1.
San Clemente, California
–
San Clemente is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 63,522 at the 2010 census, San Clementes city slogan is Spanish Village by the Sea. The official city flower is the Bougainvillea, the city tree. Prior to colonization by Spaniards, the area was inhabited by the Juaneño native people, after the founding of Mission San Juan Capistrano, the local natives were conscripted to work for the mission. Hanson believed the areas pleasant climate, beautiful beaches, and fertile soil would serve as a haven to Californians tired of the big city, Hanson envisioned it as a Mediterranean-style coastal resort town, his San Clemente by the Sea. But this proved to be short-lived, in the oldest parts of town you find a mix of building styles. Hanson succeeded in promoting the new area and selling property and he built public structures such as the Beach Club, the Community Center, the pier and San Clemente Plaza, now known as Max Berg Plaza Park, which were later donated to the city. The area was incorporated as a City on February 27,1928 with a council-manager government. Referring to the way he would develop the city, Hanson proclaimed, I have a clean canvas, think of it--a canvas five miles long and one and one-half miles wide. My San Clemente by the Sea, soon after San Clemente was incorporated, the need for a Fire House was realized. Individual subscriptions were received in the amounts from $6.00 to $1500.00 from the citizenry, in 1969, President Richard Nixon bought part of the H. H. Cotton estate, one of the homes built by one of Hansons partners. Nixon called it La Casa Pacifica, but it was nicknamed the Western White House and it sits above one of the West Coasts premier surfing spots, Trestles, and just north of historic surfing beach San Onofre. Following his resignation, Nixon retired to San Clemente to write his memoirs and he sold the home in 1980 and moved to New York City, later to Saddle River, New Jersey, and then eventually to Park Ridge, New Jersey. The property also has ties to the Democratic side of the aisle, prior to Nixons tenure at the estate. Cotton was known to host Franklin D. Roosevelt, who would visit to play cards in a small outbuilding overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the Old City Plaza also at one time had a small Nixon museum when the city occupied the premises. San Clemente is located at 33°26′16″N 117°37′13″W, according to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.5 square miles. 18.7 square miles of it is land and 0.8 square miles of it is water, San Clemente has a Mediterranean climate where temperatures tend to average in the 70s
San Clemente, California
–
The San Clemente Pier and central San Clemente Beach on the Pacific Ocean
San Clemente, California
–
Seal
San Clemente, California
–
The pier in San Clemente at the end of Avenida Del Mar, part of the original village created by
Ole Hanson
San Clemente, California
–
Another view of the San Clemente pier
2.
Inter-city rail
–
Inter-city rail services are express passenger train services that cover longer distances than commuter or regional trains. There is no definition of inter-city rail, its meaning may vary from country to country. Most typically, an inter-city train is a train with limited stops. Inter-city rail sometimes provides international services and this is most prevalent in Europe, due to the close proximity of its 50 countries in a 10,180,000 square kilometre area. Eurostar and EuroCity are examples of this and this use of the term appeared in the United Kingdom in the 1960s and has been widely imitated. The speeds of inter-city rail lines are diverse, ranging from 50 km/h in a mountainous area or on undeveloped tracks to 200–350 km/h on newly constructed or improved tracks. As a result, Inter-city rail may or may not fall into the category of higher-speed rail or high-speed rail, ideally, the average speed of inter-city rail service would be faster than 100 km/h in order to be competitive with car, bus and other methods of transport. 50–100 km The distance of an inter-city rail journey is usually at least 50–100 km, although in large metropolitan areas commuter. 100–500 km A distance of 100–500 km is a common journey distance for inter-city rail in many countries, in many cases, railway travel is most competitive at about 2–3 hours journey time. Inter-city rail can compete with highways and short-haul air travel for journeys of this distance. 500–1,000 km In journeys of 500–1,000 km, development of high-speed rail in some countries increases the share of railway for such longer-distance journeys. The Paris-Marseille TGV and Tokyo-Aomori Shinkansen are examples of type of journey. In conventional non high-speed rail, overnight trains are common for this distance, in many other countries, such long-distance rail journey has been replaced by air travel except for tourism or hobbyist purposes, luxury train journeys, or significant cost benefit. Discount Eurail Pass in Europe, Amtrak in the United States, New high-speed lines from 200–350 km/h operation are constructed, and many conventional lines are also upgraded to 200 km/h operation. Currently there are seven High-Speed Inter-City lines in China, with up to 21 planned and they are operated independently from the often parallel High-Speed-Rail-Lines. Japan has six main regional railway companies, known collectively as Japan Railways Group or simply as JR. Many other cities are covered by a network of JRs limited express inter-city trains on 1,067 mm, narrow gauge, major cities are covered by convenient train services of every one hour or more frequent. In addition to the JR Group, Japan has several major regional carriers such as the Kintetsu, almost every major town and city in South Korea is linked by railway, run by Korail
Inter-city rail
–
An InterCity 125 passes Ealing Broadway on its way to Swansea. This is the world's fastest diesel train and is used on various intercity services in Great Britain.
Inter-city rail
–
A Moroccan Inter-city train at Rabat station
Inter-city rail
–
Beijing-Kowloon Through Train, hauled by a
SS8 electric locomotive, passing through
Tai Po Market Station in Hong Kong
Inter-city rail
–
A
Rajdhani Express train, one of the fastest Inter-city services in India
3.
San Diegan (train)
–
The San Diegan was one of the named passenger trains of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, and a “workhorse” of the railroad. Its 126-mile route ran from Los Angeles, California south to San Diego and it was assigned train Nos. 70–79. The Los Angeles-San Diego corridor was to the Santa Fe as the New York City–Philadelphia corridor was to the Pennsylvania Railroad, daily traffic could reach a density of ten trains during the summer months. The first San Diegan ran on March 27,1938 as one set of equipment making two trips a day. A second trainset delivered in 1941 made possible four streamlined trains each way, a set of heavyweight equipment made a fifth trip in each direction. Amtrak continued to operate the San Diegan when it took over operation of the passenger service on May 1,1971. Today, the route of the San Diegan is served by Amtraks Pacific Surfliner, construction of the Surf Line between Los Angeles and San Diego began on October 12,1880, with the organization of the California Southern Railroad Company. On January 2,1882, the California Southern commenced passenger, the Santa Fe assumed control of the California Southern and on August 12,1888, completed the line between Los Angeles and San Diego. Initially known as the Short Line, the replaced the Santa Fes existing circuitous route via Temecula Canyon. In the 1930s the Surf Line hosted four round-trips per day, in the late 1930s streamlined trains were in transition. While fixed consists such as the Union Pacific Railroads M-10000 were out, on March 27,1938, the Santa Fe inaugurated the San Diegan, operating on a schedule of 2 1⁄2 hours. The single equipment set could make two round-trips per day, a second San Diegan consist entered service on June 8,1941, doubling the schedule to four daily round trips. The San Diegan was supplemented by two conventional heavyweight trains, No one is killed in the accident, and it is many days before all of the wreckage can be pulled out of the sea. June 8,1941, A second lightweight train consisting of six coaches, a car, a tavern lunch-counter car. Service is increased to four round trips with streamliners and one round trip using conventional equipment. October 27,1941, A fifth, steam-powered train is added to the schedule, due in part to the need to transport personnel to. This semi-streamlined train carries a full buffet car, a diner, the number of daily trains servicing the route increases to 16, on average. 1942, The average number of trains per day increases to 42, consist size expands to 13 cars, and each logs 512 daily miles
San Diegan (train)
–
The southbound San Diegan passes through
Capistrano Beach, California in April 1973.
