Posted July 30, 200915 yr I took a ride on the free mckinney avenue streetcar in dallas. It was revived 20 years ago this year and is operated with a lotta love by streetcar fanatics. Its also a real and useful public transportation option. It goes from the new west village/cityplace developments in the north along the mckinney pub/restaurant strip and right into downtown in the south. Enjoy the ride! This car was built in 1913 and retired in 1956….revived in 1989! :clap: just south of the west village tod, this a brief scene from the older upper mckinney pub, etc. stretch Whoosh -- another streetcar whizzes by in the opposite direction! They have a lot of lots in this midtown sector of dallas, but they are filling up like mad you gotta love the nice quality old timey craftsmanship i believe those boards are spare steps, not sure? over a highway and into downtown #@&#! shakey ride – heh! (really it wasn’t that shakey at all)! a grey steamy day, they finally got some rain after two months of 100 degrees heat these controls are on either end of the streetcar farebox (those might be donations, the ride is free) after we got downtown to the end, I just stayed on until we went back by the time we got back up to the new west village tod development we picked up some commuters, at the last stop they left the streetcar for the cityplace dart station….but, hang on that’s another thread! :wink: *** and that’s it for an enjoyable back to the future transit experience, despite all the construction I saw toward downtown there is actually a long stretch of older pubs/restaurants/residential apt buildings along upper mckinney as well as the new west village tod lifestyle mall stuff at the northernmost end, so the mckinney streetcar is definitely useful to tourists too -- info below + a route map *** 1988 construction photo – see the link below for much more A scene from opening day – 7/22/89 This neighborhood welcome sign was up for years! more info here: http://www.mata.org/
July 30, 200915 yr i almost forgot -- a little more. i only took a few pics, but i forgot to include the new west village lifestyle mall developments at the northernmost end of the trolley line. there is one true residential tower: http://www.zomrent.com/themondrianatcityplace/main-page.asp this kind of stuff just isnt my thing, but i at least liked that parking was underground the mckinney streetcar's northernmost tracks the retail under residential section link: http://www.westvil.com/ the propaganda: "In the heart of affluent Uptown lies a genuine in-town neighborhood catering to the urban dwellers of Dallas. This is a place where bustling cafes, restaurants and lounges spill onto the streets. Sidewalks lined with trees accommodate the strolling shoppers. The classic American architecture offers a creative-edge and an enduring spirit. Since opening in 2001, the development has added two additional phases with its largest expansion yet to come. West Village is an evolving, walkable shopping and dining district." map:
July 30, 200915 yr those neighborhoods are right next door. the apt towers between oak lawn and tuttle creek are mostly the kind of the "older people with money" apt buildings than this newer west village area. the latter skews toward young suburban city-living wannabes who want to dip their toes in. nothing wrong with that.
July 30, 200915 yr those neighborhoods are right next door. the apt towers between oak lawn and tuttle creek are mostly the kind of the "older people with money" apt buildings than this newer west village area. the latter skews toward young suburban city-living wannabes who want to dip their toes in. nothing wrong with that. not at all. Did you see the Azzure? I'm not a new constructionbuilding lover (ick), but when the building was first kicked off we still had an office in Dallas. I thought the plans were spectacular, but not worth the price. Did you see the Mansion in Tuttle creek? It has an interesting history.
July 30, 200915 yr huh? yes, just like this neighborhood there is still plenty of new construction going on in those neighborhoods as well, as in a lot of dfw.
July 30, 200915 yr Thanks. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 30, 200915 yr Sweet ride! The 1988 construction photo shows thermite welding a rail joint. Thermite welding is a very old process that's still in use on railroads for just that purpose, because it's one of the few practical ways to apply enough heat to that much steel. A dam of refractory material, like clay, is molded around the sides and bottom of the joint to contain the weld material, and a ceramic cone filled with a mixture of powered aluminum and iron oxide, possibly with other desired alloying elements included, is placed over the joint. The mixture is ignited and an exothermic reaction takes place in which the iron oxide releases oxygen which reacts with the aluminum. The heat is intense, and molten iron flows out through an opening in the bottom of the cone and into the gap between the rail ends. The iron is sufficiently hot that it melts some of the iron in the rail ends, and as the whole mass cools it fuses into one solid piece. The surface of the weld is smoothed with a grinder, and the result is a smooth ride free of clickety-clack, with longer rail life and lower maintenance of right-of-way. OK. I shut up now. < / :speech: >
July 30, 200915 yr wait wait wait rob! i have a question. is that joint the part that 'gives' or flexes with the hot and cold changes in weather? or is it the composition of the rail metal itself that does that? i was wondering about that particularly in dallas given the recent run of 100 degree heat during the day and cool nights. thx if you know. and gracias for that info!
July 31, 200915 yr Except in very long stretches without curves or turns, expansion/contraction due to temperature change shouldn't be a major problem. Curves and turns can absorb a lot of expansion/contraction without significant displacement. Besides, not every joint is welded; typically switches wouldn't be, or any place that a track circuit needs to be isolated to control any kind of signal, and if they needed to allow more, they could purposely leave some joints bolted. On mainline railroads they impose speed restrictions when the temp exceeds 100 degrees Fahrenheit because of rail expansion, and again when temperature drops below 0 Fahrenheit because of possible rail breakage due to brittleness. On streetcar tracks the loads are comparatively light and the speeds relatively slow
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