rookzie

I could be "attracted" to buses, if 1) they were overhead powered electric trolley-buses, and 2) more of the trunk lines were operated within dedicated lanes even shared with light-rail guideways. I am not aware of any such set-up within North America's remaining trolleybus sub-systems, with five within the U.S. itself. Contemporary New Flyer Xcelsior Trolley-buses ("trolley-coach", or "trackless trolley") are in extensive use on Vancouver BC-CAN Translink and on Seattle King County Metro. Similar in general appearance, New Flyer Hybrid diesels (with left and right exit doors) were delivered to Nashville's MTA during the Dean administration for the stillborn East-West Connector, and now simply are deployed for general use. It would have been more interesting had Cleveland elected to use trolley-buses on its Health Line BRT, which has dedicated lanes on Euclid Ave. Trolley-buses perform much better than other power-mode buses on steep grades, such as on the hills of San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver. They also can curb and re-enter traffic without "de-wiring", as trolley poles allow considerable latitude for deviating from a precisely fixed path, unlike with rail-guided systems. Route diverging and merging (switching) also is of no issue for such set-ups, and wires can be added removed for permanent or temporary rerouting as needed (a common practice in those districts which operate them). Translink (Vancouver) King County Metro (Seattle) An SFMuni (SFMTA - San Francisco) shown re-entering traffic after having departed from curbside. This scene is not exactly pretty at Broadway and Pine Streets, Seattle ─ streetcar and trolley-bus overhead wires with route switches and crossings.

In the US, only the Portland [OR] Aerial Tram and the Roosevelt Island [NYC] Tramway are somewhat but not officially integrated into an urban transit system, although by design they are rather fixed and limited in application and construction, both "politically" and mechanically. They do seem to serve a specific niche of the commuters within their respective districts. Portland's Aerial Tram (a.k.a. "OHSU" Tram - Oregon Health & Science University) descending into the South Waterfront District

In conjunction with the LRT / Rapid Bus / Commuter Rail/ Augmented surface transit plan which has become foremost in focus, I don't foresee that during ongoing long-range planning and civic "tank-thinking" that one or more streetcar circulator projects would not be reconsidered as ancillary if not constituent to the core plan. Newer streetcar segments typically run a short distance — a few miles at most — in mixed traffic, and they aren’t well-integrated into existing transit networks. The primary benefits of streetcar projects usually always are intended to be related to development. About three-quarters of cost-benefit analyses that submitted to the FTA (Federal Transit Administration) commonly tend to reveal that benefits are derived from economic development, not transportation-related improvements. As an example of local application, Jefferson Street ─ in particular, upper Jefferson ─ comes to mind as a sketch incorporating Rosa Parks Blvd (Eight Ave. N.) - Metro Center and Ed Temple Blvd as a possible two-way loop, in the manner as Portland-OR's A/B Loop lines, which circumscribe a large core area basically along the same path but in opposite directions. Streetcars should be recognized for what they are ─ economic development projects, not solutions to transit and transportation problems.

Overlooks from Sylvan Heights "North" (my former smoking hangout of the mid 1970s), today (Sunday 2017-11-12). While the view's are interesting, I'd hate to have to deal with the grades on those steep slopes, even in "decent" weather, particularly at the 37th Ave northernmost dead-end overlooking and sloping steeply toward the drop-off on the south side of the I-40 RoW. Some readers much more familiar with development plans of this area might know whether or not of any proposal to extend (already long-fragmented) Delaware Ave. to connect the north ends of 38th, 37th, and 36th Avenues to provide residents and municipal utility vehicles with much less challenging access and egress. As it stands now, I can foresee drivers getting trapped at the lower ends of those cut-off roads, including the existing connecting alignment of Delaware Ave. between 35th and 36th Avenues. Even now one can observe highly entertaining "burnouts" as drivers attempt to back out of their drives and head uphill from the dead-ends toward the steep downhill portions to Charlotte Ave. Viewing south toward Charlotte ─ 33rd Ave. and Trevor St. Viewing east ─ 33rd Ave. and Trevor St. Viewing west, overlooking the circular 38th Street Reservoir ─ 37th Ave. [shot taken from a hedge apple, a.k.a. "horse apple", "osage orange", ...] Viewing northwest toward Nations - industrial district ─ end of 37th Ave. [same horse apple]

How old it is depends on whether or not you buy me coffee and @UTgrad09 shows up (with a box treat, cough-cough) at the upcoming meeting ─ that is, if I ever decide to muster......(ツ) It likely was erected between 1898 and 1900. I actually would see that wall myself, when the old Nashville Chattanooga & St. Louis freight statio n was still intact before the L&N (with which the NC&St.L merged in 1957) sold the air rights to the publishing company and razed most (but not all) of the freight depot. That corner was wide open-air then.