San Diegan (train)
–
San Diegan
San Diegan (train)
–
Santa Fe San Diegan at the San Diego depot, 1945 postcard
San Diegan (train)
–
An
EMD F40PH leads a San Diegan into
Union Station in
Los Angeles in 1978.
4.
Amtrak
–
Founded in 1971 to take over most of the remaining U. S. passenger rail services, it is partially government funded yet operated and managed as a for-profit corporation. Amtrak serves more than 500 destinations in 46 states and three Canadian provinces, operating more than 300 trains each day over 21,300 miles of track, some track sections allow trains to run as fast as 150 mph. In fiscal year 2015, Amtrak served 30.8 million passengers and had $2.185 billion in revenue, nearly two-thirds of passengers come from the 10 largest metropolitan areas, 83% of passengers travel on routes shorter than 400 miles. Its headquarters is at Union Station in Washington, D. C, the name Amtrak is a portmanteau of the words America and trak, the latter itself a sensational spelling of track. From the mid-19th century until about 1920, nearly all intercity travelers in the United States moved by rail, historically, U. S. passenger trains were owned and operated by the same privately owned companies that operated freight trains. About 65,000 railroad passenger cars operated in 1929, from 1920 into the later 20th century, passenger rails popularity diminished and there was a series of pullbacks and tentative recoveries. Rail passenger revenues declined dramatically between 1920 and 1934 because of the rise of the automobile, in the same period, many travelers were lost to interstate bus companies such as Greyhound Lines. However, in the mid-1930s, railroads reignited popular imagination with service improvements and new, diesel-powered streamliners, such as the gleaming silver Pioneer Zephyr and Flying Yankee. Even with the improvements, on a basis, traffic continued to decline. World War II broke the malaise, passenger traffic soared sixfold thanks to troop movements, in 1946, there remained 45 percent fewer passenger trains than in 1929, and the decline quickened despite railroad optimism. Passengers disappeared and so did trains, few trains generated profits, most produced losses. Broad-based passenger rail deficits appeared as early as 1948, and by the mid-1950s, by 1965, only 10,000 rail passenger cars were in operation,85 percent fewer than in 1929. Passenger service was provided on only 75,000 miles of track, the 1960s also saw the end of railway post office revenues, which had helped some of the remaining trains break even. The causes of the decline of rail in the United States were complex. Until 1920, rail was the practical form of intercity transport. By 1930, the companies had constructed, with private funding. In 1916, the amount of track in the United States peaked at 254,251 miles, some rail routes had been built primarily to facilitate the sale of stock in the railroad companies, they were redundant from the beginning. These were the first to be abandoned as the financial positions deteriorated
Amtrak
–
The
Illinois Central Railroad 's
Panama Limited long-distance diesel
streamliner train
Amtrak
–
Geographic map of the Amtrak system
Amtrak
–
The
Boston and Maine Railroad 's
Speed Merchant Talgo train
Amtrak
–
The
Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad Rebel streamliner train
5.
California Department of Transportation
–
The California Department of Transportation is an executive department within the U. S. state of California. Caltrans manages the highway system and is actively involved with public transportation systems throughout the state. It supports Amtrak California and the Capitol Corridor, the department is part of the state cabinet-level California State Transportation Agency. Like the majority of government agencies, Caltrans is headquartered in Sacramento. In 2015, Caltrans released a new statement, Provide a safe, sustainable, integrated and efficient transportation system to enhance California’s economy. The earliest predecessor of Caltrans was the Bureau of Highways, which was created by the California Legislature and this agency consisted of three commissioners who were charged with analyzing the state road system and making recommendations. At the time, there was no highway system, since roads were purely a local responsibility. After the commissioners submitted their report to the governor on November 25,1896, voters approved an $18 million bond issue for the construction of a state highway system in 1910, and the first Highway Commission was convened in 1911. On August 7,1912, the department broke ground on its first construction project, the year 1912 also saw the founding of the Transportation Laboratory and the creation of seven administrative divisions. In 1913, the legislature started requiring vehicle registration and allocated the funds to support regular highway maintenance. In 1921, the legislature turned the Department of Engineering into the Department of Public Works, the history of Caltrans and its predecessor agencies during the 20th century was marked by many firsts. In late 1972, the legislature approved a reorganization in which the Department of Public Works was merged with the Department of Aeronautics to become the modern Department of Transportation, for administrative purposes, Caltrans divides the State of California into 12 districts, supervised by district offices. Most districts cover multiple counties, District 12 is the district with one county. The largest districts by population are District 4 and District 7, like most state agencies, Caltrans maintains its headquarters in Sacramento, which is covered by District 3. Official California Department of Transportation website Named Highways, Freeways, Structures, and Other Appurtenances in California
California Department of Transportation
–
District 7 Headquarters, Los Angeles, birds-eye view (designed by
Thom Mayne (2004))
California Department of Transportation
–
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
California Department of Transportation
–
Caltrans District 8 Headquarters, San Bernardino, midheight (2005)
California Department of Transportation
–
Caltrans headquarters in Sacramento
6.
