FNS
Voyager 
The Empire Builder train of yesteryear in HO scale
Posts: 4,942
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Post by FNS on Oct 16, 2008 13:24:23 GMT -8
Didn't know exactly where to put this. It's a very happy day for Whidbey and Camano islands. The transit system of Island County is getting an award!  From: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Transit/Reports/2008/October.htmCongratulations Island Transit! BTW, the photo at Keystone was taken when the MV OLYMPIC was still running! IT began transit operations in 1987 and not a farebox can be seen aboard these buses. IT is financed through taxable purchases in Island County. When I went to Whidbey Island the other week, four new paratransit buses were aboard the MV KITTITAS. All painted in IT colors. They were on their way to Coupeville for commissioning. IT has an amazing disposal program for its retired buses. |
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Post by Freeland on Mar 15, 2009 13:09:15 GMT -8
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Post by Northern Exploration on Mar 15, 2009 13:40:54 GMT -8
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Post by Kahloke on May 4, 2009 20:51:42 GMT -8
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Post by Kahloke on Jul 6, 2009 11:36:57 GMT -8
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Post by Kahloke on Jul 17, 2009 7:59:09 GMT -8
Here's an article on the light rail opening this weekend: Light-rail debut to offer a little bit for everybody
Sound Transit is organizing one of Seattle's biggest public parties in years, as thousands of people are expected to wait up to an hour for a free train ride Saturday.
By Mike Lindblom
Seattle Times transportation reporter
PREV of NEXT
ELLEN M. BANNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels will speak at the Mount Baker Station on Saturday.
Related
Light rail boosts some businesses, hurts others
Would-be light-rail riders bemoan lack of parking
Opinion | Sound Transit's light-rail grand opening shows region is on the right track
Sound Transit pumps up light-rail security with lights, cameras, officers
Interactive light-rail map: Where it goes, how to pay
Video | Light-rail ride along
Opening day
8:20 a.m.: Opening ceremony at Mount Baker Station
10 a.m.: Service begins. Rides are free all day.
8 p.m.: Service ends.
Link light-rail basics
Special hours this weekend: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Rides are free both days.
Opening-day buses: Round-trip train rides will not be permitted Saturday. At Tukwila and Westlake, all passengers must leave the train. Riders can wait in line for a return trip or take special Metro buses, some of which will stop at all Link stations, while other express runs will make fewer stops.
Regular hours: 5 a.m.-1 a.m. Monday-Saturday; 6 a.m.-midnight Sundays, holidays. Trains will arrive as often as every 7.5 minutes at peak times.
Fares: $1.75-$2.50 for adults; FlexPass, PugetPass and bus transfers may be applied to the fare. (Details on fares, passes and transfers are available in our interactive guide at seattletimes.com)
Opening day by station
Westlake Station: Gather in Westlake Park. To avoid crowding, employees will lead riders into the downtown transit tunnel, to fill one train at a time. Travel to Bite of Seattle at Seattle Center by foot, bus or monorail.
Stadium Station: Expect crowd surges before and after Sounders FC game against Chelsea, at noon.
Mount Baker Station: Opening ceremony: 8:20 a.m. Speeches by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, Tukwila Mayor Jim Haggerton, others.
Columbia City Station: Pedicab rides for $1 to historic district along Rainier Avenue South. Free maps for historic walking tour. Discounts, sidewalk sales, free drinks.
Othello Station: Several blocks away, a pancake breakfast, $6, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Southeast Seattle Senior Center, Rainier Avenue South and South Holly Street. Next to the station, a party, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., includes music, dragon dance, break dancing by Massive Monkees at 3:30 p.m.
Tukwila International Boulevard Station: Riders must get off at Tukwila station (and Westlake Station) and wait in line for a return trip, or take a special Metro express bus.
Sound Transit is organizing one of Seattle's biggest public parties in years, as thousands of people are expected to wait up to an hour for a free train ride Saturday.
More than 700 paid and volunteer workers, and more than $1 million, are being devoted to making the crowds as comfortable as possible at a dozen Link light-rail stations.
