Streetcars in New Orleans, Louisiana has been an integral part of the city's public transport network since the first half of the 19th century. Longest tram line in New Orleans, St. Charles Avenue, is the oldest street rail system operating in the world. Today, the tram is operated by the New Orleans Transit Authority (RTA).
There are currently five tram lines operating in New Orleans: St. Charles Avenue, Riverfront Line, Canal Street Line (which has two branches), and Loyola Avenue Line and Rampart/St. Claude Line (which operated as one forwarded path). St. Charles Avenue is the only route that has been operating continuously throughout New Orleans tram history (though service was interrupted after Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 and returned only partially in December 2006, as noted below). All other lines were replaced by bus services in the period from the late 1940s to early 1960s. Preservationists can not save the tram on Canal Street, but are able to convince the city authorities to protect St. Charles Avenue Line by giving him the status of a historic landmark. At the end of the 20th century, the trend began to support longer rail transit. The short Riverfront line began operations in 1988, and service returned to Canal Street in 2004, 40 years after it was closed.
The widespread devastation that occurred in the city by Hurricane Katrina and subsequent floods from the embankment barrier in August 2005 caused all tram lines to malfunction and destroyed many trams. Service on a portion of the Canal Street line was restored in December of that year, with the rest of the line and the Riverfront line resumed operations in early 2006. On December 23, 2007, the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) extended the service from Napoleon Avenue to St. Historic Charles Avenue ("Riverbend"). On June 22, 2008, the service was restored to the end of the line at South Carrollton Avenue & amp; South Claiborne Avenue.
Video Streetcars in New Orleans
History
The definitive history of the New Orleans tram is found in Louis Hennick and Harper Charlton, The Streetcars of New Orleans, Pelican Press, which is the source for a summary of the history of this New Orleans tram.
Beginning
The earliest public transportation within the city of New Orleans, and between the city and its suburbs up and down the Mississippi River and out into Lake Pontchartrain, was provided beginning in 1831. The first operation included inter-city and suburban railroad tracks, and the omnibus pulled (or pulled by a mouse). (The omnibus is essentially a smaller form of the postage.) The first row of city rail service was created by New Orleans and Carrollton Railroad, which in 1835 opened three lanes. In the first week of January, the company opened the path of Poydras-Magazine horses in its streets called (Jalan Poydras and Jalan Majalah), the city's first street railroad. Then the horse-drawn line to the Lafayette suburb, centered on Jackson Avenue, opened on 13 January. The third is the steam-powered path along St. Charles Avenue is now, then called Nayades, connecting the city with the suburb of Carrollton, and stopping near the intersection of St. Charles Avenue and Carrollton Avenue at the moment. Due to objections from property owners along Magazine Street, the Poydras-Magazine line ceased operations in March or April 1836, about the time that the new La Course Street lane had opened along the road (now Race Street). The line ended in the 1840s, but the Lafayette and Carrollton lines continued, eventually becoming the Jackson and St. Charles.
As the uptown area of ​​the city began to build, additional lines were created by New Orleans and Carrollton. On February 4, 1850, the line opened in Louisiana and Napoleon Avenues. Like the Jackson line, this is a horse-drawn or horse-drawn car, operating from Nayades Avenue to the river along their named streets. The Louisiana line was slightly lowered, and stopped in 1878. Napoleon's line continued into the next century.
Until about 1860, the omnibus line provided the only public transport outside the area served by New Orleans and Carrollton RR. The need is felt for the correct city street rail service. Toward this end, RR New Orleans City was rented on June 15, 1860. The first line, Rampart and Esplanade (later called Esplanade), opened June 1, 1861, followed sequentially by Magazine, Camp and Prytania (later called Prytania), Canal, Rampart and Dauphine (later Dauphine), and finally Bayou Bridge and City Park. Despite the start of the war, the company opened and continued service on its new track. Several other attempts were attempted during the Civil War, but progress continued shortly after the end of the war.
