Fort Collins, Colorado. Nice to know we can see this again over 50 years later.

http://photoswest.org/cgi-bin/imager?10010996+X-10996
ryarger@rypn.org

When and if track reaches this building again, I think this will be the only historic US streetcar residing in its proper historic carbarn.

> Fort Collins, Colorado. Nice to know we can
> see this again over 50 years later.


http://photoswest.org/cgi-bin/imager?10010989+X-10989
ryarger@rypn.org

This scene is less likely, unfortunately. This part of Fort Collins has been nicely restored as "Old Town", and was quite lively when I visited several years ago. Unfortunately, to reach it from the Mountain Avenue track would require crossing the BNSF (former Colorado & Southern) mainline, which the RR disapproves of. Doing so, if permission were ever granted, would require some changes in trolley pole design, as freight cars are now much higher than they were when the trolley line was abandoned in the early 1950s.

http://photoswest.org/cgi-bin/imager?10011006+X-11006
ryarger@rypn.org

> When and if track reaches this building
> again, I think this will be the only
> historic US streetcar residing in its proper
> historic carbarn.
Things are in the works to make just that happen we hope. A couple of years ago we laid new track inside that barn in the 2 left hand stalls in preperation for building track down Howes Street to it. Future plans also include a work pit that is much larger than our preset car barn on Mountain Avenue. There also has been a proposal floated to build track south on Howes Street to the Colorado State University Oval, but that is still in the pipe dream stage. As to the old barn at Howes and Cherry Streets, you can still make out some of it's original heritage as the Denver and Interurban Railway on the sign today.

Roger Mitchell
Master Mechanic
Fort Collins Municipal Railway

http://www.fortnet.org/trolley

n0mcr@netzero.com

roger, I think that it is a shame that one of your Birnies is in South Carolina or someplace back that way.

I am sure you did your best to keep the car in Colorado. Maybe some day it will return.

Ted Miles

ted_miles@nps.gov

> When and if track reaches this building
> again, I think this will be the only
> historic US streetcar residing in its proper
> historic carbarn.

Not to quibble, but I would think New Orleans' 900 series Perley Thomases in Carrolton Carbarn would qualify as well...


eledbetter@rypn.org

> roger, I think that it is a shame that one
> of your Birnies is in South Carolina or
> someplace back that way.

> I am sure you did your best to keep the car
> in Colorado. Maybe some day it will return.

Ted, contact Charlotte Trolley to find out about that Birney. They acquired it a few years back for potential use.

dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

Was there some noise about the BNSF moving off the C&S downtown track onto the UP to get out of all those crossings?

Electric City Trolley Museum Association

> Ted, contact Charlotte Trolley to find out
> about that Birney. They acquired it a few
> years back for potential use.

> dave

Dave-
What was the car we all rode at ARM/TRAIN a couple of years ago? Has that line gone any further, or improved any of its fleet there in Charlotte?

TJ


Port Huron Museum
tjgaffney@phmuseum.org

> Dave-
> What was the car we all rode at ARM/TRAIN a
> couple of years ago? Has that line gone any
> further, or improved any of its fleet there
> in Charlotte?

> TJ

No TJ, that was Duke Power homebuilt copy of Perley Thomas 85, made a couple blocks down from the place you rode it in 1928. I restored that car with Melbourne parts almost 15 years ago......

The single truck Fort Collins Birney was cosmetically restored for SC public utilities, they sold it to CT for a bunch of bucks a few years back. CT has since discovered that shiny pretty paint doesn't mean reliable operation.

The public transit (bus) company in Charlotte is getting into the light rail biz via operating the historic trolleys - they got a Pittsburgher who knows how to move south and make it happen. Look for something "real" within the next few months.

dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

As to Charlotte, they contacted us a while ago wanting to purchase our car. For one thing Birney #21 is the property of the City of Fort Collins and not the Fort Collins Municipal Railway Society. Infact #21 is a 1 owner streetcar since the City purchased it new in May of 1919 and ownership of it has never left the city of Fort Collins. Now for restoring #21, the Fort Collins Municipal Railway Society has a contract to operate #21 ad infinitum.>
Roger Mitchell
Master Mechanic
Fort Collins Municipal Railway

n0mcr@netzero.net

As to the BNSF moving out of town, fat chance of that. Even if they moved the majority of thier traffic out of town, they would still need that track to deliver freight to their customers along it. The only section on that line where the track is on an easement is where it passes through Colorado State University. The rest of it is on BNSF property which is everything 50 feet either side of the center of the track which includes most of Mason Street in down town Fort Collins. The BNSF and the UP did some track consolidation along Riverside Street which eliminated several parallel grade crossings. The BNSF former Greeley branch now takes off from the UP at a switch just to the east of Lemay Avenue and now belongs to the Gee Whiz (Great Western). The Gee Whiz now does all the switching for the UP and BNSF in the area and there is a lot of it.
Roger Mitchell
FCMRY


n0mcr@netzero.net