There will be music, information booths, drinking water, some food — even people who will hold your place in line while you're away at one of the portable toilets. Merchants and neighborhood groups will have events at some stops.
At Westlake Station, expected to be the busiest, the pilgrimage will begin outdoors in the nearby plaza, where people will walk through the lines, until staffers escort them to the underground station in groups of 200, to meet each train.
All light-rail rides will be free from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Ridership is hard to predict on any new rail system, even more so at an opening like this.
Sound Transit will deploy a dozen two-car trains, running every 7 ½ minutes, filled with up to 350 people per train, all weekend.
That works out to 56,000 one-way rides for the whole 14 miles Saturday.
"Fireworks effect"
Crowd-control strategies are based on experience in Phoenix, where a startling 90,000 people showed up for a light-rail opening in December. In Minneapolis, 52,000 rides were taken during a Saturday light-rail opening in 2004.
Mayor Greg Nickels and transit officials this spring spoke of preparing for up to 100,000 trips in green Seattle.
But this week, publicists regret that news reports fixated on that number.
They now worry about losing rail seekers to the "fireworks effect" — just two weeks ago, after dire warnings, crowds were relatively light north of Lake Union during the July 4 display.
Based on other light-rail openings, planners expect more than double the typical weekday volume.
"There could be lines, there may be crowds. That doesn't preclude you from coming down and enjoying a ride," said Ron Klein, Sound Transit communications director. "Even if you have to wait in line, we will have water, we will have entertainment, we will make it an enjoyable experience. We want as many people as possible to be able to tell their children and grandchildren they were the first to ride Link light rail."
The $1.1 million budget for opening weekend includes $200,000 in police overtime, $133,000 for buses, $195,000 on a crowd and event consultant, $193,000 on staffing, $67,250 for government permits, $42,000 to entertainers, and $46,000 to put a 12-page insert into The Seattle Times and The (Tacoma) News Tribune. Sponsorships are covering $183,600.
Stations will have entertainment; police will be at major intersections. Extra bicycle-parking racks will be added.
The event rivals the first baseball game at Safeco Field in July 1999, demolition of the Kingdome in March 2000 or the first football game at Seahawks Stadium (now Qwest Field) in August 2002.
The train isn't the only attraction. People also will ride to the Sounders FC soccer game against Chelsea FC on Saturday, and the Bite of Seattle all weekend at Seattle Center.
Another wild card is that unlike in Phoenix, the line here is much shorter and has only one park-and-ride lot, at Tukwila.
Officials advise people not to drive because on-street parking near stations is very limited. Two-hour weekday parking limits for nonresidents take effect Monday.
Sound Transit assumes most passengers will board at Westlake or Tukwila, with only 15 or 20 people coming on at each station in between. However, surges of soccer fans at Sodo, International District or Stadium stations might disrupt the flow.
At both ends of the line, riders can either get back in line to make a return trip, or switch to Metro buses that will travel the length of the route. The buses are meant to give people an alternative to waiting in a train line — and would also open up room on the return trains.
Sound Transit startup manager Mike Williams said it would be possible to add more trains, but he doesn't expect to do so.
Normal service on the $2.3 billion, 14-mile line from downtown to Tukwila starts at 5 a.m. Monday.
Mike Lindblom: 206-515-5631seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009485938_stopeningday17m.htmlI may go on Sunday afternoon. If I do, I'll try to get some pics. |
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Post by Kahloke on Jul 26, 2009 16:34:52 GMT -8
Nice pics of Canada Line. One of these days, I'll take the Link Light Rail line from Tukwila into Seattle and get pictures of that. I had thought of going on the opening weekend, but wasn't all that interested in the massive crowds they were expecting, so I still haven't ridden the new train yet.
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Post by SS San Mateo on Aug 19, 2009 8:37:24 GMT -8
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Post by Kahloke on Aug 19, 2009 9:28:30 GMT -8
That's pretty cool - had no idea our regional county and city transit systems were that interconnected, and could actually take you that far.
