Transit Times Volume 11, Number 10

8/13/2019 Transit Times Volume 11, Number 10

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ct ionso the oardAt an adjourned regular meeting Mar.18, the Board of Directors: Approved operation of a sightseeing

tour in 1969, on motion of DirectorBettencourt. (See story below) Approved service improvements toLines 56-C, 67, 68, 79, 90-92 and 93A,with other revisions, including reroutingof intercity express Line 31 in downtownOakland, on motion of Director Bettencourt. ( See story, Pg. 4)

t a regular meeting April 9, theBoard of Directors: Awarded contract for furnishinglong and short sleeved uniform shirts toOakland Pants Factory, on low bid of$4.34 and $3.83 respectively, on motionof Director Coburn. (See story, Pg. 8) Accepted report of Legislative andLand Committee, reviewing legislationof interest to District, on motion ofDirector Coburn.

uses rrive to meet equipment needsThe first of 45 new buses rolled intoservice this month, putting extra Springinto the District's fleet.Delivery of 30 coaches, earmarked forMarch, was being made as fast as freightcars could be rounded up for the crosscountry trip.As the buses arrived, they were assigned to Seminary Division for serviceon high mileage 80 lines .In turn, 10 of the larger new lookbuses were being released for use onLine 57 - MacArthur Blvd. and 20 for

transbay service.With delivery of the 30, the Districtwill have a fleet of 686 buses, 447 of

them new look.Another 15 buses are on order forFall, bringing the count to 462.The initial delivery will permit thefirst major retirement of older equipmentsince the last gasoline-powered buses

were sent to pasture in 1965.A $589,025 federal grant, awarded atthe beginning of the year, covers half ofproject costs of $1,178,050, including the30 buses and pending purchase of 1602

radio units, with other equipment necessary to link the coaches into the presenttwo-way communications system.The second order, at an estimated costof $514,800, will make up the slack

which occurred last year, when the District purchased only 15 buses pendingprojections on future equipmentrequirements.

ightseeing tour tohow scenic East ayVisitors and residents again will be

introduced to attractions of the EastBay in a sightseeing tour scheduled byAC Transit for the summer.Tour buses will operate from June 15

to Sept. 1 traveling through Oakland,Alameda, Piedmont and Berkeley.It will be the thi rd year in a row for

the scenic project, operated in cooperation with the Oakland Chamber of Commerce as a community effort to bringvisitors to the area.

WINGLESS IRPL NE - Thesupported monorail, depicted inthis artist s concept, is amongtravel modes suggested for use inthe East Bay. This design makesuse of a median strip in a down-town area.

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Monorail developments describedEast Bay commercial and transportation centers, including Bay Area Rapid

Transit stations, could be linked by lightweight trains, traveling on a flexible,supported monorail system, AC Transitdirectors were told this month.

The system could make use of medianstrips and existing rights-of-way to provide relatively economical and efficienttransit to downtown areas, industrialparks, campuses and BART stations, according to a presentation made by repre-sentatives of Universal Design Ltd., ofMiami, Fla.Automatic CouplersThe trains , looking much like wingless a irplanes , could have automatic

train couplers and computer control, according to designs now in the fabricatingstage , according to C. D. Phipps andE F. Darnell. The firm already has designed and constructed a number ofsmall monorail systems for expositionsand amusement parks in different partsof the country.

The presentation was the latest in aseries arranged by the District to establish the East Bay as a transit laboratoryfor testing and evaluation of new modesof transportation.The monorail, supported by slenderconcrete or steel piers which require aminimum amount of land space, was

depicted as economically feasible forareas of medium population density,contemplating feeder operations to a

rapid transit system.Particularly, it would provide a highlyefficient, coordinated connection betweenOakland International Airport, the BARTcoliseum station and the coliseum complex, the speakers said.

The firm presently is involved in developing a larger system as a joint venture with Westinghouse Air Brake Co.,which would be responsible for the automation, Phipps said.Automatic train couplers would per mit cars to be coupled or detached ina matter of seconds, substantially decreasing time and manpower costs inthe making up of trains, he added .

Computerized control would be a keyfactor in providing fast and efficientservice.Under development is a switchingmechanism that would be effective from

the car, eliminating any movement inthe structure itself.A 30-passenger car now being manu-factured could operate over a systemsingly - or coupled in trains - carrying6,000 to 12,000 persons an hour, according to Phipps.

The cars ,are powered by electricityand can negotiate a 12 percent gradeand attain speeds to 80 miles an hour.Pneumatic tires assure a quiet andsmooth ride. The air-conditioned trainsfeature a round shape, described as simple to manufacture, offeripg the leastresistance for maximum inside space.

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ewservice for family of ridersBuses rolled into new neighborhoodsthis month, bringing the first transportation to an area west of East 14th St. in

East Oakland and boosting service to theKaiser Hospital complex in Hayward.Improvements, approved by the Boardof Directors, included rerouting and ex

tending Line 56C-85th Ave ., to link Tassafaronga Village, San Antonio Village,Lockwood Gardens and Palo Vista withbusiness districts and ma in trunk lineservice.

