo Interchange? I think not! Simply rebuild it to its present configuration. Then contine do so for the remaining interchanges as they need replacement. Certainly, this will reduce the cost of construction, mainly because no more private property will need to be acquired. How will we pay for maintenance and replacement construction? Pass some new legislation to put Toll Gates on our Freeways. Meanwhile, Bluemound and Wisconsin Avenues continue to be at undercapacity for the minority of traffic moving on them. There is nothing Free... about the Freeway! Don L. Leistikow From x779 at webtv.net Wed Jul 8 23:14:40 2009 From: x779 at webtv.net (mrcooby) Date: Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:14:40 -0000 Subject: [milwaukee-electric] History Mystery Streetcar Tour Message-ID: History Mystery Streetcar Tour The Kenosha History Center is proud to announce that a brand new History Mystery tour is scheduled for this summer. This time, we will be traveling back in time on Kenosha's Electric Streetcars. The date is Saturday, Aug. 29, and the special event for local history buffs will begin on the streetcar route: with wine and a gourmet buffet at Ashling on the Lough, 125 ? 56th St. Cocktails will be at 5:30 p.m., followed by Dinner at 6:00 p.m. At 7:00 p.m., we will board one of the electric streetcars for our trip back in time. Tickets are $45 and available at the Kenosha History Center (220 ? 51st Pl., 262-654-5770) and can be purchased by check or with MasterCard/VISA. There are only 42 seats on the Streetcar so get your tickets quickly! Our conductor for the tour will be local historian Don Jensen, who has led a number of previous History Mystery tours around Kenosha and the rural areas of Kenosha County. Those who have been on these historical adventures in the past, know that Jensen will be spinning non-stop stories about interesting people and places from the community's past. This time he will focus on history as it evolved over the past decades and centuries along the streetcar loop, from the Metra railway station, past the venerable Civic Center plaza, through downtown and HarborPark and back along Kenosha's harbor. The hour-long streetcar trip will be punctuated by frequent stops and several brief jaunts on foot down interesting streets along the way. You will learn about Kenosha's streetcar history, the irate property owner who went to court because she didn't want the tracks running down her street, about the battle for riders between the streetcars and the jitney taxis. We will learn about the Sammy Bar and what went wrong with the Rite Spot. And how about the store that suddenly found its first floor displays in the basement! And as we continue our rail tour around downtown, we will hear about our own Lady Liberty and how the city managed to move a huge post office an entire block. We will be introduced to perhaps our least appreciated art gallery and view sites where our ancestors played baseball indoors long before there was a Miller Park and where U.S. Presidents spoke to Kenosha voters. Jensen will continue to spin a historical web with plenty of other tales of our downtown and lakefront areas that will both educate and entertain you about our little known past, our hometown history mysteries. ##### Meridith Jumisko Public Relations & Graphic Design Coordinator Kenosha Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Phone: 800-654-7309 ext. 13, 262-654-7307 ext. 13 Web Site: http://www.kenoshacvb.com Media Room: http://www.kenoshacvb.com/media/press.asp Email: mjumisko at ... Fax: 262-654-0882 Mail: 812-56th Street, Kenosha, WI, 53140 --- End forwarded message --- From x779 at webtv.net Wed Jul 22 09:58:03 2009 From: x779 at webtv.net (mrcooby) Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:58:03 -0000 Subject: [milwaukee-electric] The Aginners. Message-ID: On Sat, 18 Jul 2009, johngalthouston wrote: "Sometime, come to Houston and ask people on the street (not your friends or special interest group advocates, just the basic guy-on-the-street. I do, I did, the opinions found there are overwhelmingly against trolley cars in the streets. Have a nice say all." ================ Ah, yes, the "Aginners". Where would we be if everything went smoothly? We've all met our share of Aginners. They fit a pattern. They talk loud and poke your chest. Sometimes they spray saliva on you. They talk in extremes, i.e, "nobody will ride it, everybody is against it, nobody wants it", etcetera. Ask them what their specific objection is, and suddenly they quit being specific. After a stunned silence while they collect their, uh, thoughts, they blurt out either a generality, i.e., "Waste of money!" (the old Aginner favorite), or a vague question, i.e. "Who's gonna ride it?" Naturally, if you take the bait, ten words into your reply they'll interrupt and change the subject. Aginners don't want answers, aginners want a sounding board to vent their frustrations over never doing anything with their lives except maybe building birdhouses with Popsicle sticks and a glue gun. Am I right-on? Now the good news: aginners are all talk. They hardly ever show at the meetings where the decisions are made ("Wouldn't do no good!") and when they do, their arguments probably do their "anti-cause" more harm than good. As Groucho Marx sang: "I don't care what you have to say, it makes no difference anyway, whatever it is, I'm against it. "Your proposition may be good, but let's have one thing understood, whatever it is, I'm against it. "No matter wo proposed it or commenced it, I'm against it. "For months before my son was born, I used to yell from night till morn, 'Whatever it is, I'm against it!' And I've been yelling since I first commenced it:"'I'm against it!' "