railroad@ucbvax.ARPA (08/15/85)
From: Steve.Lammert@CMU-CS-A.ARPA
Office: UCC 167
Regarding: Message from Dan_Bower%RPI-MTS.Mailnet@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA
of 15 Aug 85 14:39:41 EDT
In-reply-to: <290347@RPI-MTS.Mailnet>
The old 49 Arlington/Warrington line is now back in service as "52 Allentown".
It has a special ramp from the southern end of the LRT bridge up to Arlington
Avenue, at the intersection with McArdle Roadway and the Liberty Bridge
(talk about complicated interchanges...). Arlington Avenue has not yet been
rebuilt, and so it is still single track for most of the way. The Warrington
Avenue section is now double-track (embedded in a new concrete surface) with
catenary. The grade is just as impressive as ever, and the new ramp matches
the old road for steepness.
Most of the 1600-series were refurbished in the '70s and renumbered as 1700s.
I haven't seen any of these running in the subway or up in Allentown, but
I'll keep my eyes open. Right now they're only running late-model 1700s,
with some of these re-re-furbished for subway service, and renumbered as 4000s.
If you're looking for 1600s, look for a wider body, no large ceiling vents,
and large square windows that roll down (ah-hah! that's probably why they
don't want to run them in the subway!).
Life in the subway is very good, by all accounts. Ridership on the South Hills
streetcars is up 35% (even though the 42/38 line is under construction, and
all traffic is using the Valley line, which is single-track for a few miles).
Ridership is up 200% during the middle of the day, and there is now a third
rush hour at lunch, as was predicted by many transit buffs.
It's still a bit difficult at the underground stations, as they were designed
primarily for the new Siemens light rail vehicles, which have high doors for
"level" entrance to each car. 80% of the station platform is at this high
level, and so only one streetcar at a time can pull up to the low "step-up"
platform at the far end. Long lines often form at rush hour as people queue up
for their turn on the low platform, but the Port Authority security people have
been very good at teaching courtesy ("Step away from the doors, please.
Let people off the car first."), and people are being generally good-natured
about it all.
The new LRVs will go into service late next year, when the rest of the 42/38
line is complete. Because of narrow clearances, the LRVs can't be run on
the Valley line.
Now if they'd only build a line out to Oakland!