November–December 1996 • $3.00 / Special Feature: PCCs of the World, 1936–1996 • The Buenos Aires Tourist Trolley yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Hedlights CONTENTS The Magazine of Electric Railways yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Published since 1939 by the Electric Nov -Dec Railroaders’ Association, Inc. yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyVolume 58, Number 11 -12 Novembe r–December 1996 Columns yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyStaff Editor and Art Director 3 Rail Transit News Sandy Campbell A roundup of rail transit activities in various cities reported by yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyContributing Editors E. L. Tennyson and Larry Ellis Reed. Arthur J. Lonto, Frank S. Miklos, E. L. Tennyson, Larry Ellis Reed, Bruce J. Russell, Winstan Bond Features yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Electric Railroaders’ Association, Inc. 4 Focus on Argentina, Part 3: yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyThe Buenos Aires Tourist Trolley Bruce J. Russell presents a history of the Buenos Aires Tourist Trolley in E the third of a four-part series on rail service in Argentina. Photography yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyNational Headquarters contributed by Allen Morrison. Grand Central Terminal New York City yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyMailing Address P.O. Box 3323, Grand Central Station 6 PCCs of the World, 193 6-1996: New York, NY 1016 3-3323 The First 60 Years E-Mail yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyWinstan Bond celebrates the 60th anniversary of the PCC in this [email protected] comprehensive international retrospective originally presented before the Institute of Railway Studies in London. Photography contributed Subscriptions yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyby Frank S. Miklos. Headlights is sent free to members of the E.R.A. Applications for E.R.A. membership are supplied On the Cover yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyupon request. Changes of Address Car 6069, a single-truck streetcar rebodied in Brussels in the 1950s, is one Send address changes to the E.R.A. of four streetcars operated on the Tramway Histórico de Buenos Aires by yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyalong with an old address label the Asociación Amigos del Tranvía (AAT). It looks oddly juxtaposed to from a recent issue. its surroundings as it saunters down Avenida Rivadavia in October 1995. Correspondence Photograph by Allen Morrison. All inquiries regarding the activities yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy of the E.R.A. should be directed to our New York headquarters. yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyContributions Items for publication in Headlights are always welcomed. Manuscripts yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyshould be submitted on a diskette, e-mailed to our Internet address, or typewritten. Photographs, yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyillustrations and other art such as maps are needed as well. Please include a description of the subject illustrated along with your name yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy and address. All materials should be sent to the attention of the Headlights editorial staff. yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy © 1996 Electric Railroaders’ Association, Inc. All rights reserved. 021398 yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy RAIL TRANSIT SEATTLE WASH., D.C. The voters in Seattle, Arlington County, News King County, Pierce and Virginia, has no light rail, Snohomish Counties in but voters there recently Washington approved a voted 77% in favor of 2 A Siemens $3.9 billion transit plan selling $9 million more two-car train SACRAMENTO ST. LOUIS on November 5, 1996, by in MetroRail bonds to pauses for Sacramento Regional The Federal Transit a 58% majority after fail - assist with completion of passengers Transit has begun work Administration conclud - ing to pass a larger plan the 103-mile rapid transit on Sacra - on its Mather Field ed a Full Funding Agree - last year. A 70-mile system. Public support mento’s Watt extension of the Folsom ment with Bi-State commuter rail line on for rail transit has been I-80 line. This Boulevard Line for two Development Agency to BN trackage will be very strong…as long as section of miles, and design work fund a voter approved developed from Everett voters perceive a benefit. the system is to begin on the new 12.4-mile light rail line to Seattle and Tacoma, Blue sky projects, such as was con - South Line to Florin, from East St. Louis to and a 12-mile light rail the costly Phoenix auto - structed on a initially six miles, and Belleville, Illinois, restor - line will be built from mated system, have been right-of-way Elk Grove in the future, ing the former East St. Sea-Tac Airport through shot down in flames. that was about 12 miles. Sacra - Louis & Suburban Rail - the south side of Seattle originally men to RT was serving way service. Voters also to the bus tunnel under earmarked 12 million passengers approved extending the downtown which KENOSHA, WISC. for a free - annually before light rail line eight more miles to already has tracks in the In conjunction with way. opened almost