# Gettin' Ready to Roll!



## lepearso

The Music City Star website went live recently. Looks like we'll be rolling in early 2006. www.musiccitystar.com


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## Bill Haithcoat

Leprearse, that is good news, as to Nashville.

BTW, are you Chattanooga-related? I was born there and grew up there...just curious. Do you ever visit TVRM?


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## George Harris

I have been following this system for quite a while. Surprised to see so little here. This first line is Nashville to Lebanon, approximately following I-40 east from Nashville for 32 miles. This is the starter line for several reasons, among them, the railroad is already state owned. freight traffic is low, and it does appear to have fairly good passenger demand. There are four other lines planned, on which there has been some talk but no real work. These are:

1. Nashville to MYrfreesboro, 31 miles on CSX, formerly NC&StL toward Chatanooga, generally parallel to I-24 southeast;

2. Nashville to Franklin, 20 miles on CSX, original L&N line toward Birmingham, 20 miles roughly parallel to I-65 south;

3. Nashville to Kingston Springs, 24 miles on CSX, formerly NC&StL Memphis line generally parallel to I-40 west; and

4. Nashville to Gallatin, 28 miles on CSX northeast, originally L&N line to Louisville, roughtly parallel to I-40 north and US-31E north.

Nashville to Kingston Springs would probably require the least work to implement, but it also appears to have the least traffic potential.

Back to the Lebanon line: The current opening date given on the www.musiccitystar.org web site is "Late Summer 2006" This seems do-able as most the work appears to be done. Generally, equipment for this line was bought cheap. All used equipment, ex-Chicago gallery coaches and Amtrak diesels; however, due to the lifetime low density branchline nature of the track, A LOT of work was done on the track, This included about 4 miles of line changes in three segments and 15 track-miles of new 136RE rail otherwise, lots of new ties, ballast cleaning, replacement of a couple of bridges, and installation of a signal system on a railroad that has NEVER had one. Even with all this new rail, there is still about 7 miles of under 115 lb rail left in track, 112 down to 100 lb.

The latest construction update in the March 28 informationfound on the website says, "As of 2/25/06, $23547,101 (83%) worth of work has been completed of the currently $28,267,187 that has been obligated." It was estimated that the breakdown was about "Signals 90%, Stations 75%, Trackwork 90%." Not sure what is left to be done on the track as other data tells us that all major trackwork is done, included all rail installed, all ties installed, and ballast cleaning completed. It appears that there is some grade crossing work left, and that should be about it. At least one, and possibly all the line changes have been cut in. I think it is all.

There has been an operator chosen, Transit Solutions Group, whoever that is, which is somewhat of a surprise becuase earlier it was stated that the trains would be operated by the Nashville and Eastern itself.

George


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## George Harris

A new set of Oversight Committee minutes has appeared on their web site. The latest construction update in the April 11 information found on the website says, "As of 3/25/06, $24,826,299 (87%) worth of work has been completed of the currently $28,410,755 that has been obligated." Most of the work left appears to be related to stations and parking. There is a little track and signal work still outstanding, as well.

The main problem the system appears to be facing is insurance and the ability to have cash for a Self Insured Retention Fund of $2 million. At this point, to obtain $50 million coverage will cost over $1 million for the first year, and the NERR want there to be $200 million coverage. The inability to obtain insurance may result in a delay in start up, because there can be no test running without insurance.

George


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## lepearso

I think I heard that the insurance problem was resolved a few weeks ago, but I may need to recheck that to make sure I heard correctly.

I happened to be in Nashville last week and I drove down to look at the new station in Riverfront Park. Not only is this a right pretty station, you can see how smoothly it's going to operate. The train pulls in one end, then the city buses pull right off into a ramp to pick up/drop off train passengers, then take a circular drive that puts them right back on Broadway. This should make it remarkably easy to go from train to bus and then back again.