San Luis Obispo, California
–
San Luis Obispo, or SLO /ˈsloʊ/ for short, is a city in the U. S. state of California, located roughly midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco on the Central Coast. The population was 45,119 at the 2010 census, the population of San Luis Obispo County was 269,637 in 2010. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Franciscan Junípero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of Californias oldest communities, serras original mission was named for the 13th Century saint and bishop Louis of Toulouse. The city, locally referred to as San Luis, SLO, the earliest human inhabitants of the local area were the Chumash people. One of the earliest villages lies south of San Luis Obispo, the Chumash people used marine resources of the inlets and bays along the Central Coast and inhabited a network of villages, including sites at Los Osos and Morro Creek. Mission San Diego was the first Spanish mission founded in Alta California that same year, on September 7–8,1769, an expedition led by Gaspar de Portolá entered the San Luis Obispo area from coastal areas around todays Pismo Beach. One of the expeditions three diarists, padre Juan Crespí, recorded the name given to area by the soldiers as Cañada de Los Osos. The party traveled north along San Luis Obispo Creek, turned west through Los Osos valley, in 1770, Portola established the Presidio of Monterey and Junípero Serra founded the second mission, San Carlos Borromeo, in Monterey. The mission was moved to Carmel the following year, as supplies dwindled in 1772 at the mission and presidio, the people faced starvation. Remembering the Valley of the Bears, Presidio of Monterey commander Pedro Fages led an expedition to bring back food. Over twenty-five mule loads of dried meat and seed were sent north to relieve the missionaries, soldiers. The natives were impressed at the ease by which the Spaniards could take down the huge grizzlies with their weapons, some of the bear meat was traded with the local people in exchange for edible seed. It was after this that Junípero Serra decided that La Cañada de Los Osos would be a place for the fifth mission. The area had abundant supplies of food and water, the climate was very mild. With soldiers, muleteers, and pack animals carrying mission supplies, on September 1,1772, Junípero Serra celebrated the first Mass with a cross erected near San Luis Creek. The very next day, he departed for San Diego leaving Fr, josé Cavaller, with the difficult task of building the mission. José Cavaller, five soldiers and two began building Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, which would later become the town of San Luis Obispo. The first mission structures were built with whatever materials could be found nearby, later, more permanent buildings were constructed with adobe walls, wood timber roof beams and tile roofs
San Luis Obispo, California
–
The city of San Luis Obispo looking east from the top of
Bishop Peak in early 2006.
San Luis Obispo, California
–
The Dallidet Adobe, built in 1856, is one of SLO's oldest standing buildings
San Luis Obispo, California
–
The city in 1876
San Luis Obispo, California
–
360° panorama of Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo, California taken from the top of Poly Canyon;
Cerro San Luis and Bishop Peak in the middle with Cal Poly below.
7.
San Diego, California
–
San Diego is a major city in California, United States. It is in San Diego County, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, approximately 120 miles south of Los Angeles and immediately adjacent to the border with Mexico. With an estimated population of 1,394,928 as of July 1,2015, San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest in California. It is part of the San Diego–Tijuana conurbation, the second-largest transborder agglomeration between the US and a country after Detroit–Windsor, with a population of 4,922,723 people. San Diego has been called the birthplace of California, historically home to the Kumeyaay people, San Diego was the first site visited by Europeans on what is now the West Coast of the United States. Upon landing in San Diego Bay in 1542, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo claimed the area for Spain, the Presidio and Mission San Diego de Alcalá, founded in 1769, formed the first European settlement in what is now California. In 1821, San Diego became part of the newly independent Mexico, in 1850, California became part of the United States following the Mexican–American War and the admission of California to the union. The city is the seat of San Diego County and is the center of the region as well as the San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. San Diegos main economic engines are military and defense-related activities, tourism, international trade, the presence of the University of California, San Diego, with the affiliated UCSD Medical Center, has helped make the area a center of research in biotechnology. The original inhabitants of the region are now known as the San Dieguito, the area of San Diego has been inhabited by the Kumeyaay people. The first European to visit the region was Portuguese-born explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo sailing under the flag of Castile, sailing his flagship San Salvador from Navidad, New Spain, Cabrillo claimed the bay for the Spanish Empire in 1542, and named the site San Miguel. In November 1602, Sebastián Vizcaíno was sent to map the California coast, in May 1769, Gaspar de Portolà established the Fort Presidio of San Diego on a hill near the San Diego River. It was the first settlement by Europeans in what is now the state of California, in July of the same year, Mission San Diego de Alcalá was founded by Franciscan friars under Junípero Serra. By 1797, the mission boasted the largest native population in Alta California, with over 1,400 neophytes living in, Mission San Diego was the southern anchor in California of the historic mission trail El Camino Real. Both the Presidio and the Mission are National Historic Landmarks, in 1821, Mexico won its independence from Spain, and San Diego became part of the Mexican territory of Alta California. In 1822, Mexico began attempting to extend its authority over the territory of Alta California. The fort on Presidio Hill was gradually abandoned, while the town of San Diego grew up on the land below Presidio Hill. The Mission was secularized by the Mexican government in 1833, the 432 residents of the town petitioned the governor to form a pueblo, and Juan María Osuna was elected the first alcalde, defeating Pío Pico in the vote
San Diego, California
–
Images from top, left to right: San Diego Skyline,
Coronado Bridge, museum in
Balboa Park, Serra Museum in
Presidio Park and the
Old Point Loma lighthouse
San Diego, California
–
Kumeyaay people lived in San Diego before Europeans settled there.
San Diego, California
–
Namesake of the city,
Didacus of Alcalá: Saint Didacus in Ecstasy Before the Cross by Murillo (Musée des Augustins)
San Diego, California
–
Mission San Diego de Alcalá
8.
Travel class
–
A travel class is a quality of accommodation on public transport. The accommodation could be a seat or a cabin for example, higher travel classes are designed to be more comfortable and are typically more expensive. While an airline may only have two or three classes of service, they use approximately ten to fifteen different booking codes in order to control the amount of each fare level sold. The booking code used by airlines and agents is typically, the first letter of the fare basis shown on the ticket, historically, airlines only used a few codes, and these were almost identical across the industry. Typical examples were F or P for First Class, J or C for Business, with the advent of cheaper fares and more frequent travel, airlines increased the number of available fare types and the number of booking codes required to differentiate among them. There is now no industry standard with regard to airline booking codes, most low-cost carriers have greatly simplified the fare classes they use to only a few codes, unlike full-service airlines, which use many more. In Mexico, bus services often have designated levels of service, the top of which is de lujo or clase lujo, followed by plus clase, primera clase, and segunda clase. Before cruise ships dominated the passenger trade, ocean liners had classes of service, often categorized as First Class, Second Class. Companies such as Cunard Line continue this tradition, offering Queens Grill, Princess Grill and Britannia cabins, each of which have their own allocated lounges, trains often have first class and second class. For trains with sleeping accommodations, there may be levels of luxury. Prior to 1949, most railway bureaus had a three-class structure, as with most contemporary cases, few people could afford first class or even second class, so at times there would be no first class or second class service available in some trains. Some went as far as offering a fourth class service with goods wagons, in 1949, the first Limited Express with Reserved Seating appeared with the Railway Bureau of Taiwan, and it offered a three-class service, inherited locally from Japanese colonial rule. This structure was the norm for all trains, normal or express, in 1953, the Equality Express was introduced with second class carriages only. Eventually, all save for the sole Limited Express offered only second class service. This resulted in the quality of service being associated with the speed of the train, the Diesel Limited Express was introduced in 1956 with one class only. In 1960, with the reforming of Limited Expresses, all passenger trains officially offered only one class, therefore, all expresses had only second class carriages and other trains only third class. As time passes, more types of carriages were introduced, there are generally two classes, known as first class and second class, or the equivalent in the local language. The three-tier class structure was abolished on most European railways in the 1950s in favor of a two-tier structure, trains in Great Britain provide a two-tier class structure, with the higher tier called first class
Travel class
–
Italian passenger carriage, showing a "2" denoting Second Class.
