An invitation to experience my acclaimed presentation on rail transportation in Italy

October 28, 2015 -

An invitation to cover/experience my acclaimed presentation on rail transportation in Italy.

Media Advisory:

Presentation of Rail Transportation In Italy By Joseph M. Calisi

Revised Date/Time:
                              October 28, 2015, show begins about 6 pm
                              meeting begins at 5 pm

Location           : Farmingdale State College

                              2350 Broad Hollow Rd.

                              Lupton Hall Room T101-make a left out of the 'T'

                              Farmingdale, NY 11735

Directions        : See below

Contact            : Joseph M. Calisi JMCalisi@Yahoo.com

Join us for entertainment to be provided by the National Railway Historical Society's New York Chapter Historian and Director, Joseph M. Calisi. The program is a photographic recap of the Electric Railroaders Association European extravaganza this past May, 2012. The group chased after trams, trolleys, funiculars, ropeways and Italian high speed Frecciarossa trains all over Northern and Central Italy. The presentation includes an update on Italian rail transportation since 2012.

Don't miss this excellent show!

Known as the International Transportation Photojournalist since 1993, I’ve contributed to the information world in print (magazines and newspapers) and electronic media (TV reporter and interviewee, radio and websites) for over 20 years.

Congratulations also go to Joseph who has added to his impressive portfolio of published work, the cover photograph of a national publication - the February, 2013 Trains Magazine – an interior shot of Grand Central Terminal in connection with the 100th anniversary of New York’s emblematic rail terminal. This is in addition to the magazine covers of Railway Age magazine - the #1 rail industry publication of the Americas over the years. Visit his website at: http://josephmcalisiphotography.com and transportation blog at: http://railientrails.blogspot.com/

An added feature is that an 11-minute documentary will be shown on the last days of mainline steam railroading in Inner Mongolia, China. This presentation garnered me a Telly Award in 2003.

Come and enjoy the show!

Directions:
Meeting is in Lupton Hall Room T101 (SUBJECT TO CHANGE).

Directions are:

NOTE: NON-REGISTERED VISITORS NEED TO REQUEST A PERMIT TO PARK ON CAMPUS. SEND AN EMAIL TO THIS ADDRESS

BY OCTOBER 15TH SO THERE WILL BE ENOUGH TIME TO PROCESS YOUR REQUEST.

When coming onto the campus, go to the police or guard headquarters to get a parking permit and a campus map to find Lupton Room 101. However, an alternative is to come to the meeting and we will provide parking permits which you will then have to place on the dashboard of your car. But when you first park only park in student parking or else you will get a ticket if you are in faculty or charging stations parking.
 

Directions to the Campus

From the Metropolitan Area

Campus Map

By Car
Northern State Parkway - to Exit 40 (Route 110). Travel south on Route 110 for approximately 3 miles. On the right hand side you will see the Broad Hollow Bioscience Park. Turn right into the campus at the College sign.

Southern State Parkway - to Exit 32 - (Route 110). Travel north on Route 110, approximately 3 miles. Turn left at the College sign onto the Melville Road. Proceed approximately 1/4 mile to College entrance. Turn right into the College.

Long Island Expressway - to Exit 49 South (Route 110). Travel south on Route 110, approximately 2 miles. On the right hand side you will see the Broad Hollow Bioscience Park. Turn right into the campus at the College sign.

By Train
Long Island Railroad - Pennsylvania Station. Take the Ronkonkoma line to Farmingdale. Check with the Conductor for any necessary changes. Take a taxi from the Farmingdale Station to the College.

By Bus
The campus bus stop serves both the Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) and the Suffolk Transit System from the same bus stop located on the east side of parking lot 4 B.

Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) Bus Map and Schedules

Suffolk County Transportation Bus Map and Schedules

Shuttle Service:
Checkers Cab (516-777-1111) and Yellow Cab (516-849-6666)
Cost is $4 per person.

Monday through Friday
Farmingdale LIRR to Farmingdale State College (Laffin Hall): 7:00 AM, 8:35 AM, 9:10 AM

Farmingdale State College (Departs from Laffin Hall) to Farmingdale LIRR: 12:25 PM, 1:25 PM, 2:25 PM, 3:25 PM, 4:25 PM, and 5:00 PM

New Hokkaido Shinkansen High Speed Train Service Unveiled In Japan

Japan, September 21, 2015 -

The Hokkaido Shinkansen is ready to fly this coming March. With an agreement between Japan Railways JR East and JR Hokkaido subsidiaries, four new H5 model Shinkansen trainsets for the new line to Japan’s northern-most island.

