Tucson Streetcar

We just got back from vacation in Arizona.  I have over 500 pictures, but relatively few have anything to do with railroading.  I also have some updates about the doodlebug to present, so we'll get back on track here soon.

In Tucson, we went for a sightseeing trip on the new streetcar system.  The cars are three-unit articulateds, as seen here, with two single-truckers connected by a center section.  There are no couplers.  They operate almost entirely in the middle of the street.

The cars are equipped with an elaborate system of stanchions, rods, and standee straps, and we saw several people using them as gym equipment during the trip.   I could only hope we can keep this from happening with our nice new straps in car 24!

We were waiting for a meet where the line goes down to single track, so I could get out for a picture.

Going around a curve. 

And surprisingly enough, the line goes right by the Hotel Congress:

This one is slightly smaller than the Congress Hotel, however.

And then, the Phoenix Art Museum has a nice collection of paintings, and other art of all sorts.  In the Western America section, I noticed this large photograph, labeled "Abandoned Railway Coach Car, Rodeo, New Mexico, 2010".  Calling Nick Kallas!

So the photographer doesn't know the difference between a coach and a combine.   That's why we have educational organizations like IRM.