a decade Scott Air Force Base, but pavement. A subway will plans by civic leaders for be built from downtown a major redevelopment to Capitol Hill and the scheme along the Lake University of Washing - Michigan waterfront, the ton, with an extension to municipally-owned North Gate promised if Kenosha Transit System additional federal funds has announced plans for can be obtained. About a light rail line. The 40,000 weekday light rail proposed line will link passengers are expected the downtown area — to be riding the system including the Transit eighteen months after Centre used by city, completion. intercity and commuter buses and the METRA The voter approved commuter rail line from funding will also provide Chicago — with the rede - suburb-to-suburb velopment area. Five PCC express bus service, east- streetcars from Toronto west express bus service have been acquired for FRANK S. MIKLOS and bus ramps onto this line. Construction is ago. Last year (FY 1996) that segment must High Occupancy Vehicle expected to commence ridership reached 23 await further federal (HOV) lanes on major in the spring of 1997 with million, almost double funding. The existing freeways. Continued bus operations to begin in the pre-rail level. new line from East St. operation in the subway early 1998. Revenue was sufficiently Louis to Lambert (bus tunnel) is in doubt ahead of budget allowing Airport is now carrying for both safety and travel Kenosha was served by fares to be reduced for over 40,000 weekday volume reasons. The the fabled North Shore the summer, stimulating passengers (12 million hybrid trolley and diesel Line interurbans still more patronage. annually) for a North buses from Breda have between Chicago and American record of not worked out too well, Milwaukee until 1963. 1,400 passengers per with high costs and low Streetcars last ran in weekday per scheduled volumes of travel. With Kenosha in the 1930s. E car, far in excess of light rail, it is planned to New York City subway open the facility seven REPORTED BY E. L. TENNYSON AND LARRY ELLIS REED productivity. days per week, and later (WISCONSIN) into each evening. HEADLIGHTS • NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 1996 3 THE BUENOS AIRES ToTR OuLLErY ist FOCUS ON ARGENTINA, PART 3 BY BRUCE J. RUSSELL 4 HEADLIGHTS • NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 1996 treetcars ceased running in Philadelphia. His double-track, standard Polvorín Depot. (opposite page, top) Three of Buenos Aires in 1964 when the last gauge line with 600 volt DC trolley wire the four streetcars operated on the Tramway Ssuburban route shut down. The used American-style wooden interurbans. Histórico de Buenos Aires by the Asociación urban lines closed a year earlier fol - These cars ran until about 1950 and were Amigos del Tranvía (AAT). Car 652 lowing a gradual contraction of the replaced by former Pacific Electric and Key (unnumbered, left) and car 258 (middle) were system. Sadly, once the capital elimi - System cars which have since been retired. purchased second-hand from Porto, Portugal. nated its trams the provincial cities such Lacroze originally intended to Car 652 has been decorated to resemble a as Tucumán and La Plata followed suit. extend his suburban line into the com - vehicle of a Belgian tramway company that Argentina’s last trams ran on Christmas, mercial center of Buenos Aires via a operated in the Argentine capital in the early 1966, in La Plata, bringing to a close a tunnel. Although a tunnel was eventu - 1900s. Car 9069 (right) came second-hand fascinating era in public transportation. ally dug, it became Line B of the munic - from Brussels, Belgium (an articulated At one time Buenos Aires had the ipal subway system. The line had no streetcar of very similar appearance, Belgium third largest street railway system in provision for through-running of sub - PCC 7500, can be seen on page 14). It is more South America, exceeded in size only urban services and passengers had to than 50 years old, but was rebodied by by Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. At its change trains. Brussels in the 1950s. Eighteen of the cars peak the Buenos Aires system boasted Ironically, the original concept is (including some that were not rebodied) were over 3,000 cars, mostly single truck. The once more being given serious consid - exported to South America in the early 1980s. All but car 9069 went to Ascunción, Paraguay, where they ran until recently (only one has run since 1994). ALLEN MORRISON Outer Limits. (opposite page, bottom) Between the tunnel portal at Primera Junta and Polvorín depot in Caballito subway trains run on city streets! This is one of the Belgian-built cars that still run on Buenos Aires subway route A. On weekends these tracks, which form a 12-block loop, are used by the tourist streetcar line. ALLEN MORRISON Stately Procession. (left) A rare assemblage of historic streetcars along Calle Emilio Mitre awaiting a charter in October of 1995. ALLEN MORRISON “Paris of South America,” as Buenos Aires eration. The third-rail electric multiple- trams rather than full-size metro cars. was nicknamed, became a favorite of unit (MU) cars which now run over the Trams from the heaviest routes entered traction fans. suburban trackage may be rerouted it and were able to make a quick trip Horsecars began running in Buenos directly into the subway.