joe Reply:
November 19th, 2010 at 2:26 pm

We’ll see, a least the VP, Joe Biden, understands rail.

A system needs to reach a tipping point where people that have means and power over the service see transit as a car alternative rather than a public service for “the poor” or rail freaks.

jimsf Reply:
November 19th, 2010 at 11:56 pm

I roade the train today too. Came back up from riverside. Yesterday, I overslept and missed my early train to riverside, and I didn’t wanna risk being late for the concert, so, I bought one of those 49 dollar tickets on southwest that the rail deniers seem to think are so great… only it was 158 dollars and didnt’ get me anywhere near riverside. Had to fly into John Wayne ( the airport not the actor) and catch a ride with my friend. Then we spend 2.5 hours going from Santa Ana to Riverside on the 91 at an average speed of 3 mph. While we were in that traffic ( caused by an accident,involving a big rig) there was another accident right behind us, ( we had the top down and heard a “cruuuunnch”) A big truck changed lanes right into a convertible mustang lol just like the one we were in. Imlaughing cuz while no one was hurt, ( everyone was going 3 miles per hour after all) I swear, EVERYtime I visit southern california it involves a big rig accident and a major freeway nightmare… I mean everytime! Its just part of the “total experience” that I have come to expect. I think we were on the 91. Anyway, first , since I had packed my overnight bag for train travel, I now had to repack it for air travel and wound up not having things I needed in that special right size.
Then, after barting to SFO, I discover that SWA is in terminal one, a sucky terminal full of sucky people. ( Im used to using the new itl term and virgin america) IT was mobbed, too many people with too much luggage, a half an hour to get through tsa, everyone in line whining and moaning about having to go thru security, then business the guy in front of me who had so much carry on crap to shove thru the xray I don’t see how they let him on, and the woman, who “had no idea” and was trying to rearrange her stuff because she didn’t know she would have to go thru all these security prodedures and restrictions. ( apparently her address is “under a rock” in Somewhere, Ca
When we finally got to SNA, after a wacky approach, the pilot hits the brakes and slows way down, then misses, then hits the gas and up we go for another scenic tour of the OC. The second time he did manage to put the plane on the ground.

Coming home today from RIV to BFD by bus, then train, the older cars with no reclining seats, and everyone yakking on the damn fones the whole time…. It only took 11 hours to get home. ( but it was free at least) I swear Im never leaving my house again.

I will say this, the stark difference in happiness between the air pax and train pax, the air pax couldn’t have been grumpier and more displeased, but the train pax, ( I was evesdropping on everyone out of boredom because there is NO SEATBACK TV) the train pax were all guching on about how much they love it, “wow this is nice” “so much leg room” “look you can get food” and “wow this was so much cheaper than the plane ticket”
So even If I wasn’t feelin’ it, they all seem to be thrilled. go figure.

Donk Reply:
November 20th, 2010 at 7:49 am

Nobody will park at a lot 1 mile away from the station. I already hate doing this at LAX. This will only encourage people to drive instead of taking HSR. Unfortunately Gilroy does need a large parking structure next to the station.

Nathanael Reply:
November 22nd, 2010 at 12:24 am

What price connecting rail service from Gilroy to Santa Cruz and Monterey? Or for that matter to Castroville and Salinas? It’s obviously worthwhile and would obviate the need for one HUGE parking lot at Gilroy (in favor of the need for several smaller parking lots, yeah).

Nathanael Reply:
November 22nd, 2010 at 12:29 am

You forget the massive drop in runtimes after the gap is closed. LA/SD-Sacramento and LA/SD-Oakland/SF trips by rail will become immediately substantially more attractive. As well as the very busy CV-LA traffic. And the increased ridership and service might be just what it takes to get the funding to finish the system….

I just don’t see SJ-Merced-Fresno providing the same interim ridership boost as LA-Bakersfield-Fresno. The connection to LA at the south end is really important, and a connection to San Jose doesn’t compare.

