Comments on: Flying the Subway Express

By: Zak Lybrand

Zak Lybrand — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:30:12 +0000

Actually, Toronto, since we don’t charge fare, we don’t have any tickets. Sorry.

We actually got two PCC cars from the TTC. They’re very nice, but in off-site storage because we can only support double ended cars, and the PCCs are single ended.

By: Toronto

Toronto — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 04:39:50 +0000

Zak: Sweet. Does the MATA give out souvenir tickets/transfers? If so, do you carry a punch for real nostalgia?

I usually bike to work, but follow the streetcar routes (they’re the first streets plowed in the winter, and have stricter rush hour parking controls in the summer.) And they never make a sudden sideways move on you. :0) When I don’t bike, I “Ride the Rocket” (the streetcar slogan.) Besides, bus routes have those ‘wales’ at the corners from the concrete stretching under braking on hot days.

Sadly, our subways aren’t as nicely maintained. The cars are okay, with newer ones in the pipeline, but the stations are crumbling. The TTC is something like 85% fare-box supported, but has no long term capital support from the province or the feds. It’s a shame, as they carry 1,500,000 people a day – a road with that many cars would be subsidized like crazy.

By: Zak Lybrand

Zak Lybrand — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 03:14:24 +0000

Toronto, go to http://www.mata.org . That’s our official website. We have a 1909 Brill, a 1926 Melbourne W2, a 1913 Stone & Webster car, and a Birney whose year I can’t remember. We operate every single day of the week, as a transit/tourist line. We operate 7-10 Mon-Thur, 7-Midnight on Fridays, 10-Midnight on Saturdays, and 10-10 on Sundays. It’s a nice line, goes around uptown Dallas, down McKinney Avenue, and into the Arts District. We have connections to several bus stops and the Dallas Area Rapid Transit trains, both red and blue lines. And, as a bonus, you can charter any one of our cars for a private event. All the info is on the website, including information on every car.

Enjoy!

By: Toronto

Toronto — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:10:54 +0000

Zak: I googled Dallas streetcars and all I see are PCC cars. I know your climate is much nicer than ours, but surely these aren’t in daily service, are they?

And yes, it is a neat article. “An open doorway with guard chains”?? I love getting the front seat or door on the front car, but an OPEN doorway? (In Toronto, if you get the first car on a westbound Bloor train leaving Yonge, you can see the ‘mystery station’ at Bay – disused for decades but commonly used for movies needing a subway platform.)

By: Zak Lybrand

Zak Lybrand — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:06:05 +0000

I must say, I’m a big fan of this article. I’m a streetcar conductor in Dallas, and we are given the option of using authentic vintage hat badges if we so choose. As a gift from the man who trained me, I was given a conductor’s badge from the IRT division. It’s nice to learn a bit more about it, finally.