JCue713 Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Ok for all you guys who are proud southerners and as well just dang afraid of driving near an idk how ton chunk of silver blazing steel aka Metro rail train, then let me ask you guys this. Now I know this is better in the transporation section but why don't we replace our huge accident causing trains with some nice easily controlled, southern, motorist friendly trolleys? Sorta like what New Orelans, our nice little neighbors to the east have. Trolley's can stop on the dot, they use the same over head power lines, they are beautiful compact and not intimdating like some huge train blazing down at 55 mph in some areas. A trolley adds back the southern charm lost through our huge glass builgings, and boy are they nice. Houston sometimes gets ahead of itself and forgets where its roots are. This is a huge root called Trolley. And I sure would love to see her on our rail line instead of some crazy chunk of steel train blazing next to me. I mean when you think of it and I mean really think of it. We say train like its just some word, but we are driving next to a freaking TRAIN. A TRAIN! The thing that nobody in their right mind would drive next to. But anyway its just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbaNerd Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 NAH! I like our big silver choo choos. They ARE houston, all futuristic, and beautiful, with an ugly side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 you got that right urbanerd. i like them just the way they are. if we had a trolley line, i would want it to go the route from 290 at the loop to downtown, through the heights. that would be choice. if you don't know what i'm talking about, it's the existing rail ROW that txdot has it's eye on for a possible future tollway or freeway expansion cutting right through the heights. when visitors were downtown they would see retro trolleys with "the heights line" on them connecting to the main street line. the impression would be: "the heights? must be a great place to visit. let's take some of our visitor dollars and go buy stuff there......". ads on the heights line would include ads from the antique stores and historic organizations there. things like "visit the historic heights" and "step back to a better time (or "step back to the future"), walk the heights shopping district" would be on the ad space on the sides of the trolleys. (bachanon is in a dream where he is in advertising) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 ^ I LOVE that idea!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowbrow Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 I agree I like the current train in use on the red-line. I'm not saying the intersections cant be better designed some how.I also like the Heights line idea. I think a trolley right up Heights boulevard would be choice (although it does make me think of Nawlins.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbaNerd Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Beautiful idea. They really should have kept the old Houston Streetcars! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Trolleys are an interesting thought, but they're also more expensive. Since a trolley has less capacity than a light rail vehicle, you need more of them. That means you need to pay more drivers to drive them, and that gets very expensive very quickly. Still, it's a neat idea. I'd love to see trolleys in some of the city's leafier areas. Just as long as they're not those diesel-belching ones they have down on Galveston. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbot Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Back then, a southerner didn't have a car either, they had wagons. So if you really want to get back to our roots, I guess that means away with our cars, as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssullivan Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Those Galveston trolleys are such a joke. I'm sorry, but a "historic" trolley line shouldn't spew diesel fumes into the air!A few cities, including New Orleans, have had great success with historic trolley lines, especially to historic and/or tourist areas. I also love San Francisco's Muni F Market/Wharves line, which runs along Market St. from Castro St. to The Embarcadero, then north along The Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf. It uses historic equipment -- mainly PCC streamliner cars and Peter Witt trams from Milan, Italy, as well as a fleet of unqiue, one-of-a-kind cars from around the world -- and is hugely popular with tourists and locals. It's a great sight to see those old streetcars running down Market St., and each of the PCC cars are painted in a different livery, reflecting a different American city that operated the type. Something like that running through downtown to the Heights would definitely be in character with the neighborhood and would certianly draw people into the area. However historic trolley lines are typically more expensive to operate and using true historic equipment (not reproductions as many cities, including New Orleans on the Canal and Riverfront lines, have) requires a huge commitment of time, money, and manpower. San Francisco has really only pulled it off through the help of the nonprofit Market St. Railway group, which has worked with Muni to get the F, and future E, lines going and the equipment restored. But the results of that partnership, and the Market St. Railway's dedication, are evident every time one of those old cars rumbles down the street. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 The Harrisburg line was opened to streetcar traffic in 1908, and this postcard view was made not long after. The car is a double-truck semiconvertible design, the mainstay of the fleet during this period. The year is 1935, and car 411, a double-truck Birney built in 1924, pauses at the terminal of the South End line on Fannin Street. The new METRO light rail system will pass just one block from this location. A NOTE about the "color" photo on the home page. As far as we know, there are no color photos of Houston streetcars in existence! This view of car 424 passing the new Grand Central Station in 1939 has been hand colored by graphic designer Bryan Bechtold. I am all for bringing back the Trolley's to Houston. I fell that it woudl return a certain amount of charm to many parts of this great city. Houston Trolley Home page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 A page of photos showing the trolley on display at the location of the end of the Bellaire streetcar line. The car (the only preserved streetcar in Houston) is actually from Portugal, and was imported as an historical display. Although not exactly the same as any of the cars which operated in Houston, it is representative of a typical American-built Brill single truck streetcar. The adjacent building was used as a waiting shelter for passengers, and is the only surviving structure of Houston's streetcar system. It has recently been restored to its original appearance. THE BELLAIRE STREETCAR LINE HISTORIC SITE IN HOUSTON (Photos by Philip Booth) A typical Houston-type of early trolley Memorial plaque at the site Front view of the Trolley The line still exists, but now it's served by buses Lets bring them back and make Houston great again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 great information hunter, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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