JunktionFET

Yeah I know the development you speak of--with Playmakers and Quiznos? Somehow I thought these buildings were larger, but at any rate I'm glad they will be used and not demolished in favor of something new. I like the idea of reusing old industrial structures whenever possible because it always seems more urban and often has a lot more personality--it's memorable. I think the old Seaboard Station is tight and it's great that someone is using it on a daily basis, even if its purpose now has nothing to do with trains Logan Trading has been there for a while if I recall. When I was in High School we got a lot of our lighting equipment from Stageworks, which was right there at the end of Seaboard Ave, next to the tracks (white warehouse). They moved a while back to a new facility off of Capital Blvd (near Wade Ave exit). I haven't been down Seaboard Ave in probably 6 or 7 years now. As far as the mystery train goes, those spare engines might come in handy for the proposed Asheville and Wilmington passenger trains. I'd like to see NCDOT invest in some DMUs, as suggested in one of those Wilmington reports, but I fear the price would be prohibitive right now. Better to get the lines started with working equipment on hand, then upgrade down the road if possible.

Cool, this sounds like a great development. I'm picturing some of these buildings turning out like ATHD in Durham, and that would be very nice. There is a lot of potential tucked away up there near the old Seaboard Station. By the way, whilst driving down Capital Blvd yesterday, I noticed something I haven't seen before. It was a train with an engine and a single passenger car. The engine was painted blue with North Carolina graphics and the passenger car looked like one of NCDOT's cars used on the Piedmont. This train didn't have the usual Piedmont engine, and I thought the one passenger car was odd. It was located just north of the Peace St exit over towards the parallel railroad tracks. Anyone know what that is? Unfortunately I didn't get any clear pictures (no time).

This is probably a part of the N Blount St redevelopment, or it is related somehow to the buzz in that area.

I didn't think that the FRA would allow light rail vehicles to share the same track as freight vehicles. I assume they can share the same ROW, as long as a certain buffer distance exist from the freight tracks. Those tracks belong to the NCRR, correct? Is the NCRR cutting CATS a sweet ROW deal like they are for TTA? I would assume they are (which would explain the alignment CATS chose). I think that when the northeast LRT is built, that part of Charlotte will become one of the most desirable places to be--just look at what has happened in Noda already without any kind of special transit attention.

I dug up a lot of news clippings a while back and never had a chance to put them together for this thread. Indeed information on Georgia rail has been hard to come by in the past, but lately it has gotten better. There are plenty of individuals who are screaming for a rail system of some sort, while of course there are plenty of short-sighted fools who support the idea of "8 more lanes" on their favorite freeway The big hurdle for Georgia is the state government, and nearly all the articles I've collected paint an aggrivating picture, especially from the governor. If you support rail transit, don't vote for him in the next election This Atlanta-Lovejoy line has had quite rocky road, but it looks like it is finally becoming reality. If successful, it could eventually reach as far as Macon. However these cities along the way need to show their support with cash. It is said that the Atlanta-Macon highway corridor is the most heavily travelled commuter corridor in the state! I'll try to condense what I have and post it. I would love to see more southern states support passenger rail, and Georgia has a great collection of existing ROW to work with.

The Beltline idea was inspired by the growing national trend of acquiring abandoned or hardly-used rail corridors and preserving the right of way--turning it into a linear park, greenway, intra-city transit, whatever... These are often called "Rail Trails", and there are several popular examples around. The idea uses 22 miles of existing ROW. There are several similar programs either built, being built, or proposed all over the country, and they are quite successful... Atlanta should be very confident in the potential outcome of the Beltline. It works out great because often these corridors are in the middle of a developed city, and if the right of way is consumed by surrounding property, the cost to reacquire it becomes astronomical--they are essentially lost forever. Rail Trails, even in linear park form, allow rail transit to be considered in the future if needed. At any rate, that valuable urban/suburban asset gets used instead of being left to rot or consumed by surround landowners. The original Beltline proposal doesn't specifically say what mode of transit would be used (if just one mode at all)--the proposal is more about the need for Atlanta to get this land while they can. It suggests that the land can be used for greenspace, walkways, bikeways, and low-impact mass transit (like a light rail or trolley). I believe it will be a mix of transit initially--a greenway (walkway and bikeway) will probably be a component throughout, effectively extending the range of MARTA by giving people a safe dedicated way to reach a station (aside from driving). I would also expect to eventually see some kind of light rail or trolley spurs initially branching off from the existing MARTA stops. In time it could become a complete light rail or trolley loop.

Almost forgot... here's something I thought was damn cool looking... it is from the MTA website, of all places, and has one of the best Nashville skyline photos I've seen Also, I have some pictures of the interior and exterior of the Commuter Rail train cars, but I don't have time to post them right now... stay tuned.

