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  #7721  
Old Posted Feb 17, 2021, 10:51 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by exit2lef View Post
I reached out to a contact at Valley Metro and received the following reply:

The McKinley turnaround track only allows trains to change track in one direction. This hasn’t impacted us too badly so far, but when we do additional tie-in work in the downtown core, we would like to reduce the overall single-tracking headways. The February/March installation at McKinley will give Valley Metro the ability to turn around trains in a shorter distance/timeframe, which will create more efficiency throughout the system and reduce rider delay for later construction work on the active line.
Nice that they replied. Thanks for checking
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  #7722  
Old Posted Feb 19, 2021, 9:37 PM
N830MH N830MH is offline
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Hi all,

Tempe Streetcar is coming! They are in Brooksville, PA. They will be delivery soon. This is first Tempe Streetcar. The pics is here!!




Last edited by N830MH; Feb 19, 2021 at 9:50 PM.
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  #7723  
Old Posted Feb 19, 2021, 10:41 PM
soled soled is offline
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Originally Posted by N830MH View Post
Hi all,

Tempe Streetcar is coming! They are in Brooksville, PA. They will be delivery soon. This is first Tempe Streetcar. The pics is here!!



Thanks for posting these. I still wish they had gone with a classic, retro streetcar chassis like this, built over a modern base.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...hisTrolley.jpg
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  #7724  
Old Posted Feb 20, 2021, 1:04 PM
exit2lef exit2lef is offline
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I saw this article posted on Reddit:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/z3v5...-crappy-trains

I've never heard this explanation before, so I'd want to see some confirmation from other sources before assuming it's entirely true. Nevertheless, if true, if could help explain why we have the PHX Sky Train linking the airport terminals to light rail instead of having light rail pass through the airport itself with stops right at the terminals:
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  #7725  
Old Posted Feb 20, 2021, 5:13 PM
locolife locolife is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by soled View Post
Thanks for posting these. I still wish they had gone with a classic, retro streetcar chassis like this, built over a modern base.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...hisTrolley.jpg
That is cool and fits an older historical city like Memphis, not sure it makes sense in Tempe though?
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  #7726  
Old Posted Feb 20, 2021, 8:13 PM
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Originally Posted by locolife View Post
That is cool and fits an older historical city like Memphis, not sure it makes sense in Tempe though?
Yeah, it's completely subjective, but I think it would fit it well on Mill.
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  #7727  
Old Posted Feb 21, 2021, 8:35 AM
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They obviously don't make those anymore, they're in high demand, nobody makes parts for them, and they're not very efficient from an ADA perspective--the operator usually has to park and lay a plank. The cities that run them usually have an extensive volunteer and non-profit network.

It's fine for a small heritage tourist attraction, but not a real system.
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  #7728  
Old Posted Feb 21, 2021, 1:30 PM
exit2lef exit2lef is offline
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There's a dream out there to establish a heritage streetcar line on lower Grand Avenue using vintage equipment:

http://www.garpaz.org/what-if-one-pr...d-do-all-this/

This is a private initiative, and not something in any Phoenix, MAG, or Valley Metro plan. I like the idea, even if it seems a long shot.
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  #7729  
Old Posted Feb 21, 2021, 4:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by combusean View Post
They obviously don't make those anymore, they're in high demand, nobody makes parts for them, and they're not very efficient from an ADA perspective--the operator usually has to park and lay a plank. The cities that run them usually have an extensive volunteer and non-profit network.

It's fine for a small heritage tourist attraction, but not a real system.
If you were responding to me, I mentioned I was talking about the retro streetcar skin over a modern base, not bringing back an entire retro car.
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  #7730  
Old Posted Feb 21, 2021, 5:03 PM
PHXFlyer11 PHXFlyer11 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by exit2lef View Post
There's a dream out there to establish a heritage streetcar line on lower Grand Avenue using vintage equipment:

http://www.garpaz.org/what-if-one-pr...d-do-all-this/

This is a private initiative, and not something in any Phoenix, MAG, or Valley Metro plan. I like the idea, even if it seems a long shot.
So, this project is dead. If you look at the web site you’ll notice it’s been high jacked. The domain name likely expired and some bum bought it and put up a blog that looks like the project but if you take a look at the other posts it’s all spam unrelated to the project. If they couldn’t even pay $10 to keep their domain name then I’d say it’s deader than dead. The only real way to follow now is via the Trolly Museum. https://www.phxtrolley.org/

It is interesting that while development downtown and on Roosevelt (and evening now in the warehouse district) is accelerating, not much has happened on Grand. A few years ago many of us were speculating that it’s become the next Roosevelt.
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  #7731  
Old Posted Feb 21, 2021, 7:12 PM
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Are there any instances where a private novelty train is running on public ROW?

