January–March 1997 • $5.00 / The Hershey Cuban Interurban: Past, Present and Future Hedlights CONTENTS The Magazine of Electric Railways Published since 1939 by the Electric Jan-Mar Railroaders’ Association, Inc. Volume 59, Number 1–3 January-March, 1997 Columns Staff Editor and Art Director 3 Rail Transit News Sandy Campbell A roundup of rail transit activities in various cities reported by Frank S. Contributing Editors Miklos, E. L. Tennyson and J. McMahon. J. Church, Clive Foss, James N. J. Henwood, Jack May, 6 Rail Book Reviews J. McMahon, Frank S. Miklos, Allen Morrison, E. L. Tennyson James N. J. Henwood reviews Allen Morrison’s new book Latin American by Streetcar, with a generous sampling of photos supplied by the author. Electric Railroaders’ Association, Inc. Features E 8 The Hershey Cuban Interurban: National Headquarters Past, Present and Future Grand Central Terminal Clive Foss presents a lavishly photographed history of the Hershey New York City Cuban, the last old-style interurban in the western hemisphere. Mailing Address P.O. Box 3323, Grand Central Station On the Cover New York, NY 10163-3323 E-Mail 1924 Brill 3008 crossing a stream between Casa Blanca and Hershey. [email protected] Rebuilt for excursion service, 3008 has a unique paint scheme, standee windows and the novel name Trans Hershey. Subscriptions PHOTOGRAPH BY J. CHURCH Headlights is sent free to members of the E.R.A. Applications for (Below) Looking remarkably like a PE blimp, newly repainted 3018 E.R.A. membership are supplied stands ready to depart Hershey Shops for Jaruco in 1996. upon request. PHOTOGRAPH BY CLIVE FOSS Changes of Address Send address changes to the E.R.A. along with an old address label from a recent issue. Correspondence All inquiries regarding the activities of the E.R.A. should be directed to our New York headquarters. Contributions Send all items for publication in Headlights to the editor. Manuscripts should be submitted on diskette, e-mailed to our Internet address, or typewritten. Photos, illustrations and maps are needed as well. Please send original negatives or slides when possible and include descriptions for each image along with your name and address. © 1997 Electric Railroaders’ Association, Inc. All rights reserved. 062598 RAIL TRANSIT “temporarily” replaced They could proceed the Huntington Avenue only when the next red streetcars in 1985. flasher was visible after News the car ahead cleared. All After the flood waters switches in the flooded receded, MBTA crews section were thrown worked around the clock by hand, with MBTA to clean up the tunnels employees authorizing and stations so that cars to proceed. Cars service could be restored. were required to stop On Tuesday, October 22, at yellow flashing lights the Riverside line was outside each station reopened as and could then proceed far as Fenway Park. slowly into the platform. The first expansion of The regular signals were underground opera- gradually restored over tion did not take place a period of weeks except until Thursday, when for the section between service was restored the subway portals and between Park Street the Hynes/ICA station. and Copley Square. On The signals there were so Friday, October 25, the badly damaged that they Common wealth Avenue had to be replaced. FRANK S. MIKLOS line resumed through 1 LRV 3411 REPORTED BY FRANK S. MIKLOS, station. After inundat- service into the subway Regular Huntington E. L. TENNYSON (DALLAS), climbs the ing the Boylston Street as far as Government Avenue service to AND J. MCMAHON (TORONTO) ramp near subway, the flood waters Center, while Hunting- Heath Street was finally Fenway followed the tunnels into ton Avenue cars began restored on the after- Park where BOSTON the Huntington Avenue operating between Lech- noon of December 7. It water from Heavy rains from one of subway with water mere and North eastern may be months before the nearby the worst storms to hit reaching the mezzanine University. Through anything resembling Muddy River the Boston area in more at the Prudential Station. service on the Beacon normal operations are flowed into than 25 years flooded Street and Riverside restored throughout the the Green major portions of the Fortunately the weather lines was resumed on subway. In addition to Line subway, Green Line subway. did not affect the Orange, Sunday, October 27. The new signals, the escala- disrupting The severe northeaster Red or Blue Lines, but surface portion of the tors at Kenmore Square service and struck on October 21, most of the service on Huntington Avenue line also had to be replaced. causing 1996. Water from the the Green Line was was not restored until millions of Muddy River, which severely disrupted. Rail Sunday, November 10, There is always the risk dollars