In 1866, several railroad companies appeared in New Orleans. The first is Magazine Street Railroad Co., which soon joins the second, Crescent City Railroad Co. The St. Charles Street Railroad Co. was next, followed in 1867 by Canal and Claiborne Streets Railroad Co. and in 1868 by the Orleans Railroad Co. The horsecar lines of these companies cover various parts of the city, overlapping in some areas. The city of RR even operates a steam train to Lake Ponchartrain, the West End line, which eventually becomes part of the city's tram system.
Horsecar companies and networks operate
Arrival of electrification
A number of experiments were attempted over the next few decades in an attempt to find better methods than horses or mules for tram movers. These include overhead cable car systems (underground cables, as developed eventually in San Francisco, unlikely because of high water tables under New Orleans); beam system running; peneumatic propulsion; locomotive ammonia; Thermo-specific systems use super-hot water; and Fireless Lamm machine. The Lamm machine was actually adopted and used for a while on the New Orleans and Carrollton lines, which previously used steam locomotives. The line gradually releases the steam locomotives because of citizens' objections along the line to smoke, soot, and noise. The area between the town of Carrollton and the City of New Orleans was sparsely populated with large patches of farmland when the line was laid out in the 1830s; in the late 19th century, the city was almost completely urbanized. Carrollton annexed to New Orleans in 1874. Due to this increased urbanization, horsecars were used across the line.
The electric driving force eventually prevailed over all other experimental methods. The electric-powered carts made their first appearance in New Orleans on the Carrollton line on 1 February 1893. The line was also extended on Carrollton Avenue and renamed St. Charles.
Other companies follow. Over the next few years, almost all tram lines of the six companies were powered, including the West End steam line; some lines that remain animal-powered, such as Girod and Poydras, are stopped. Also, operations of six companies begin to consolidate at the moment, starting with the establishment of New Orleans Traction Co., which took over the operations of New Orleans City and Lake RR (1883 renamed RR New Orleans City) and RR Crescent City in 1892. New Orleans Traction became RR New Orleans City in 1899, the second company to use the name. The Canal and Claiborne companies were merged into New Orleans and Carrollton in 1899. Then in 1902, New Orleans Railways Co. took over the operation of all city trams, and in 1905 the company became New Orleans Railway and Light Co. The consolidated finals of ownership and operation finally came true in 1922 with the establishment of New Orleans Public Service Incorporated (commonly abbreviated as NOPSI, never NOPS).
Electric cart under joint operation
Employment issues have begun to become the attention of road railway officials as the consolidation continues. Initially, each railroad company has its own agreement with its operating personnel. New Orleans Railways tries to maintain the separate agreement, but workers' representatives insist on a single agreement for the entire company. They also demanded an increase in their salaries and union recognition, the 194th Division of the American Amalgamated American Road and Railway Employees Association. The union attacked on 27 September 1902. After about two weeks of disputes, the settlement was reached, and in early 1903, the company signed a contract and recognized the union.
In 1902, there was a protest when the legislature of Louisiana mandated that public transportation should uphold racial segregation. At first this was rejected by white and black riders as an inconvenience, and by the carriage company on the basis of the additional cost and difficulty in determining the racial background of some New Orleanians.
Consolidation of operations under one company has the advantage of outlining and rationalizing some tram lines. As an extreme example, consider the Coliseum line, which has the nickname Snake Line, as it wanders throughout the city of New Orleans. The original name of Canal and Coliseum and Upper Magazine gives an idea of ​​the route. Under consolidation, the Coliseum is pretty much restricted to service on namesake roads, with tracking in Street Magazine over switching to Magazine lines, as expected. Other efficiencies are institutionalized, such as reducing the number of tram lines operating along long Channel Canals.
There was another strike from 1 July 1920. This one was completed around the end of July with a new contract.
In the early 1920s, several extensions and service reorders resulted in the inauguration of the famous Desire line, the Freret line, the Gentilly line, and the St Claude line.
In 1929, there was a widespread strike by transit workers demanding better payments, widely supported by most communities. The sandwich on the baguette given to the "poor boy" broke down, said to be the origin of the local name "po 'boy" sandwich. There was a lot of unrest and hostility. Some of the carriages were burned, and several people were killed. Service is gradually restored, with a strike ending in October.