The daily service pattern breaks down as follows:

·         Ten Hayabusa service trains from Tokyo to Hakodate on Hokkaido island;

·         One round trip from Sendai with two Hayate services, one of them from Morioka and the other from Shin-Aomori;

·         Sixteen 3-car emus will operate between Shin-Hakodate Hokuto and Hakodate city center, and;

·         The existing conventional line between Sapporo and Shin-Hakodate Hokuto will be increased to 12 trains from 9 per day.

In recent years, the trackage through the 53km Seikan tunnel and on Hokkaido have been dual-gauged in anticipation of the new service.

With the start of standard gauge Shinkansen, all of the 1067mm-gauge trains operating between Honshu and Hokkaido, including Cassiopeia, Super Hakucho, Hakucho, and Hamanasu trains will be terminated.

The long term goal is to provide Hokkaido Shinkansen second phase service to Sapporo by 2030 on a 211 kilometer route.

PHOTO CAPTION:  JR East's E5 Shinkansenin Tokyo station.

Trenitalia’s High Speed Frecciarossa Now Serves Bari, Italy

Italy, September, 2015 –

The network of Italy’s premier high speed train, the Frecciarossa, is now serving Bari, Italy. The infrastructure upgrade to handle 200 kilometer/hour speeds with the ETR 500 tilting train between Bologna and Foggia has been completed and service has begun.

The daily 869km round trip between Milan and Bari has been reduced by over an hour from 7 hours 43 minutes to 6 hours 30 minutes.

High speed rail is nothing new in Italy as the Italian government has been gradually upgrading the right of way and equipment since the 1970s.

The service change was made after the deployment of the new Frecciarossa1000 trains on Milan to Rome services this past June, 2015. The ETR 500 equipment was then made available on the Venice – Rome – Naples – Salerno route, and now the Milan – Bari line.

A 125 mph Frecciabianca northbound run originating was swapped out for the redeployed ETR 500 Frecciarossa equipment.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured is the Frecciarossa ETR 500 in the famous trainshed in Milan, Italy.

Metro-North's 'Cosmo Cars' Still On The Job

Grand Central Terminal, September 21, 2015 -

MNR's train number 1378/7:15 pm departure that's the Stamford local, had a treat, one of the last 3 remaining trainsets of the 'Cosmopolitan' fleet of the 1970s took them home. Tonight, car #8746 was at the point on track 15.

For those that follow the travails of Metro-North's 'Cosmo Cars', the remaining M-2 fleet is still rolling but on an emergency 'as need' basis.

Yes, the air conditioning worked and people settled into their old seating patterns that's somewhat different from their M-8 counterparts.

However, the ride was as smooth as ever and yes the newer amenities such as automated announcements

and outlet power for everyone's electronic gear wasn't there.

Dan Adolphe of Larchmont in Westchester County however thinks nothing of the older vs new cars except for a few things, "I miss the bar car. I got to enjoy the camaraderie, the extra seating room, and standing up for the trip. One of the few vintage things that are a good thing." He added, "However, the bathrooms are a lot better on the new cars."

Yes, it was the good old days, even if it was just for one night.

Tama, The Stationmaster Cat, Immortalized And Successor Named

WAKAYAMA, Japan, Aug. 11, 2015 (Kyodo) -

When a calico cat named Tama was named ‘stationmaster’ in a marketing move by the Wakayama Electric Railway Co in Japan during January 2007, the commuter railroad that was financially in trouble was saved by a flood of visitors that made the bottom line go from red to black a few years ago. I know firsthand of Tama and Nitama as I was in Japan last year and made a 'pilgrimage' to the Kishi Station on the Kishigawa Line in Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan.

 

Cats are used as a good luck charm (Maneki-neko or beckoning cat) for shop owners and the rail line. The Wakayama Electric Railway was in danger of closure due to a lack of ridership when Tama was named stationmaster in a desperate publicity move.

Now with the recent passing of the 16-year old Tama, a Shinto shrine that contains the deceased cat, was unveiled to the public and is located on the station’s platform.

The railroad is hoping to keep lightning in the bottle by ‘appointing’ a 5-year old female calico feline named Nitama (Tama the 2nd), to be the ‘next master’ of Kishi Station.

The railroad’s President, Mitsunobu Kojima, said Tama’s popularity saved not only his railroad but other struggling local Japanese railways as well. Nitama, the successor, has been ‘in training’ since January 2012 and has been appointed acting station master of the station.

My report of Tama's passing has created a bit of a stir by visitors to the Trains website looking for a photo of the feline instead of an emu in kitty motif. So here is a link to the Trains website:

http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2015/08/japans-stationmaster-cat-memorialized-successor-named#comments

 

and a photo of Nitama:

 

Enjoy!

