Street Running Locations

Pentrex Video: Street Running

 

Michigan City

 

Thanks. If you can, give the street name, city and state.

Erie PA used to have it. I do know LaGrange Kentucky has one.

Matt, do you remember the Arrowhead Springs water train that ran down Mt View Ave. in the median from Arrowhead Springs to downtown San Bernardino?

I have in storage a promotional piece of art work that shows this train that was given out by Santa Fe Savings and Loan when you opened a new account.

I really miss S.B. sometimes....

Regards, John

Erie, PA

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/...et-72157625575547473

 

Pete

Not old enough to remember personally, but yes. When I moved out there I had wondered why Mountain View had a wide median and suspected PE/SP activity. Drove north and when it changed to Electric Avenue, I pretty much knew. Looked at some old maps and old aerials and found parts of the right-of-way north of 40th along Waterman. Chris Tobar has a pretty thorough documentation of the Arrowhead line. While most of the route had its own right-of-way, there was a small street-running segment from just north of Highland Blvd back to the PE shops near downtown. Alas, none of the track remains (unless it's buried under layers of pavement.

Last one in Chicago...

 

 Another..

 

AGHRMatt, true, nice thread. Sacramento Northern on the street in Yuba City, 1964.

ncng

Matt, how about Alameda Street on the SP in Los Angeles from the old corn field yard passed  LAUPT and South to around 25th street.  There is also a short section of street running South of Old Colton on the former SP on the now defunct Riverside branch.

 

Ray

Pass by there everyday and completely forgot. The tracks used to snake around the streets in the area. Toward what's now LAUPT, ATSF serviced some industries off Commercial Street. SP serviced some east of Alameda off 5th as I recall. Aerials of the area still show some of the buildings with rounded corners to provide clearance.

 

SP referred to it as the "Rat Hole" because of several buildings with covered or internal car docks. A couple of those warehouses with tracks running through them are still there. ATSF referred to their zone as "The Patch".

 

A couple of large earthquakes and redevelopment took away most of the businesses.

Matt

 

Great topic!

 

The Ballard Terminal on the old Great Northern Ballard low line has the best street running the the City of Seattle today.  From its junction with the main line just north of the Salmon Bay draw bridge it travels past the Ballard locks, down NW 54th Street to Shilshole Avenue to NW 45th Street and beyond the Ballard terminal is a great little railroad.  The ex-Milwaukee SW1 is an extra bonus.  I can tell you that the MTH sound file is accurate. 

 

 

http://www.atlasobscura.com/pl...rd-terminal-railroad

 

http://www.dickwightman.com/ra...btrr/rideonbtrr.html

 

The former NP line to their Terry Avenue Freight House in the South Lake Union neighborhood used to have Seattle's best street running and some interesting switching.  Out of service since the 1990s some of the right of way is now used by the South Lake Union Trolley.  Despite inspiring the humorous T shirts I'd rather have real commerce back.

 

 

I love the brick paving and 3 way switch.

 

 

 

http://coastdaylight.com/seattle/terry_avenue_2.html

 

Historically, Seattle's best street running was on Railroad Avenue, today's Alaskan Way.

 

 

 

http://pauldorpat.com/2014/01/...n-fire-station-no-5/

The Middletown & Hummelstown Railroad runs down Brown Street in Middletown, PA.

 

Bob

West Brownsville in Pennsylvania sees it's share of CSX, B&P and NS trains.

Railpictures.net Keyword "Brownsville" has some wonderful shots of street running.

 

Thanks. I think I've been there. Isn't that where you catch the ferry and express boats to the Islands? Went out to San Juan Island a few years ago. Pretty island with a somewhat checkered history.

Matt

 

Yes, the Coleman Dock is to the left of the photographer.  The GN and NP station that predated King Street was on the right.  Just out of frame to the right is a steam plant the supplies many of the downtown buildings with heat.  The steam plant still has tracks in front of it that were in place well over 100 years ago when it received coal from Renton and the Maple Valley via the Columbia and Puget Sound, later the Pacific Coast.  The Milwaukee Road reached Seattle and Tacoma via trackage rights on the Pacific Coast.

