City of St. Louis buys Seattle streetcars

Chat about non-baseball topics. No political discussions!
User avatar
Mary1966
Perennial All-Star
Posts: 5943
Joined: April 18 06, 10:56 pm
Location: Tacoma, WA

City of St. Louis buys Seattle streetcars

Post by Mary1966 »

http://www.king5.com/news/local/farewel ... /226941592
A team took on the massive task of moving the city’s old iconic waterfront streetcars Wednesday. Now some of the 16-ton pieces of history are on their way to the Midwest.

The future of the trolleys remained a mystery since the George Benson Waterfront Streetcar Line stopped operating about a decade ago. Earlier this year, the City of St. Louis bought three of them for approximately $200,000.
The three cars that were sold will eventually go into service on the Heritage Trolley Line, serving the Delmar Loop District and University City, Missouri.

“It’s bittersweet to see them go,” Gibbs said. “But as we would say – they’re going to a good home.”

Freed Roger
Seeking a Zubaz seamstress
Posts: 26227
Joined: September 4 07, 1:48 pm
Location: St. Louis

Re: City of St. Louis buys Seattle streetcars

Post by Freed Roger »

I like what Joe Edwards has done for Stl. I don't share his build it and they will come/streetcar vision. Just hope it doesn't become an albatross.

AWvsCBsteeeerike3
"I could totally eat a pig butt, if smoked correctly!"
Posts: 27273
Joined: August 5 08, 11:24 am
Location: Thinking of the Children

Re: City of St. Louis buys Seattle streetcars

Post by AWvsCBsteeeerike3 »

How fast do these things move? They have streetcars in little Rock that kindnof go around the downtown area and then over to north little rock and back. But they're slow and no one users them because they only go in one direction. Cool to look at though

User avatar
Tim
Consider him admonished
Posts: 8350
Joined: March 25 15, 9:59 am
Location: The South

Re: City of St. Louis buys Seattle streetcars

Post by Tim »

AWvsCBsteeeerike3 wrote:How fast do these things move? They have streetcars in little Rock that kindnof go around the downtown area and then over to north little rock and back. But they're slow and no one users them because they only go in one direction. Cool to look at though
Total waste of money. In my five years there I probably saw 6 people use them. I always wanted to drink on them.

AWvsCBsteeeerike3
"I could totally eat a pig butt, if smoked correctly!"
Posts: 27273
Joined: August 5 08, 11:24 am
Location: Thinking of the Children

Re: City of St. Louis buys Seattle streetcars

Post by AWvsCBsteeeerike3 »

Tim wrote:
AWvsCBsteeeerike3 wrote:How fast do these things move? They have streetcars in little Rock that kindnof go around the downtown area and then over to north little rock and back. But they're slow and no one users them because they only go in one direction. Cool to look at though
Total waste of money. In my five years there I probably saw 6 people use them. I always wanted to drink on them.
They really should turn them into drinking cars. Put a cooler with beer/wine in each one and charge $15 for a loop.

Freed Roger
Seeking a Zubaz seamstress
Posts: 26227
Joined: September 4 07, 1:48 pm
Location: St. Louis

Re: City of St. Louis buys Seattle streetcars

Post by Freed Roger »

Yet. Another. Delay.

Kind of sad. Joe Edwards, seems like a good guy and like what he's done for the area - but this has been a boondoggle.
Edit: I didn't bump this for my post above. didn't remember what my initial view of this plan was.

User avatar
TheoSqua
Next Gen Wart
Posts: 8897
Joined: April 22 06, 6:53 pm
Location: St. Louis
Contact:

Re: City of St. Louis buys Seattle streetcars

Post by TheoSqua »

It has some value. Being able to go from the park to the loop is a nice connector. But there is already a metrolink stop at Forest Park and a metrolink at Delmar. So unless you don't want to walk from the pageant to the other side of the loop, or you don't want to walk from Forest Park Parkway to the history musem, it really doesn't add a ton.

Also, the people who would need ot use it as a form of public transportation likely already pay for a metro ticket. Since this line isn't a part of the metro service, you have to pay more to use it. So a huge portion of the demographic who would find this trolly somewhat appealing likely won't use it because it's double dipping on their transport budget.

I feel like they would have had more value if they had sent it south through Skinker instead of Debaliviere and had it run as a part of the metro service. Then they would have connected it to the Skinker station, giving metro users an alternative connection to the blue/red lines outside of the Forest Park station. And they could have had it run past the art museum and the zoo. Connecting the Zoo to The Loop would be a pretty nice connection. But where it sits now it's over a mile and a half from the zoo and about a mile from the museum. So 2 of the 3 biggest attractions in the park are far enough away that a lot of people who would drive will still just drive.

User avatar
lukethedrifter
darjeeling sipping elite
Posts: 37434
Joined: October 17 06, 11:19 am
Location: Huis Clos

Re: City of St. Louis buys Seattle streetcars

Post by lukethedrifter »

The Loop Trolley is and was solely about development of the East Loop and the DeBaliviere strip plus connecting that development to the CWE down Delmar. It’s a very long range plan and I’m not sure how much the trolley adds to it.

User avatar
CardsofSTL
All Hail the GDT Master
Posts: 47817
Joined: April 26 11, 6:06 am
Location: Columbus, OH

Re: City of St. Louis buys Seattle streetcars

Post by CardsofSTL »

In Columbus we have that dumb street trolley looking thing that people sit at drinking and pedaling bicycle style pedals. It goes so slow. I hate it.

User avatar
doe_boy
Hall Of Famer
Posts: 10752
Joined: April 25 06, 9:48 am
Location: Appleton, WI

Re: City of St. Louis buys Seattle streetcars

Post by doe_boy »

They should invest in some of these.

Image

We have them in Appleton. And, we are the heaviest drinking city in the heaviest drinking state.

Smoke on your pipe and put that in.

Post Reply