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Post by LAofAnaheim on Apr 17, 2011 21:14:46 GMT -8
Hey, look who has street-running light rail with no barriers  www.westcoaster.net/images/updates/041910/041910-dca004-sm.jpgAnd Disney is a company afraid of a litigious public. How this got approved, I will never know! The catenary wire isn't strung up yet, but it will be a scaled down replica of the Pacific Electric Red Cars. Pacific Electric has moved into theme parks, while modern light rail has moved into the PE right of way. Let's not confuse streetcar rail with light rail. This is what gives light rail a bad rap....people assume that light rail = streetcar. And streetcars are slow as molasses..... |
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Post by metrocenter on Apr 17, 2011 21:51:09 GMT -8
In terms of progress toward completion, the stations on Flower Street ( 23rd Street and Jefferson/USC) seem to be lagging far behind the stations on Exposition. 23rd Street in particular looks nowhere close to completion. I know FFP and its subcontractors are working very hard, but I'm having trouble imagining these stations being 'substantially complete' by June. BTW, Crenshaw, Western and Vermont stations all have the Metro pylons now. |
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Post by spokker on Apr 17, 2011 22:07:18 GMT -8
Let's not confuse streetcar rail with light rail. This is what gives light rail a bad rap....people assume that light rail = streetcar. And streetcars are slow as molasses..... At-grade is the point. I can't wait to see the KTLA report on the first Silver Line bus to be hit by an Expo Line train. Not that I am against at-grade or want the alignment underground. Far from it, I am glad Expo is at grade (though I am saddened that signal prioritization does not appear to be a priority), but I am realistic |
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Post by jamesinclair on Apr 17, 2011 23:01:01 GMT -8
Hey, look who has street-running light rail with no barriers www.westcoaster.net/images/updates/041910/041910-dca004-sm.jpgAnd Disney is a company afraid of a litigious public. How this got approved, I will never know! The catenary wire isn't strung up yet, but it will be a scaled down replica of the Pacific Electric Red Cars. Pacific Electric has moved into theme parks, while modern light rail has moved into the PE right of way. Will it have catenary, or will it be like the "streetcar" at The Grove which uses batteries, or the one down by the port, which uses diesel? |
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Post by bobdavis on Apr 18, 2011 9:16:07 GMT -8
According to what I've seen regarding the Disney California "Red Car", it will be battery powered, but have "dummy" (non-energized) trolley wire for appearances only.
Regarding the San Pedro Red Car line, that is powered by overhead wire at 600 volts DC; no diesel involved.
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 18, 2011 10:43:44 GMT -8
Pacific Electric was mostly light-rail (light trains like modern Metro Rail light-rail) and electric commuter rail (heavy trains like Metrolink, except electric). Los Angeles Railway was mostly streetcar (extra-light trains that share tracks with cars, also narrow-gauge).
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 18, 2011 10:44:27 GMT -8
Has anyone attended the Expo press event at the Crenshaw Station today?
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Post by carter on Apr 18, 2011 10:52:07 GMT -8
Has anyone attended the Expo press event at the Crenshaw Station today? I was there. No breaking news, but The Source will have photos up shortly and a number of TV crews were there as well. |
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Post by bzcat on Apr 18, 2011 10:59:37 GMT -8
I went to USC and the Natural History Museum on Sunday and was very happy to see the train sitting on the track on Exposition Blvd just east of the Vermont station. There was a lonely security guard watching the train but he had no problem with people walking up to the tracks to take photos... I was there for about 10 minutes before I went to the Museum and during that time, about 10 people walked over from the Museum to check out the train just sitting there on the track. Mostly parents taking their kids to look at the shiny trains  |
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 18, 2011 12:27:56 GMT -8
Thanks Carter. The news is in. The Pacific Electric platform-tile art is great! I didn't know about it. |
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Post by metrocenter on Apr 18, 2011 13:00:26 GMT -8
This weekend In just under two weeks, thousands of people will get their first up-close look at the Expo Line, when USC hosts the LA Times Festival of Books. 130,000 people are expected to attend. |
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dane
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Post by dane on Apr 18, 2011 14:43:28 GMT -8
Actually it's next weekend - April 30-May 1.