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Post by SS San Mateo on Aug 19, 2009 9:45:35 GMT -8
That's pretty cool - had no idea our regional county and city transit systems were that interconnected, and could actually take you that far. Some of these connections are more recent (like the SKAT and Island Transit connection to Everett Station and the WTA buses connection to Mt. Vernon). |
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Post by Scott on Aug 19, 2009 18:02:10 GMT -8
Good read, San Mateo. Didn't know that could be done... how far south of Seattle can one go by public transit?
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Post by Kahloke on Aug 30, 2009 22:00:36 GMT -8
OK - transit and train fans out there. I finally rode Link Light Rail today from end to end - Tukwila to Westlake Station in downtown Seattle. It's pretty cool. Much of it is elevated, but the Rainier Valley and SODO sections are at grade, and there are two tunnel sections: downtown, and Beacon Hill. We went to the Mariners game today. Unfortunately, they lost, but it was a great day to be at a ball game. Tukwila International Blvd Station: sits very high on its platform  art at Tukwila Station  escalators from ticketing level up to train platform  Link Light Rail train at Tukwila Station  Station map inside train  passing alongside SR599 in Tukwila - bridge spans Green River  passing over I-5 near Boeing Field  Link Train at International District Station  inside a train car  We're back at Tukwila  |
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Post by Dane on Aug 31, 2009 17:43:35 GMT -8
That seems to be very Vancouver influenced in its construction, very nice!
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Post by lmtengs on Aug 31, 2009 18:39:00 GMT -8
Very nice. Want to ride it when I get to Seattle. Looks well thought out (even though unlike ours, Link had a rather bad start on the first day). There's supposed to be an extension to SeaTac completed soon. Hopefully those in charge won't make the mistake we've done up here. Build a line then wait 10 years for the next one. Build that and wait another 10 years. Best thing is to keep building the entire planned route. Finish one part, move onto the next one literally the next day. Keeps your costs down considerably. Starbucks building. Has to be the former Rainer Brewery with the big red "R" facing north. I used it as a landmark while tooling along I-5 (car, my truckasaurus, and each of the three motorcycles I had). Rainer was as famous to Seattle back then as was J. P. Patches. Uses the Bus Tunnel that was completed not long after ALRT (Skytrain) was finished here. I will be providing a video ride aboard the new Canada Line. I shot video from the train, stations and outside route alignments, so am editing it into a bit of a movie. Wonder how many riders they've been getting? Remember when that project started off as a Monorail, but unlikeLyle Langley's Monorail that he built in Springfield, the extension of the Seattle Monorail didn't get off the ground. They should eventually connect the Seattle lines to the Canada Line in Richmond  |
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Post by Kahloke on Aug 31, 2009 19:18:59 GMT -8
Starbucks building. Has to be the former Rainer Brewery with the big red "R" facing north. I used it as a landmark while tooling along I-5 (car, my truckasaurus, and each of the three motorcycles I had). Actually, it's not. The current Starbucks Center is the former Sears Distribution Building on 1st Avenue South, and it has been dramatically renovated since Starbucks took it over back in the 90's, most especially since the Nisqually Quake in 2001. I was on the 9th floor in that building when the earthquake hit - an event I will never forget. The old Rainier Brewery, adjacent to I-5, is actually a much smaller building than the Starbucks Center. Tully's took it over, but they are not roasting there any more, so I'm not sure what's going to happen to that building now. Personally, I would love to see the old Rainier "R" return to the building. It was a signature element recognized by everyone. |
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D'Elete BC in NJ
Voyager
Dispensing gallons of useless information daily...
