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.