[PRCo] Streetcar lines

[Phillip Clark Campbell]

> >> On Wed, 17 Dec 2008, Jerry MATT Matsick wrote:
> >>
> >> Perhaps the stir of new Center Avenue area Hotel will convince the  
> >> city to put a new street car line in?
> >
> > On Dec 17, 2008, at 12:27 PM, Derrick J Brashear wrote:
> >
> > When a local libertarian proposed a streetcar line on South 21st St  
> > I knew they had some broader appeal.
> > Still, as a realist, "not gonna happen"
> >
> > I passed the site less than 24 hours ago. Right now the old  
> > hopsital is just a big hole.
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----

> From: Schneider Fred <fwschneider at comcast.net>
> 
> Mr.Anonymous wrote to Mr.Schneider:
> 
> 
> "One thing about this emerging development:  I am getting a clearer  
> understanding of how streetcar systems over-expanded in the early  
> 1900s.  We are seeing the exact same phenomenon now...streetcars have  
> suddenly become the definition of what a modern city should have, and  
> unknowledgable city fathers are all pushing them without any clear  
> business plan for whether it makes sense for their city.  The only  
> difference is that now it's governmental money (us) instead of  
> gullible private investors."
> 
> I can predict that Ken Josephson will agree with him.  Jerry might  
> not.  And I'm going to say I want the limited tax dollars put where  
> they are making sense, that is in cities that are expanding and  
> proving that rail is making sense and most of those, sadly for most  
> of us, are well to the west of the Mississippi River.   I'm having a  
> problem with putting it in places like Buffalo, St. Louis, Detroit or  
> Pittsburgh, where there are massive population declines, and then  
> proving that it works by having artificially low fares.
> 
> 
Another way to state the rail / streetcar idea is that it is the current 'fad' isn't
it.  I like streetcars but also agree they should serve a real purpose.  If
they are so important now then why did we get rid of most of them?
People / society are / is fickle and has a love which turns to hate 
relationship with most anything.

Pg.118 of Trolley Car Treasury shows that streetcars were a fad even
a century ago doesn't it.  Photographer went into a darkroom and put
a couple streetcars and track into a scene / town that never had them.
Long before photoshop isn't it.  Here is the photo caption in part:

"A town that didn't have at least one trolley line found it difficult
to keep up its self-esteem. ...trolley-less .. village of Croghan, N.Y., ..
postcard photographer ... plunged into his darkroom and emerged with
this locally popular but entirely bogus photograph.
It did make people feel a little better."

Strange that I was using this book as bedtime reading and now find
it pertinent.

How many of our rail systems today will be in danger because of bad
financing?  What's more this business of love/hate, build/destroy, and then
do it all over again is a tremendous waste of resources whether financial or
otherwise.  Where is true genuine long term planning?  The lease back
arrangements indicate it is not happening today.

Trolleys flourished behind the iron curtain until recently and there are now
indications that the 'new modern societies' over there are losing their love
for trolleys.  While I certainly prefer our governing and social system
infinitely more than others it does have a down side as well doesn't it.
What will happen to their trolleys in the future?  Can Mr.Cefer indicate
any change of heart of the general public toward trolleys?

A flip side to this is the current energy crunch which, like most / ALL other
things in life, is driven by $$$.  'Cheap' oil and we forget it is finite don't we.
'The reason' most of us cut back on driving is because of expense,
not concern for the planet and not concern over finite oil.  We anxiously
look forward to cheap oil to continue our old ways don't we.

Rail offers better transport options relative to motor coach with 
'current technology' but a break thru in battery tech is 'somewhere' 
on the horizon which will change the ratio.  Some time this century there
was a firm in Santa Barbara that had developed a 100% electric bus which
could operate for about 18-hours on a charge.  Portable charging stations
along routes could increase this time considerably when located near
layover terminals.  Can't remember the details but one of the Big-3
(Chrysler?) bought them out and they disappeared.

Streetcars as 'we' knew them are gone; what kind of 'rail' transit is in the future
is unknown until that future is 'now.'

Who was it that said Mr.Schneider and 'Phillip' don't agree?


Phil