Some of you saw the post that explained the difference, now there is a video to go along with it...
So do we build Streetcar? Interurban? or Trolley? Everywhere one looks today cities are jumping onto the Streetcar, or Heritage Trolley, bandwagon. JTA is talking about doing some of both, though probably doesn't understand the railroad implications of their decision. Take a look at the Electric Railroad Convention for 2007 in Iowa, In this short video, the second half shows the huge "fairgrounds" like property owned by the "Old Threshers Reunion." For a people mover (see: Jacksonville Skyway) they use authentic rail trolley vehicles.
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/electric-rr-conv-part-1-of-4/4039076833
The last half of this video is very important if we are to be educated and be able to educate JTA and the City of Jacksonville as to a wise choice of systems. Here is the clutch.
FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION or FRA regulations generally deny the right of a typical streetcar, modern or traditional, to operate on a mainline railroad. Bottom line, in the event of an accident, they don't mix well. Picture in your mind, something like Amtrak meets JTA bus at 50 mph on the Westside of town... No more bus... no more passengers... no more JTA. However, and THIS IS IMPORTANT, watch the video and note the big red CA&E (Chicago, Aurora and Elgin) car that rolls past, note the classic nasal horn, (also the Southern Iowa Car) THIS IS AN INTERURBAN CAR. Now, never mind that it is classic or traditional, or modern. These Interurban Cars CAN operate with AMTRAK or CSX. Why? Because they are themselves Railroad Size transit vehicles. At this point my "Devils Advocate" friends are thinking, "Great! So if we build your streetcars, Ock, we don't get to run them on the S-Line!" To which I'd reply that you are only partly correct. As you see on the video, the Big Interurban car can and DOES share the SAME TRACK as the smaller streetcars... Even the tiny RIO open air car. So how can this be safe or legal? Well, Interurbans can play with both big trains and streetcars and run on the same tracks, same wire, same light or same heavy construction.
So if we built a pure modern system, like Jersey River Rail, or Austin, Albuquerque, Portland or San Diego? We could run our streetcars on the tracks in the urban core, up Water, Independence, Newnan, Park, Duval, etc...
Our modern streetcars could run from Springfield, to Stadium, Downtown, Landing, TC, Riverside and 5-Points. They could shuttle back and forth all day and compliment a completed Skyway, and a feeder bus system to the "Burbs". Moreover, IF we built our commuter rail to modern LRT (also called Modern Interurban) standards, those big Interurbans COULD run on the S-Line, the CSX, the FEC routes, go into Union Station/TC and STILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO ROLL WITH THE STREETCARS right through the heart of town. This is the flexibility of Light Rail Transit. So while you might not be able to run the streetcar with the trains, you CAN run the Interurban with streetcars or trains!
Do it with a dash of traditional interurban cars and I'm telling you we would create a World Class destination for railroad buff's around the World. 5 Million railroad and transit buff's, dozens of heritage streetcars, and not a single traditional equipment interurban running outside of the museum world? ONLY IN JACKSONVILLE!
Ocklawaha