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## George Harris

Just paid the musiccitystar web site a visit. After having none added since September 05, they now have monthly progress reports for all months except December up through May 06. The picutures on them are nice. Looks like all construction work is just about done.


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## George Harris

Agenda for June 13 board meeting just published. Among the items there is this one on opening date:

Friday, September 15, 2006, Grand Opening Event

Monday, September 18, 2006, Revenue Operations Date

It also says that the N&E will begin operating under the GCOR from June 11, and that operting staff training will begin July 19. "Over the road testing of the trains and training of the crews is expected to begin in late July."

Item 7 includes, among other things, "As of 5/25/06, $26,145,049 (92%) worth of work has been completed of the currently $28,442,582 that has been obligated."

Because my computer access has been limited the last few weeks, I did not post the April construction update, which was $25,588,361 (90%) of $28,437,695 obligated.

George


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## MichiganFoamer

Nice to see at least a few of the F-40s are getting a new lease on life. 

Don


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## George Harris

June monthly report can now be found at musiccitystar.org

The construction phase is rapidly drawing to a close. It notes such things as "Riverfront Station has reached substantial completion." and "Six grade crossing signlas in Lebanon have been activated."

Under critical Issues is only one item: "The miscellaneous trackwork items that are being requested by the FRA need to be funded quickly to insure work can be complete prior to startup."


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## Superliner Diner

This operation begins Monday, 9/18/06. The schedule is here.


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## George Harris

As far as being a major news item in Nashville, the first few days of operation appear to have approached invisibility. The few news articles on the subject included statements by a few politicians and the road builders lobbying group to the effect that this would do nothing for congestion on I-40 and it was doubtful that it was really worth doing.

The musiccitystar web site has nothing about the first days whatsoever.

Is everybody that is pro-transit in Nashville asleep or dead? - including those in the agency itself.

Did the September 15 "Grand opening event" actually occur or was it cancelled? Again dead silence in web land.

Can anybody point me to some positive publicity on this system.

George


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## AmtrakWPK

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...EWS01/609190334

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ga...0810&Ref=PH

http://www.wsmv.com/news/9873659/detail.html

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...D=2006609150402

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...D=2006609170430

Rider's Guide: http://www.tennessean.com/assets/pdf/DN41801917.PDF

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...EWS01/609170433

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...EWS09/609170431

http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?s=5433530

http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?s=5429191

http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?s=5429129

http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?s=5429054

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...EWS01/608080343

http://www.tennessean.com/assets/mov/DN41923918.MOV

That's a few links from before and after full launch. That's all I had time to research. From some other Boards, there was apparently a LOT of local media ( mostly TV ) coverage of the launch. I think it carried 372 paid pax on the first day.


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## Guest

I checked out the Star's website, especially the photo galleries, and have a question: why did they choose rolling stock which has an interior that resembles an awkwardly-laid-out prison train?


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## battalion51

Well the cars were bought second hand from Metra in Chicago. The cars are known as "Gallery Cars." At the time they were designed and built they were among the (if not THE) first bi-level cars built. Metra and other agencies like the layout of the cars because the Conductor can collect tickets by just walking the lower level of the train. The Gallery car lives on and is still being manufactured for Metra today.


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## gswager

CalTrain is still using those "gallery cars".


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## battalion51

Cal Train, Metra, VRE, MARC, and Music City Star are the only operators I'm aware of that are using these bi-levels. The vast majority of Commuter outfits outside the NEC use the Bombardier Bi-Levels.


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## Sam Damon

When I rode Metra for the first time, I too wondered about the galley cars.

But after seeing the conductor in action, I understood.


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## AlanB

The Gallery cars do indeed make things nice and easy for the conductor, but that's hardly justification for a design that probably eliminates at least 20 or more seats and potentially forces commuters to stand for long distances.

It's high time that Chicago get's over what's easy for the conductor and starts worrying about capacity. I'm not advocating throwing away the old cars before their time, but they should *not* be ordering new gallery cars.