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Amtrak's New Haven-Springfield Line Construction Will Cause ‘Bustitution’

Hartford, Ct., August 2, 2015 –

On the heels of Connecticut Governor Malloy’s statements in a scathing letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in June, terming Amtrak’s poor management of the project that they "failed to manage budgeting and staffing for what was supposed to be a $365 million job.” He later added that the project was way over budget and significantly behind schedule.

On Friday July 31, apparently things have now changed for the line that once had 2 tracks in service. If Amtrak agrees, buses will provide gap service for about a year while the work is in progress for Amtrak service between the 2 cities in a joint statement by the state and national carrier – a significant modification of service delivery.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s office was ecstatic that shovels will soon be in the ground and the project will be moving forward.

A switch allowing trains to operate on a parallel set of tracks that will be owned by Amtrak (since they own the roadbed) will allow workers to get the project done faster in the long run. The second set of rails is a feature ConnDOT was looking to be implemented by December 2016.

Photo caption: Amtrak's New Haven-Springfield shuttle pulls into Hartford Union Station in 2013.

Tokyo’s Haneda Monorail Improvements Planned

Tokyo, Japan, August 21, 2014 – While most travelers enter Japan from Narita International Airport, Haneda Airport which is closer to Tokyo’s downtown and sees 60 million passengers annually, is being upgraded with improved rail links. The airport has resurfaced as an international destination since a fourth runway was added as part of the Japanese government’s program to increase tourism in the country.

The monorail that’s operated by Japan Railways East (JR East) and its subsidiary Tokyo Monorail are looking to expand the 'train to the plane' system to Shinjuku (a major tourist destination), central Tokyo and Shin-Kiba with a 3 km (about 2 miles). The project is budgeted at $1.1 billion dollars.

Currently, passengers can connect from the monorail to JR East and the Tokyo subway at the at Hamamatsucho monorail terminal. The line extension would reduce the average trip time from 24 to 18 minutes and a train transfer eliminated.

Metro-North M-2 Cars Saying Goodbye With New Reporting Marks

New Haven, CT, July, 2015 -

It appears the last of the M-2 cars on the property have completed their service on Metro-North. Some have gone so far as to say the 'Cosmo' cars just might’ve been the best commuter car ever built in this country.  
 
In what could be described as a last goodbye to the region they served so well for almost 40 years, the last eight M-2 cars departed Cedar Hill Yard recently as a CSX diesel loco towed them to their final resting place. The car numbers were obliterated and replaced with FICX reporting marks, a symbol of the new owner Frontier Industrial Recycling.

The final destination is a scrap yard in the famous railroad town of Ashtabula, Ohio.

Adieu to the M-2, you served us well.

Photo caption: Cosmo cars on the layup track in New Haven, Ct. during an ERA tour in March, 2015.

Ex-NYCT ‘Redbird’ Used As A Tourist Center To Close

Queens, NY, July 15, 2015 -

The R-33S subway car that was salvaged from the drink before it could be lowered off the shores of Cape May, NJ has apparently worn out its welcome on Queens Blvd. In 2005, it was saved to be a welcome/tourist center in Queens Blvd outside borough headquarters and the nearby courthouse. At the time, former Borough President Helen Marshall’s office paid for a $500,000 rehab and laying of the track panels that are beneath the car.

Ironically, the car that was built in 1963 never operated on the IRT #7 Flushing line. Out of 1400 of this car type built, this ‘Redbird’ was one of 770 that received a general overhaul and this color (nicknamed Gunn Red) red paint in the 1980s.

 

The closing is seen as a failure to market the salvaged subway car as a tourist center in Queens. Maybe it can be moved to Times Square where it would sit over the IRT 1, 2 and 3 7^th Avenue subway lines where it really operated in its heyday. 

 

The Redbirds went out of service in November of 2004 on the Flushing line.

The staffer that worked in the car was quoted in the local media that she was disappointed it was closing but a new concept could replace it.

SEPTA Media-Sharon Hill Trolley Service Changes Begin on July 20

Philadelphia, Pa., July 15, 2015 -

Buses are being used in place of trolleys along SEPTA Routes 101 and 102 (Media-Sharon Hill Line) through Sunday, September 6, 2015 due to a 12-week trolley modernization project. New timetables for Routes 101 and 102 will begin on Monday, July 20. The new schedules reflect some Route 101 trip time adjustments and Route 102 bus re-routing to accommodate track construction on Springfield Road and Woodlawn Avenue.

The Media-Sharon Hill Line is comprised of three parts: the trunk from 69th Street Transportation; Center to Drexel Hill Junction (Shadeland Avenue) used by both Route 101 and 102; stops from Huey Avenue to Media used by Route 101, and; stops from Garrettford to Sharon Hill used by Route 102.

