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Date: Thu, 23 Apr 92 10:41:23 -0400
From: netnews admin
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
To: nobody
Subject: Part 4 of rec.railroad, Apr 23, 1992
Precedence: bulk
rec.railroad, Apr 23, 1992
Contents:
South Florida's Tri-Rail
M-K to challenge GE & GM
MARC looks to future
Greely Railway Exhibit?
Re: Passenger's Charter
Re: Texas/NewOrleans/KansasCity info?
Re: Car Attacks SP Train
London to Paris by ground Info request
------------------
From: [email protected] (Daffy Duck)
Subject: South Florida's Tri-Rail
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Date: 22 Apr 92 01:17:14 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Reply-To: [email protected]
After I posted an article mentioning that VRE will be the second new
commuter rail start in over 20 year, some questions were raised as to what
the first commuter rail start was. It was Florida's Tri-Rail and there is
an interesting aricle in the April 13th issue of Passenger Transport on
it.
"South Florida's Tri-Rail Sees Its Continuation Growing Firmer"
Special to Passenger Transport
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- After operating for three years as the
nation's newest commuter railroad in more than two decades, South
Florida's Tri-Rail service is being joined on both coasts of the country
by other new starts beginning new commuter services on existing railroad
lines.
"The resurgence of interest in commuter railroads in the U.S. is a
result of many communities looking for cost-effective and environmentally
sound solutions to their mass transportation problems," said Ed Kennedy,
chairman of the Tri-Rail system, and one of the early pioneers of the
concept in South Florida.
Since its inception, Tri-Rail has increased its ridership by 300
percent to an average dail ridership in excess of 9,000. Service levels
have increased 185 percent, with the increase from 18 to 24 trains daily
on weekdays and the addition of 18 Saturday trains. On time performance
ratings have risen from the mid-50 percent range when service first
started to an average of 92 percent -- a figure well within the acceptable
range considering the system operates on a single track with 11 passing
sidings.
As important as the success of the past three years are the plans
currently on the drawing boards for near-term future improvements to the
system.
A &45 million state corridor improvement plan, funded with state
dollars by the Florida DOT, wil be used over the next three years to
double track a majority of the 67 mile corridor. An additional $40
million capital program will add 3 more locomotives, improve maintenance
facilities, and add 10 additonal coaches within the next three years. The
three locomotives, all with state-of-the-art comfort cab features, are
scheduled to be delivered by Morrison-Knudsen by the summer and put into
service by fall, increasing Tri-Rail's dialy service to 29 trains.
Despite its status as the newest commuter rail agency in the nation.
Tri-Rail was awarded a $4.8 million Section 3 grant from the Federal
Transit Administration, allowing for an extension of the commuer service
to Miami International Airport terminal. The terminal facility will
someday house a major mulit-modal facility for Tri-rail as well as
Metro-Dade Transit and Amtrak.
On the norhtern portion of the system, studies are underway to
determine the ridership potential of extending the system into northern
Palm Beach County to accomodate demands for commuter service in the
growing industrial and business areas.
Though once though of as a temporary traffic mitigation project to
relieve the congestion on I-95 during a major highway conruction project.
Tri-Rail has become a permanent transportation alternative.
"We keep proving that the need exist and that the South Florida public
is ready to abandon their cars and use public transportation, if a
convenient and safe alternative is provided," said Gil Roberts, executive
director.
Originally funded for five years - through 1994 - as a temporary
project. Tri-Rail has recently received the commitment of the state to
continue funding operating cost for an additional five years. Add to this
the FTA committment to provide Section 9 funding for the first time in the
next fisical year, and the outlook is positive for the continuation of
service.
"We see the state's continued commitment to the operation of Tri-Rail
as a indication that Tri-Rail will be here for the long term," Robert
added.
------------------
From: [email protected] (Daffy Duck)
Subject: M-K to challenge GE & GM
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Date: 22 Apr 92 01:23:10 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Reply-To: [email protected]
Morrison Knudsen Corporation has signed an agreement with Caterpillar
Inc. to use state-of-the-art Caterpillar engined in railroad locomotives
manufactured by MK. MK will have the right to exclusively use three
different sizes of Caterpillar engines in railroad locomotives.
M-K will design and manufacture three different lines of locomotives
including a 5,000 HP freight locomotive and a 2.300 HP commuter service
locomotive, both using diesel Caterpillar locomotives. M-K wil also
manufacture a 1,200 horsepower switcher type locomotive using a natural
gas caterpillar engine. The manufacture of these engines will be in Boise,
ID headquaters of M-K, and home to a large M-K plant. These locomotives
will be marketed in the US, Canada, and Mexico.
------------------
From: [email protected] (Daffy Duck)
Subject: MARC looks to future
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Date: 22 Apr 92 01:58:05 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Reply-To: [email protected]
The following article appeared in the April 13, 1992 Passenger Transport
"MARC Faces Growing Demand of Outer Suburbs and Beyond"
Conference Co-Host Looks to Expand
Special to Passenger Transport
BWI AIRPORT, MD -- MARC Service is now beginning to come into its own.