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## battalion51

While I cannot argue that point Alan, I do look at operations like Tri-Rail and MARC where they essentially have to double sweep the train to get tickets from everyone. If your operation is set up and capable of doing that then go for it, but it seems like things are doing just fine for Metra. Besides which with the number of cars and length of consists that they have I don't think it's that much of an issue, at least from what I've seen.


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## Trogdor

Many of Metra's lines have stations that are 3-5 minutes apart. During busy periods, it's hard enough for Metra conductors to check everyone's ticket. If they had to walk up and down the stairs to do so, you'd likely have to increase the manpower requirements to ensure fares are collected. The long-term cost of doing that is more than likely much higher than the cost of putting an extra car or two in the consist. However, outside of the rush hours, the extra capacity that might be provided by a different design (such as the Bombardier "tri-level") isn't really needed.


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## battalion51

The major benefit to Metra switching to the Bombardier bi-levels would be that station dwell times would be reduced since each car has two sets of doors, not just one, and it appears the Bombardier Cab Car is setup much better and is more comfortable than a Metra cab car.


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## AlanB

battalion51 said:


> The major benefit to Metra switching to the Bombardier bi-levels would be that station dwell times would be reduced since each car has two sets of doors, not just one, and it appears the Bombardier Cab Car is setup much better and is more comfortable than a Metra cab car.


Not much extra benefit from the extra door on a Bom when compared to the Gallery, since the Gallery has double wide doors. So technically dwell times should be the same since either car can board or detrain 2 pax at the same time. One would need high-level plats to see any advantage to the Bom cars.

As for the cab, I'm sure that would be more comfortable on the Bom car than it is on the Gallery. On the other hand, the engineer's might prefer the extra height that they get in the Gallery cab, which puts them above any car that they might hit and possibly above many trucks.


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## 1702

Discussion of the relative ease of ticket collection in gallery cars vs. the Bombardier's leaves me curious as to how many commuter agencies have conductors actually collect tickets, how many are merely punched (tickets that is, not conductors!), & how many are on the "honor system".

On the Metrolink system in southern Calif., it's the honor system & random ticket checks are done by the conductor, sheriff's deputies, or uniformed civilian sheriff's employees. If a passenger doesn't have a valid ticket, a citation is usually issued & the fines are heavy.


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## MrFSS

1702 said:


> Discussion of the relative ease of ticket collection in gallery cars vs. the Bombardier's leaves me curious as to how many commuter agencies have conductors actually collect tickets, how many are merely punched (tickets that is, not conductors!), & how many are on the "honor system".
> On the Metrolink system in southern Calif., it's the honor system & random ticket checks are done by the conductor, sheriff's deputies, or uniformed civilian sheriff's employees. If a passenger doesn't have a valid ticket, a citation is usually issued & the fines are heavy.


The light rail system in Calgary, Canada is honor system I saw a "conductor" get real nasty with an un-ticketed passenger one time. Called to the next stop and had the police waiting to escort the fellow from the train. Glad I had bought a ticket!!!


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## Bill Haithcoat

I do not know much about Nashville--I know more about how things "look" in the downtown area than actual street names.

I saw the post Superliner Diner provided and note that the downtown station is across the Shelby Avenue Bridge. My question---Is that the bridge that orignates very near the Union Station Hotel?

If so, seems like it would be a breeze just to walk over there and get on board.

I note from the schedules Superliner Diner posted one could only ride part of the way out to be assured of getting a train right back in iin a few minutes. Otherwise you would get stuck at the end of the line. .


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## George Harris

Bill,

Not sure what you mean about the "bridge that orignates very near the Union Station Hotel." The address on mapquest for the Union Station Hotel is 1001 Broadway, which should be the same as the old L&N-NC&StL Union Station. it is about 3/4 mile from there to the Cumberland River. The only bridge near the hotel / Union Station is the viaduct over the tracks. If you walk the 3/4 mile toward the river on Broadway which is generally northeast and away from I-40, then turn right when you get to First Avenue, which is the end of Broadway, you should be looking at the new Riverfront Station, or at least be within a block or two of it. I have not been to Nashville since this work started, but the new station should be fairly close to where the old Tennessee Central Station was, a landmark which probably means nothing to those who do not have some familiarity of Nashville as it was 50 years ago.