Travel class
–
A typical wide-body jet plane seat plan (Asiana Boeing 747-400)
Travel class
–
Travel class illustrations at the beginning of the 20th century. Representations of the station restaurants of the first and second classes (left) and third class (right).
Reliefs of the
Imperial train station of
Metz,
France.
9.
Surfliner (railcar)
–
Alstom delivered the first order of cars for Amtrak between 2000 and 2001. A second order for the Caltrans Division of Rail was delivered in 2002, amtraks Superliner was used as the design baseline for the Surfliner, but several changes were made to the design to make the car more suitable for corridor services with frequent stops. After the problematic delivery of the California Car in 1996, Amtrak set out to create a more advanced, in February 1998, Amtrak ordered 40 Surfliner cars that were delivered by Alstom between 2000 and 2001. The first cars started operating on the Pacific Surfliner in April 2000, in September 1999, Caltrans placed a smaller order for 22 cars. 10 cars are used to supplement the Amtrak-owned cars on the Pacific Surfliner and these were the final Surfliner cars to be built and delivery was completed in 2002. All Surfliner cars are equipped with luggage racks, reclining seats with tray tables and footrests, reading lights, restrooms, AmtrakConnect WiFi, 120v power outlets. The Surfliner has a speed of 90 mph. California and a coalition of Midwest states placed an order for 130 third generation bi-level intercity cars with Sumitomo on November 6,2012, the cars will be built by Nippon Sharyo at a new factory at Rochelle, Illinois. Eighty-eight cars will be going to the Midwest states and 42 will go to California, the first cars were originally expected to be delivered by late 2015, with most cars delivered by 2017 and the remainder in 2018. However, a failed a compression test in 2015, resulting in a significant delay for redesign work. As of April 2016, the production is not expected to resume until 2018 and this third generation car will have a few differences from the design of the Surfliner and California Car. The most major change is that cab cars will feature crash energy management technology, California Car - The first generation of Superliner derived bi-level intercity railcars
Surfliner (railcar)
–
"Surfliner" coach/baggage/cab car leading the
Pacific Surfliner in
Lake Forest, California.
Surfliner (railcar)
–
Lower level accessible seating area of a Surfliner car.
Surfliner (railcar)
–
A Surfliner coach/baggage/cab car leading the
San Joaquin in
Bakersfield.
Surfliner (railcar)
–
Rendering of the third generation intercity car currently being built by
Sumitomo and
Nippon Sharyo.
10.
Rolling stock
–
The term rolling stock originally referred to any vehicles that move on a railway. It has since expanded to include the vehicles used by businesses on roadways. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for locomotives, railroad cars, coaches, and wagons. Rolling stock is considered to be an asset, or close to it, since the value of the vehicle can be readily estimated. The term contrasts with fixed stock, which is a term for the track, signals, stations, other buildings, electric wires. In Great Britain, types of rolling stock were given code names and these codes were telegraphese, somewhat analogous to the SMS language of today. List of railway vehicles Great Western Railway telegraphic codes Great Western Railway wagons The dictionary definition of rolling stock at Wiktionary
Rolling stock
–
Variety of rolling stock in
railway yard
Rolling stock
–
Diesel and steam
locomotives
Rolling stock
–
DMU rolling stock
Rolling stock
–
American-style
hopper car
11.
EMD F59PHI
–
The EMD F59PH is a four-axle 3,000 hp B-B diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in two variants from 1988 to 2001. The original F59PH was designed in consultation with GO Transit for commuter operation in Toronto, the design was successful and became the backbone of GO Transits fleet for two decades. Another major operator is Southern Californias Metrolink, which launched with F59PHs in 1992, production of the F59PH ended in 1994, with 73 locomotives built. The F59PHI was designed for Amtrak California intercity service and began production in 1994 and it is distinguished from the F59PH by its streamlined cab. A total of 83 F59PHIs were built between 1994–2001, primarily for commuter operators, the F59PH was the first in the F59 series of locomotives. 73 locomotives were built from May 1988 to May 1994 for two commuter transit railroads, Metrolink of Los Angeles, California, United States and GO Transit of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. While Metrolink continues to use these locomotives today, in 2008, only eight locomotives that were refurbished in 2011 remain in service. Those eight locomotives will be replaced in Fall 2016 when the MPI MP54ACs are delivered and this locomotive is equipped with a turbocharged EMD 12-710G3A, a 12-cylinder, two-stroke Diesel engine, front and rear platforms, a full-width cab with a three-piece windshield. Earlier EMD cowl-type locomotives had used a two-piece windshield, while the Canadian comfort cab used a four-piece design, the F59PH is still used today, mainly on commuter railroads. First built in 1994, the locomotive is a 3,200 hp B-B diesel-electric locomotive intended for service on North American mainlines and this locomotive is equipped with a turbocharged EMD 12-710G3C-EC, a 12-cylinder,2 stroke diesel engine. The main alternator converts mechanical energy from the prime mover into electrical energy that is distributed through a high voltage cabinet to direct current traction motors, each of the four traction motors is directly geared to a pair of driving wheels. The F59PHI has a fully enclosed carbody which provides protected walkways for easy access to the engine room and this arrangement allows routine maintenance while the locomotive is in service. The noteworthy aspect of this exterior is the use of composites to present a streamlined appearance. To supply electrical power for service, the F59PHI is equipped with a secondary electrical generator referred to as the Head End Power unit. The head-end generator generates AC power at 480 V,60 Hz AC, and can be rated between 500 and 750 kW to provide power to the carriages for lighting, electric heating. The head-end generator is powered by a diesel engine dedicated to it. With this arrangement, the mover is not burdened by head-end power generation. When it debuted for Caltrans in late 1994, the F59PHI was the first locomotive in the United States which met Californias stringent emission standards, one person was killed and 29 were injured
EMD F59PHI
–
Two F59PH locomotives owned by
GO Transit at
Oakville station. GO has since discontinued the majority of these locomotives and have been used rarely. (One of these locomotives have since been leased to
Metrolink in Southern California.)
EMD F59PHI
–
Amtrak /
NCDOT RNCX
EMD F59PHI #1797, "City of
Asheville ", leading the
Piedmont north out of
Charlotte, North Carolina on February 20, 2003
12.