 

During the 12-week summer trolley shutdown, 16 SEPTA in-house and third party contractor groups will work on a variety of projects on all three portions of the line. The work schedule will typically be Monday-Saturday, from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

 

Scheduled work in 10 phases over the 12-week period on Route 102 are:

·         Rail replacement;

·         Concrete roadway and repaving the parking lanes, and;

·         Installation of rubber rail boots around the new rails to lessen vibration and noise.

 

The last time the trolley track and roadway were replaced in this area was 1983.

 

During this first of 10 phases of the construction, substitute Route 102 buses between Clifton Heights and Aldan will travel via Baltimore Avenue, Oak Avenue and Providence Road due to the Springfield Road and Woodlawn Avenue construction as trips will be15-20 minutes longer.

Boarding locations will be moved to Baltimore Avenue at Trolley Station and Providence Road at Woodlawn Avenue. For details, visit: http://septa.org/rebuilding/101-102-modernization-phase-2.html.

 

For more information on the Route 101/102 Trolley Modernization work, visit http://www.septa.org/rebuilding/101-102-modernization.html.

Santa Fe Railway’s Harvey House Girls Honored

Santa Fe, New Mexico, May 23, 2015 –

 

After Fred Harvey met with Charles Morse (President of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway) in 1870s with the idea of setting up Harvey Houses with hotel and dining along the Santa Fe right of way became a reality, a profound change came to the American west. The innovative chain of 84 elegant hotels, lunchrooms and restaurants that predated Route 66, were staffed by single women. In Santa Fe, New Mexico, those women were honored by New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez as well as the mayors of Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

The anniversary of the Harvey House franchise was celebrated because of what it did for women and the higher standard the Harvey Houses created for the hotel business out west.

Those approximately 100,000 women that staffed the Harvey Houses were frequently immigrants or from small towns that were looking for economic opportunities. Women from farms and small towns earned money and sent it home to help support the family homestead.

The rules the women had to abide by began with not being not married was strictly enforced as well as being clean and well-groomed. The women provided the cooking, cleaning and other upgraded hotel services as these clean and modern establishments offered a superior option to the lower grade nearby hotels. These trackside institutions that were 100 miles apart, flourished until the Route 66 highway was created which gradually eroded the Harvey House luster and ultimately led to their closure when automobile use which no longer limited travelers to hotels near the Santa Fe Railway.

Now, museums along the Santa Fe route dedicated to the Harvey Houses that were actual former facilities. Belen, NM is where the one of the famous 'The Harvey House' establishments once flourished. This museum is dedicated to its history in Belen and is adjacent to the Santa Fe Railway (now BNSF) right-of-way.

Amtrak Studies Additional St. Paul-Chicago Rail Service

July 2, 2015 -

Some time ago, Amtrak began to study the feasibility of additional St. Paul-Chicago rail service on behalf of the Minnesota and Wisconsin departments of transportation (MnDOT and WisDOT) and La Crosse County, Wisc. The verdict was a clear 'yes'.

The theory is that the second daily train would provide improved eastbound reliability and increased train frequency. An assessment of schedules, ridership, revenue, infrastructure investments, operating costs, and equipment needs associated with adding a second daily train between Minnesota and Chicago closer to midday hours also needed to be examined.

The study assumed the second round trip train would use the same route as the current Empire Builder service between Chicago and St. Paul with the addition of a Milwaukee Airport Rail Station stop.


The study said the St. Paul and Chicago route is the most feasible for initial service with potential extensions to Minneapolis and St. Cloud. It recommends an environmental review of the project, which would have a robust public involvement component and provide eligibility for federal funding. At this time, MnDOT, WisDOT and LaCrosse County are determining how to fund this step.

Annual ridership on the additional daily train, with a morning departure from Chicago and a mid-day departure from St. Paul, is estimated at about 155,000 passengers. This is an increase over the current Empire Builder ridership of approximately 104,000 between St. Paul and Chicago, with departures from St. Paul in the morning and Chicago in the afternoon. The top speed for passenger trains in this corridor is 79 mph.

There are anticipated capital investment costs for infrastructure capacity improvements, with a planning level cost estimate of approximately $95 million for the Chicago to St. Paul scenario. The St. Cloud and Minneapolis scenarios had higher infrastructure costs. If new equipment is required, it would cost an additional $46.4 million.

The study estimates annual state operating support (the difference between ticket revenue and operating and capital equipment costs) for the Chicago to St. Paul initial service would be approximately $6.6 million in 2014 dollars. The cost share among the funding parities for the service would be determined at a later date. Current federal regulations limit Amtrak participation to covering the first 15 percent of the operating cost.

The study is viewable at: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/passengerrail/.