George


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## Bill Haithcoat

George Harris said:


> Bill,
> Not sure what you mean about the "bridge that orignates very near the Union Station Hotel." The address on mapquest for the Union Station Hotel is 1001 Broadway, which should be the same as the old L&N-NC&StL Union Station. it is about 3/4 mile from there to the Cumberland River. The only bridge near the hotel / Union Station is the viaduct over the tracks. If you walk the 3/4 mile toward the river on Broadway which is generally northeast and away from I-40, then turn right when you get to First Avenue, which is the end of Broadway, you should be looking at the new Riverfront Station, or at least be within a block or two of it. I have not been to Nashville since this work started, but the new station should be fairly close to where the old Tennessee Central Station was, a landmark which probably means nothing to those who do not have some familiarity of Nashville as it was 50 years ago.
> 
> George


Thanks, George for the reply.

That pretty much tells me "yes", that it is doable for a person who likes to walk. By "bridge" I did mean the viaduct.

You mention the old Tennessee Central. I knew the liine existed but did not know anything about where its terminal was. I didn't know it didn't share the termnal with NC&StL and L&N.

As to the old Union Station Hotel/former terminal, I really do like that cool old bulletin board it has retained.Or at least had the last time I was there, probably about ten years ago.

Guess I will be going again one of these days, to check out the new service. Hope it does well.

Bill


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## Superliner Diner

Those spiral staircases in the Gallery cars have to be unsafe if used when the train is coming to a stop. I hope there haven't been too many injuries. Also the makeup of the upper level sort of encourages kids to try to crawl across, making for a very dangerous situation.


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## George Harris

The Tennessee Central was the last line into Nashville, opened in 1902 according to one history I have seen. Before that, it only ran from Lebanon east, which is the reason for the rather peculiar track alignment through Lebanon. Before that time, the TC connected at Lebanon with an NC&StL branch from Nashville, which was abandoned in the 30's. Part of its roadbed can still be seen from I40 if you know where to look. The first part of the TC was opened in 1888, from Lebanon to Carthage, reached Monterey 1894, and Emory Gap, connecting with the Southern for Knoxville in 1901. The line into Nashville was built along the river so it could get close to downtown with having to buy any high priced land. Since this last segment cut out the NC&StL, they were not exactly interested in assiting them iwth access to their new Union Station. Before the TC, Nashville was 100% in the hands of the L&N and the NC&StL, which it owned. The TC was so hilly, crooked and slow, it was actually as fast by train to go through Chattanooga. In fact, there was a through Pullman on this route after the TC night train to Knoxville was discontinued. It ran up to the mid 1950's at least.

George


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## Bill Haithcoat

George Harris said:


> The Tennessee Central was the last line into Nashville, opened in 1902 according to one history I have seen. Before that, it only ran from Lebanon east, which is the reason for the rather peculiar track alignment through Lebanon. Before that time, the TC connected at Lebanon with an NC&StL branch from Nashville, which was abandoned in the 30's. Part of its roadbed can still be seen from I40 if you know where to look. The first part of the TC was opened in 1888, from Lebanon to Carthage, reached Monterey 1894, and Emory Gap, connecting with the Southern for Knoxville in 1901. The line into Nashville was built along the river so it could get close to downtown with having to buy any high priced land. Since this last segment cut out the NC&StL, they were not exactly interested in assiting them iwth access to their new Union Station. Before the TC, Nashville was 100% in the hands of the L&N and the NC&StL, which it owned. The TC was so hilly, crooked and slow, it was actually as fast by train to go through Chattanooga. In fact, there was a through Pullman on this route after the TC night train to Knoxville was discontinued. It ran up to the mid 1950's at least.
> George



I remember that through sleeper well though I never rode it. As I am sure you know it was carried by the Southern Railroad's Tennessean from Bristol to Chattanooga(via Knoxville) , then put on the night local from CHA to NASH.

