Savannah Streetcars Start

[Bike Jax]

Seems Savannah is bring back some history starting next month with a heritage line Along River St.

http://www.wtoctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9373231

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=TranSystemsStreetcar&view=videos

[civil42806]

Seems Savannah is bring back some history starting next month with a heritage line Along River St.

http://www.wtoctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9373231

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=TranSystemsStreetcar&view=videos

Unless they close river street to cars, that could get ugly fast.

[thelakelander]

Great news for Savannah.  I remember when freight trains were still using that line a few years ago.  It should be interesting. 

[Joe]

That's a really weird article. It seems like the "journalist" was actively searching for people to say that they had concerns over the traffic impact. However, even the supposed critics in the article seemed to like the idea overall.

[civil42806]

That's a really weird article. It seems like the "journalist" was actively searching for people to say that they had concerns over the traffic impact. However, even the supposed critics in the article seemed to like the idea overall.

The problem is that river street is not wide enough  for both fixed rail and cars, can't happen.  The picture on the first link seems to be a bit deceiving, it implies a trolley, but if you look closely its sight seeing tram that runs on wheels and can get to one side of the road to allow traffic to flow.  I myself don't have an objection, i always parked up above river and walked down to it.  But I can see how fixed rail would be helpful to the elderly and others.

[thelakelander]

Civil, were you in Savannah during the days they were still running local freight service down River Street?  This was happening around the mid to late 1990's.  I guess what I'm trying to say is it can happen and has before.  People just won't be able to stop or park their cars along the narrow portions of the street.

[civil42806]

Civil, were you in Savannah during the days they were still running local freight service down River Street?  This was happening around the mid to late 1990's.  I guess what I'm trying to say is it can happen and has before.  People just won't be able to stop or park their cars along the narrow portions of the street.

Nope Lakelander I wasn't there then, and I think the idea of a train/trolley and cars on river street is a bad combination.  The street simply isn't wide enough and the idea you can't stop your car is unrealistic.  My preference would be to run the trolley and close the street to auto traffic.  I've always thought of river street as a large St. Georges street would be much better blocked off from traffic and soley trolley and foot traffic.

[thelakelander]

I would be a nice pedestrian street given the amount of foot traffic Savannah has.  However, i do wonder if they are keeping it open to allow service access to the businesses down there.  Its rough to get trucks down some of those steep cobblestone inclines behind the buildings.  Here's an image I found on the net from 2002:

[Ocklawaha]

Yeah, as an "example" to our semi-brain dead City Hall folks, Norfolk Southern operated the River Street tracks for years and years. They wanted to blend it with the city, so the "RIVER STREET RAMBLER" was born. Going back to the old Southern Railway colors of Green, White Stripe, trimmed in GOLD, from the era of the great passenger trains, NS rebuilt a locomotive for this street. They then replaced the airhorns with a musical loud speaker system.
People raved about how "NICE" NS was toward Savannah. GEE JACKSONVILLE, we have NS too! Want a streetcar/Interurban line from Talleyrand to Edgewood? NORFOLK SOUTHERN!

Yes, they used to pull a half dozen box cars down this tiny street every day. Rather then a hazard (WHICH IT CERTAINLY WAS) it became a local star and tourist attraction. Even without passengers, the River Street Rambler was bigger then life. Anyone reading the JACKSONVILLE TRANSIT blog has been reading about Savannah for a long, long time. I just want to know, where did our city stash it's collective brains?

OCKLAWAHA

[civil42806]

I would be a nice pedestrian street given the amount of foot traffic Savannah has.  However, i do wonder if they are keeping it open to allow service access to the businesses down there.  Its rough to get trucks down some of those steep cobblestone inclines behind the buildings.  Here's an image I found on the net from 2002:

Great pic Lakelander, thanks for it.  I still think its a bad combination.  Your asking for trouble.  You could certainly allow the street to be open for local deliveries.  But if it works for them my hats off to them.

[alta]

I was in Savannah about two months ago.  I asked at least 3-4 of the shop owners how long it had been since rail was running.  None of them could give me an answer.  I think it is a great idea to run a trolley on River Street.  Wish we had something like that.