Mad Men on Trains
US PIRG joined with two of the stars of “Mad Men” – Vincent Kartheiser and Rich Sommer – to make this video promoting high speed rail:
I particularly love the joke about how gas will maybe be $1 a gallon in 40 years (in 2005 it was nearing $3, and in 2011 it is at $4 in much of California).
As some of you may know, Vincent Kartheiser (who plays Pete Campbell on Mad Men) doesn’t own a car and uses public transportation to get around Los Angeles. Of course, there are many people, rich and poor, famous and not, who also rely on mass transit to get around LA and other parts of California. They save money by doing so, and as they note in the video, a rail commute is often more comfortable and enjoyable than driving.
This can pretty much take care of the Feds part in funding CAHSR
Israel Seeks $20 Billion in US Aid.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4039147,00.html
They will probably get $25Billion for asking nicely.
Sir Paul McCartney rides the bus too.. Some celebrities don’t have their heads up their arses.
Spokker Reply:
March 9th, 2011 at 8:07 pm
With how many bodyguards?
BLambert Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 6:06 am
Probably as many accompany him everywhere he goes.
Spokker Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 6:43 am
It’s like when Howard Stern says he goes jogging in Central Park so he can convince everybody he’s a man of the people and there’s like three big black guys watching for trouble trailing him.
After Lennon there is no such thing as a man of the people.
Andy M. Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 8:40 am
Does it matter? Once you reach a certain level of fame you cannot move like a normal person any more and it would be unwise to move without bodyguards. But taking public transport nevertheless does show you haven’t forgotten your roots, even if you just do it for the effect. It helps strengthen the message the public transport is not just for the poor and the losers but is actually a cool lifestyle choice.
VBobier Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 6:00 pm
Unless one is a past Master in hand to hand combat, I do realize that some people do carry firearms, But still some may not need a bodyguard.
Andre Peretti Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 4:30 pm
“Any man who rides a bus to work after the age of 30 can count himself a failure in life.”
—Margaret Thatcher
D. P. Lubic Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 4:57 pm
How did we manage to get such jackasses in public office in recent years?
At least we Americans were not alone in this, but it’s not much of a consolation, especially with the idiot governors that have turned up lately.
Alon Levy Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 7:53 pm
Britain has a winner-take-all first-past-the-post system, which means you only need to get the most votes to win. The left split the vote between Labour and the Liberals, and Thatcher kept winning large majorities in Parliament with around 40% of the vote.
DesertXpress has updated there website, with a cool video. http://www.desertxpress.com
With Florida out of the running it looks like the privately funded DesertXpress will be the first real high speed rail line in America. Their updated website makes it seem like they are VERY intersected in linking up with the CHSR system in Palmdale. The high ridership the DesertXpress trains could bring to the CHSR tracks could dramatically increase total system ridership and revenue. This confirms to me that we need to build LA to Palmdale next, and then fill in the gap with Palmdale to Bakersfield.
VBobier Reply:
March 9th, 2011 at 7:56 pm
If We can get enough to do the LA to Palmdale next or at least the Station in Palmdale and some of the tracks(while linking said tracks to the nearest existing railroad on both ends for independent utility, Hopefully the BNSF), Sure.
Howard Reply:
March 9th, 2011 at 8:30 pm
How about Burbank to Palmdale with some private investor money?
VBobier Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 6:04 pm
That would also be Ok with Me, As long as It could go from Fresno to Palmdale via Bakersfield first.
Donk Reply:
March 9th, 2011 at 11:14 pm
Yeah but but if it goes to Palmdale and LA, what about the all poor people in Merced? They want high speed rail too. And whatever will the people near Castle Air Force Base do if we don’t waste the next round of funding on another even more useless spur that goes past Merced?
Nathanael Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 3:10 am
LA to Palmdale is facing more NIMBYs (Disney!) and a harder time with the environmental assessments than Palmdale to Bakersfield is.
I’d go for Palmdale to Bakersfield first; Metrolink can provide a stopgap until Palmdale to LA is funded.
Elizabeth Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 5:02 am
I thought the Disney ranch was getting a deep tunnel. What is the current issue?
VBobier Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 6:08 pm
I’d never heard of the place, So I looked It, Interesting, Well If they want a Tunnel, Can they pay for It? Most likely I’d think. As the CHSRA said they would do a tunnel if someone else paid for It.
Elizabeth Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 8:35 pm
The tunnel is in the current official plans.
Peter Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 8:56 pm
Why say “official plans,” instead of “Alternatives Analysis.” “Official plans” makes it sound very final, which it definitely is not.
Brandon from San Diego Reply:
March 9th, 2011 at 8:33 pm
I thought they were suppose to have already begun construction…… last year.
synonymouse Reply:
March 9th, 2011 at 9:18 pm
LA is going ahead with a downtown streetcar operation:
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-downtown-streetcar-approved,0,3173934.story?track=rss
I saw the PCC’s in LA on a trip thru in 1960 but I did not get a chance to ride. I always heard they were kept in excellent shape. Too bad they didn’t go to San Francisco but ended up in Egypt instead. LA would have been wise to keep what they had, even tho they were narrow gauge. They were really anti-rail in those days.
