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So i went out on a limb this morning during break and asked a stupid question, and got some surprisingly insightful replies. I asked what dictates the streetcars run on 600V DC, and what would prevent them from running on the 750V DC the Valley Line uses. It ended up being a really interesting discussion about how variable the power supply actually is on these caternary systems, how the grounding/circuit completion works (and is different between ERRS, LRT, and third rail systems) and how systems like the trolleybuses downtown were heavily affected by lack of current during peak hours/high loads.
what I was angling at (but did not get too far into given my lack of further knowledge and experience, and how technical the conversation suddenly got) was whether or not we could get Streetcars on the Valley Line SE if/when Transed blows through the July 29 deadline, given the infrastructure (tracks and stations) are the same. just kind of a "f*** it, y'all were slacking so we brought in old reliable, we will be slow but we will get there goshdarnit" type of solution.
the result of the elliptycal conversation was that the higher voltage would probably cook some important bits. also apparently the trolleybuses used to run on a DC system that changed polarity (i didn't understand this one, not sure if the person telling that story did either. he wasn't an electrician like the other guys)
but anyways. yeah. if anyone else has had that thought. no dice.
 
^^^^ It's the motors that change polarity so that they can rotate in the opposite direction depending on which direction the car wants to go -- forward or backward.
 
Here's a couple shots of the ribbon cutting!
20220519_112119.jpg
20220519_112120.jpg
 
Gronk! said:
The good: the streetcar on Whyte Ave, the new terminal, the Prairie Sky Gondola presentation
The bad: the bigass loan store ad
Click to expand...
The joys of being right next to a used car lot: They throw in a lovely billboard to go along with their excellent parking lot.
 
Looks great, Me and my daughter's drove past on Saturday after coming back from the Alberta Railway Museum. They wanted to go for a street car ride so we will be back soon enough.

Any plans for anything else on the terminal site? Historical information signs? Temporary tent or building/shack for ticket sales/information?

I was suggesting to the ARM (Ab railway museum) they should get some pamphlets or something out to the street car area and vice versa to try a little bit of cross promotion.
 
Gronk! said:
I would have introduced myself to you chaps but you were clearly busy. Looks like that Whyte Ave terminal is a big hit!
Click to expand...
Yes, Cliff is right. My experience last year was tainted by covid restrictions, but the foot traffic alone is much better from what I've experienced. Lots of people walk by, stop to ask a question or two, then leave. We wouldn't be able to plant that seed nearly as much at Old Strathcona; the foot traffic there is only moderately comparable on farmers market days, and even then it hasn't been great ever since they started keeping their north-facing doors shut. We keep track of "interactions" (not just sales) at that stop, and yesterday Cliff and I interacted with over 400 people.

Edmcowboy11 said:
Looks great, Me and my daughter's drove past on Saturday after coming back from the Alberta Railway Museum. They wanted to go for a street car ride so we will be back soon enough.

Any plans for anything else on the terminal site? Historical information signs? Temporary tent or building/shack for ticket sales/information?

I was suggesting to the ARM (Ab railway museum) they should get some pamphlets or something out to the street car area and vice versa to try a little bit of cross promotion.
Click to expand...
I'm so glad they want to ride it! You should come by on Saturdays if possible, because that's when our Museum at the old strathcona streetcar barn is open (10am–2pm), and it's free to go inside!

Our Osaka 247 car is there on Saturdays and long weekends (including today), and it has info boards that talk about the original ERR, the society, and the streetcars on the HLB line. Tickets can also be sold from inside there on rainy days when it's not ideal to have a table set up on the platform. We don't have it there on the other days, since ticket sellers/outreach volunteers aren't there to watch it.

20220523_103124.jpg


As for longer term plans, the city owns the replica C&E railway station, and in the past they flirted with the idea of relocating it to the parking lot where the used car dealership is (right next to the Whyte Ave platform). But that was pre-covid, and those were just high level ideas being tossed around. If they did move it, the ERRS wants to move its museum there so that they can add a fourth track to the barn. But they're not banking on that happening, let alone in the next decade. Beyond that, I'm not sure what they have in mind.
 
@CplKlinger are there discussions with the Gondola crew re a joint use station at Whyte that might incorporate the C&E station to serve both entities, perhaps conjoined with a new building that respects the history or that complements it such as has been done with the Connector Building between the Boardwalk and Revillon Building on 102nd Avenue?

Edmonton project potentials are often bedeviled by "solo-think" that ignores outside possibilities. I could imagine that a Gondola station that has an ERR museum attached would be a winner on all sides.
 
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