Hopefully, a focus on options for grade separation remains strong for the core. Meanwhile former Nashville MTA CEO Paul Ballard appears to have donned hat feathers befitting a chieftain. Just goes to show what timing, municipal priorities, and political will, can result in across state boundaries. From Mass Transit Magazine... Stadler and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority Unveil the First U.S. FLIRT Train Source: Stadler US Inc. Oct 10, 2017 "We are excited to bring these sleek rail cars to Fort Worth and Dallas," said Paul Ballard, president/CEO of FWTA. "We have been viewing the many stages of manufacturing and completion and we could not be more pleased." Photo credit: Leah Harnack/Mass Transit Stadler and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (FWTA) introduced the first FLIRT (Fast Light Intercity and Regional Train) for the TEXRail commuter rail line at the American Public Transportation Association's EXPO. The contract for delivery of eight FLIRT trains was signed in June 2015. The multiple unit trains, powered by diesel-electric propulsion, will soon be used for travel on the TEXRail line between Fort Worth and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport's Terminal B. This is the first time Stadler has sold one of its FLIRT trains in the United States. The first U.S. FLIRT train with its centrally located power module, meets the alternative vehicle technology requirements of the Federal Railroad Administration, as well as Buy America requirements. "We are excited to bring these sleek rail cars to Fort Worth and Dallas," said Paul Ballard, president/CEO of FWTA. "We have been viewing the many stages of manufacturing and completion and we could not be more pleased." Stadler Group CEO and Owner Peter Spuhler said, "We are proud to be able to present our best seller for the first time in the USA today in association with the FWTA ..." The wide front doors and spacious lower floor area make it easy for passengers to board and disembark. Each train comes equipped with 224 seats and side tables and USB ports, as well as an ADA toilet. The train's ergonomic driver's cabin features an intuitive design, providing onboard personnel with a modern, comfortable workplace. The new FLIRT trains are scheduled to become part of TEXRail's commercial fleet in December 2018. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Credit: Stadler. Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler is to unveil its first FLIRT for the USA. In collaboration with Texas-based Fort Worth Transportation Authority (FWTA), Stadler will introduce the train at APTA Expo 2017. More than 1,400 units of the train are in service worldwide but this is the first FLIRT sold in the USA. Eight FLIRT trains were ordered by FWTA in June 2015 to operate on the TEXRail commuter rail line between Fort Worth and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport’s Terminal B. A large amount of work on the trains was completed at the leased Stadler plant in Salt Lake City, Utah. Each 266ft train has 224 seats, with side tables and USB ports and can travel at speeds of up to 130km/h. The diesel-electric trains are equipped with two Deutz TCD 16.0 V8 520 kW diesel motors. The new FLIRT trains are scheduled to become a part of TEXRail’s commercial fleet in December 2018. Stadler Group CEO Peter Spuhler said: “We are proud to be able to present our best seller for the first time in the USA today in association with the FWTA, and are convinced that the FLIRT trains, which are built in the USA, will cut a fine figure in Big Sky Texas, and offer passengers in and around Fort Worth a new level of travel comfort.”

I think I'll just put on size 11-1/2s and settle for this.... ...(ツ)

...Likely because there remains a sense of even "distant" hope, even if the "ray" is no more than a faint glint. There seems to be common perception, based on rationale, that the atrocity of disgust incurred from that stillborn project, imminently will become attenuated and the property ultimately will be redeveloped, even though 13 years has elapsed, since the heart-breaking leveling of the Corinthian Lodge Nº414 at 1616 West End Ave. This removable of an historic landmark structure (having been unprotected from demolition) perhaps compounded the perceived abomination by what effectively and arguably has become longest period of such a large abandoned deeply excavated site. Whether or not many (or any) of us live to witness any redevelopment of that property ─ and quite frankly a number of us probably no longer will be around ─ the fact that A.P by far is no "spring chicken" somewhat "sweetens" the prospect that something will give in to a chain of favorable events sooner or later. Again, it has been hope and desire that has held this thread open, at least until the Smeags determines that a powder-keg of protesters and counter-protesters warrants its closure.

This translation says it all. Even I have taken the stance of a skeptic. (SMDH)

Water towers have always fascinated me ─ even the "squatty" roof-mounted units ─ and just as masonry smokestacks and elevator silos, they provide a charming focal point for most redevelopments (perhaps). That really must be an old rendering, since there is no aerial water tower on that site, and I don't think moving one or erecting one there will be happening.