GE Genesis
–
General Electric Genesis is a series of passenger locomotives produced by GE Transportation Systems, a subsidiary of General Electric. Between 1992 and 2001,321 units were built for Amtrak, Metro-North, the Genesis series of locomotives was designed by General Electric in response to a specification published by Amtrak and ultimately selected over a competing design presented by GM EMD. The Genesis series are unique among current North American diesel-electric locomotives because of their low height and this height restriction allowed the locomotive to travel easily through low-profile tunnels in the Northeast Corridor. However, this makes it costly and time-consuming to maintain. Amtrak is installing bolt-on nose cones on its units for replacement in the event of a grade crossing collision with a vehicle. As an example of the improvements over the locomotives, the Genesis is 22% more fuel-efficient than the F40PH while producing 25% more horsepower. In addition, all Genesis locomotives have four-stroke engines instead of the two-stroke engines previously used in EMD counterparts, the Genesis unit is a fully computerized locomotive which automatically controls all on-board functions, thus producing high reliability while keeping the maintenance requirements low. In the latter case, traction power is unavailable, the trucks of Genesis locomotives were made by Krupp Verkehrstechnik, which has since been absorbed by Siemens Mobility, the trucks on the newest Genesis locomotives carry the Siemens name. There are three models of Genesis units in operation today, P40DC, P42DC, and P32AC-DM, the P40DC or Dash 8-40BP is the first model in the Genesis series, built in 1993. The locomotive operates in a configuration that uses DC to power the traction motors. Power output to the motors is 3,550 hp when running in HEP mode with a 0 kW HEP load. Traction horsepower in HEP mode decreases to a minimum of 2,525 horsepower when providing the maximum 800 kW HEP load to the train. The P40DC is geared for a speed of 103 miles per hour. The P40DC was succeeded in 1996 by the P42DC, when a unit is in operation from this stand it is limited to 10 mph and a dead mans switch protects against movement without an operator being present. Two unique features to the original P40DC are the two strobes above the cab and an emergency flasher between the strobes, when they were overhauled, those features were removed, likely due to complaints from engine crews. Both the P40DC and P42DC allowed Amtrak to operate heavy long-distance trains with fewer locomotives compared to the older EMD F40PH locomotives, two P40DCs could do the same work as three F40PHs. Additional deliveries of the P42DC ended up replacing the P40DCs, three units had been wrecked and scrapped. Eight were leased and later sold to the Connecticut DOT for Shore Line East in 2005, the remaining 29 units were placed out-of-service for many years
GE Genesis
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Metro-North GE Genesis P32AC-DM #202 in new paint scheme
GE Genesis
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Amtrak P42DCs #1 and #56 pulling the eastbound
California Zephyr at
Grand Junction, Colorado, April 2012.
GE Genesis
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New Jersey Transit P40DC #4800 in
Dunellen, NJ
GE Genesis
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Amtrak P42DC #97 with the westbound
California Zephyr at
Sparks, Nevada, September 1998.
13.
Superliner (railcar)
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The Superliner is a type of bilevel intercity railroad passenger car used by Amtrak. Pullman-Standard built the first cars, known as Superliner I, in 1975–1981, Bombardier Transportation built a second batch, the design descends from the Budd Hi-Level, employed by the Santa Fe on its El Capitan. Car types include coaches, dining cars, lounges, and sleeping cars, the first Superliners entered service in February 1979. Amtrak employs the Superliners on all its Western and some Eastern long-distance routes, Superliner coaches can also be found on short-distance corridor services. Derivative designs such as the California Car and Surfliner are used in California, Amtrak assumed control of almost all private sector intercity passenger rail service in the United States on May 1,1971, with a mandate to reverse decades of decline. Amtrak retained approximately 184 of the 440 trains which had run the day before, to operate these trains, Amtrak inherited a fleet of 300 locomotives and 1190 passenger cars, most of which dated from the 1940s–1950s. No new sleeping cars had been built for service in the United States since 1955, Amtrak employed a mix of inherited cars on its long-distance trains in the Western United States. Most these were conventional single-level, but Amtrak had also inherited 73 Hi-Levels from the Santa Fe, the Budd Company built these between 1954–1964, the bilevel design was well-suited to the long distances in the west. When Amtrak issued a request for proposal in 1973 for a new passenger car it was assumed that the design would be bilevel. Thirteen companies responded to the RFP, Amtrak selected the proposal by Louis T. Klauder & Associates, the design was finished by mid-1974 and Amtrak invited four companies to bid on its construction, Boeing, Budd, Pullman-Standard, and Rohr, with Pullman-Standard winning the contract. The Superliners resembled the Hi-Levels but differed in several ways, the most obvious difference was the height, at 16 feet 2 inches the Superliners are 8 inches taller. The Superliners also used 480 volt head end power, which Amtrak had just adopted as its standard, the Hi-Levels, which used steam heating and diesel generators, would be converted to match this standard. The Superliner I cars ride on Waggon Union MD-76 trucks, the trucks required more frequent overhauls than comparable domestic designs and were were notorious for their rough riding characteristics. The Superliner IIs ride on GSI-G70 outboard bearing trucks, also found on the Horizon, the Superliner has a maximum speed of 100 mph. The Superliner I cars stored waste in onboard retention tanks, and this was an improvement on the Hi-Levels, which dumped directly to the tracks. Growing public concern about such dumping led to the adoption of a system in the Superliner IIs. They were the first long-distance cars with such a system, additionally, the Superliner I cars were retrofitted with a full-retention system in the early 1990s. The New York Times described the Superliner I interior color scheme as soft hues of beige, rust, brown, for the Superliner IIs Amtrak introduced a new scheme incorporating gray, aquamarine, and salmon
Superliner (railcar)
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Superliner I Auto Train Lounge
Superliner (railcar)
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Interior of Superliner I Lounge Car
Superliner (railcar)
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Top: German-designed truck from Superliner I car. Bottom: General Steel Castings truck from Superliner II car.
Superliner (railcar)
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Coach Class car.
14.
