Does anyone know anywhere I can get info on street running[?] All Ive found is a video for $30. Thanks[;)]
What kind of info are you looking for? On what kind of street running? Pretty broad topic here.
– Paul
Back issues of trains point out lots of locations of current street running operations, as well as those in the past. The recent article on the Kansas City Southern mentions two locations where street running still exists. Of course railroad prefer to eliminate street running. Speeds must be limited to allow a train to obey regular traffic signals. Classic and modern streetcars and interurban cars could run at higher speeds because of magnetic track brakes, but a typical freight train may be limited to only five or ten miles an hour while running on city streets. Even today’s transit authorities prefer separate rights of way for modern streetcars/light rail, with heritage operations or operations meant to create a classic street ambiance in modern form (Portland) be exceptions. In some cases street running in industrial areas is a relic of the times when the areas were served by streetcar lines that also provided interchange freight service with railroads. A good example is the Manufacturers Railroad in New Haven, Connecticut, with tracks on Forbes Street that had been used by the Branford, Momauguan (Sp?), and Lighthouse streetcar lines. Dave Klepper
In Chicago, athough it’s infrequent, (Tues. and Thurs. only) but the CP runs a local on ex-Soo (ex-MILW) tracks from Clybourn on the UP/Metra North line to businesses on Goose Island and Peerless Confections at Diversey and Lakewood Avenues. The line crosses Elston Ave. then the North branch of the Chicago River (on a swing bridge!!), then South on Kingsbury to Goose Island, or North through the Treasure Island Supermarket then on Lakewood to Peerless. They formerly used an old beat up MILW switcher with SOO painted on the cab, but last week they had a freshly painted CP unit. When not in use, it’s typically parked at the UP yard at Divison and Elston. Hope this in line of what you are looking for.
One of the most famous street operations was B&O’s Pratt Street line in Baltimore. The “Little Joe” 0-4-0 saddletanker first made in HO by Varney, was regular power on Pratt St. until the GE44t’s in the late 40’s. Less well known in Baltimore was the Key Highway line that was actually owned by the city of Baltimore as the Municipal Harbor Belt RR, but operated by B&O for many years. The Magazine “Model RAilroading” had a nice track plan for modeling B&O’s Fells St. line. All the street tracks in Balto. ar gone.
Do you guys know where I can get any pictures? Thanks for the line names.
Fort Collins, CO on the BNSF, former Colorado & Southern.
In my town of Middletown, the Middletown & Hummelstown RR (Milk & Honey RR) does street running between its yard and interchange with NS. Every few days a vintage ALCO T6 comes burbling down a side street, cross main street, and through the local grocery store parking lot. Usually it picks up ten or so tankcars to go to the chemical plant. The ALCO is painted beautifully and makes all the right noises. I think a pic of it is in this’ site gallery. They also have another old ALCO for backup, but it needs paint. If you like street running and vintage ALCOs come to Middletown, 5 miles from Harrisburg.
Adrianspeeder
Up until 1993 the E&N Railway used to switch industries in downtown Victoria. They had about a mile of street trackage. After a lawsuit, and losing all the customers on the Store Street Trackage, it was removed in April of 1993.
Bigbedroom6,
On that video it has Lagrange KY of having street running. Very nice town and it runs right through their central business district. Not no little short line, but a class one RR. It is well worth the $30.00 to pay for it if you are interested in street running. I rate it one of the best I have seen.
Brian (KY)
Up through the late 1980s, Union Pacific ran freight trains up the middle of Main Street in Chico, California, then in a park strip alongside the Esplanade to reach private right of way to the Chico Industrial Park. The track was inherited from the Sacramento Northern, an interurban electric streetcar line that ran about 180 miles from Chico to Oakland (and for a few months in the thirties across the Oakland Bay Bridge into San Francisco); it crossed the Sacramento river on its own ferry near the present streetcar museum at Rio Vista. The museum uses a remnant of the SN track.
West Brownsville, Pa.- Norfolk Southern with coal drags, day and night.
Across the Mon river, CSX has trains thought the towns of Newell, Pa. and Elizabeth, Pa… All of this action about 45 miles south of Pittsburgh, Pa…
If they still use it, the CSS+SB runs on a street in Michigan City, IN.
Former SP Tillamook Branch in Hillsboro, OR (now Portland and Western) and former SP in Corvallis, OR (now Willamette and Pacific). I don’t know if the street running in Independence, OR is still there, the OE (BNSF now W&P) in Albany may still have the right-of-way as a public street.
CSX has street running in St Marys and Williamstown West Virginia. And just across the river in Marietta Ohio
Here is a picture of the W&P in Corvalis.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=16570
Not only to the “run” in the street, they “park” there as well (good thing there’s no meter!)
oltmannd-
Thanks so much for including the link; I did not know of that site. Sure has a lot of nice photos. I just might submit a few.
Central Oregon and Pacific has some street running in Coos Bay OR. Former SP track.
Oltmannd, that site’s picture was pretty good. I was wondering also if anyone knew if there are street runnings in the New England area.
Try port areas of large cities for street running.
In the Los Angeles/Long Beach harbor area/Wilmington, the Pacific Harbor Line has some street trackage.
In the downtown Los Angeles area, the SP had a track down the middle of Alameda Street until the 1980s, when the northern section was abandoned. Some of the rails are still there. Further south, the Alameda Corrdior was built in a median area of Alameda St. but it did not actually replace street running.
A former Pacific Electric segment now operated by UP runs in Vermont Ave. in Gardena.
As for New England, Boston had a switching line between North and South stations but it was already abandoned when I explored it around 1971. Other pier areas probably still have tracks.