The last few years of double-digit ridership growth has singified the role
of MARC in the public transportation picture of the Baltimore and
Washington metropolitan areas.
The demand for rail service for those commuters living in the outer
suburbs and even outside the urbanized areas has established MARC as a
long distance service that with direct connections to Washington
Metropolitan Areat Transit Authority Metrorail, allows easy access to and
around the central business istrict. The demand for MARC has also caused
the Maryland DOT to look to new markets and lines that will the tie the
entire state by rail.
The recent success of MARC, which is a co-host of the Commuter Rail
Conference underway in Washington, was not without some early doublt, and
obstacles. The Maryland DOT contracted with the B&O Railroad (now CSX
Transportation) in March 1974 for operations of the Camden and Brunswick
Line services. The B&O commuter rail operations had become a financial
burden to B&O and the state stepped in to preserve the services.
Similarly, the federal rail acts of the mid-1970s resulted in Maryland
DOT contracting with Conrail in 1976 for the operation of the Penn Line.
At that time, there was a total of only 20 trains each weekday systemwide.
The rolling stock fleet was an assortment of leased cars and locomotive
form multiple sources.
By the early 1980's, MARC had survived the repeated attempts by
skeptics to pare back swrvice to a point where a committment, although
limited, was made to purchase and rehabilitate used rolling stock and do
some station improvements and certain legistlative initiatives solidified
MARCs role. In 1982, Amtrak took over a s the contractor for the Penn
Line service.
Subsequently, over the next few years, MARC went ahead with the
purchase of new rolling stock, completed improvements/expansion of almost
every station, and opened two new stations. Although this may appear as a
major expansion, the mid-1980s was a time to bring the core system up to
par, setting the stage for the expansion of the late 1980s.
The first major expansion of MARC Service occurred in 1988 and 1989
when additional peak period trains were added on all three lines and
off-peak trains on the Penn Line. New operating agreements with the
railroads that had been finalized were oriented to expanding train
frequencies. Also, from 1987 to 1991, a second phase of parking expansion
projects came to fruition that, coupled with new rolling stock, purchased
a few years earlier, resulted in a doubling train frequenceies and
ridership.
Highlighting this growth period was the first expanison of the MARC
system. In May 1991, service was opened to four new stations in
northeastern Maryland along Amtrak Northeast Corridor Line. This new
service area was an extension of the MARC Penn Line service operating
between Baltimore and Washington. The initial ridership projection of 600
daily riders was met within the first six months of services.
MARC's most current projects address the all-important service
reliability as well as seating capacity. In 1990, MARC and CSX
Transporation, through means of a federal grant, initiated a $13 million
project to upgrade the Camden and Brunswick lines by installing a
centralized traffic control system. The new system, just recently
operational on the Camden Line and programmed for completion on the
Brunwick Line by 1993, will provide for greater operating flexibility and
improved reliability.
Also recently completed was the delivery of 12 rebuilt MARC I-type
cars and 25 new MARC II cars with deliver of 10 more of these cars in
early 1993. The additional cars increase the MARC fleet ot over 100 cars
and a sorely needed to accomodate the acute seating capacity shortage
caused by ridership gains.
MARC's plans for the future are two-fold; to continue to upgrade
existing srvices and expand off-peak service to all three lines; and to
broaden MARC's service area to include new lines in central, southern, and
western Maryland.
The growing public response for MARC ephasizes the need for more
commuter rail service not only in existing areas but to new areas. MARC
is looking to expand service to Frederick. This new service would use an
existing CSX Transportation rail line that connects with the Brunwick Line
at Point of Rocks. Further extension of the Brusnwick line service to
Hagerstown and Cumberland in western, Maryland is also planned.
Focusing in a differnet direction, MARC service to southern Maryland is
also being studied. This service would use an existing Contrail line
thyat connects with Amtrak's Northease Corridor at Bowie, providing
service to both Washington and Baltimore.
Much has happened and much more is planned. The success of MARC's past
promises to be the driving force for future growth.
------------------
From: [email protected] (Robert Wier)
Subject: Greely Railway Exhibit?
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Date: 22 Apr 92 06:31:24 GMT
Organization: Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff AZ
I note from the new issure of "Americana" magazine that there
is currently a rail exhibit at the Greeley Municipal
Museum. Can anyone say more about it? It appears to run thru
May 16th, which would be a bit of a strain for me to get there
just after final exams end.
Incidentally, Greeley is up north of Denver a bit...
THANKS
- Bob Wier
---------- insert favorite standard disclaimers here ----------
home of the mc68hc11 mailing list
Internet: [email protected] | BITNET: WIER@NAUVAX | WB5KXH
"Springtime in the Rockies - time to smell flowers, ride trains
mow the clover, sleep late, count the stars, watch the birds"
------------------
From: [email protected] (Richard Porter)
Subject: Re: Passenger's Charter
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Date: 22 Apr 92 13:33:31 GMT
Reply-To: [email protected] (Richard Porter)
Organization: BNR Europe Limited
In article <[email protected]> [email protected] (Ken Johnson) writes:
>Did anyone else notice that the B.R. quality of service docum,ent is
>called the `Passenger's Charter' and not the `Customer's Charter'? (The
>apostrophe is as I have placed it, by the way, not `Passengers' ...')