Track gauge
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In rail transport, track gauge is the spacing of the rails on a railway track and is measured between the inner faces of the load-bearing rails. All vehicles on a network must have running gear that is compatible with the track gauge, as the dominant parameter determining interoperability, it is still frequently used as a descriptor of a route or network. There is a distinction between the gauge and actual gauge at some locality, due to divergence of track components from the nominal. Railway engineers use a device, like a caliper, to measure the actual gauge, the nominal track gauge is the distance between the inner faces of the rails. In current practice, it is specified at a distance below the rail head as the inner faces of the rail head are not necessarily vertical. In some cases in the earliest days of railways, the company saw itself as an infrastructure provider only. Colloquially the wagons might be referred to as four-foot gauge wagons, say and this nominal value does not equate to the flange spacing, as some freedom is allowed for. An infrastructure manager might specify new or replacement track components at a variation from the nominal gauge for pragmatic reasons. Track is defined in old Imperial units or in universally accepted metric units or SI units, Imperial units were established in United Kingdom by The Weights and Measures Act of 1824. In addition, there are constraints, such as the load-carrying capacity of axles. Narrow gauge railways usually cost less to build because they are lighter in construction, using smaller cars and locomotives, as well as smaller bridges, smaller tunnels. Narrow gauge is often used in mountainous terrain, where the savings in civil engineering work can be substantial. Broader gauge railways are generally expensive to build and require wider curves. There is no single perfect gauge, because different environments and economic considerations come into play, a narrow gauge is superior if ones main considerations are economy and tight curvature. For direct, unimpeded routes with high traffic, a broad gauge may be preferable, the Standard, Russian, and 46 gauges are designed to strike a reasonable balance between these factors. In addition to the general trade-off, another important factor is standardization, once a standard has been chosen, and equipment, infrastructure, and training calibrated to that standard, conversion becomes difficult and expensive. This also makes it easier to adopt an existing standard than to invent a new one and this is true of many technologies, including railroad gauges. The reduced cost, greater efficiency, and greater economic opportunity offered by the use of a common standard explains why a number of gauges predominate worldwide
Track gauge
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Indian Narrow and Broad gauge tracks
Track gauge
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Track gauge
Track gauge
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Fish-belly cast-iron rails from the Cromford and High Peak Railway
Track gauge
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An early Stephenson locomotive
15.
San Luis Obispo (Amtrak station)
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San Luis Obispo is a passenger rail station in the city of San Luis Obispo, California. The station is staffed with ticketing and checked baggage services. The present Spanish Colonial Revival architecture style depot was built by the Southern Pacific Railroad and it replaced the original SP depot, located just south of the current one, that had opened in 1895. When the present depot was opened, the depot was utilized as a freight depot until 1968. It was demolished to make room for a lot in 1971. The station is the terminus of Amtraks Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego and it also serves the Coast Starlight from Seattle, Washington to Los Angeles. Four Pacific Surfliner trains and two Coast Starlight trains serve the station daily, of the 74 California stations served by Amtrak, San Luis Obispo was the 27th-busiest in FY2012, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 297 passengers daily. Media related to San Luis Obispo station at Wikimedia Commons Amtrak California Station Info Page Amtrak – Stations – San Luis Obispo, CA San Luis Obispo --Great American Stations
San Luis Obispo (Amtrak station)
–
San Luis Obispo
16.
Grover Beach (Amtrak station)
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Grover Beach is a passenger rail station in the city of Grover Beach, California. It is served by Amtraks Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego, four Pacific Surfliner trains serve the station daily. Of the 73 California stations served by Amtrak, Grover Beach was the 52nd-busiest in FY2010 and this station is located in San Luis Obispo County. Amtrak California Station Info Page Amtrak – Stations – Grover Beach, CA Grover Beach --Great American Stations
Grover Beach (Amtrak station)
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Grover Beach
17.
Surf (Amtrak station)
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Surf is a passenger rail station in the small community of Surf, California, west of the city of Lompoc. It is served by Amtraks Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego, four Pacific Surfliner trains serve the station daily. Of the 73 California stations served by Amtrak, Lompoc-Surf was the 64th-busiest in FY2010, the station is located in Santa Barbara County. Amtrak California Station Info Page Amtrak – Stations – Surf, CA Lompoc-Surf --Great American Stations
Surf (Amtrak station)
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Surf
18.
Goleta (Amtrak station)
–
Goleta is a passenger rail station in the city of Goleta, California. It is served by Amtraks Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego, ten Pacific Surfliner trains serve the station daily. Six of the trains run on Goleta-San Diego or San Diego-Goleta schedules. Four of the trains are through trains. Trains that terminate in Goleta are stored on a track adjacent to the Goleta station. The station also received bike racks and a new bus turning circle, of the 73 California stations served by Amtrak, Goleta was the 31st-busiest in FY2010, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 160 passengers daily. The station is located in Santa Barbara County, Amtrak California Station Info Page Amtrak – Stations – Goleta, CA Goleta, CA - Great American Stations
Goleta (Amtrak station)
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Sign and car/taxi waiting area.
19.
Santa Barbara (Amtrak station)
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Santa Barbara is a passenger rail station in Santa Barbara, California, served by two Amtrak lines, the Coast Starlight and the Pacific Surfliner. The Coast Starlight runs once daily in each direction between Los Angeles, California and Seattle, Washington, the station is fully staffed with ticketing and checked-baggage services. This Station is located in Santa Barbara County, the station was built in 1902 by the Southern Pacific Railroad in the Spanish Mission Revival Style. Design work was by Santa Barbara architect Francis W. Wilson and it is located within walking distance of Santa Barbara Harbor, Stearns Wharf and State Street, Santa Barbaras main thoroughfare. The historic depot was renovated in 2000, the project included the restoration of the office and upgrades to the plumbing, electrical. Due to the length of the platform, when Amtraks Coast Starlight train is stopped, the station was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 2,2006. Media related to Santa Barbara Railway Station at Wikimedia Commons Amtrak California Station Info Page Amtrak – Stations – Santa Barbara, profile of Santa Barbara station SantaBarbara. com Train Station Guide Santa Barbara --Great American Stations
Santa Barbara (Amtrak station)
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Station building
Santa Barbara (Amtrak station)
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1910 postcard
20.
Carpinteria (Amtrak station)
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Carpinteria is a passenger rail station in the city of Carpinteria, California. It is served by Amtraks Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego, ten Pacific Surfliner trains serve the station daily. The station consists only of a platform and an open-air shelter. Of the 73 California stations served by Amtrak, Carpinteria was the 48th-busiest in FY2010 and this station is located in Santa Barbara County. Amtrak California Station Info Page Carpinteria Amtrak Station Carpinteria --Great American Stations
Carpinteria (Amtrak station)
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Carpinteria
21.