Posts: 1,671
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Sept 3, 2009 8:13:51 GMT -8
Very nice. Want to ride it when I get to Seattle. Looks well thought out (even though unlike ours, Link had a rather bad start on the first day). There's supposed to be an extension to SeaTac completed soon. Hopefully those in charge won't make the mistake we've done up here. Build a line then wait 10 years for the next one. Build that and wait another 10 years. Best thing is to keep building the entire planned route. Finish one part, move onto the next one literally the next day. Keeps your costs down considerably. Starbucks building. Has to be the former Rainer Brewery with the big red "R" facing north. I used it as a landmark while tooling along I-5 (car, my truckasaurus, and each of the three motorcycles I had). Rainer was as famous to Seattle back then as was J. P. Patches. Uses the Bus Tunnel that was completed not long after ALRT (Skytrain) was finished here. I will be providing a video ride aboard the new Canada Line. I shot video from the train, stations and outside route alignments, so am editing it into a bit of a movie. Wonder how many riders they've been getting? Remember when that project started off as a Monorail, but unlikeLyle Langley's Monorail that he built in Springfield, the extension of the Seattle Monorail didn't get off the ground. They should eventually connect the Seattle lines to the Canada Line in Richmond Technically they do. it's called the Amtrak Cascades. Board at Pacific Central (old CN Station). Arrive at King Street Station in Seattle. If you're thinking of a real rapid transit connection, where would the money come from (it would be interesting, the trains would have to stop at the border). But it would make going to Bellis Fair alot easier, and going to Seattle to take in a Seahawks or Mariners Game. The U.S. is a financial basket case, and Canada isn't all that well off either. B.C. is a financial disaster waiting to happen. Don't know about our state neighbourinos to the south. Actually, this or a dedicated high speed train corridor are actively being discussed as part of a rail infrastructure improvement program under consideration by the federal government. The plans include about 500 miles of improved rail service south from Vancouver, through Seattle on to Portland and beyond. Might still be a pipe dream, but it is on the board for consideration. |
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Dispensing gallons of useless information daily...
Posts: 1,671
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Sept 3, 2009 11:37:07 GMT -8
Yeh, well given the geography of the alignment of the BNSF line from Vancouver to Seattle, it will be a very long time for that to happen. I wouldn't be sitting on the dark wood bench seat on the station platform waiting for that train to arrive any time soon. The cost would be prohibitive to say the least. You'd see a fast rail service between Los Angeles and Las Vegas before you'd see anything that would resemble a start to fast rail around the Pacific Northwest. A better idea would be place a third Tiago like train on the ascades service from Seattle to Vancouver and another train from Portland OR to Seatle. You'd have the time benift without the huge expense of upgrading rail and alignments to meet a fast rail speed. Plus there isn't the population density to justify the huge expense, as there is in many places from Boston to Washington DC and from Chicago to Newark. It's less challenging from Seattle south to Portland Oregon as the terrain isn't as hilly and there are many flatland sections particularly south of Olympia. That fast rail idea from Vancouver to Seattle is on the board for consideration, but above it is a small card that says "Pipe Dreams". But then again a "consideration" does not mean its reality. No, actually this is being seriously discussed. The mayor of Vancouver was just in either Portland or Seattle to discuss this plan with the mayors of both of those cities and there has been an application to the federal government to tap into the high speed rail fund to get this off the ground...here are the news reports: www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112442142www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112405305I made the statement "pipe dream" mostly because, at this time, I don't think the project has enough planning or additional funding readied to pass the merit test to receive the funding from the high speed rail fund, but as I noted above, the plan is being seriously discussed. |
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Mill Bay
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Long Suffering Bosun
Posts: 2,885 
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Post by Mill Bay on Sept 3, 2009 13:27:12 GMT -8
