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| PHOTOS: New Orleans (1223351) | |
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PHOTOS: New Orleans |
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Posted by kp5308 on Sun May 19 11:32:52 2013 After arrival in New Orleans we checked out the new terminal for the 1.5 mile extension of the Canal St. Line, completed shortly before the 2013 Super Bowl at a cost of $45 million: Next day we headed up Canal St. to the St. Charles Line:  Which was open only to Jefferson St. due to trackwork:   Progress on this project was held up due to a dispute with the contractor hired to do the work: 
From the Times-Picayune article dated May 22 2011. The text below is the complete article: Planned rehabilitation of the St. Charles Avenue streetcar track has been shelved indefinitely after the company hired to do the work walked off the job, a top Regional Transit Authority administrator said this week. The streetcar tracks' wooden crossties have not been replaced since 1988, when the RTA undertook a $47 million program to renovate the St. Charles line's cars and its maintenance barn and replace all 13 miles of track and track bed. Smith Railway Services Inc. of Prairieville notified the RTA late last month that it wanted to terminate its contract to replace the aging wooden crossties that hold the streetcar tracks in place. RTA General Manager Justin Augustine said the company, which had been doing preparatory work on the project for several weeks, offered no explanation for its decision. Augustine said his staff has received reports that the work stoppage may have been ordered by Smith Railway's parent company, R&R Contracting Inc. of Grand Forks, N.D. Officials with both companies did not respond Friday to requests for comment. In March, the RTA announced that in order to minimize inconvenience and provide uninterrupted service on the city's busiest transit line, it planned to complete the $7 million project in 11 sections. Officials said then they hoped to finish the work in about 15 months. Now, Augustine said, it is unclear when work might resume. Shortly after crews arrived along the Carrollton Avenue segment of the line to erect temporary fences, remove sod and dump gravel, Augustine said, company officials "started making excuses, giving us multiple reasons why they couldn't proceed." After several failed efforts to restart construction, he said, the RTA received an April 28 letter from Smith Railway seeking to void the agreement. Augustine, who said the RTA has not paid the company "one red cent," has since notified Smith Railway that the company is in breach of its contract. Before the RTA decides whether to readvertise the contract or turn to the second-lowest bidder, Augustine said his staff must sort out the legal ramifications of the unusual action. By law, the company was required to post a bond guaranteeing completion of the work. In this case, the guarantee covers only the first $1.3 million phase of the project. Augustine said the surety company that posted the bond on behalf of Smith Railway has until next month to propose a way to do the work or else offer the RTA a cash settlement. While the crossties are nearing the end of their useful lifespan, Augustine said, the track will remain functional for several years. The more critical issue, he said, is a requirement that much of the federal grant money being used for the project must be spent by 2013. The St. Charles line is by far the RTA's busiest route, carrying more than 3.1 million riders last year. The wooden crossties have not been replaced since 1988, when the RTA undertook a $47 million program to renovate the St. Charles line's cars and its maintenance barn and replace all 13 miles of track and track bed. That project was the first complete overhaul of the line, which began operating in the 19th century. At the time, the agency used azobe, a tropical hardwood that officials described as the longest-lasting option available, one that would not need major repairs for at least two decades. This time, the RTA plans to use a recycled composite rubber and plastic material that transit executives say has become the industry standard.  The project includes complete replacement of all the grade crossings with precast concrete track panel sections:  Because the entire line is on the National Register of Historic Places, the park-like ROW must be maintained as originally constructed:  The only modern addition to the interior of the cars is the electronic fare collection box:  The 35 cars used on the St. Charles Line were built by Perley Thomas of High Point NC in 1923/24. The company still survives as the bus division of Freightliner Trucks:  The Canal St. Line came back to life on April 18th, 2004. The first car built for this service was #2001. A tremendous site on the history of the Canal St. Line:  All the 2000 series cars were built in house by NORTA forces in New Orleans. A well detailed description of the construction process is worth reading:  Before being tacked on to the back of the City of New Orleans to head back to Chicago we shot another Heritage GE:  And the departure of the Crescent for New York:  After lunch we left promptly at 1:45PM:  Shots along the way to Memphis are next! |
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Re: PHOTOS: New Orleans |
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Posted by Wayne-MrSlantR40 on Sun May 19 12:01:09 2013, in response to PHOTOS: New Orleans, posted by kp5308 on Sun May 19 11:32:52 2013. Beautiful pictures Kevin - especially the Perley Thomas cars on the greenway. I see they sell Diet Pepsi on the Crescent - I am a DP person too.wayne |
