Any Double Decker Bus or Trolley Diners for Jacksonville?

[uptowngirl]

OCK- You are the king here so....


What are the odds we could find an old buss or trolley and drop it on a lot, restore it, and open a cafe/coffee/little shop.....

My fav place to go for a cup of joe in Asheville is a an old double decker bus- it is really coolio.....

[Lunican]

Well, that subway car is still just sitting there...



http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2008-feb-historic-nyc-subway-car-found-in-springfield

[sheclown]

wow.  that is a beauty!

That looks like "flop house dogs" to me.  Do you suppose the owner would donate it to a non-profit in the neighborhood, like, for example, Home Away From Home, to turn it into employment opportunities for men in recovery?

We could put in on Phil Neary's lot on West 7th, zoned commercial and vacant.

[uptowngirl]

That would be sooooo cool! I would help however I could (note- I know absolutely ZERO about this stuff !). I would love, love, love something like this in Springfield- this is a destination kinda place- just what the neighborhood needs :-)

[thelakelander]

You would have to find a parcel that is not within the historic district's boundaries.  I can't imagine it fitting in the overlay without a zoning exception or PUD.

[sheclown]

I don't think it would be a problem to get a PUD.  Everyone else is doing it!

I think it would be great and the subway car is certainly "historic."

[strider]

In this case, the properties that are available on W 7th street are properly zoned for this use.  One once contained a house, and we thought about building on it, but the space requirement for the store would be larger than we could practically build on the lot.  The other is a paved parking lot now. 

So, while it is unusual to set a street car on a lot within the historic district, it is not zoning that makes it harder, but the COA process.   It might be more acceptable to put it on the already paved lot and not utilize the smaller, once residential lot.  Think of the Starbucks on Dunn.  A little inset prefab sitting as infill.  Though, I suppose, it could be argued that the street car is moveable so putting it one place for a time and then moving it later if a more historic use came up for the lot might be agreeable.

If anyone thinks the issue would be a “program“, then to be honest,  to make it work, the actual program would be at HAFH, which has a commercial kitchen.  A commercial kitchen that can legally cater.  That is where things like the chili, cheese sauces and such would be actually prepared.  Then the hot dogs and assembly of said hot dogs becomes a much less intensive licensing requirement. Like I stated, zoning is OK as is. And, just to clarify, the guys would actually get paid and therefore pay taxes, and so on and so on.

Anyone know the owner of the old street car?  If we could get a confirmation of intent to donate (or sell  very cheap), then we could see about getting it approved by the HPC. I would think the actually building requirements would not be all that bad.  But to make this work and to repeat: the car would have to be donated or very, very cheap.  The lot would have to be one we have access to now to keep it affordable to do (and someone is looking at them so time makes a difference) and help and support from the community.  Anyone game?  Make it Flop House Dogs and Cones (I like ice cream - particularly soft serve - as much as hot dogs!) 

Thinking out of the box and working through the non-profit (to keep it more affordable) could result in something very cool for the entire community.

[uptowngirl]

There is a place called "Franks" in SLO town and it is hoppin, hot dogs anyway you want them. They started serving "breakfast dogs" which I though would be a flop-but it is a huge hit! It accessible to the college, junior college, a couple of hospitals, it is packed all the time. They even have a veggie dog for us wierdos.

[sheclown]

We already have cones on Main Street.  But we don't have dogs!

[CS Foltz]

sheclown...........would have to be, hour wise something daylight usable, but with an option to maybe go to 24 hr cycle! That might be a bit difficult right out of the blocks but something to consider at some future point!

[sheclown]

There is a place called "Franks" in SLO town and it is hoppin, hot dogs anyway you want them. They started serving "breakfast dogs" which I though would be a flop-but it is a huge hit! It accessible to the college, junior college, a couple of hospitals, it is packed all the time. They even have a veggie dog for us wierdos.

There was one in San Fran when I was a child.  So many years ago.  It had about 50 different ways to top a dog.  And each topping combo had a corny name.  I loved it. 

[strider]

Ok, since others are reminiscing about hot dogs, when I was a kid in Youngstown (OH), there was for about 40 plus years a little stand that sold dogs just outside of downtown.  Sold frozen custard too, but the hot dogs were the thing.  In my college days (mid and late 70's) you could still get 12 of the things for like 5 bucks.  Maybe $6.00 if they were all chili dogs.  And they were the best.

Also, a chain called the Red Barn had dogs that were served on what looked like a little loaf of bread rather than the regular bun.  They buttered and toasted the loaf as well.

I keep thinking that Flop House Dogs should have both, that down and dirty (not literally) and that gourmet dog as well.

[tufsu1]

Seven Bridges is hosting a double decker bus pub crawl this month...ask them to keep the bus here

[Dan B]

I think it would be a neat addition to Main St. Maybe on Hionides lot infront of the car wash? Corner and cross street access, and technically speaking, its a historic structure...

[Ocklawaha]

A bit more modern, but this demonstrates a Subway car that has been restored and reequipped to operate on streetcar track with overhead wires in place of a third rail, note the trolley pole mounted on the roof.


Here is a similar class NYC SUBWAY CAR, operating on it's new trucks, also reequipped for streetcar operation, with trolley poles on top.

I'll help y'all in every way I can but I think we need three conditions before moving forward.

1. Whatever is done, we should NEVER lose sight of the FACT that this is a very historic piece of one of the Worlds Greatest Subway Systems.  A class of car that has all but vanished, and certainly does NOT need the attention similar projects have given other historic transit vehicles, with doors cut into their sides, windows removed or welded over, pipes running through the walls, etc...

2. We do EVERYTHING within our power to secure "feet" for the old car again. It doesn't deserve to be sitting on it's frame in 12 inches of mud, that body needs to be raised and a set of railroad car trucks rolled under it. For starters, where ever it goes, it should be raised to about standard height and sat on a stack of railroad ties, while trucks are found for it. Even temporary trucks borrowed from an old box car or such, will work for the time being, we do that all the time in railroad shops. Its not unusual to be pushing a basket case locomotive around the yard on a set of old flat car trucks... it looks funny as hell, but hey, it works! Restoration can then proceed, but forget a cheap plywood panel job, this must be done right, to retain the cars onetime beauty.

3. Once it's up and operating as a hot dog or some other purpose in the community, we should not allow it to be controlled to the point where it could not be restored for future occasional operation on our proposed streetcar system.  *(SEE NOTE BELOW) Subway cars are NOT streetcars, but with the addition of a trolley pole, and correct wiring, they can be easily adapted to run on streetcar tracks. Perhaps the car could continue its line of business, and still be able to make an occasional appearance on special occasions on the streetcar line. Do the restoration properly so the food service is mobile, and the car could serve it's diner roll while serving the dinner rolls somewhere on Main Street.

Agreed?


OCKLAWAHA

*(NOTE) Subway cars are HEAVY RAIL cars, which as the name suggests can be much heavier and have a higher capacity as well as speed then a streetcar. As subways operate mainly in tunnels or elevated structures they often lack certain safety appliances that would be REQUIRED of a rail vehicle operating on the surface and coming into daily contact with other vehicles and citizens. The fact that they "can be" heavier or much different doesn't always mean they are, as in railroading there are exceptions to most rules so I'm speaking in generality's.

The fact that streetcars are rail vehicles, and subways are rail vehicles and both use electric railroad technologies, makes them pretty adaptable to occasionally crossing the... hum... shall we call it "the railroad color barrier!" LOL!