Brandon from San Diego Reply:
March 9th, 2011 at 9:30 pm
There is no money for that streetcar. Planning money doesn’t count.
Plus, the idea involves MODERN streetcars, not historic or vintage.
synonymouse Reply:
March 9th, 2011 at 10:05 pm
The PCC’s were still quite modern in 1960 and were significantly more comfortable than a bus of that era.
It was automotive and highway interests who particularly wanted an end to electric traction. The automobile associations were used to drum motorist dislike of tracks in steets and of course the autombile manufacturers actually thought they could have everyone driving everywhere, even at the same time. Fancy that. Of course it totally impractical, but that was the plan.
Nathanael Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 3:09 am
They were really anti-rail in those days, weren’t they.
Pity the US grassroots didn’t save as much rail as (say) the UK did.
Nice to hear you not ranting about unconstructable routes for a change.
synonymouse Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 7:45 pm
Absent influence peddling and PB hubris, the Tejon question could be easily revisited with the surprise “discovery” that it is indeed doable, comparatively expensive and vastly superior.
Dumb moves like the detour are one reason the rest of the country see the Golden State as dumb blonde daft.
The hsr foamers may see this PB Tehachapi boondoggle thru to fruition but ironically an earlier PB coup could mess up the scheme. I am referring to Kopp’s BART to SFO debacle. Caltrain or hsr to the TBT would not just undercut the BART SFO trade, it would gut it. PAMPA may get some quiet support from BART, Kopp & co. when it comes to killing hsr north of San Jose. They are the lords of the Ring the Bay
synonymouse Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 7:48 pm
messed up on my adverbs – that should read comparably instead of comparatively expensive.
thatbruce Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 9:50 am
LA would have been wise to keep what they had, even tho they were narrow gauge.
LA had both LARy (narrow gauge) and PE (standard gauge), both of whom operated PCC cars at various points in time. You probably saw the last gasp of LARy during your visit.
D. P. Lubic Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 5:27 pm
Traction action:
LA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAPMvhD62kA
Milwaukee Road:
http://www.youtube.com/user/pentrexvideos#p/u/80/zD9TYI48T8w
Vancouver:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRuP818oJjQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9nlBa-4SIU&feature=related
Sorry I couldn’t find some good vintage Pacific Electric footage, but enjoy what is here.
synonymouse Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 6:59 pm
Definitely LARy – the PCC’s were on city streets downtown.
San Diego has shipped some Siemens cars to Argentina:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/mar/10/san-diegos-iconic-trolleys-find-new-life-argentina/
Too bad SMART did not buy them for a real light rail operation instead of their stupid doodlebugs.
See, BART – there really is a reason for standard gauge.
Peter Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 7:20 pm
“Too bad SMART did not buy them for a real light rail operation instead of their stupid doodlebugs.”
Given that they’re having trouble financing their entire project to begin with, I don’t see why they’d want to have to pay to electrify, as well. They’d also like to be able to travel faster than 55 mph.
Joey Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
By selecting non-compliant DMUs, they could have used off-the-shelf trainsets and saved a decent amount of money.
Peter Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 7:27 pm
The lowest offer they got WAS for the FRA-compliant trainsets. Siemens and Stadler’s bids for non-compliant trainsets were MUCH higher than the Sumitomo bid, by $22 and $42 million, respectively.
Drunk Engineer Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 7:35 pm
The “lowest” bid was 100% more expensive that going market rate for “non-compliant” DMU.
The reason Siemens and Stadler bids came out higher was because Buy-America (and other nonsense) meant they couldn’t just sell something “off-the-shelf”.
Peter Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 8:05 pm
“The reason Siemens and Stadler bids came out higher was because Buy-America (and other nonsense) meant they couldn’t just sell something “off-the-shelf”.”
Actually, that’s not true. Stadler’s bid WAS non-compliant with Buy America. Stadler DID try to sell them an off-the-shelf DMU for $124 million, which was $40 million more than SCOA’s bid at $82.8. million.
adirondacker12800 Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 8:06 pm
The Buy America and Buy American aren’t bottomless pits of money. American made goods can’t be more than 25% more than the foreign made goods. Government makes that 25% back in taxes.
Drunk Engineer Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 10:29 pm
Compare what German rail operators pay for standard, um sorry “non-compliant”, DMU vs. bids SMART received. Europeans buy their trains off the assembly line, whereas “SMART” would rather than do a special 1-off product.
Also keep in mind that the Sumitomo bid was for a prototype train, that exists only on a drawing board. SMART will be the ones to debug it for them.
synonymouse Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 7:34 pm
The NWP has sharp curves all over the place and lots of congested urban grade crossings. 55mph is realistic. The profitable freight era is over but so long as there is taxpayer money lying around they will try to inject a semblance of life into the corpse. Electric light rail extended to Marin City is the way to go.