This involved a switch of stations as well as a switch of trains in Chattanooga. I was always intrigued by the thought of that switcher moving that lone sleeper once in each direction every night between the two stations in CHA. Somehow I never asked my father if he could drive me in to town (1a.m. ish-to Nashvilele 3-4 a.m.ish from Nashville) to see that action. I think he would have disowned me.


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## Superliner Diner

> I note from the schedules Superliner Diner posted one could only ride part of the way out to be assured of getting a train right back in iin a few minutes. Otherwise you would get stuck at the end of the line. .


Bill, believe me, as soon as they posted schedules on their site, I was checking them out to see if they were railfan friendly. They aren't at all. It is possible during the morning or afternoon rush hours to ride out to an intermediate station called Mount Juliet and back downtown again. However, if you ride out to the endpoint station, Lebanon, in the morning rush hour, you wait until the afternoon rush to get back. If you ride outbound in the afternoon, you don't come back until 12 hours later.... the next morning (assuming you didn't go out on a Friday!).


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## MrFSS

Superliner Diner said:


> I note from the schedules Superliner Diner posted one could only ride part of the way out to be assured of getting a train right back in iin a few minutes. Otherwise you would get stuck at the end of the line. .
> 
> 
> 
> Bill, believe me, as soon as they posted schedules on their site, I was checking them out to see if they were railfan friendly. They aren't at all. It is possible during the morning or afternoon rush hours to ride out to an intermediate station called Mount Juliet and back downtown again. However, if you ride out to the endpoint station, Lebanon, in the morning rush hour, you wait until the afternoon rush to get back. If you ride outbound in the afternoon, you don't come back until 12 hours later.... the next morning (assuming you didn't go out on a Friday!).
Click to expand...

I noticed the problem, too. We have friends in the area and would like to ride out and back (or, in and back). Can't do it. We think we'll have someone drop us at the station and then drive to the other end to pick us up. Only a rail fan would do that!


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## Glenn W

Hello, I'm Glenn & I live in Bellevue/Nashville. That's the west side of Nashville, along I-40 (CSX).

The Music City cars are ex-C&NW cars. Nashville got them for $1.00 per car. The govmnt lets Metra sell old cars to new startups. THe changes to them were mostly exterior paint. You should have seen the condition when they arrived. (maybe not, if you don't like rusty green/yellow cars) Apparently some were letterd for Chicago & Great Western. Perhaps they had been used in a movie? THe interior may have been redone in 1999 to restore them to as built in 1960's, complete with leather seats.

The bridge you see near Riverfront station is Shelby Ave. It is pedestrian only, and leads to the LP FIELD or Titan Football Stadium. The pld Union Station hotel is not close, but you could use a city bus. A new bridge to the south will be the site of the new Sounds baseball stadium. THe Country Music Hall of Fame & new symphony hall are nearby. You could use the train to go to the Hall of fame. The schedule isn't set up yet for frequent service.

There were some reports the first day ridership was near 700. A lot of that was for first day riders only, with second day down some. I think the first week may have been for about 1,000.

It will take time for the Music City Star to catch on. Three reporters left the waffle shop to get to work. Naturally, there were no early traffic delays so the drivers arrived first. Peak rush hour in Nashville is about 7-9am WB then 5-7pm EB on this section of I-40.

Y'all come ride our new train. Ex-C&NW riders will feel most welcome!