There doesn't seem to be any clear indication of which line would be constructed next. For one, it depends on available funding, success of this line, any ROW deals that may present themselves, etc. Here is another rendering of the proposed Riverfront Station. As far as I can tell, no final design has been approved so far, but at least this rendering isn't quite as rough as the first one Here is the latest timetable from RTA, as of February 2005. Now here's something interesting... This is a 4.2 mile Light Rail or Modern Streetcar line (mode of transit not determined) which resulted from an MTA study several years ago--back when the Commuter Rail project first came up (1999?) Lately it has come up again, and is talked of with a bit more confidence than before. In time it may become the topic of a more specific study and could reach official proposal status. Note that this starter line would actually include a spur to the Commuter Rail's Riverfront Station. A conceptual photo showing what a Light Rail vehicle or Modern Streetcar would look like travelling down 5th Ave

A few more items... Here is an artist's rendering of the site at night. I forgot to add that this campus sits right next to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. And due to the concentration of workers at the new campus, there is a need for some kind of transit. This is a free rubber-tire trolley (a bus that looks like a trolley) that circulates during lunch hours. It connects with parts of downtown Durham that have already been redeveloped into popular and thriving areas. One of the trolley's destinations is Brightleaf square The tall building in the background is part of the large Liggett & Myers tobacco company campus, and it is presently being redeveloped much like ATHD. More on that at another time... Durham has a lot of good urban stuff going on, and it's all packed into this tight downtown core that I'm sure Raleigh wishes it had Everytime I look up information I am amazed!

As promised in this thread, I bring more information from the seldom discussed other half of The Triangle. Like Winston-Salem, Durham was very much into the tobacco industry. The city is home to a couple very large but abandoned factories and warehouses situated within its tightly packed downtown core. A while back some very smart person decided to redevelop one of these facilities into a novel but functional urban retail and office campus. There is a wealth of data available on the ATHD website, and more pictures than you can view in one sitting. I emailed the photographer, Ben Casey, and asked if I could post a sample. So here are some of the photos that stood out to me. Of course I recommend you browse through the gallery if you wish--the pictures and captions tell an interesting story. Construction process Check out this viaduct underground around the perimeter, designed to catch water from around the grounds and from the gutter system: Very sturdy factory flooring, look at the layers of diagonal subflooring! I found this sequence very interesting... removing one of the old boilers. Look at the network of pipes! And finally this boiler is gone... Now the space can be prepared for use by a business. Finished Exterior Part of the skyline can be seen in the background Business already moving in! Random dude chilling in the central area, overlooking the greenspace and "water feature" Elevated view of central area Waterfalls and river Creative use of concrete slabs removed during the redevelopment project! Finished Interior These are some photos showing a sample of the different interior configurations available. I am really quite impressed with all of it. I wouldn't mind working in a cubicle if I could work in that space Old industrial elevator shaft gutted with glass installed. Now it acts as a light tunnel--what a nifty idea! And for comic relief... This is a relic from years and years ago, picture was snapped during the construction process. Too bad, I am close personal friends with someone (ahem, wink, wink) who works for IBM and I know he would love to work in one of the spaces offered here SUPERHOMO... It's Stellar!!!!111!!11 I hope you all enjoyed!

I've never seen those before twincity, thanks for posting them. They picked one hell of a parcel to build upon, that's for sure. It's right there at the front steps of downtown, it's bordered by two freeways--by design it HAS to be high density. Great choice! I've noticed that since the beginning of the park, the technology market in Winston-Salem has accelerated quite a bit. Winston was never all that strong in the high-tech market (by NC standards anyway), but now that segment is doing quite well, and only seems to be gaining momentum. EDIT: Oh yeah and I took a look at the master plan posted by AnEverydayJo. Being a rail freak, I couldn't help but notice how it seems to be bordered on the west side by what may become a PART commuter rail line

I suppose I can research it, but perhaps someone here has the data handy. What did the master plan/vision for PTRP look like?

I collected a few images and such on this commuter rail line a while back. monsoon and I were talking about commuter rail in general and our discussion reminded me that I never posted some of this stuff thus far. I am still trying to collect more so I can throw together a nice collage, but this will do for now. Detailed drawings and renderings are actually pretty hard to come by. Here's a map showing the actual alignment of the rail corridor. The railroad shortline being used belongs to Nashville & Eastern Railroad Authority. One of the reasons why this line was selected for construction first is the fact that the RTA got an awesome ROW deal from the railroad authority--would've been foolish to pass up. Here's a rendering of the Riverfront Station. The other five stations on the line have been designed and approved, but as far as I can tell no technical drawings for the Riverfront Station have been finalized--and presently it is the biggest unforseen delay. Things are proceeding however. This is a more colorful and slightly more detailed representative map of the commuter rail system envisioned by RTA. And of course the final logo design, or so they say