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Post by davebowman on Apr 18, 2011 14:48:24 GMT -8
The LA Times Festival of Books is the weekend of April 30-May 1 because Easter is this Sunday. It will return to the last full weekend in April in 2012. As I have posted before, I think the LATFB will be a game-changer for people who haven't been on the USC campus in the last few years and still think of it as being an island in a decaying urban landscape, and will be surprised that it will do just as good a job hosting the festival as UCLA (as better). As the LATFB website explains events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/ USC will have better parking, food, and restroom facilties, and the campus will be a lot easier to navigate. In a couple weeks I think a lot of people will be very happy that USC is about to be connected to the metro area's light-rail grid. |
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 18, 2011 15:00:16 GMT -8
Going to or coming from Westwood is hell; that's probably why the Festival of Books has moved to USC. The Westside Subway, even the Expo Phase 2, will help though. USC is much easier to access by both public transit and car. And, yes, Festival of Books would not coincide with Easter Sunday.  |
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Post by metrocenter on Apr 18, 2011 15:38:42 GMT -8
The LA Times Festival of Books is the weekend of April 30-May 1 because Easter is this Sunday. It will return to the last full weekend in April in 2012. Aargh! I had just looked that up yesterday too. So I guess I'm just spreading false information. Original post has been corrected. |
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Post by thanks4goingmetro on Apr 18, 2011 22:12:47 GMT -8
Hey, look who has street-running light rail with no barriers www.westcoaster.net/images/updates/041910/041910-dca004-sm.jpgAnd Disney is a company afraid of a litigious public. How this got approved, I will never know! The catenary wire isn't strung up yet, but it will be a scaled down replica of the Pacific Electric Red Cars. Pacific Electric has moved into theme parks, while modern light rail has moved into the PE right of way. Will it have catenary, or will it be like the "streetcar" at The Grove which uses batteries, or the one down by the port, which uses diesel? The new Disney streetcar called "Red Car Trolley" will use batteries say their progress blog. Also, pylons are up for "LaBrea" and "LaCienega." LaBrea station look close to completely done. |
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Post by thanks4goingmetro on Apr 18, 2011 23:01:24 GMT -8
I walked from my place to the CVS on Venice/Culver yesterday and noticed that they popped the top on Phase 2 with some bulldozers and were making way behind the CVS/Ross/Albertson's.
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 19, 2011 7:20:50 GMT -8
I wonder why they didn't use low voltage DC in Disneyland and an onboard voltage converter in the streetcar. It would be much easier than a battery. Low voltage would work since these would be going very slow on a flat surface and they wouldn't require high currents.
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Post by metrocenter on Apr 19, 2011 7:48:21 GMT -8
More coverage of the yesterday's Expo Line media event: Inaccuracies from the ABC News report: "Eyewitness News reporter Sid Garcia is live in Exposition Park, one of 19 stops along the Expo Line." (This claim is repeated later by Mr. Garcia himself.) and "Tracks from the old Red Car line are being used for the new Expo Line." |
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 19, 2011 8:35:34 GMT -8
Well, once the line is completed, there will be 19 stops. Also, tracks refer to the right-of-way in this context, not the rail. I thought it was a very well done report.
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Post by metrocenter on Apr 19, 2011 12:31:52 GMT -8
Well, once the line is completed, there will be 19 stops. Also, tracks refer to the right-of-way in this context, not the rail. I thought it was a very well done report. You're being generous to these fine reporters. Mr. Garcia himself said: "The Western station is one of 19 along the route that goes from LA Live to Culver City." Clearly he's confusing Phase 1 with the entire line. There will eventually be 19 stations, but not between LA Live and Culver City. All things considered, it was a very positive report about the Expo Line. |
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Post by jamesinclair on Apr 19, 2011 13:30:46 GMT -8
According to what I've seen regarding the Disney California "Red Car", it will be battery powered, but have "dummy" (non-energized) trolley wire for appearances only. Regarding the San Pedro Red Car line, that is powered by overhead wire at 600 volts DC; no diesel involved. I must be thinking of some other heritage line then. |
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 19, 2011 14:31:23 GMT -8
Culver Junction Station canopies are now up. The names for the stations are Vermont, Western, etc., with the pylons now put in place. Still no train testing since the first two days a week ago. Here is a couple of pictures of the La Cienega and Jefferson Boulevards warzone:   |
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Post by Justin Walker on Apr 19, 2011 14:57:50 GMT -8
Here is a couple of pictures of the La Cienega and Jefferson Boulevards warzone: Speaking of warzones, peace has finally come to the Flower/Adams warzone. All lanes on the Adams Blvd. overpass have been restored:  Looking south:  Looking north. No pedestrians allowed on the east sidewalk of Flower. I hope that changes:  The northbound HOV connector roadway also has been reopened. For months, it was closed and used to store construction equipment:  |
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Post by spokker on Apr 19, 2011 18:47:58 GMT -8
I would feel more safe on the sidewalk closest to the tracks than the sidewalk closest to the road!
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 25, 2011 11:19:15 GMT -8
Here comes the first Expo landscaping, other than the ginkgo and palm trees already being planted. This is going to look awesome:   Finished La Cienega Blvd looking south:  They have been working on the crossing gates. There have been only two days of train testing so far and the train is still parked east of Menlo Avenue. |
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Post by darrell on Apr 25, 2011 11:40:36 GMT -8
Here comes the first Expo landscaping, other than the ginkgo and palm trees already being planted. This is going to look awesome: No kidding, beautiful photos, Gokhan! |
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dane
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Post by dane on Apr 29, 2011 11:53:55 GMT -8
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Post by Gokhan on Apr 29, 2011 12:04:19 GMT -8
Gokhan, you'd probably appreciate this one of the tile detail on the Western platform: Very much so! I have a nice red T-shirt with the logo that I got from OERM as well. |
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Post by metrocenter on Apr 29, 2011 13:08:09 GMT -8
Hey Gokhan, how far west did the Expo test train make it during testing? Any word on continuation of testing?
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