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## MrFSS

Glenn W said:


> Hello, I'm Glenn & I live in Bellevue/Nashville. That's the west side of Nashville, along I-40 (CSX).
> The Music City cars are ex-C&NW cars. Nashville got them for $1.00 per car. The govmnt lets Metra sell old cars to new startups. THe changes to them were mostly exterior paint. You should have seen the condition when they arrived. (maybe not, if you don't like rusty green/yellow cars) Apparently some were letterd for Chicago & Great Western. Perhaps they had been used in a movie? THe interior may have been redone in 1999 to restore them to as built in 1960's, complete with leather seats.
> 
> The bridge you see near Riverfront station is Shelby Ave. It is pedestrian only, and leads to the LP FIELD or Titan Football Stadium. The pld Union Station hotel is not close, but you could use a city bus. A new bridge to the south will be the site of the new Sounds baseball stadium. THe Country Music Hall of Fame & new symphony hall are nearby. You could use the train to go to the Hall of fame. The schedule isn't set up yet for frequent service.
> 
> There were some reports the first day ridership was near 700. A lot of that was for first day riders only, with second day down some. I think the first week may have been for about 1,000.
> 
> It will take time for the Music City Star to catch on. Three reporters left the waffle shop to get to work. Naturally, there were no early traffic delays so the drivers arrived first. Peak rush hour in Nashville is about 7-9am WB then 5-7pm EB on this section of I-40.
> 
> Y'all come ride our new train. Ex-C&NW riders will feel most welcome!


Have any rail fans posted pictures anywhere we could see?


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## Glenn W

musiccitystar.org

This is the home page for the Music City Star. They have a gallery section with pictures of stations, cars & locos. Some Amtrak / Metra sites may bee good to see the equipment in their former state.

Also, check out sites like Railimages.

http://www.nashvillentrak.org/

The second site is NashvilleNtrak.org or the Tennessee Central RR Museum. The TC museum is located on the site of the TCry shops about 2-3 miles east of downtown. The TCMry operates several weekend excursions on the former TC railway to Lebanon & Watertown. Sept is their turn for Thomas Days.

NashvilleNtrak hosts 2 train shows/NMRA open house at the museum site. THis is where I first saw the Music City Star cars & locos. THe Museum owns another pair of F40's for excursions. THe former NYC E's must be too far gone to be rebuilt? THey bought 2 ex-BN/Metra green units. THey still sport the Desert Storm US flags on the pilots! Unfortunately, they appear to be too rusty to be rebuilt.

I'll be taking a couple days off soon. I'm going to be riding the train! I don't expect much. Mostly a 2 car set pushed/pulled by the F40. S/b plenty of power to make 60mph! Previous, the line had been running 30 at best. DuPont keeps the rails alive with some industry in Lebanon.


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## Guest

Superliner Diner said:


> I note from the schedules Superliner Diner posted one could only ride part of the way out to be assured of getting a train right back in iin a few minutes. Otherwise you would get stuck at the end of the line. .
> 
> 
> 
> Bill, believe me, as soon as they posted schedules on their site, I was checking them out to see if they were railfan friendly. They aren't at all. It is possible during the morning or afternoon rush hours to ride out to an intermediate station called Mount Juliet and back downtown again. However, if you ride out to the endpoint station, Lebanon, in the morning rush hour, you wait until the afternoon rush to get back. If you ride outbound in the afternoon, you don't come back until 12 hours later.... the next morning (assuming you didn't go out on a Friday!).
Click to expand...


The schedules are meant to ride INBOUND in the AM & OUTBOUND in the PM. Most of the outlying stations have FREE parking. Most lots average 100 cars. I doubt if they would be all full at this point. I did not see any parking near the downtown Riverfront station. Most lots charge $10 on weekdays, $5.00 other times. The route curves about & isn't easy to follow. Best bet would be to get a ticket for the TCry Museum trains. They use the same route from the TCMry site east to Lebanon & beyond, usually to Watertown.

Then you mau use the Star to ride from Lebanon into Nashville. See the Country Music Hall of Fame, then go back. They do have a shuttle bus to other downtown locations & Vandyland.