Actually, this or a dedicated high speed train corridor are actively being discussed as part of a rail infrastructure improvement program under consideration by the federal government. The plans include about 500 miles of improved rail service south from Vancouver, through Seattle on to Portland and beyond. Might still be a pipe dream, but it is on the board for consideration. If it ever comes about, such a rail corridor will be about a hundred years, or so, behind schedule at the very least. This is certainly not a new idea by any means, either. Back in the days when the old BC Electric interurban was operating out in the Fraser Valley, there was serious consideration given to building a short rail link across the border at the Huntingdon-Sumas crossing and connecting the BCE with the Seattle-Tacoma interurban line which would have provided direct, electrified passenger rail access between downtown Vancouver and Seattle. It wouldn't have been high speed obviously, but for the first half of the 20th century, it would have been far more effective than we may think, looking back on it now. Just imagine if such a rail link had been put into service and had somehow managed to survive and be kept up to date with modern transportation technologies. Not only would Vancouver be a couple hour train ride from Seattle, but every major community on the south side of the Fraser would be, as well, because the same rail line connected all the population centers from Richmond to Chilliwack. |
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Post by SS San Mateo on Sept 3, 2009 13:50:40 GMT -8
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Post by Political Incorrectness on Sept 3, 2009 21:42:57 GMT -8
BC in NJ, the memorandum of understanding was between Vancouver's mayor and Portland's mayor. There was never anything between Greg Nickels that I was aware of. The DOT has made long range plans for 110 mph service and with Obama's stimulus perhaps build a 30 mile long high speed track for 150 mph service down in the Seattle-Portland corridor. If Washington State is granted all of the requested Track I funding, we'll be receiving an upgrade from 79 mph maximum to 90 mph. This should include new signalling, continuous welded rail, and track work on slow order zones. These should help reduce the travel time between Vancouver, BC and the entire corridor. Here are the improvements the DOT is wanting federal dollars for. The Blaine project is almost complete which will definitely help. |
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Sept 4, 2009 2:59:13 GMT -8
No, actually this is being seriously discussed. The mayor of Vancouver was just in either Portland or Seattle to discuss this plan with the mayors of both of those cities and there has been an application to the federal government to tap into the high speed rail fund to get this off the ground...here are the news reports: www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112442142www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112405305I made the statement "pipe dream" mostly because, at this time, I don't think the project has enough planning or additional funding readied to pass the merit test to receive the funding from the high speed rail fund, but as I noted above, the plan is being seriously discussed. There is no "high speed rail fund" in Canada. Paul, please look at my location; at no time was I referring to a Canadian High Speed Rail Fund. There IS, however, an American High Speed Rail Fund, and this is what is to be tapped into in order to achieve the projects listed in Political_Idiocracy's link above (Thanks for that, I knew they had only applied to get funding for some of the improvements, but not which specific ones). To date approximately 9 billion USD have been set aside for various high speed rail corridors in the US. Here's the map: media.npr.org/documents/2009/feb/hsr_corridors.pdfWell, then maybe this will be Vancouver's loss... |
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Post by northwesterner on Sept 12, 2009 13:04:54 GMT -8
His collection is getting to be enormous. And I know he's got a backlog of photos still waiting to be uploaded. Every once in a while I take a look through the collection at some photos taken back when we were both bus chasing teenagers with cameras (you know, the kind that take film). Then I see the date stamp and realize some of those trips were over ten years ago, like in these two great photos: www.busdude.com/KCM/KCM_1474_1.jpgwww.busdude.com/KCM/KCM_1437_1.jpgSheesh, seems like just yesterday we were chasing the last of the 1400s around the Eastside. Ten years ago. I'm getting old. Oh - I still remember that 1437 ran nice but must have had a broken engine mount because it was shaking itself to death at idle. Ten years ago. |
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FNS
Voyager
The Empire Builder train of yesteryear in HO scale
Posts: 4,942
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Post by FNS on Sept 12, 2009 18:37:31 GMT -8