Additional service for the hospitalcomplex was provided by extendingLines 90-Santa Clara Ave., Line 92-Calaraga Ave. and Line 93A-Hesper ian Blvd .,giving south county residents directtransportation to the complex.

The hospital already was served byLine 91-Tennyson Rd.

The addition resulted in 30 minuteservice from downtown Hayward onweek-days and Saturdays and hourlyservice from San Lorenzo and HesperianGarden areas during the week. The im-

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HELPING HAND Driver H. R. Voss of-fers an assist to Mrs. Martin Br.ouns 5169Proctor Rd . Castro Valley, taking advan-tage of new bus service to Kaiser Hospital,Hayward. Voss helps with Martin Jr. 4,while Mrs. Brouns takes care of Garrett, 1.Christopher, 6, manages on his own .4

provement also provided connectingservice for residents of Washington Manor , Bonaire and Floresta Gardens ,avoiding a long, round-about detour.An additional early morning trip onLine 93A was delivering students toChabot College in time for 8 o'clockclasses.

Richmond, El Cerrito and Albanycommuters heading for the upper Broadway and Kaiser Center areas were savingup to 10 minutes in traveling time asresult of a change in routing for Line 31intercity express in downtown Oakland.

Instead of entering the downtown areaat 6th St. and Broadway, the express wasmaking use of MacArthur and GroveShafter Freeways to travel via 27th St.to Telegraph and Broadway, providingfaster and more convenient service fora majority of riders .

Other improvements included: Four additional stops on Line R-Fairway Park express, on East 14th St. at170th Ave., 167th, 164th and on 164th atHelo Dr., for convenience of Ashlandcommuters. An additional morning and eveningextension to Line V-Skyline Blvd. forcommuters in the Sequoyah Rd.-HansomDr. area. Extension of two morning trips onLine 79-High St. to Mecartney Rd. andVerdemar St., Bay Farm Island, for earlymorning workers and students . Addition of five new buses to Line Lservice to accommodate increased pa tronage from Richmond, El Sobrante andSan Pablo areas. Two new morning trips were addedto Line K-Havenscourt and a new evening trip added to Line R-H DuttonAve., keeping pace with continuinggrowth in commute travel. Steady increase in park and ridecommuters switching to public transit resulted in addition of third new scheduleto Line E-Claremont Ave.

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hampion ell ringerurns out own mo elsOf co ble car memory

If the East Bay should have a cablecar again, much like it did 80 years ago,there's one transit veteran who can ringthe bell with a champion's rapid firetechnique.

Anthony Campagna, 70, of 4320 NevinAve., Richmond, who worked as a conductor on the cable cars in San Francisco for 37 years, was champion bellringer in 1956 - and has his own bellin his garage to keep in practice.

He has a double interest in the District's consideration of having a cable carbus built to boost charter revenue andrevive a cherished and historical form oftransit.

Campagna makes model cable carlamps as a hobby, exactly duplicatingthe cars he worked on for almost fourdecades. His son-in-law, A. W. Duboise,is chief clerk at Richmond Division andhas his own interest in District feasibilityof producing a replica of the cable carwhich operated on Broadway and SanPablo Avenue between 1886 and 1897.Along with being Muni Man of theMonth in the same year he was judgedthe best of bell ringers, Campagna washonored in 1962, playing a prominentrole in a San Francisco celebration. Forone week, he was the conductor on arestored Iron Horse - a street car of1912 vintage - and collected the fivecent fare of memory as it traveled overthe C car line.

Campagna started to work in 1917 onUnited Railroads, but moved to Oaklandin 1918 to work on the San Franciscoand Oakland Terminal Railways.

HISTORIC HOBBY - Anthony Campagna,retired cable car conductor, makes his ownmodels now, in replica of cars he once knew.It was while he was on the Park Blvd.

line that he met the girl who became hiswife.I don't know whether it was him orhis uniform, Campagna's wife, Nell,

admits. Anyhow, we've celebrated our50th wedding anniversary.

Campagna remembers Oakland fareshad just been raised from five cents tosix cents and everybody said they wouldwalk - but most people keep on riding.I also remember when we went on strikefor an eight hour day - we were working10 hours at the time. We were out 11days - but we didn't get what wewanted. We got a small raise and wentback to work for 10 hours a day .

Campagna went to work on the California Street Cable Company in 1920and remained in San Francisco until retirement in 1964. He's been making hisown fleet of cars since.

ichmond tops safety goalRichmond Division drivers collectedcoffee and doughnuts this month with a

tally of 13,287 miles per accident, beating a safety goal of 13,100 miles.

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Veterans say good bye to workLouis A. Cooper, 74, the walkingest

man on the property, has retired fromthe building maintenance department ,but not to a welcomed rocking chair.I've got to find me something to do,as soon as I feel a little better, Cooperadmits . It's hard to sit down after 47years of working.

Cooper walked track for over 27 years,inspecting every inch of Key Systemrails. Most memorable of all, he walkedthe Bay Bridge from the day the firsttrain ran on Jan. 15, 1939 until th e lasttrain crossed in April 1958. When theytook away the trains, he learned to drivea pick-up truck and had been drivingin style since.