Not sure when the Titans may play in LP field again. THe Star may schedule some shuttles for games. You could always go to watch the other teams play the Titans!


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## TVRM610

Just as an update, the schedule is now much more railfan friendly, you have a choice of afternoon departures from Lebannon, and then an early evening return. Later departures are now available on Fridays as well. It is very easy to ride from Lebannon to Nashville, have dinner at the Hard Rock, or Big River Grille (both across the street from the Riverfront Station) and then return to Lebanon. All in all a very nice operation, I was impressed.


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## Glenn W

Perhaps the "railfan friendly" bit means "visitors to Nashville". The "New Schedule" moves times up 5-10min in the AM. The big change is the Friday Nite Train. The MCS has a very small staff, typical of a short line where jobs may be shared. Conductor one day, engineer the next, & so on.

Recent developments show the MCS would need to triple ridership to meet first year projections. Without a promotion & ads, this may not happen. It is an issue in the upcoming mayor's race. (Mayors here are term-limited to 8 yrs or 2 terms). The Friday Nite Trains will help some. There also needs to be more developments from online stations. There's not much to do while waiting for a train.

The best news may be the safe operation. The N&E has a very good safety record with the slow freights. I have heard of some incidents with the faster commuters. It is a nice ride for a $10 round trip. The high platforms & bridge arrangement could be the future for ADA requirements.


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## George Harris

I have been very concerned about them achieving their ridership. They are fairly slow. With a maximum speed of 60 mph, you can drive faster until you hit backups. Also never did understand the decision to stop in the center of Lebanon. It would have seemed obvious to all but the most blind that the thing to have done was to have extended on to the vicinity of the US70-I40 interchange and put in a humongous parking lot. This would have meant about another 2 miles of upgrading but it should have tapped a considerable "I don't want to have to park in Nashville" crowd.


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## jg greenwood

Will be taking the grandsons to North Carolina in June for our annual rafting trip. We break the trip up into 5-hour drives, and usually stay at the Drury on Donelson Pike (north of I-40) both coming and going.. Is this within walking distance of the commuter line? Thanks for any info.


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## Glenn W

I doubt that the Drury on Donelson Pike is close enough to be able to walk to the station. Have the folks at the Drury find you a new Nashville tourist map. At least LebanonPk (US70) is N of I-40. It appears Lebanon Pk may be 2-3 miles N of I-40.

From Donelson turn L (West) & look for the train station marker, turn L. There is a traffic light at the parking entrance. You may find a Kroger in the vacinity that sells tickets at the service counter. That can save you from extra charges at the ticket machines. Or you can use Elm Hill Pike & McGavock Pike to get to Lebanon PK, turn R (East) till you get to the station, this time on your R.

Breaking your trip into 5hr bits is a good idea. Rush in the stretch of I-40 from 440 & east past the Airport can get crazy, especially if some truck flips & blocks the road. Please be aware next weekend, June 7-10 is our Fan Fair CMA Country Music Fest. Downtown will be jammed then. I'd like to see all the fairgoers ride the train at least one time & help boost ridership!

Yes, at 60mph, the line is slow. It is higher than the 40mph freight. This is a short line that could have been ripped out years ago. The TC from what I can see never made much money. I agree they could have put another station on the SE side of Lebanon near I-40. It is a single track RR with LOTS of curves & hills. I doubt if it could ever be made into a high speed line. Frankly, I'm more concerned with the idiot Nashville driver that will go around the gates & get themselves killed by the train. If I read the data from the federal DOT, we may have a problem waiting for the slow freight. THe onloy other passenger line is the CONO/IC-CN lines. Yet TN ranked 15th.