A passenger is someone who travels without having to work: a customer
is someone who buys goods or services. BR has many passengers who are
not customers (e.g. staff travelling "on the cushions") and many customers
who are not passengers (e.g. freight and parcels customers). For this reason
I believe that station announcements should be addressed to passengers
and not customers. Maybe the Charter applies specifically to passengers.
Richard
------------------
From: [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.travel,rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Texas/NewOrleans/KansasCity info?
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Date: 22 Apr 92 13:31:34 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (News Service)
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, Bedford MA 01730
Nntp-Posting-Host: mbvm.mitre.org
In article <[email protected]>
[email protected] (David A Rasmussen) writes:
>
>I want to ride the dinner train from Houston to Galveston. Where is that
>in relation to the Amtrash station? The hotel book showed a Allen Park
>Inn that looked within a mile of the station in some roundabout way.
>There also was the Day's Inn Downtown at $52, not as close though.
>
Can't help on the hotels, but maybe I can on the train. The "dinner train"
is the Texas Limited. It's great!! Runs from the Amtrak station in Houston.
Schedule in 1990 showed 2 round trips on Saturday, with the second one getting
back to Houston about midnight. The catch is the following: Though they leave
from the Amtrak station, they are not allowed to sell tickets there. You HAVE
TO BUY TICKETS IN ADVANCE FROM TICKETRON!! We didn't know that, and cajoled
them into selling us tickets at the train, but they made it clear that that
was against the rules, and they were only doing us a favor as dumb tourists
from "Yankee Land".
The Galveston station is an excellent museum, and as I recall, the dinner
(which we skipped 'cause we were too tired to stay out till midnight) was
served in a stationary dining car at the Galveston station. There is also a
"trolley" running on the street in Galveston. It is a gasoline-powered rail
car, and looks more or less like an old trolley car. Supposedly the original
plan was to operate it by electricity, and officially that is still the intent,
but "temporarily" it is gas-powered. Supposedly one of the "problems" with
electric operation is the frequency of sever storms in Galveston which would
wreak havoc with overhead wires.
Len Bachelder Archives Committee, Boston and Maine RR Historical Society
MITRE Corp. Secretary, Massachusetts Bay Railroad Enthusiasts
Bedford MA 01730 Member, 470 Railroad Club
"Amazing love, how can it be that Thou, my God, should'st die for me!"
- Charles Wesley
------------------
From: [email protected] (D. L. TURNOCK)
Subject: Re: Car Attacks SP Train
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Sender: [email protected] (USENET Network News)
Organization: HELL'S NERDS
Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1992 12:45:25 GMT
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (Jeff Comer) writes:
>
> [email protected] (Michael G. Lohmeyer) writes:
> > There were no lights or gates and the only thing the engineer was
> >using to warn cars was his horn!! This couldn't be right. Every railroad
> >crossing I have ever seen that didn't have lights or gates has had
> >breakman with flares, etc. to control traffic while the train crosses.
> >Am I missing something here?
>
About a year ago, I went to driving school because I went too fast on the
highway in the presence of a State Trooper with an unfilled quota (but that is
a long and pain filled story best posted somewhere else). They posted a stat
that I found unbelievable but probably true. They told us that two-thirds of
the car train accidents were caused by the car initiating contact with the
train. I don't really know the reasons behind this but stupidity certainly
seems to be a contributing factor.
Dave
[email protected]
The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of anyone including
Mr. Turnock. They certainly are not those of his employer.
------------------
Newsgroups: rec.travel,rec.railroad
From: [email protected] (jishnu.mukerji)
Subject: London to Paris by ground Info request
Organization: AT&T
Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1992 14:24:27 GMT
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Followup-To: poster
I am planning to travel from London to Paris by train/boat/catamaran
early in May. My trusty April issue of the Thomas Cook European
Timetable says that there is a train out of London(Victoria) at 11:10
which gets me into Paris(Nord) at 18:32, which fits my plans ideally.
The channel crossing on this one is on a Seacat catamaran. A footnote
indicates that "Advance reservation is essential on catamaran service
as accommodation is limited". So here are my questions:
(i) How easy/difficult is it to get reservation on the cat? How much
in advance does one need to make a reservation in order to get a seat?
(ii) Can I make this reservation at Victoria? Can one make a
reservation over the phone? If so what is the telephone number to
call?
(iii) How much does London-Paris cost? Do they accept payment by
credit card for the fare?
Thanks much. Please Email me I will summarize.
Jishnu Mukerji
[email protected]
------------------
*** End of part 4, more to come...
Very nice! Thank you for this wonderful archive. I wonder why I found it only now. Long live the BBS file archives!
This is so awesome! 😀 I’d be cool if you could download an entire archive of this at once, though.
But one thing that puzzles me is the “mtswslnkmcjklsdlsbdmMICROSOFT” string. There is an article about it here. It is definitely worth a read: http://www.os2museum.com/wp/mtswslnk/