This was supposed to be a Men's Stuff post, about the working cars on the Lehigh Valley Transit Company. Doing research for the previous post on that company, I became fascinated that they operated a freight operation with the trolley cars. I started acquiring documentation and photographs about the working cars necessary for such an operation. They built power substations throughout the valley that generated electric, then converted the AC to DC for their use. The rolling stock required coal trolleys, wire stringing trolleys, snowplow trolleys, and etc. I will present these black and white photo treasures in future posts, because I got side tracked by a shenanigan; you know me. Lehigh Valley Transit operated out of the Fairview Carbarn, which Lanta still uses off of Lehigh Street. Despite a trolley fleet that covered the entire City, plus the remainder of the Valley (Bethlehem and Easton), all the Men's Stuff working cars, and trolley service to Philadelphia, Lanta now needs Bicentennial BallPark because they acquired five (5) new hybrid buses? Supposedly these five new buses require a special garage. Although the Fairview facility now handles 78 regular buses, the ballfield has to go because of the five new hybrids.
men only: enlarge freight trolley by clicking on image
----fascinating story about these trolleys but did you have to take a shot at the "bisexual" autobusses?
ReplyDeleteWhat strikes me is LVT didn't use million$ of taxpayer and casino funds. They did it through selling shares in it's profitable ownership .
ReplyDeleteSecondly, those too young to take old farts serious would never call today's "Light Rail Transit System" a trolley. It makes me chuckle every time they I see one of these so called "light transit systems" as something new.
CLICK HERE: Houston's Light Rail Transit System Animation
ha, ha, ha.. IT LOOKS LIKE A TROLLEY TO ME
Talk about recycling! There's no finer example of recycling then that of taking grandpa's innovations and pretending they're a brand new concept by today's best'est and bightest.
Old people... they're such a pain in the ass. :-)
The "bisexual" autobuses should organize and have a parade through Allentown to better promote autobus alternative lifestyle understanding, empathy, sympathy as well as harmonious inter-autobus lifestylists' relations.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, and to advocate for and protect the Civil Rights of the autobuses.
Only THEN, perhaps, will the shameless cheap shots cease!
CAPTAIN KUM-BYE-YAH
I read where at a LANTA board meeting, the decision was made to limit the scope of their garage work so as not to interfere with Bicen park. I could be wrong, but you might want to check your facts on this. BTW, when the trolleys last rolled down Hamilton, The Morning Call, who's owners owned the profitable Park and Shop lots in town, praised the last trolley trip as "progress" and more people could enjoy driving into town. The area lost a major asset when those tracks were ripped up and sold for scrap back in the 50's.
ReplyDeleteanon 9:11, i'm not sure the word "facts" apply to either lanta or the city of allentown. lanta first "needed" the land for the hybrid garage and allentown needed unspent lanta grant money. i organized a meeting, which resulted in the hunsicker family, michael donovan and tony phillips exerting enough pressure to halt the sale. however, supposedly the sale is now on the table again, but i believe the park is safe for this ball season. besides articles by dan hartzell, i'm not familiar with news on this subject.
ReplyDeleteAs I recall LANTA needs the ball field not for 5 new electric buses, but for an expected 80 more buses that the consultant's reports said they need if they are to double the service in the next decade or more.
ReplyDeletemy2037
lanta claims it needs the ball field to build a special garage for the hybrid buses. that claim started when lanta had an unused grant that had to be spent or lost, and pawlowski wanted to sell real estate to plug the budget deficit.
ReplyDelete