I am of course assuming that CHSRA would have its act together sufficiently, and be sufficiently coordinated with Metrolink, to run trains from LA Union to the Central Valley the moment the tunnels from Bakersfield to Palmdale were completed. At the moment this seems more likely than proper coordination between CHSRA and Caltrain, for some reason. :-P

J. Wong Reply:
November 21st, 2010 at 9:45 am

We should note that those pictures of existing 4-track aerials give a sense of the width of what the Peninsula aerial might be, but they don’t give a correct sense of how tall they will be. The Peninsula aerial will be lower. Here’s a better picture of the vertical alignment here.

D. P. Lubic Reply:
November 20th, 2010 at 4:33 pm

The Baltimore & Ohio ran a Washington, DC-Pittsburgh, Pa. “Speedliner” service with DMUs (Budd RDCs) back in the 1950s, which included a car modified for light food service. The purpose was, as suggested, to take advantage of the RDC’s quick accelleration times on a mountainous railroad. The service didn’t last too long; part of it was the times (trains in decline generally), and part of it was that the RDCs were a step down in comfort compared with B&O’s conventional trains (which, on a comfort and service level, were among the best anywhere, despite older equipment on most of them). The cars did continue to run for a long time in commuter service, lasting into the 1990s. One of them was one of those food-service modified cars, and it is in the B&O museum in Baltimore.

I never got to ride these things, but I was told the ride was not the best, with a considerable amount of roll, noise, and amazingly heavy (smokey) exhaust; I wonder if much of this was attributable to the cars’ age (approaching or exceeding 40 years at the time). The engines used in these cars were GM 6-110s (six cylinders, 110 cubic inches per cylinder) with torque converters. Essentially, this was a souped up version of bus gear (6-71s and an angle-drive torque converter), and the cars sounded like GM transit buses.

I used to know a fellow who was in charge of the Maryland Rail Commuter service, and one the disadvantages the RDCs had was that, being self-propelled, they were considered a “locomotive” in the eyes of the FRA, in particular in terms of the inspection and maintenance program. This was compounded by certain duplicate components (i.e., cabs at each end) that required additional inspection and maintenance time, such as for brake control valves, throttles, etc. Regular locomotive-hauled cars do not normally have these, nor do they have other gear like track sanders; at the time, an RDC or a locomotive averaged, if I recall correctly, something like $5.00 per mile in inspection and maintenance costs, whereas passenger coaches averaged $1.00 per mile. Needless to say, he didn’t like the idea of one of his trains essentially being made up entirely of “locomotives.”

This is not to say DMUs do not have a place, it’s just that as in so many cases, the place needs to be thought out properly.

Boston & Maine had the largest fleet of RDCs (101 cars), many of which replaced steam engines pulling wooden open-platform cars in Boston commuter service in the 1950s; some of those wooden cars are running today on the Strasburg Rail Road, a steam heritage road in Pennsylvania. The smallest fleet was that of the Southern Pacific (1 car), used on the line up to Eureka as a train named “The Redwood.” The Santa Fe had two cars that ran to San Diego, and never bought more than that partially because they ran into a gasoline tank truck at a grade crossing, with severe casualties; the cars were rebuilt and continued in service, but I don’t think it was on that line. Another western user was the Western Pacific, which used its one or two cars to cover local service on its main line; like its hostesses on the California Zephyr, these trains had the name, “Zephyrettes.”

The cars were popular in the east, with its many shorter hauls and commuter routes; New Haven liked the idea of how these cars could be seperated and combined to cover multiple routes. This operation is one of those showcased in the following PR film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZtiWcsVtgY

In later years these cars held down a lot of branch operations in Canada; they have also been preserved as heritage units. And I understand a commuter service in Texas started out in just the last few years with some of these as well!

There is so much available, I think I’ll let you choose your own clips to see.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=budd+rdc&aq=0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budd_Rail_Diesel_Car

D. P. Lubic Reply:
November 22nd, 2010 at 4:02 am

New Haven had a custom Budd RDC train called the Roger Williams that had third rail operating capability to get into Grand Central back in the 1950s. I understand two of its cars are still around.

New Haven was also the first road to use dual-mode (diesel and third rail) locomotives in heavy passenger service that I know of, in their custom-built FL-9s, I believe a very few of which may still be running.

jimsf Reply:
November 21st, 2010 at 7:34 am

No wonder the freight railroads don’t want to put money into train control and track maintenance …. they are putting their money into this instead. They are modernizing, they just have a different priority or so it seems.