in parallels the Riverside shuttles were estab- and was operated only of a similar occurrence damages. line, over flowed onto lished between Park as far as Brigham Circle. in the future. After a less Much of the rail right-of-way and Street and Lechmere, as Rail operation beyond serious storm struck the this may into the subway portal well as on the above- there to Heath Street was subway in the 1960s have been at Fenway Park (above). ground portions of the not resumed, prompting there was talk of install- avoided Within hours the subway Commonwealth Avenue fears among the riders ing flood gates at the through the was flooded with water and Beacon Street that the MBTA would Fenway Park portal to installation reaching as far as the lines. Connecting bus use the situation as an guard against a similar of flood Arlington Street station. transported passengers excuse to permanently disaster, but nothing ever gates. between the surface rail cut back the line. came of these plans. In Kenmore Square was lines and downtown light of the October flood especially hard hit with Boston. Rail opera- The floods caused severe it may be wise to pursue the platform area entire- tions were suspended damage to the signals these plans once again. ly submerged and water on Huntington Avenue and switch controls in covering the turnstiles because rail equipment the subway. Battery on the mezzanine level. now based at the Reser- powered red flashing NEW ORLEANS Water also reached the voir carhouse was isolat- lights were positioned Plans for the expansion mezzanine at the Hynes ed by the floods, while throughout the tunnels, and modernization of the Convention Center service was increased and cars were required New Orleans streetcar (formerly Auditorium) on the bus route that to stop at each one. system call for new or HEADLIGHTS • JANUARY–MARCH 1997 3 2 New rebuilt cars resembling peak hour trains. Almost placed weekday system end of the line. Higher Orleans the city’s vintage Perley 19,500 weekday passen- ridership at 30,000, with than expected rider- streetcar Thomas cars. Car 957 was gers were attracted 24,000 on Saturdays and ship has stimulated both 957, rebuilt returned to the city more initially to enjoy the 14,000 on Sundays, about commercial builders and to resemble than 20 years after it novelty of the new LRT 33% over estimates. property buyers. Since the city’s was retired from service. line, but ridership settled The 32 scheduled peak January, trains have run vintage Following an extensive down at the 15,500 level, cars are averaging 938 at peak capacity and Perley rebuilding, the retro car about 7% more than weekday passengers per transit station parking Thomas cars, made a test run outside estimated. About 10% car, about 15% heavier lots have overflowed. made a test the Carrolton depot on of the riders were new than the New York run outside January 5, 1995 (below). to transit, which served subway system. Early estimates proj- the Carrolton Betraying its appearance a modest income, ect nine million 1997 depot on of historical accuracy are transit dependent After a slow start, devel- passengers for the new January 5, PCC trucks and a clearly neighborhood. opers are finally getting DART light rail which 1995. Still visible opening for on track with Dallas’s will add three more lacking wheelchair accessibility. In January 1997, DART new rail line. The Morn- stations in May on the windows and opened the three- ing News reported that south end of the Blue paint, the car mile, 65 mile-per-hour the HBE Corporation Line. Part of the Blue is months DALLAS subway north along the plans to invest $150 Line is on old Texas Elec- away from In June 1996, Dallas Area North Central Freeway million in a new Adams tric Railway right-of-way service. Rapid Transit (DART) (US 75) to Mockingbird Mark Hotel, one of the where the Monroe Shops opened eleven miles of Lane, with three addi- most costly real estate are being refurbished light rail transit service tional miles of surface projects in downtown as a community center between downtown and elevated railway to Dallas in a decade. The at the Illinois Avenue Dallas and Oak Cliff West Lovers Lane and Park article indicated, “Offi- station. The annual cost on the Red Line and Oak Lane stations, serving cials of the St. Louis- of operation and main- Cliff South on the Blue a high-rise commer- based hotel company tenance is now estimated Line, with 20-minute cial area and Univer- wouldn’t be spending a at $16 million per year, service on each for 20 sity Park. About 10,000 dime on the deal if the about $1.75 per passen- hours per day, except for weekday passengers DART rail line didn’t ger, 33% below the cost ten-minute headways were projected, about run by the hotel’s front of DART bus service.