Cooper never missed a day away fromthe job until December, when he realized he just had no get up and go.A doctor discovered the reason. BothCooper and his wife had pneumonia .After a spell in the hospital, Coopertook the doctor's advice to stop workingand take it easy for a while .Cooper was active in veterans affairsand for a number of years, took a busman's holiday , drilling and blowing abugle on off hours, after walking milesof track in the day time.

It was all the same gait, he explained.

I didn t get tired. I just lost my 'blow'when I lost my teeth.Mexico, with its excellent fishing , hasbeckoned to another transportation ve teran , L. F. Driver, 1325 Via San Juan,San Lorenzo.Driver, 61 , on sick leave because ofan old back injury, can travel in hiscamper if I don 't have to drive too far.He's been going to Mexico for 18 yearsand plans to return.A former motorman on the trains,Driver switched to buses in 1958 andworked out of Seminary Division. Hestarted with Key System in 1945.S. M. Nichols, 65, who was shot in a1961 hold-up, but returned to driving isretiring from Em eryville Div ision June 1.He went to work in 1945 on th e trainsand moved over to buses when the trainsstopped running . He kept to a familiarroute, however, dr iving th e bridge ontransbay lines. His hom e is at 1948 MarinAve., Berkeley.N. R. Delacour, 58 , also retiring fromEmervville, worked as a conductor onthe t;ains before becoming a driver in1958. He had military service in the airforce during World War II .Delacour lives at 3810 Ardley Ave.,Oakland.

TIME OUT - Lazaro Larry Martinez, center, left, retiresafter party at Emeryville maintenance department. Louis A.Cooper, right, hangs lip coveralls for last time.

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usiness activity shows decreaseuUJCl

Fare box revenue and riding showed a decrease during February, althoughpassenger revenue on transbay lines continued its growth pattern.Rider revenue totaled $1,105,210, a drop of $13,729 or 1.23 percent compared to revenue of $1,118,939 collected in February a year ago. Revenueon East Bay lines was $617,597, a decrease of 4.18 percent over year-agorevenue of $644,529. On transbay lines, fares collected totaled $487 ,613,

up 2.78 percent over income of $474,410 for February, 1968.ommute book sales for February totaled $209,805, an 11.2 percent increase over year-ago sales of $188,614.Passengers carried during the month reached 4,036,866, down 4.46 per-cent compared to the count of 4,225,516 made in the same month in 1968.East Bay riding showed a decrease of 5.83 percent , while transbay ridingwas down .76 percent.Operation costs during the month totaled $1,374,328, an increase of $43,-044 or 3.23 percent over costs of $1,331,284 for the same month a year ago.The District operated 1,896,439 miles of service a decrease of 5,769 milesor .30 less than mileage of 1,902,208 operated in February, 1968.Total income of $1,549,980 covered operational costs and deprec iation,but left a deficit of $12,965 in meeting full bond debt q l l rTh e transit industry nationally indicated a riding decrease for the monthof 5.37 percent.

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Contract awarded forNew uniform shirts

Some 850 bus drivers, with two ormore years of service, will be eligiblefor annual replacement of one summerand one winter shirt effective June 1,under terms of the labor agreement.Contract for supplying the shirts wasawarded to Oakland Pants Factory, 1940San Pablo Ave., pending approval oflegal qualifications. The low bid was4.34 for the long-sleeved, heavier shirtand 3.83 for the short-sleeved, lightershirt. Total cost to the District was estimated at approximately 6,800.

Transi imesPublished monthly by theALAMEDA.CONTRA COSTA TRANSIT DISTRICT

508 16th St., Oakland, California 94612Telephone 415) 6547878Virginia B Dennison, EditorBOARD OF DIRECTORS

WILLIAM E BERK PresidentWard IIE. GUY WARREN . . . Ward V

. Vice PresidentROBERT M. COPELAND . . Director at LargeRAY H . RINEHART . . . Director at LargeWILLIAM H. COBURN, JR. . . . . . Ward IJOHN McDONNELL . . . . . . . Ward IIIWM. J. BETTENCOURT . . . . . . . Ward IVADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERSALAN L BI NGHAM . . . . General ManagerROBERT E NISBET . . . . . . . . AttorneyROBERT D. TOUGH . . . . TreasurerControlierGEORGE M. TAYLOR . SecretaryDENNIS J. O CONNOR . Public Information Mgr .,_______ 9 ________

A TOP JOB - For the seventh consecutive year, AC Transit's equipment maintenance re-ceived national recognition, winning th Fleet Owner Maintenance Efficiency Award f T1968. In selecting winners, judges considered the high level of maintenance performanceattained at a cost con.sistent with demands or the typ of service performed. A. R TonyLucchesi, manager of maintenance, who accepted the award at the annual National FleetOwner Conference, shows the plaque to Noel White, left, and Hilton Gartman.

AC TransitLatham Square BuildingOakland, California 94612

Return Requested

BULK RATEU. S. POltageP ID

Oakland. Calif.Permit 2105

Documents

Transit Times Volume 11, Number 10