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Re: PHOTOS: New Orleans |
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Posted by chud1 on Sun May 19 14:01:04 2013, in response to PHOTOS: New Orleans, posted by kp5308 on Sun May 19 11:32:52 2013. 5 drooling stars out of 5 drooling stars on these picture.chud1 |
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Re: PHOTOS: New Orleans |
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Posted by kp5308 on Sun May 19 14:24:18 2013, in response to Re: PHOTOS: New Orleans, posted by Wayne-MrSlantR40 on Sun May 19 12:01:09 2013. I see they sell Diet Pepsi on the Crescent - I am a DP person too.We were on an 8 day excursion that stopped in New Orleans. We rode behind the Sunset from San Antonio TX & took the City of New Orleans out. This was our chariot:  I don't know if Amtrak sells DP on any of their trains. That St. Charles line is friggin' tremendous. Karen & I were last there about 6 months before Katrina. |
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Re: PHOTOS: New Orleans |
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Posted by WillD on Sun May 19 20:49:35 2013, in response to PHOTOS: New Orleans, posted by kp5308 on Sun May 19 11:32:52 2013. Really excellent photos. I'm tempted to ask how much the whole land cruise went for, but you know what they say about having to ask the price. Maybe in a few years.IMHO this seems like a better way to go about a land cruise than the old American Orient Express of last decade. Tacking on to the backs of a few Amtrak LDs allows a lot more flexibility in routings than the AOE could manage. |
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Re: PHOTOS: New Orleans |
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Posted by kp5308 on Sun May 19 21:18:02 2013, in response to Re: PHOTOS: New Orleans, posted by WillD on Sun May 19 20:49:35 2013. I'm tempted to ask how much the whole land cruise went for, but you know what they say about having to ask the price.According to those that know about going rates for a trip of this duration we got a very good deal. The guy that put this together is a good friend of the car owner so we may have gotten a price break. Also Funky has done several trips like this over the years so he knows what he is doing but he told us anyone can call Northern Rail Charters & get a price quote based on the itenerary. NRC will take care of all the details. Funky says they are one of the easier private car charter companies to deal with. |
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Re: PHOTOS: New Orleans |
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Posted by Neil Feldman on Sun May 19 21:28:57 2013, in response to PHOTOS: New Orleans, posted by kp5308 on Sun May 19 11:32:52 2013. Awesome Kevin, and the lunch is making me hungry, lol! Enjoy the ride! |
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Re: PHOTOS: New Orleans |
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Posted by Fred G on Sun May 19 21:34:53 2013, in response to PHOTOS: New Orleans, posted by kp5308 on Sun May 19 11:32:52 2013. Really nice set, K. Keep em coming!Progress on this project was held up due to a dispute with the contractor hired to do the work: $$$ (I read the article but it smacks of mission creep in the scope of services) your pal, Fred |
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Re: PHOTOS: New Orleans |
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Posted by kp5308 on Sun May 19 21:42:29 2013, in response to Re: PHOTOS: New Orleans, posted by Fred G on Sun May 19 21:34:53 2013. I read the article but it smacks of mission creep in the scope of servicesYou know the story....somewhere in the middle is the truth. |
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Re: PHOTOS: New Orleans |
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Posted by kp5308 on Sun May 19 21:54:42 2013, in response to Re: PHOTOS: New Orleans, posted by Neil Feldman on Sun May 19 21:28:57 2013. The ride ended last month :o( |
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Re: PHOTOS: New Orleans |
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Posted by PSCTfan on Mon May 20 00:58:21 2013, in response to PHOTOS: New Orleans, posted by kp5308 on Sun May 19 11:32:52 2013. In the kp5308's nighttime photo of Canal Street trolley 2001, note whatappears to be a TV show promotional poster, that I'm guessing is 'Post Sandy'. Louisiana responded to New Jersey in the aftermath of Sandy. I recall seeing a roadblock set up at the entrance to Seaside Heights. It was a Louisiana State Trooper's 'Crown Vic'. Promoting the Garden State in the 'Big Easy'...a nice touch. Maybe a 'PBS' promo NEW JERSEY - A STATE OF RESILIENCE |
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Re: PHOTOS: New Orleans |
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Posted by kp5308 on Mon May 20 08:14:50 2013, in response to Re: PHOTOS: New Orleans, posted by PSCTfan on Mon May 20 00:58:21 2013. Good job Tom.....I wondered if anyone would notice that! |
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Re: PHOTOS: New Orleans |
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Posted by GP38/R42 Chris on Mon May 20 14:11:51 2013, in response to PHOTOS: New Orleans, posted by kp5308 on Sun May 19 11:32:52 2013. Great stuff! |
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