His collection is getting to be enormous. And I know he's got a backlog of photos still waiting to be uploaded. Every once in a while I take a look through the collection at some photos taken back when we were both bus chasing teenagers with cameras (you know, the kind that take film). Then I see the date stamp and realize some of those trips were over ten years ago, like in these two great photos: www.busdude.com/KCM/KCM_1474_1.jpgwww.busdude.com/KCM/KCM_1437_1.jpgSheesh, seems like just yesterday we were chasing the last of the 1400s around the Eastside. Ten years ago. I'm getting old. Oh - I still remember that 1437 ran nice but must have had a broken engine mount because it was shaking itself to death at idle. Ten years ago. Thanks for the links! I remember riding those MAN/AMG 1400s daily. They were excellent and fun buses to ride, as well as the MAN T&B 2000s, 3000s, and 4000s. I first started riding the 1400s in the 1980s. I rode them on Hwy 99 from Shoreline to my first jobs in Lynnwood. This was Route 306 to Everett. This was changed to 406 when KCM would use the "400" route series on all trips between King and Snohomish counties and the "300" series serving the northern King County. Today's Route 306 operates between Seattle and the Kenmore loop. This picture brings me back memories of my early 1980s commutes. www.busdude.com/KCM/KCM_1455_H09.jpgNotice how she's signed up as. The Via is SPECIAL as this coach is in an historical vehicle outing. The 1400's were nice and noisy inside the foredeck. The engine, transmission, and drives were under the foredeck. The aftdeck was quieter and the aft wheels were attached to steering mechanisms as they turned the aft end away from curbs when the bus was turning. These, as well as the 2000s and 4000s, had a nice tight turning radius. Indeed, these 1400s rattled when idled. The greatest noise from their engine came on startup from a bus stop, after a red light, and climbing great hills. I've seen a few small frys cover their ears a few times. Freeway rides on these were fun. It really felt good riding these 1400s. I really miss these 1400s, as well as all the nice MAN buses we had here. |
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Post by northwesterner on Sept 12, 2009 19:25:16 GMT -8
The 1400s were by far the most interesting of the large fleet of MAN coaches down here.
They were pre-wheelchair lift, with a curving entrance staircase divided by banister for true dual stream loading. They had noisy air doors that hissed loudly every time they were actuated. By the end, it seemed each coach had its own unique rattles, blower noises, and other oddities.
The 1400s were highway geared, which meant they were slower than snot off the line and in city operation, but on suburban freeway service, they could really fly. Indeed, they were governed out at 75mph, while all other coaches Metro bought until the 1996 Gillig order topped out at 57mph.
They didn't last long in inner city route service, relegated to the suburbs quickly after the 1982 order of larger engined, lower geared, 2000-series MAN artics with w/c lifts. Relegated to freeway trippers, they had a longer lifespan than the more urban 2000-series coaches. Both fleets were replaced at the same time with the 2300-series New Flyer D60 coaches.
I enjoyed the 1400s a lot, and spent many afternoons my freshman year of high school (Spring 1999) chasing them all over Redmond, Bellevue, and Eastgate. I also remember having a day off from school, getting up early, commuting over to Bellevue, and riding one on the old route 340 (once Metro's longest route) from Bellevue Transit Center to Sea-Tac Airport on a morning tripper. Those coaches hadn't operated the 340 in years, and it was a treat to ride one on that route the final shakeup they operated. They sure struggled climbing the Klickitat Drive hill from Southcenter to SeaTac.
The 1400s had pretty much operated the same same trips and routes year after year. They were supposed to have all been replaced and off the road by the start of the February 1999 shakeup. Metro printed timetables showing all trips and w/c accessible. Well, there was a delivery delay with the D60s, and only a handful had been delivered by Feb 1999. Metro issued a rider alert saying to check the online timetables of certain (listed) routes for w/c accessibility. I went through all the listed routes, and cut and pasted all the 1400 trips, and spent that spring chasing them through the system, on some routes they hadn't run on for ages including that lone 340 trip, the 242, 276, 272, and 268.
I miss all the MAN coaches a lot (except the 4000s, which were such nasty, rough riding, filthy rattle trips by the end the Breda conversions were an upgrade). I miss the unique engine noises, great ride, and big windows. They were one of the best products on the US market (trust me, I'd rather have a 1986 MAN Americana than a 1986 Gillig Phantom or Orion I) at the time. I wish MAN would try the US Market again, because they still build Europe's best buses.
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Post by SS San Mateo on Oct 15, 2009 8:08:06 GMT -8
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