Light Rail Rapid Transit & Heritage Streetcar Lines

Is Light Rail Style Rapid Transit systems are Easier than Traditional Heavy Rail Rapid Transit systems . I hear more Light Rail System being
more done the heavy rail rapid transit systems .

But a lot of Cities are doing more light rail systems . that a easy to do on grade crossings without the third rail .


But the Atlanta MARTA Third Rail Commuter Rail System .
More costly than Light Rail Lines.


MARTA Also Built New Railcar Shop & Yard with Future Needs such as Lght Rail & Streetcar Lines.


But Any Kind of Trains are lot of Fun to ride Exspecially Heritage or Vintage Streetcar Lines are really good & Alot of Fun to ride.



Heritaqge or Vintage Streetcar Lines are Being Seems limke more than doing Modern Light Rail Linees.


I know theres in USA & Canda there Over 30 Heritage Or Vintage Streetcar Lnes.


Usually from 3 Streetcars to as many as 35 Streetcars.


But Lines are usually for city to Streetcar line stages From a 1 mile line usually to 13 miles or more.


These typs of Streetcars are mostly for Tourists ,Some locals , Train Fans and Trolley Fans.



Streetcars are not really Trains but however they run on Railroad Tracks .

From reading this post, it seems that there is a little confusion in separating the several types of passenger rail systems. Basically, passenger rail lines, or systems fall into two major categories, with a number of sub-categories. The first category is what can best be described today, as standard or mainline railroads. In early-mid 20th Century terminolgy, these would have been called Steam Railroads. The primary modern day examples are Amtrak and the various Commuter Systems which operate "standard" sized equipment, both in the locomotives and passenger cars. These systems are all derived from the pre-Amtrak railroads which operated intercity passenger service, commuter service and freight service. The second category is what is now called "Urban Rapid Transit". This category includes subway and elevated third rail powered systems, which operate multi car EMU trains which are much lighter than "standard" railroad equipment, even though these systems are called "Heavy Rail" systems, and the much lighter "Light Rail" systems which are really nothing more than the modern day equivalent of the old streetcar and interurban railways. The terms "Light Rail" and "Heavy Rail" refer only to Urban Rapid Transit systems, as both are much lighter in construction and equipment than the standard sized railroad equipment operated on intercity ( Amtrak) and Commuter Railroads. A "Heritage" Streetcar line is nothing more than an old, or old, style streetcar line which uses actual old streetcars ( usually PCC Cars, though the Canal Street line in New Orleans uses pre-PCC conventional type cars). For a good discussion of the term "Light Rail", check out the "Light Rail vs Streetcar" thread on this board.

Terminology for different types of urban rail systems can produce a lot of discussion because different people "see" things different ways and consider different factors to be important. For what it's worth, here's my own classification scheme. Sometimes I move things around on the light rail and streetcar page as I change my mind about the sub-categories.

jtbell wrote:Terminology for different types of urban rail systems can produce a lot of discussion because different people "see" things different ways and consider different factors to be important. For what it's worth, here's my own classification scheme. Sometimes I move things around on the light rail and streetcar page as I change my mind about the sub-categories.

Actually this classification scheme is pretty much in line with the description in my earlier post. With regard to Philly, I would include SEPTA's all surface Route 15 in the Modernized Legacy Systems list. One of the problems in devising "fool proof" categories is than there have always been operations which did not fit neatly into a particular category. For years, the old Philadelphia & Western RR ( now Septa Route 100) and the South Shore Line ( CSC&SB) were considered to be the last two remaining interurban railways in the US. However, neither operation ever fit neatly into the interurban category, though I have always considered them both to be interurbans. The P&W, with its third rail operation, rather short length, and close headways ( 15 minutes during some periods of the day) had aspects of rapid transit service, though the type of equipment used, the on- board fare collection, and basically single unit "trains" were, and are, more interurban in character than the typical rapid transit operation. The South Shore Line, patricularly as it operates today, particularly with the size and "archetecture" of its passenger equipment, is much closer to a Commuter Railroad than it is to the typical interurban, though its origins were as an interurban.

IMHO, Light Rail systems are nothing more than modern interurbans in that they have most, if not all of the characteristics of the old interurbans--- mostly PRW with stations, but with some street running with street corner boarding and alighting, lighter- streetcar ( or European Tram) dervied equipment, though that equipment is generally somewhat larger, faster, and more comfortable than the typical city streetcar or tram. And the modern light rail lines generally run at about the same speeds as the old interurbans did. Some of the interurbans ran equipment as multi-car trains, and some of that equipment was articulated--as are modern LRV's.