Ventura (Amtrak station)
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Ventura is a passenger rail station in downtown Ventura, California. The station is served by Amtraks Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego, ten Pacific Surfliner trains serve the station daily. Of the 73 California stations served by Amtrak, Ventura was the 33rd-busiest in FY2010, the single platform is located on the south of the tracks with a view of the Santa Barbara Channel and the Channel Islands. The Ventura Freeway is parallel with and on the side of tracks. Special service trains may come to this such as service to the Ventura County Fair. Ventura County Fair at Seaside Park The platform is located on a portion of Coast Line between the Ventura River and Ash Street that is under franchise from the City of Ventura. Having approved an official map in 1869, the trustees approved the laying down of tracks on Front Street through the existing townsite. Approval was conditioned on Southern Pacific Branch Railway building and maintaining a depot within the corporate limits, the original train station was located about a half mile east within the Eastern Addition to the town. Ventura Junction where the Ventura and Ojai Valley Railroad Company branched off up along the Ventura River is just west of the station, the rails reached the town of Nordhoff in 1898 and the line was acquired by Southern Pacific Transportation Company in 1899. The Ventura River Parkway Trail has been constructed within the abandoned railroad right-of-way, E. P. and Orpha Foster donated much of the land for Seaside Park adjacent to the station. They envisioned this broad flat area as a gateway to Ventura, where families could walk, picnic. The large parking lot across Harbor Boulevard from the station is the site of Babe Ruth Field. The minor-league team games played there from 1948 to 1955 were appreciated by the adjacent neighborhood called Tortilla Flats. A car carrier trailer leaving the fairgrounds with vintage Porsche automobiles high-centered as it crossed the tracks near the station, although the police notified Union Pacific, there was just enough time to get the driver out of the truck cab that was pulling the car-carrier before the collision. A northbound freight train hit the center of the trailer scattering the vintage cars alongside the tracks, the station is on the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route and also serves as an access point for California Coastal Trail. Figueroa Street leads down to beachfront Promenade Park and Surfers Point at Seaside Park, the promenade is a walking/bike trail that leads down coast to San Buenaventura State Beach after passing underneath the second oldest pier in California. Up coast the path leads to Emma Wood State Beach and has designated the Omer Rains Bike Trail. Beachwalkers will find sand and cobble beaches while walking to these state parks, while crossing the sand bar at the mouth of the Ventura River may be possible, the bike route is an alternate route for walkers
Ventura (Amtrak station)
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Platform in front of freeway embankment
22.
Metrolink (Southern California)
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Metrolink is a commuter rail system serving Southern California, it consists of seven lines and 59 stations operating on 534 miles of rail network. It travels up to 79 miles per hour and up to 90 mph on sections of the Orange County line, the system operates in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties, as well as to Oceanside in San Diego County. The system, founded in 1991 as the Southern California Regional Rail Authority and quickly adopting Metrolink as the marketing and user friendly moniker, average weekday ridership rose to 42,265 in 2012, but had fallen slightly to 41,951 in the fourth quarter of 2014. Special service has also extended to the Pomona Fairplex, the Ventura County Fairgrounds. The rail system experiences its peak ridership during weekday mornings and afternoons, fare increases normally occur annually in July, to coincide with increased fuel and labor expenses, and have generally averaged between 3. 5% and 5% per year. The oil price increases since 2003 are partly to blame for consistently increasing fares, in July 2011, Metrolink introduced a new Weekend Pass allowing for passengers to travel all weekend trains for only $10. This was the first pass of its kind on Metrolink giving passengers unlimited rides all weekend long going anywhere in the system. However, with an increase on July 1,2013. The Weekend Day Pass still functions as an EZPass and TAP media for travel on LACMTA, on January 1,2016, Metrolink lowered short-distance fares to as low as $3 for adults/youth/students and $1.50 for disabled riders for One-Way tickets. These fares are offered to local travel on Metrolink and are good for travel from one station to the next on any line. For example, riding from Cal State L. A. to Los Angeles Union Station is only $3 for One-Way, el Monte Station to Los Angeles Union Station is $6 for an adult One-Way ticket and $12 for a Round-Trip ticket. For travel more than two stations, distance-based pricing is more affordable, the member agencies of the SCRRA purchased 175 miles of track, maintenance yards, and stations and other property from Southern Pacific for $450 million in 1990. The rights to use Los Angeles Union Station were purchased from Union Pacific, the Authority was formally founded in 1991. It began operation of the Ventura, Santa Clarita, and San Bernardino Lines on October 26,1992 which were operated by Amtrak, in 1993 service was expanded to include the Riverside and Orange County Lines in 1994. The Inland Empire-Orange County Line opened in 1995, becoming the first suburb to suburb commuter rail line in the country, in 1995 more trains on the Orange County service were funded. The system gained its current form in 2002 with the addition of the 91 Line, from July 2004, Metrolink fares were changed from zone based to one based on distance. In 2005 a five-year operational contract was awarded to Connex Railroad/Veolia Transport, a proposed station in Yorba Linda was canceled in 2005 due to local opposition. In July 2008 it was announced that ridership had risen 16% over the previous year, Amtrak regained the contract to operate Metrolink beginning in July 2010
Metrolink (Southern California)
–
Metrolink
Hyundai Rotem cab car, Virginia Colony,
Moorpark, California
Metrolink (Southern California)
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Metrolink ticket vending machines. Machines also sell tickets for
Amtrak trains and the
FlyAway Bus to LAX.
Metrolink (Southern California)
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Metrolink trains approaching and leaving Union Station during the evening rush hour
Metrolink (Southern California)
–
Interior of a Hyundai Rotem bi-level car.
23.
Camarillo (Amtrak station)
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Camarillo is a passenger rail station in the city of Camarillo, California. It is served by both Amtraks Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego and Metrolinks Ventura County Line from Los Angeles Union Station to east Ventura, Amtraks San Diegan trains began stopping in Camarillo at the end of June 1995. Nine Pacific Surfliner trains serve the daily and six Metrolink trains serve the station each weekday. This limited Metrolink service runs only at peak hours in the direction of travel. Of the 73 California stations served by Amtrak, Camarillo was the 41st-busiest in FY2010, media related to Camarillo at Wikimedia Commons Amtrak California Station Info Page Metrolink – Camarillo Camarillo --Great American Stations
Camarillo (Amtrak station)
–
The platform in 2007, looking north at
US 101 overcrossing.
24.
Moorpark (Amtrak station)
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Moorpark is a passenger rail station in the city of Moorpark, California. It is served by both Amtraks Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego and Metrolinks Ventura County Line from Los Angeles Union Station to East Ventura, five Pacific Surfliner trains serve the station daily and 16 Metrolink trains serve the station each weekday. Except during peak hours in the direction of travel, Moorpark functions as the western terminus of the Ventura County Line. Metrolink stores trains in a yard a short distance west of the station. Of the 73 California stations served by Amtrak, Moorpark was the 53rd-busiest in FY2010, Amtrak California Station Info Page Metrolink – Moorpark Amtrak – Stations – Moorpark, CA Moorpark --Great American Stations
Moorpark (Amtrak station)
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A Metrolink train at Moorpark Station
25.
Simi Valley (Amtrak station)
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Simi Valley station is a passenger rail station in the city of Simi Valley, California. It is served by Amtraks Pacific Surfliner and Coast Starlight, ten Pacific Surfliner trains serve the station daily and 16 Metrolink trains serve the station each weekday. The Coast Starlight operates one daily in each direction. Service to Simi Valley began on October 26,1986, when the Coast Starlight began stopping there, of the 74 California stations served by Amtrak, Simi Valley was the 37th-busiest in FY2012, boarding or detraining an average of approximately 111 passengers daily
Simi Valley (Amtrak station)
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Simi valley train station at dusk from tracks.