The same year, the last one of 4Ã, ftÃ, 8 1 / 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) (standard gauge) track converted to 5Ã, ftÃ, 2 1 / 2 in ( 1,588 mm ) (Pennsylvania cart gauge) to match the rest of the tram line.
The bus began to be used in New Orleans transit in 1924. Several tram lines were converted into buses over the next 15 years. Beginning after World War II, as in many of the United States, many tram lines were replaced by buses, either internal combustion (gasoline) or electricity (trolley buses).
The last four tram lines in New Orleans are the S. Claiborne and Napoleon lines, transformed into motor buses in 1953; Channels, which were changed in 1964; and St. Charles, who continues to operate, and now has a historic landmark status.
The racial divide on trams and buses in New Orleans finally ended in peace in 1958. Until then, the signs separating the race were carried behind seats on trams and buses. These marks can be moved forward or backward inside the vehicle as passenger loads change during the day of operation. Under court orders, the signs were only removed, and passengers were allowed to sit wherever they pleased.
In 1974, Amalgamated won a representative election and formed the 1560 Local Division in New Orleans. Negotiations between unions and NOPSI were unsuccessful, and strikes were followed. In December 1974, a contract was signed between NOPSI and Local 1560, but the strike was not fully completed until next March.
Streetcars under RTA
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, it became clear that private operations of the New Orleans transit system could not proceed. The creation of a public body that can receive tax money and qualify for federal funding is required. The Louisiana legislature created the New Orleans Transit Authority (RTA) in 1979, and in 1983, RTA took over ownership and operation of the system.
In 1988, a new Riverfront line was created, using privately owned roads along a river embankment. This is the first new tram line in New Orleans since 1926. Later in 2004, the Canal line was restored to rail operations. See the Current Lines and Future Network Expansion section below.
Hurricane Katrina
The area where the St. Charles Avenue traveled relatively well in Hurricane Katrina's devastating influence in New Orleans in late August 2005, with moderate flooding only from two ends of the line on Claiborne Avenue and on Canal Street. However, the wind damage and fallen trees take many parts of the trolley wire along St. Charles Avenue, and vehicles parked on neutral ground (median traffic) over an inactive track damaging parts of the right path. In early October 2005, when this part of town began to recharge, the bus service began running on the St. Charles.
Walking part of Canal Street to Lee Circle via Carondelet Street and St. Charles Street in the Central Business District was restored on December 19, 2006 at 10:30 am Central time. Service from Lee Circle to Napoleon Avenue in uptown New Orleans was restored on November 10, 2007 at 2:00 pm. Restored RTA tram service throughout St. Charles Ave. on December 23, 2007. Service along the rest of the lane on Carrollton Ave. to Claiborne Avenue resumed June 22, 2008. Time is needed to repair damage caused by Hurricane Katrina and to perform maintenance and other improvements to the scheduled line before the storm. Leaving the channel closed and the power system not being streamed allows the upgrade to be done safely and easily.
Perhaps more serious is the effect on rolling stock systems. The dark green streets are storms in a closed warehouse in Old Carrollton that is not flooded, and undamaged. However, the newer red car (with the exception of Carrollton for repair work at the time) was in a different barn which unfortunately flooded, and all were unable to operate; Initial estimates are that each car will cost between $ 800,000 and $ 1,000,000 to be recovered. In December 2006, RTA received a $ 46 million grant to help pay for car restoration efforts. The first refurbished cars will be placed in early 2009.
Service on Canal Street Line was restored in December 2005, with several historic green cars. Charles was moved to serve there while red cars damaged by floods were being repaired. The re-opening of all the lines became the top priority for this city when it was rebuilt.
