ST AUGUSTINE STREETCAR? IT COULD HAPPEN!

[civil42806]

It's been published several times, so far no real fuss. Certainly we'll have some NIMBY'S but when the business community understands this will bring $$ right to their door, the pressure will be on. The College likes this too.

BTW, JUST FOR FUN - NEVER - EVER - EVER - LEAVE YOUR KEYS IN THE CAR! 

http://www.youtube.com/v/IGHtpFfOKec?hl=en_US
Last weekend in Wisconsin. Economists note the only time I'm giving it any power is when the big black controller is being pulled backward. 90% of the time, streetcars coast... Bet y'all didn't know that!?! 

Published?. what does that mean, by who, what and where?

[Coolyfett]

Would be cool to see....wish it was official news.

[Ocklawaha]

It was on the agenda of the City Council complete in public meeting with a slide show. It ran in Railway Age Magazine, Here are a few more:
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Florida Redevelopment News Clips
About Us
St. Augustine, Fla., Mulls Streetcar
St. Augustine, Fla., is considering a narrow-gauge heritage streetcar operation, roughly paralleling U.S. Route 1 and linking several traffic generating sites within the municipality.

The proposal, first disclosed publicly this spring by Historic City News website, is being aided by a so-far unnamed designer of track and overhead wire systems.

Last September the St. Augustine Mobility Institute held a weeklong series of public seminars addressing the city's mobility challenges. The institute is a partnership between the city and the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization, the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for four counties, with Kansas City, Mo.-based HNTB cosponsoring the event and the subsequent report.

[Read Full Story]
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APTA Streetcar and
Heritage Trolley Site

St. Augustine, FL

Heritage Streetcar Sought

Reports from this Florida city state that the local government is in talks with an engineering firm specializing in streetcar construction about a possible system.

The following notes describe the planning:

March 2014
---------------------------------

A desire named "Streetcar"
Mar 21, 2014 | Posted by: roboblogger | Full story: Historic City News
More details released Friday during a visit to St Augustine by those proposing development of a streetcar local railway that, if approved, would run residents and visitors between the Historic Downtown Parking Garage and the Riberia Pointe location designated as a potential home for an aquarium and children's museum.

[Gunnar]

This plan is exactly what St. Augustine needs to move into the tourism big leagues and alleviate parking and traffic woes in the historic district.

Ock, you are a genius for pitching this idea!

Why not make JIA the (air)port of entry for tourists arriving via plane? The first coast commuter light rail mentioned in the article could connect JIA to St Augustine via downtown, Clay and/or the beaches).

Gunnar, First Coast Commuter Rail is a large Amtrak size train system. Usually they are run as a locomotive and two double deck coaches, they are bi-directional and run in push or pull mode. In larger cities more coaches are usually the norm. There are also a few such as Denton Texas that use modern DMU cars or older RDC cars, but again these are full size trains. The actual plan does include lines to St. Augustine, Green Cove/Palatka, and Yulee (past Airport Road near JIA) but I don't expect we'll see much beyond Clay and St. Johns and even that's very iffy with JTA at the controls.

Light Rail, Interurbans, Cable Cars, Streetcars (vintage, heritage or reproduction) all come from the same root, the humble horse or mule car of the 1800's. As a result they are somewhat interchangeable in both terms and service. For example I can run (in fact did last week end) a 1905 open bench trolley car, a modern LRV, and a 1940 vintage interurban car on the same track, at the same time. But I wouldn't (and it would be illegal) to run the same on the CSX or FEC.

St. Augustine is looking at a vintage, (REAL 1923 MODEL BRILL/ST LOUIS STREETCARS) narrow gauge (3 foot) streetcar line, which could morph into a system not unlike what they once had.

Thanks Ock !

I got confused with the terminology - I was thinking of something like The Philly Septa to link JIA and downtown to St Augstine. The street car line could then move riders in town (like the monorail would do in DT Jax).

[civil42806]

It was on the agenda of the City Council complete in public meeting with a slide show. It ran in Railway Age Magazine, Here are a few more:
----------------------------------------
Florida Redevelopment News Clips
About Us
St. Augustine, Fla., Mulls Streetcar
St. Augustine, Fla., is considering a narrow-gauge heritage streetcar operation, roughly paralleling U.S. Route 1 and linking several traffic generating sites within the municipality.

The proposal, first disclosed publicly this spring by Historic City News website, is being aided by a so-far unnamed designer of track and overhead wire systems.

Last September the St. Augustine Mobility Institute held a weeklong series of public seminars addressing the city's mobility challenges. The institute is a partnership between the city and the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization, the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for four counties, with Kansas City, Mo.-based HNTB cosponsoring the event and the subsequent report.

[Read Full Story]
---------------------------------------------

APTA Streetcar and
Heritage Trolley Site

St. Augustine, FL

Heritage Streetcar Sought

Reports from this Florida city state that the local government is in talks with an engineering firm specializing in streetcar construction about a possible system.

The following notes describe the planning:

March 2014
---------------------------------

A desire named "Streetcar"
Mar 21, 2014 | Posted by: roboblogger | Full story: Historic City News
More details released Friday during a visit to St Augustine by those proposing development of a streetcar local railway that, if approved, would run residents and visitors between the Historic Downtown Parking Garage and the Riberia Pointe location designated as a potential home for an aquarium and children's museum.

so basically nothing any average joe would have seen, best of luck with that

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

I saw this a few minutes ago and didn't know where else to put it.

I'm sure there's a metaphor in there somewhere regarding rail transit in Jax... 

[thelakelander]

LMAO!

[JayBird]

NRW- 

[Ocklawaha]

Was it just me or did the old dudes jacket have the initials 'JTA' on the back?!! LOL!   

[Ocklawaha]

so basically nothing any average joe would have seen, best of luck with that

Not unless they read the free paper or go to the city meetings to be heard! I don't expect anything out of the Record until they start laying track... It belongs to the TU and we all know that rail is a FOUR LETTER WORD for those boys too.

[Coolyfett]

I think a street car system in St Augustine would be a good idea. Kinda wish St Aug had a rail connection to Jax.