Comments on: DC to Put the Old Streetcars Back on the Streets

By: Rob Van Laun

Rob Van Laun — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:06:22 +0000

Ash, streetcar and trolley both refer to the same type of vehicle.The word trolley in American English is a colloquialism for streetcar and comes from the vehicle’s trolley pole which makes contact with the underside of the overhead “trolley” wire. The word trolley comes from “to troll”; as in the fishing technique wherein one pulls a fishline through the water from a moving boat. The pole mounted on the roof of a streetcar “trolls” the overhead wire as the car travels along its route.

The use of the word trolley was very regional, in Chicago, Washington DC and San Francisco* the use of the word streetcar was quite common, and in Philadelphia the use of the word trolley was almost always the norm.

*modern electric urban light rail vehicles almost universally use a device called a pantograph for current collection, in San Diego the LRVs are equiped with pantographs and are referred to as “trolleys” which, technically speaking, is incorrect. Another very technical misuse of the colloquialism is to refer to a San Francisco cable car as a trolley.

By: Rob Van Laun

Rob Van Laun — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:49:58 +0000

Looking west-northwest on Pennsylvania Ave SE in 1920, these rails were used until 1960, note the Capitol Building. http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/31188u.jpg

By: Rob Van Laun

Rob Van Laun — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:36:28 +0000

Jonathan, whether or not re-introducing streetcars to the district is a good idea for the amount of money that will be spent is anyone’s guess at best. If it’s done properly and in crosstown corridors wherein the routes would be heavily patronised it should be successful if the new rail routes become well traveled trunk lines which will serve as the backbone for the surface routes as the D.C. Transit streetcar routes once served the district.

Where you miss the point is in completely rejecting urban rail as technologically obsolete. I suspect you are not too familiar with the advantages modern electric urban rail transportation that utilise fast accelerating and braking high performance urban rail vehicles. They are of course capitive to their rails, however they can be operated in restricted rail only street lanes as well as in medians of wide streets such as in Boston and until the early 60s on the medians of Pennsylvania Avenue S.E. to Barney Circle.
The central point you miss is that urban rail provides a smooth and comfortable ride regardless of the condition of the street pavement that “ALL” buses are subject to. They can easily be operated in trains of 2 to 3 cars to quickly move large numbers of commuters.

By: Rob Van Laun

Rob Van Laun — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 02:28:21 +0000

one flaw in this UC bus concept is that buses unlike subways do not necessarily stop at literally every bus stop if no one is getting off of or waiting curbside to get on the bus. Early morning and late night buses and streetcars can travel literally several miles before passengers may get on or off the vehicle. It seems to me the UC bus would be required to make designated requisite charging station stops no matter how brief they might be whether anyone intended boarding or alighting from the bus.

By: Rob Van Laun

Rob Van Laun — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 22:31:11 +0000

Ash, more like mid twentieth century.

By: Rob Van Laun

Rob Van Laun — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 20:07:21 +0000

Jonathan what’s the price tag on this UC system ? I bet it’s far from inexpensive to build charge points every 5 to 10 miles along the length of every route..

By: Rob Van Laun

Rob Van Laun — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 19:41:37 +0000

” A UC bus also recaptures its own breaking energy, which electric trolleys do not. UC buses have been used for over four years and gone over 1,000,000 kilometers with no problems and low maintenance costs. ”

Modern electric streetcars as used in the district until 1962 did in fact utilise their own breaking energy in their regenerative breaking systems. RVL

By: Rob Van Laun

Rob Van Laun — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 19:01:20 +0000

Jonathan, to refute urban rail as obsolete indicates how indeed you do miss the point. The point is that “modern” fast accelerating streetcars operating on noise proofed trucks (the undercarriage wheel assemblies) over well maintained rail as was common in the district from 1936 to 1962, provided a ride more reliable and comfortable ride than any bus could provide. I know first hand, I rode the D.C. Transit streetcars whose routes provided service on the most heavily used truck line routes in the city and suburban areas, the streetcars where the backbone of the entire D.C. Transit system. This is not a bus versus streetcar argument as you would have it, but rather which vehicle is more suited to heavy ridership demands. The bus obviously has its place on short lines and more lightly patronised routes, indeed, even in the days of Washington streetcar service, the system had more bus routes by far than rail routes. You miss the point because a bus is a bus is a bus which requires all of its routes be well paved and maintained to provide anything close to a consistantly comfortable ride. What’s more these breakdowns and blockages you seem to like to point out were extremely uncommon.

By: Jonathan Levy

Jonathan Levy — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 04:57:31 +0000

No Ron, I did not miss the point. Ultracapacitor buses are 100% electric. A UC bus uses no direct fossil fuel for power, emits no pollution, is eco friendly, quiet, and the technology is proven. A UC bus uses only 2 kWh/mile of electricity, or 18.25 cents per mile. A UC bus also recaptures its own breaking energy, which electric trolleys do not. UC buses have been used for over four years and gone over 1,000,000 kilometers with no problems and low maintenance costs. These buses cost one-sixth the cost of the electric trolleys, do not have continuous overhead wires, nor do they have expensive infrastructure tracks. Should one vehicle break down the whole trolley line is blocked until the trolley is removed or put back into service. A UC bus can just go around any obstruction; and future bus routes can be easily adjusted or changed by city officials. UC technology is constantly improving and the next generation of UC buses will be able to go up to ten miles per 30 second re-change, which are conveniently done with a catenary at passenger stops while people enter and exit the bus.

By: Rob Van Laun

Rob Van Laun — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 22:30:13 +0000

Jonathan, you miss the point. Electrically proplelled vehicles are far cleaner and far more efficient than any bus, except an electric trolley bus. The modern PCC streetcars operated by D.C. Transit were forced off of the streets of Washington by hostile government fiat in January 1962. D.C. Transit’s CEO, O. Roy Chalk tried in vain to retain D.C.’s streetcar system simply because he found they were more efficient and profitable than D.C. Transit’s far more numerous bus routes. The streetcars retired that winter were considered in many quarters to be finest American urban transit vehicles designed, and as of 2010 has yet to be surpassed.