26.
Chatsworth (Amtrak station)
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Chatsworth Transportation Center, identified as Chatsworth on station signs, is an Intermodal passenger transport station in the Los Angeles community of Chatsworth, California. It is a station for Amtrak and Metrolink. It is served by both Amtraks Pacific Surfliner from San Luis Obispo to San Diego and Metrolinks Ventura County Line from Los Angeles Union Station to East Ventura,10 Pacific Surfliner trains serve the station daily and 20 Metrolink trains serve the station each weekday. It is a bus rapid transit station for the Metro Orange Line, the Metro Orange Line Chatsworth Extension terminates at this station. The extension began service on June 30,2012, the station includes a passenger waiting area and a small railroad museum. There is no Amtrak ticket office, the current station building was constructed in 1996. A station platform has existed since 1992, the site originally had Southern Pacific railroad stations. The last had been demolished by Southern Pacific in 1962, also in the station building is the field office for Los Angeles City Council member Mitchell Englander. Of the 73 California stations served by Amtrak, Chatsworth was the 32nd-busiest in FY2010, amtrak/Metrolink Metro Liner On September 12,2008, a westbound Metrolink Ventura County Line train was involved in the 2008 Chatsworth train collision after it had departed this station. It collided head-on with a Union Pacific freight train in Chatsworth, the 4 mile Orange Line extension runs from Canoga Station north to the Chatsworth Metrolink Station, for the Los Angeles County Metro Liner system. The northwestern Orange Line terminus and transfer connections is at the station, theres currently a shuttle operating between Warner Center station and Chatsworth Metro Orange Line Station during weekday peaks
Chatsworth (Amtrak station)
–
Top: The
Amtrak /
Metrolink Platform View Bottom: The
Orange Line Platform View with floor mural and wallpaper
Chatsworth (Amtrak station)
Chatsworth (Amtrak station)
–
Metro Orange Line at Chatsworth Metro Orange Line Station.
27.
Orange Line (Los Angeles Metro)
–
The Orange Line is a bus rapid transit line in the Metro Busway network in Los Angeles County, California. The other line in the Metro Busway network is the Metro Silver Line, the Metro Orange Line bicycle path runs alongside part of the route. Unlike the Silver Line, which has a street-running sections within downtown Los Angeles and San Pedro, the Warner Center branch includes several blocks of street running in the Warner Center area. The line, which is operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, opened on October 29,2005, because of its many differences from a standard bus service, the authority has branded the transitway as part of the regions network of light and heavy rail lines. It appears on Metros Metro Rail & Busway map, Orange Line vehicles are painted in the silver-and-gray color scheme of Metro Rail vehicles. Likewise, it is one of the two bus lines that have been marketed with a color designation rather than its line number. The Orange Line is rarely referred to by its line number, the transitways color name, the Orange Line, refers to the many citrus trees that once blanketed the San Fernando Valley. In the planning stages the transitway was known as the San Fernando Valley East-West Transitway, Metro Orange Line buses operate daily between 3, 45am and 1, 00am. Maximum recorded average weekday boardings were 31,904 during September 2013, while usage initially fell during the Great Recession with average weekday boarding running at 22,669 in 2010, it has since rebounded, averaging 28,263 weekday boardings so far in 2015. Collisions Collisions with automobiles occurred weekly during the first several months of operations, the Blue Line also had a significant number of collisions in its early years and currently has the highest fatality rate in North America. Metro issued slow orders after two collisions in November 2005 involving an injured driver. Buses were required to slow to 10 mi/h vs. 25–30 mi/h, in December 2005, Metro called for the installation of red-light cameras at most intersections. Adding more buses requires platooning, or bunching, which is the running of convoys of two or more together, similar to what rail achieves in having multiple cars per train. Greater signal prioritization is also an option, and comes at the cost of decreasing cross street travel times, another alternative requires the changing of state law or the granting of a Caltrans exemption from state law and the purchasing of 80-foot-long buses. The majority of the Orange Line is built on part of the former Southern Pacific Railroad Burbank Branch railbed, the line had passenger rail service from 1904 to 1920, with stations at several locations including North Hollywood and Van Nuys. It had Pacific Electric Red Car service from North Hollywood to Van Nuys again from 1938 to 1952, the railbed was purchased by the predecessor to Metro in 1991 along with several other railroad rights-of-way for future use in transportation projects. Transit planners envisioned an extension of the Metro Red Line subway as the most natural option because the purchased right-of-way begins at North Hollywood station, however, local community groups fiercely opposed such alternatives and, in fact, any rail construction that was not completely underground. Objections cited included noise and perceived danger to a large Orthodox Jewish community which the line bisects, groups were organized and funded by the community to kill anything but a subway
Orange Line (Los Angeles Metro)
–
Metro Liner at North Hollywood Station
Orange Line (Los Angeles Metro)
–
Metro Orange Line departing Balboa Station to North Hollywood
Orange Line (Los Angeles Metro)
–
Canoga Station, Canoga Park
Orange Line (Los Angeles Metro)
–
Warner Center Transit Hub, Woodland Hills
28.
Van Nuys (Amtrak station)
–
Van Nuys is an Amtrak and Metrolink train station in the community of Van Nuys in Los Angeles, California. Ten Pacific Surfliner trains serve the daily and 20 Metrolink trains serve the station each weekday. The Coast Starlight operates one daily in each direction. The modern glass-and-concrete Van Nuys station, designed by LPA Architects, a joint project of Caltrans and Amtrak, funding was provided by Caltrans with Amtrak providing construction management. Improvements for Metrolink commuters were funded by Caltrans and the city of Los Angeles, of the 74 California stations served by Amtrak, Van Nuys was the 29th busiest in FY2012, boarding or detraining an average of 202 passengers daily. There are two tracks at this station, but only one platform, which only one of the two tracks can be used. As a result, trains have to stop and wait outside of the station for that platform to be cleared by trains that are already there, LACMTA Line 169, Bus Stop is on Van Nuys Boulevard/Keswick Street. Monday thru Friday service only Line 233, Bus Stop is on Van Nuys Boulevard at Keswick Street, daily Service Line 656, Bus stop is on Van Nuys Boulevard at Keswick Street. Daily Service on Van Nuys Boulevard only LADOT Panorama City/Van Nuys Civic Center Route, Amtrak California, Van Nuys Station info webpage Amtrak – Stations – Van Nuys, CA Metrolink – Van Nuys Van Nuys Amtrak-Metrolink Station Van Nuys --Great American Stations
Van Nuys (Amtrak station)
–
Van Nuys train station looking eastward.
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