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## jg greenwood

Glenn W said:


> I doubt that the Drury on Donelson Pike is close enough to be able to walk to the station. Have the folks at the Drury find you a new Nashville tourist map. At least LebanonPk (US70) is N of I-40. It appears Lebanon Pk may be 2-3 miles N of I-40.
> From Donelson turn L (West) & look for the train station marker, turn L. There is a traffic light at the parking entrance. You may find a Kroger in the vacinity that sells tickets at the service counter. That can save you from extra charges at the ticket machines. Or you can use Elm Hill Pike & McGavock Pike to get to Lebanon PK, turn R (East) till you get to the station, this time on your R.
> 
> Breaking your trip into 5hr bits is a good idea. Rush in the stretch of I-40 from 440 & east past the Airport can get crazy, especially if some truck flips & blocks the road. Please be aware next weekend, June 7-10 is our Fan Fair CMA Country Music Fest. Downtown will be jammed then. I'd like to see all the fairgoers ride the train at least one time & help boost ridership!
> 
> Yes, at 60mph, the line is slow. It is higher than the 40mph freight. This is a short line that could have been ripped out years ago. The TC from what I can see never made much money. I agree they could have put another station on the SE side of Lebanon near I-40. It is a single track RR with LOTS of curves & hills. I doubt if it could ever be made into a high speed line. Frankly, I'm more concerned with the idiot Nashville driver that will go around the gates & get themselves killed by the train. If I read the data from the federal DOT, we may have a problem waiting for the slow freight. THe onloy other passenger line is the CONO/IC-CN lines. Yet TN ranked 15th.


Thanks for the info, Mr. W. Decided long ago to avoid I-40/I-24 between 0500-0900 and 1500-1700.


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## Glenn W

Ridership rising on commuter train

By KATE HOWARD

Staff Writer

Ridership on the Music City Star commuter rail rose by about 75 to 100 people daily in April and May, Regional Transportation Authority officials said.

“Ridership has been trending upward all year,” project manager Allyson Shumate said in a release today.

Between January and March, there were roughly 450 average daily riders on the Lebanon-Nashville commuter train. That grew to an average of 523 in April and 558 in May, and June numbers are predicted to be higher, according to RTA officials.

When Music City Star kicked off last fall, officials set a goal of reaching more than 1,000 daily riders by the one-year anniversary.

Gas Price Alert. Gas Prices got to $3.09-3.19 in the last month. Today, average price is back below $3.00


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## MrFSS

Glenn W said:


> Gas Price Alert. Gas Prices got to $3.09-3.19 in the last month. Today, average price is back below $3.00


I paid $2.60 in Central Kentucky yesterday!


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## GG-1

MrFSS said:


> Glenn W said:
> 
> 
> 
> Gas Price Alert. Gas Prices got to $3.09-3.19 in the last month. Today, average price is back below $3.00
> 
> 
> 
> I paid $2.60 in Central Kentucky yesterday!
Click to expand...

How much to ship it here, paid 3.43 yesterday! :angry:


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## Brian UK

How much to ship it over here instead? pay approx £4, which is $8, a gallon n the UK, so you got nothing to complain about! and as for rail fares, I see that Lebanon to Nashville is $5 one way for 32 miles. Try $20 for the same distance here (mind you for that we get all day, 7 day high frequency service). When I look on other transit websites the fares are also obscenely cheap (LA Metrolink, Tri Rail, MBCR). I suppose fares are all relative to gas prices, but they dont have to be - Spain has European gas prices but US rail fare levels, which I think is the right way.


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## gswager

Brian UK said:


> How much to ship it over here instead? pay approx £4, which is $8, a gallon n the UK, so you got nothing to complain about! and as for rail fares, I see that Lebanon to Nashville is $5 one way for 32 miles. Try $20 for the same distance here (mind you for that we get all day, 7 day high frequency service). When I look on other transit websites the fares are also obscenely cheap (LA Metrolink, Tri Rail, MBCR). I suppose fares are all relative to gas prices, but they dont have to be - Spain has European gas prices but US rail fare levels, which I think is the right way.


Most of them are being paid by US taxpayers as a subsidies, through federal, state, and even local gov't. I think most of them is like 50% and rest of them are by passenger fares.


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