Brookville Equipment Corporation (BEC) of Pennsylvania is awarded a contract to provide components to rebuild 31 New Orleans trucks to help the city bring the transport infrastructure closer to full capacity. The carriages were immersed in water for five feet as they were parked in their granary, and all the electrical components affected by the flooding had to be replaced. The engineering and design department of BEC immediately began working on this three-year project to bring the New Orleans icon back to service. The truck for the car was reproduced by the BEC with upgraded Saminco drives and TMV control systems. Painting, bodywork, and the final assembly of the restored carriages are done by RTA craftsmen at Carrollton Station Stores. In March 2009, sufficient red cars were repaired to take over all services on Canal Street and Riverfront lanes. In June 2009, the last three Canal Street cars were scheduled for repair. Seven Riverfront cars worked next; they started back into service in early 2010.
Maps Streetcars in New Orleans
Current line
- The St. Charles Streetcar Line is the oldest continuous tram line in the world, opened in 1835. Every car operating on the track is a historic landmark. It runs from Canal Street to the end of St. Charles Avenue on South Carrolton Avenue, then exit South Carrolton Avenue to its terminals in Carrolton and Claiborne.
- Streetcar Line channel , originally operating from 1861 to 1964 and rebuilt and reopened in 2004, running the entire length Canal Street, from near the Mississippi River to the cemetery on City Park Avenue. A dead branch of tram lines from Canal Street to North Carrollton Avenue to the entrance of City Park on Esplanade Avenue, near the New Orleans Museum of Art. Beginning July 31, 2017, and completed on 4 December, a new loop terminal for Cemeteries Branch was built north of City Park Avenue on Canal Boulevard, providing better access for passengers to move between trams and connecting bus lanes. After a month of testing and training, the new loop begins operating January 7, 2017. Over the last few periods, several Canal cars have been operating through the Riverfront from the French Market terminal to Canal Street, before continuing on Canal.
- The Riverfront Railway opened October 14, 1988, and stretches parallel to the river from Esplanade Avenue along the French Quarter, past the Canal Road, to the Convention Center on Julia Street in the Arts District.
- Rampart-St. Claude Streetcar Line , opened on 28 January 2013, runs along Loyola Avenue from the New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal to Canal Street, and extended along Rampart St., McShane Pl. Claude Avenue to Elysian Fields Avenue effective October 2, 2016. Before the extension, it became known as Loyola-UPT Line and turned off Loyola Avenue to walk along Canal Street to the river, and on the weekend on the Riverfront line line to French Market. The line no longer operates on Canal Street to the river, or offers weekend services on the Riverfront line. The line extension to Elysian Fields Avenue is known as the French Quarter Railway Expansion and requires the construction of 1.5Ã, mi (2.4 km) lanes with six sheltered shelter, and with paths laid out on the road next to neutral ground, such as tracking for the original 2013 part of the line. Preparations for construction began in December 2014, and the groundbreaking ceremony was held January 28, 2015 to begin actual construction.
Future network expansion
The original plan for the French Quarter Rail Expansion called for a line to expand to Press Street, and to have a branch stretching from St. Claude via Elysian Fields Avenue to connect with the Riverfront line at the foot of Elysian Field and Esplanade Avenues, but their extensions have not been funded yet. Future extension is projected down St. Claude Avenue passes Press Street to Poland Avenue, next to the Industrial Canal. It will require crossing the Norfolk Southern Railroad on Press Street, which is opposed by railroads for security reasons.
Current rolling stock
St. Charles Avenue has traditionally used street type trams that were common throughout the United States in the early 20th century. Most of the trams that run on this line are the Perley Thomas cars dating from the 1920s. The only exception is the 1890 antique tram that is still in walking condition; used for care and special purpose. Unlike most North American cities with tram systems, New Orleans never adopted PCC cars in the 1930s or 1940s, and never traded on old trams for modern light rail vehicles in the 20th century. New Orleanian also continues to prefer the term tram , rather than the trolley , tram , or light rail .
In the Carrollton neighborhood, RTA has a tram bar, called Carrollton Station, where city coaches are kept and maintained. The large block complex consists of two buildings: the older carbirs at Dante and Jeannette Streets and a newer granary on Willow Road and Dublin. The shop there has become adept at duplicating whatever parts are needed for the old cars.