I remember hearing noise about fixing up Hillsborough St when I started at NCSU in 1995, but it only seems like most spots have gotten worse. I rather like the idea of discouraging thru-traffic as much as possible. It's a college street and so most of the traffic should be destination-oriented and not people on their way to the courthouse pissed off. It would be nice to see some more afordable residential appear around that area--that change alone would do wonders I'm sure. Some of those tacky storefronts need to go too. A Hillsborough St business owner needs to be aware that he/she is catering to a crowd that is generally tight with money (even some of the professors! ). All the business along that corridor needs to think about low overhead--small space, small inventory, perhaps a satellite of a larger more profitable store in the area. There is room of course for a few unique destinations, and they will do quite well. Mitch's Tavern is an example (one of the first pics, with all the flags on the 2nd floor). I love Mitch's, and it has been there forever. I do like the proposed streetscape changes to Hillsborough--the attractive center median, one lane per side with easier pedestrian access, better sidewalks, etc. I think that will go a long way in recharging the corridor. orulz I like your idea of opening the front entrance to DH Hill. I worked at the library during the summer and fall of 1995 and the front entrance was actually used 8-5 on weekdays. I recall there being a pretty surprising amount of sidewalk activity during the day on Hillsborough St--seems much less today.

Cary Towne Center was once Cary Village Mall. The old mall ended where Victoria Secret is now. Back then the center triangle shaped thing was a food court, of sorts. In 1989 (I think) they started the huge expansion project. Along about 1990 my 8th grade technology class took a field trip to the new section of the mall and did a tour before it was completed. We all had to wear hard hats. The inside was just cinderblock walls and a muddy clay floor. When the addition finally opened, it was a big deal and included a complete rejuvenation of the old part of the mall as well. Right outside the new food court there was a large oak tree. There was this big petition to keep the oak tree in tact, since it was hundreds of years old. They spent gobs of money on an irrigation system and this fancy retaining wall. Because of the way the land was graded, the tree and retaining wall towered above the surrounding parking lot. Within a few years, the tree ended up dying. They removed the tree, the expensive wall, and all the accessories, then paved over it with a parking lot.

You'd think that with the extreme range of cultures housed by Winston-Salem, downtown would be a motley brew of people.

Looks like a friendly place! Sorry, that joke was really bad. Anyway, I wonder what the place looked like originally. I do like how each storefront is a little different instead of the same old boring template used over and over. If they are going to do anything with an old shopping center, I'd rather they spice it up with a little personality like this.

I think downtown Winston has a great deal of potential and is already well on its way. Like NC's other cities, Winston jumped on board the downtown redevelopment bus at a good time and they have already made some excellent choices.

"Midtown" Charlotte is actually a very old name that has recently become more popular. My adopted father, who grew up in Charlotte during the 1950s, as well as others in his generation (like my former employer in Charlotte) used the term a lot to describe the area around Presbyterian Hospital, etc. Now the imaginary line between Uptown and Midtown is I-277. I would say that Midtown extends SE out to Caswell Rd/Pecan Ave, or somewhere in that general area. Everything SE of that is considerably less urban and more vintage suburban.

Wow those are some great ideas. Let us hope that the development follows some of those rather green and cozy models. I too prefer the more life-size low rise renderings, though a few shorty high-rises might be acceptible if their architecture is cool enough. Naturally, I'd want to see anything taller put in downtown.

I agree about the natural beauty being perfect for a park, but it would suck to take more life away from Pullen Park as well as the green space just north of that on campus. If too much land is used for a park, we might as well call that part of Raleigh "The Park District". A comprimise would be to develop a good portion of the land (perhaps 70-80% as you suggest, or more), but it keep it as green as possible, making efforts to preserve the natural geography as much as possible. Lots of concrete and baby trees shouldn't consume ALL of it.

Definitely mixed use, life size, with a strong slant towards green and natural. I believe a small space should be reserved for a "park" but nothing too crazy--perhaps something more like a "square" like in downtown.

The DC/Baltimore area is overloaded with IKEAs. I counted three of them visible from just I-95 on a recent trip. I wouldn't mind having an IKEA nearby though, sometimes they have cool looking shelves and such for cheap.

Holy crap, I can't believe how much that area has changed. South Park has come a looong way, and it looks like it hasn't stopped changing!

Well this is commuter rail, it is meant to run during peak travel times in order to give your typical 9-5 commuters an option besides driving. Commuter rail systems aren't designed to run as frequently as light rail, regional rail, or a subway. Remember that this is only a starter line, deemed to be the most logical first choice. If successful, more may follow. If done correctly, transit oriented developments will surround each stop, effectively securing a customer base. If it is successful and gives Nashville metro citizens a renewed hope in transit and rail particularly, it may lead to an intra-city light rail line in Nashville. At the very least I would expect to see a trolley system linking downtown and West End, much like what Charlotte has done for uptown and South End. If any of you there in the Nashville metro area lives along this commuter rail line and you work in the downtown area, I highly recommend you show your support by riding it whenever you can, and encourage others to do so.