In the north end the hippies are about ready to occupy the ROW for a trail anyway.
Peter Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 8:15 pm
They’re looking at an AVERAGE speed on the entire route of 48 mph. 55 mph top speed would not be realistic for that.
“In the north end the hippies are about ready to occupy the ROW for a trail anyway.”
The hippies will get to see how well their tents hold up to a freight train, then.
synonymouse Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 12:25 am
On the contrary some of those old hippies and pot growers now are in the establishment in Humboldt, etc. Lot of local sentiment to turn the washed out ROW into a trail.
StevieB Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 2:09 am
DesertXpress is asking for a $4.9 billion Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing federal loan to help cover the $6 billion cost. Currently only $400 million is out in loans by this program. Loan processing time is averaging about 13-and-a-half months with only 2 loans approved in 2010. Waiting for the loan approval and the environmental reports has caused a delay in construction.
Andy M. Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 2:42 am
The Wesite doesn’t look that updated. Latest news item is July 2010.
Well, I got to see this at last, and my favorite joke was about the concept of “smoking car or smoking car;” of course, that is only something one would see with all those smokers on “Mad Men.”
I wonder if I should break down and get cable to see this series?
Spokker Reply:
March 9th, 2011 at 10:17 pm
No, you don’t want cable just for one show or at all. Just pick up the DVDs or Blu-Rays on Amazon. Right now the first season is about $20. Or get Netflix and rent the discs. Cable isn’t worth it. We cut it all a long time ago and never looked back.
During Black Friday they had the first three seasons available for $10 each. We made out like a bandit.
The first three were so good that we decided to purchase the digital downloads of season 4 from Amazon in HD.
The irony is that the character Pete Campbell doesn’t even know how to drive – he’s a blueblood from the Upper East Side who doesn’t mind having his kids grow up next to Central Park.
Spokker Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 5:11 am
The actor who plays him takes the bus to the Mad Men set in real life.
Okay, so the new prices for LAX-SFO are in Southwest’s system. The base fare is now $69. With taxes and fees this is $79.70.
I also put up some later dates. I put in September (furthest you can book right now is September 30th) and the lowest fare I could find is $89 for a range of dates. With taxes and fees it comes out to $99.70.
Use this information when someone says, “Who needs high speed rail? But I can fly between LA and SF for $59 today!”
Joseph E Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 1:51 pm
It sounds like Southwest’s fuel prices hedges are running out. Will oil averaging in $70 to $80 per barrel for the past 2 years (Brent crude price; which is the basis for what we pay for imports on the coasts), Southwest won’t be able to get new, cheap long-term contracts. And if oil stays at >$100 per barrel for the whole summer we might see even higher plane ticket prices.
I hope that doesn’t happen. I don’t think the US economy can pay $110 per barrel without causing a new economic slow-down.
jimsf Reply:
March 10th, 2011 at 3:36 pm
If I want to fly southwest round trip to la this weekend its 170 each way plus tax total $361.40
So much for 49 bucks each way.
And if I want to book ahead and go next weekend its 141 each plus tax at $303.40
The gas prices reference wasn’t really a joke. In 1965, $1.00 gas would have been the equivalent of $6.73 today. What the actors were saying was that, “I hear gas is going to be *really* expensive in 2000.”
No Business plan for SR99, No widening…
But then lots of public money goes into SR99 and I5 just to allow Farmers trucks to drive on those 2 highways, Lightening the burden on those highways by putting in HSR will mean faster delivery of farm products to market, plus less public money would have to be devoted to highway repairs of the 99 & the I5, Also If Bakersfield and Fresno were to become bedroom communities of LA and SF respectively, Then farmers would be able to sell more of their crops in the Central Valley which would save them some on fuel I’d think. Now If only Farmer or someone from the CHSRA would see these ideas.
Loved the video. Very cool.
Off topic, but something for Nathanael–1950s footage from Cleveland:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4qnPxzhFWw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CdQb7yH2xY&feature=related
Enjoy.
OT- Cathleen Galgiani will have a joint oversight hearing of the Assembly Committee on Ag and the HSR Select Committee on March 17 in Madera. The hearing will include ag leaders/property owners, van Ark, and CAHSRA engineers. Discussions will include which alternative alignments are considered workable and adverse impacts on ag land. Galgiani also plans for CAHSRA to respond to ag concerns raised over the last few months.
Galgiani’s press release says “I am hopeful that by providing the opportunity for our valley agricultural leaders to sit down with Mr. van Ark and engineers, we can create a working environment for the High Speed Rail Authority, property owners, and local elected leaders to reach consensus on a viable path for high speed rail, that minimizes impacts to farmland.”
Press release:
http://madera.granicus.com/DocumentViewer.php?file=madera_2edd6a9d0a13ba27bb7eaf3c40a2ffd5.pdf
The hearing will be webcast at:
http://www.madera-county.com/
http://madera.granicus.com/viewpublisher.php?view_id=16