With the addition of the new Riverfront and Canal lines, more vehicles are needed for the system. RTA shops are building two groups of modern cars as close duplicates of old cars in appearance. One group of seven cars was built for the Riverfront line in 1997, and another group for the restored Canal Street line in 1999 (one car) and 2002-2003 (23 cars). The trucks for cars from 2002 to 2003 were produced by Brookville Equipment Corporation. These new cars can be distinguished from older vehicles with their bright red color; unlike the old cars, they are ADA-compliant, and the Canal Street cars are air-conditioned.
Before Hurricane Katrina, the historic cars went exclusively on St. Charles Avenue, and new cars on the other two lines. However, after the occurrence of cyclone damage on the St. Charles and overhead cables, and to almost all new red cars, the older car runs on Canal Street and Riverfront until a new car can be repaired. Using anything that works wherever it can go on for several years. In 2010, the restored tram was pretty much re-used to limit Perley Thomas's historic car to the St. Charles.
Historical line
In addition to the 35 Perley Thomas-built 900-series tram that serves the St. Charles line, the following New Orleans trams have been preserved in various ways.
- Preserved in New Orleans
453 : The last of 25 Brill semi-convertible cars. It's on display in the French Market and then on the Mint, but weather exposure causes the damage. It is known in the image shown as Streetcar Named Desire, although there is no evidence that this tram class ever ran on the Desire line. Currently stored not operating at Carrollton Station, but can be recovered for operation.
919 and 924 : These two Perley Thomas cars, originally twin to 35 900 series cars operating on St. Charles, was sold in 1964 when the Canal Canal was stopped. They were bought back by the RTA in 1985 and renewed for service on the Riverfront line, starting August 14, 1988. They were assigned River River cars numbering 451 and 450, respectively. They retired in 1997 when the Riverfront line was restocked with a new 457-463 car. They are currently stored not operating at Carrollton Station, but they can be recovered for surgery.
957 : When the Canal channel was discontinued in 1964, the car was sold to the Trinity Valley Railroad Club in Weatherford, Texas, west of Fort Worth. It was then sold to the Spaghetti Warehouse Company, then to the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority in Dallas, Texas, and finally purchased by the New Orleans RTA in 1986. It was kept until 1997, when rebuilt with wheelchair lifts and modern controls. , being the first of 457-463 new series cars for re-equipment of the Riverfront line.
- Retained for revenue operations in San Francisco
952 : The Perley Thomas car was sold in 1964 when the Canal Canal was discontinued, and repurchased by the RTA in 1990 and renewed for service on the Riverfront line. As the number 456, he served Riverfront until 1997. After his second retirement, he was rebuilt in the same way as 35 St. Car's. Charles, given his original number, and sent on a long-term loan to the San Francisco City Railway, where he operates regularly in the city's F-Market & amp; War line as part of Heritage Fleet.
913 : The car was sold to the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Orange County, California in 1964 when the Canal Canal was stopped. Later, it was sold to the San Francisco Municipal Railway to add service there with a 952 car. So far, it has not been updated for service, but is stored for future use.
- Retained in museums and legacy operations
832 : At the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Washington, Pennsylvania. 836 : At the Connecticut Trolley Museum in Warehouse Point, Connecticut.
850 : At the Shore Line Trolley Museum in Branford, Connecticut These are three of the 800 existing car series. All built by Perley Thomas in 1922. The museums have restored these three conditions as new, and operate them in the museum's property.
918 : Now at the North Carolina Transportation Museum, Spencer, NC, is meant for cosmetic restorations. For a while, it was stored in Thomas Built Bus, the current name of the builder, Perley Thomas Car Co.
959 : Now number 953 and painted in a unique style, it operates in Chattanooga Choo Choo as a free shuttle service.
966 : Owned by Seashore Trolley Museum, Kennebunkport, Maine, and operated at Lowell National Historical Park, Massachusetts.
References
- The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, St. Charles Avenue Streetcar Line Brochure
- US. Urban Transit Train Opened From 1980 (PDF)
- New Orleans NYCSubway.org page
External links
- New Orleans Sub-Regional Authority
- New Orleans - St Charles Streetcar - 1920s Perley Thomas 900 3D Streetcar Model
- Interactive map of New Orleans tram network
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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