I take it that you really mean Garfield St. and Rosa Parks, rather than Delta. Probably before you arrived down into Nashville long ago, Delta got cut off from intersecting 8th Ave (Rosa Parks), where the current Kroger property is now, some 3 blocks south of Garfield. Delta used to intersect at a dangerous tapered intersection, just as with Houston at 4th, Tennessee- Kentucky- Michigan at Morrow, and Lindsley at Hermitage. Good riddance.

Yes, "Ignnant" and "IdJit" might be more appropriate. I've even heard a few of 'em refer to them as "condimoniums", from merely not even knowing the correct form of pronunciation and spelling, just as bad as some who refer to the monolithic catalyst used in automotive combustion emission control as a "Cadillac Converter".... I have had to bite my cheek and say to myself, "What did I just hear?"

I always thought that obscure structure to be a "cute" Li'l ol' building. Even as recently as the '90s, it had been one of the once many Life of Georgia Insurance Co. branch offices.

"City Heights" is BS. It might have been derived from the OneC1ty development across the street, and we all know what that used to be even up into the early 1970s in part ─ a huge railroad maintenance facility ─ not exactly named "City" anything. Besides, I think even Wiley Coyote could have come up with less generic name than "City Heights", when chose Acme Supply for his contraptions (instead of just buying himself some roasted bird from the start).

In any event, it's too bad that there is no mechanism in place to protect that structure from being razed ─ a beautiful mix of Beaux Arts Revival and Art Deco, and built during the same period as the Kefauver Fed. C.H. , the Sullivan Tower, and the State Library / Archives Bldg., all just after I was born.

I suspect that "City Heights" is nothing more than a typical re-branding, in this case for that "knob" bordered by Clifton Ave/Charlotte, and I-440/CSX/NWRR. Such has become easy "prey" as a result of the massive district dissection during the interstate construction and these many new-formed "enclaves". It appears be more prevalent in the core areas of North and West Nashville (and perhaps to an extent in near-East), where the highway construction really cut up some neighborhoods, such as Hadley, McKissack, and Fisk/Meharry. Prior to I-40 and later I-440 construction, and even with the still extant "Belt Line" of Tennessee Central Ry, (later Illinois Central RR), all that north of Charlotte had been one continuous blend of residential and light industrial.

That's the best thing I've heard said (or seen in print) of the subject of construction in a long time. Had Nashville become a burgeoning, booming city a hundred years ago, to have developed much more old structurally "inert" and durable stock, both commercial and residential, and had it been capable of becoming maintained and surviving much of the late postwar (WWII) displacement from previous administrations, then there just might have been a chance that comparably sound neo-classical revivals could have been trending by now ─ not necessarily en masse, but by no means rare. You get what you pay for, and that will be dearly in no time flat.

I can't help but wonder whether or not I'll still be around to witness the next CJC after this one, at the rate they crank 'em out.

Wished I could have met up with you and the cousin, even if for 5 minutes. Maybe again in a few years..

This is probably what I rode on my first plane trip via Eastern, from Nashville to Greensboro, NC, by way of Chattanooga during around 1953. I still vaguely recall that flight and being spooked out from viewing from window the rivets on the wing, while underway. A few of the other most vivid bits of that memory were those garrison-cap-like uniforms that the flight attendants wore (still then referred to as "stewardesses") with that deep-red lipstick. And to a then-child like me, the clouds were imagined as giant mashed potatoes. Just can't erase some trivia.

..I hoping you mean the white elephant (or whatever "color") between 21st and 22nd, rather than this jewel at 4406 Charlotte ─ I believe Lambert Auto.

I cut through it twice weekly on the way to and from my house to the momsie's crib, about 1.9 miles. I'll be glad when the construction has been completed since the street now is all torn up with new utilities, after repaving about 17 years ago. It's Warfield and its south-loop connector, Kimbark Pl. with all that construction. It's a real pity that they didn't incorporate sidewalks on all that new development, and what's even more troubling is that the Transportation Plan of G-H had proposed a re-alignment of part of Warfield just east of Hillsboro, as well as at nearby Lone Oak and Shackleford, to tie in with a re-aligned eastern part of Richard Jones Road. Now that development and in-fill has taken over like barnacles, I seriously doubt that ever will happen.

..But unfortunately, most of us in this audience also will be out of here, by the time much of that industrial marsh-dismal has become transformed. A lot of ops for such plants that remain along the northern part of the West Bank need rail and river terminals, and they tend to prefer them to be relatively close to a metropolitan area, for keeping the transport tariffs low. This particular one admittedly is an eyesore on a huge tract of property.

We all saw it coming. My beloved Li'l limestone-clad jewel (Kurzynske Engineering; ex-SunTrust Bank; nee-Third National Bank) has been reduced to dust. Po' me ─ I think I need psycho-therapy now (although I probably needed it anyway otherwise....)

Oh, those are the pods of the ol' Lone Star cement plant.