 

I have a great photo of street running near Husky Stadium.  It even involves a Pacific Coast gondola.

Colorado & Southern, Ft. Collins, CO:    http://bobsobol.smugmug.com/Tr...bX&lb=1&s=XL

 

Photographer Jim Ehernberger caught a C&S USRA Mike releasing a cumulus nimbus cloud of black oil smoke on the same downtown street (pictured in Trains, 1957 and "Trains 100 Greatest Railroad Photos").........environmentalists would have collapsed from a severe case of "the vapors"!!

Understand the town/RR are in the process of relocating this trackage.

NY&NJ Rail in Brooklyn, NYC runs on the remainder of the Bush Terminal RR on 1st ave.

 

Here is a great car chase through the streets, alleys, on and under I-5 and finally ending up on the railroad tracks of Seattle.  The Milwaukee box car and BN RBL are on the old NP Terry Avenue line in South Lake Union.  The Duke seems to have a frog in his throat.

 

Roaring Camp Railroads at Felton, California runs 3 foot narrow gauge Shay and Heisler steam engines with their trains up 8 ½  grades into the redwoods. They also run standard gauge diesel trains down to the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, California.
There was a special event on July 11 - 13 with a standard gauge steam engine running from Felton down to Santa Cruz and then up the track towards Davenport, California where the Santa Cruz Portland Cement company is located (now closed).
The guest engine  was my son's 1909 Porter 0-4-0 T which he just completed restoring in November, 2013. It was bought by the Santa Cruz Portland Cement new in 1909.
On July 11 - 13, this engine, SCPC # 2, was the first steam locomotive to run on these tracks in more than 50 years.
It was amazing for folks to see and hear this steam train running through the streets of Santa Cruz!

That's a great shot, complete with a Wig-Wag to boot (found a second one further up the street). Are those tracks still active (especially on Beach street)? Usually the signals get removed (stolen) if they're abandoned. 

The CSX runs down the middle of Harmer St., in Marietta, Ohio. A local, as well as unit coal trains, run down the middle of this narrow residential street for about 3 long blocks.

 Quite a site to see.

Jeff

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More Ft Collins, CO.  July 2011

Talk about up close and personal....!!

Is that Mason Street?

 

Matt, another from Wisconsin. E. Wilson St. in Madison from Ingersoll to Dickinson. Used to be Milwaukee Road. The non-street running is now bike path. Tom Farence just put a picture on Railpictures.net the other day from 1962. http://www.railpictures.net/vi...id=495331&nseq=8

AGHRMatt:
Yes, the tracks in Santa Cruz are active and yes, there are two working wigwags still operating. Going through in the steam engine cab was quite a fun time!

For Matt,

Yes, that is Mason street.  That was a surreal experience to see that train go thru town like it was a car or a bicycle.

Thanks Matt for this topic and thanks to all for your replies. Great impressions!

Great Topic Matt:

 

My favorite street running place in the US is Jack London Square in Oakland CA. Don't have the pics handy but it is a wonderful place to hang out.

 

Paul

The NY NJ Railroad in the New York Harbor area runs through the streets of Brooklyn on First Ave.  They operate the last car float operation in the area from Greenville yards in NJ to Brooklyn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ben.

 

The NYNJ run along First Avenue, has one of the coolest street runs I've seen, especially when it cuts through the corner of the warehouse on 41st Street and 2nd Avenue.

I agree MAtt   That can be seen in the picture above where the old subway car is being pulled to scrap   The Brookln Army terminal is pretty cool too  Lots of history there

I second for oakland to jack london square. amtrak and UP everyday right down the main drag.
Let's not forget San Francisco cable cars, and Muni PCC street cars. Caltrain does some street running leaving 4th street station heading south to san jose. 

Also in San Jose and Santa Clara County, VTA light rail does alot of street running. I used to drive transit bus for VTA and even got on some of the old trolley cars.

Passing Seattle waterfront terminating at Union Station, circa 1906.