The only one that comes to mind is MGM's monorail running around Las Vegas.
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  #7732  
Old Posted Feb 21, 2021, 8:45 PM
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I've seen a couple of 3 car trains in the last week, not corresponding to any sort of event that I could think of. Any idea why? I don't think that current ridership is all that robust given the pandemic.
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  #7733  
Old Posted Feb 21, 2021, 11:04 PM
exit2lef exit2lef is offline
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Originally Posted by pbenjamin View Post
I've seen a couple of 3 car trains in the last week, not corresponding to any sort of event that I could think of. Any idea why? I don't think that current ridership is all that robust given the pandemic.
It's due to the reduced frequency of trains while track work is being done to build the new downtown hub. With trains coming only every half hour, three-car trains allow passengers to maintain safe distances even with trains running at half their usual frequency.
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  #7734  
Old Posted Feb 24, 2021, 12:38 AM
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Noticed a row of new lights over the weekend. Looks much better and I could actually the lane I was in much better.

https://ktar.com/story/4081963/downt...ghting-system/
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  #7735  
Old Posted Feb 24, 2021, 4:46 AM
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Originally Posted by CrestedSaguaro View Post
Noticed a row of new lights over the weekend. Looks much better and I could actually the lane I was in much better.

https://ktar.com/story/4081963/downt...ghting-system/
I wonder if anyone else here remembers when they first opened the tunnel how poor the lighting was for drivers? And no matter how they tweaked the illumination they struggled to make it manageable for the eyes?

The Arizona Republic and the local news channels focused for days on how dark the lighting was for drivers entering the tunnel immediately after driving from the bright Phoenix sunlight.

Weeks had passed and ADOT realized all they needed to do was to tile the walls of the tunnel so reflective light would rectify the situation and more evenly light the tunnel-yet none of the local media talked about the solution. Initially, the walls were concrete and they absorbed so much light that it created a difficult adjustment for drivers entering and leaving the tunnel.
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  #7736  
Old Posted Feb 24, 2021, 3:56 PM
N830MH N830MH is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CrestedSaguaro View Post
Noticed a row of new lights over the weekend. Looks much better and I could actually the lane I was in much better.

https://ktar.com/story/4081963/downt...ghting-system/
Ah, yes! Of course we do! I remember that one. We went into the tunnels for a many times. We know where it is.
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  #7737  
Old Posted Feb 24, 2021, 10:05 PM
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So, the light rail is supposed to resume normal operation tomorrow, correct?

They don't even look close to having the sections they are working on done, especially McKinley/Central. 5th/Washington looks close to being ready, but there's not even any concrete poured yet at McKinley and there is still mass construction equipment on the line.
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  #7738  
Old Posted Feb 24, 2021, 10:43 PM
N830MH N830MH is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CrestedSaguaro View Post
So, the light rail is supposed to resume normal operation tomorrow, correct?

They don't even look close to having the sections they are working on done, especially McKinley/Central. 5th/Washington looks close to being ready, but there's not even any concrete poured yet at McKinley and there is still mass construction equipment on the line.
No, it’s not! They still have more things to do. Begin on March 13 to 26, 2021. It will be single track. Here’s a link:

https://www.valleymetro.org/maps-sch...ingle-tracking
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  #7739  
Old Posted Feb 24, 2021, 10:58 PM
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No, it’s not! They still have more things to do. Begin on March 13 to 26, 2021. It will be single track. Here’s a link:

https://www.valleymetro.org/maps-sch...ingle-tracking
Not sure you understood. It's supposed to be single track from February 13-26 and again from March 13-26. Tomorrow is the 26th which I assume is supposed to resume normal operations until March 13th. But the track work is not even close to being done to be able to resume normal operations until the March 13th work begins.
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  #7740  
Old Posted Feb 25, 2021, 12:23 AM
N830MH N830MH is offline
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Originally Posted by CrestedSaguaro View Post
Not sure you understood. It's supposed to be single track from February 13-26 and again from March 13-26. Tomorrow is the 26th which I assume is supposed to resume normal operations until March 13th. But the track work is not even close to being done to be able to resume normal operations until the March 13th work begins.
I am not sure when they resume normal operations tomorrow. I have find out on my Facebook. I’ll ask someone who work for Valley Metro. They will answer me back.
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