Portal:Trains/Selected article/2012 archive

This is an archive of article summaries that have appeared in the Selected article section of Portal:Trains in 2012. For past archives, see the complete archive page.

Week 52, 2011: December 26, 2011 - January 1, 2012

The Orange Line of the Washington Metro consists of 26 rapid transit stations from Vienna to New Carrollton. It has stations in Fairfax County and Arlington, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Prince George's County, Maryland. Half of the line's stations are shared with the Blue Line, and over two thirds will be shared with the Silver Line. Orange Line service began on November 20, 1978. The Orange Line needs 30 trains (9 eight-car trains and 21 six-car trains, consisting of 198 rail cars) to run at peak capacity.

Recently selected: Trondheim Airport Station - Guanglan Road Station - NSB Class 64

Week 1: January 2 - January 8

Bjorli Station (Norwegian: Bjorli stasjon) is a railway station on the Rauma Line located at Bjorli in Lesja, Norway. The station opened on 19 November 1921 and was the line's terminus until 1923. In addition to a station building, Bjorli had a water tower, roundhouse, turntable and a restaurant seating 700 people, the latter which was bombed to pieces in 1940. The station is served by Norwegian State Railways (NSB) trains four times per day per direction. In the summer, the station is the terminus of a tourist services from Åndalsnes.

Recently selected: Orange Line (Washington Metro) - Trondheim Airport Station - Guanglan Road Station

Week 2: January 9 - January 15

Eidsvoll Verk Station (Norwegian: Eidsvoll Verk stasjon) is a railway station located on the Gardermoen Line at Råholt near Eidsvoll Verk in Eidsvoll, Norway. The station is served by Line 450 of the Oslo Commuter Rail between Eidsvoll and Kongsberg, operated by the Norwegian State Railways. The station was taken into use in 1999 when the commuter trains to Eidsvoll started using the Gardermoen Line. It was designed by Arkitektskap and built in concrete, with details in metal and wood, and is sunk into the ground.

Recently selected: Bjorli Station - Orange Line (Washington Metro) - Trondheim Airport Station

Week 3: January 16 - January 22

Hallingskeid Station (Norwegian: Hallingskeid stasjon) is a railway station on the Bergen Line in Ulvik, Norway. Located at 1,110 meters (3,640 ft) above mean sea level, the station is located within a snow tunnel. It opened along with the central section of the line on 10 June 1908 and remained manned until 1982. It is located on the Hardangervidda plateau in an area without population or road access. The station therefore serves trekkers and mountaineers. Only some of the Norwegian State Railways' (NSB) trains call at the station. The original station building was a standard design made by Paul Due, which was also used for four other mountain stations on the line. The snow tunnel has burned five times; in 1948, 1953 and 2008, it only caused minor damage to the tunnel itself. In 1960, the fire burned down the tunnel, the station building and most of the station area. A fire in 2011 had a Class 73 train caught in the tunnel; both it and the tunnel were damaged beyond repair.

Recently selected: Eidsvoll Verk Station - Bjorli Station - Orange Line (Washington Metro)

Week 4: January 23 - January 29

Holstein station platforms and tracks in March 2006

Holstein is a station on the Sognsvann Line (line 3) of the Oslo Metro in Norway. The station is located between Kringsjå and Østhorn stations. Holstein was opened during the Second World War, in 1941. Formerly Nordberg was the next southbound station, but it was closed in 1992, at the same time as Holstein was re-built with longer platforms and new ticket machines. The name Holstein is believed to origin from Schleswig-Holstein in Germany.

Recently selected: Hallingskeid Station - Eidsvoll Verk Station - Bjorli Station

Week 5: January 30 - February 5

Homansbyen Depot (Norwegian: Homansbyen vognhall), officially Kristiania Sporveisanlæg ("Kristiania Tramway Installation") was an Oslo Tramway depot at Sporveisgata 8 near Bislett in Oslo, Norway. It was constructed for Kristiania Sporveisselskab in 1874 and was the first tramway depot in the country. The facilities were designed by Henrik Thrap-Meyer and featured an administrative office, a horse stable, a forge, a workshop, a weighing shed, and a wagon depot. It had space for 28 horse wagons, 16 sleds, and 116 horses. The administrative office was built in brick and housed apartments, offices, and a laboratory for the veterinarian. The depot was reconstructed several times, and taken out of use in 1966. It was demolished three years later, and replaced with residential apartment blocks.

Recently selected: Holstein (station) - Hallingskeid Station - Eidsvoll Verk Station

Week 6: February 6 - February 12

Nordberg was a station on the Sognsvann Line of the Oslo Metro in Oslo, Norway. It was opened on 10 October 1934, and was located between Østhorn and Holstein stations, in a level crossing with the steep road Borgestadveien. The station saw several accidents, and was closed on 5 May 1992 when the Sognsvann Line was upgraded to rapid transit standard. An underpass was constructed to allow pedestrians pass under the tracks.

Recently selected: Homansbyen Depot - Holstein (station) - Hallingskeid Station

Week 7: February 13 - February 19

A Di 6 in service with Nord-Ostsee-Bahn of Germany in 2007

NSB Di 6, later designated ME 26 and DE 2700, is a class of twelve diesel-electric locomotives built by Siemens for the Norwegian State Railways (NSB). The prime mover provides a power output of 2,650 kilowatts (3,550 hp), a starting traction effort of 400 kilonewtons (90,000 lb_f) and a maximum speed of 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph). They have a Co'Co' wheel arrangement. The bidirectional locomotives were designed for use with both passenger and freight trains. The units were ordered by NSB in 1992 as replacements for the aging Di 3, and were particularly intended for use on the Nordland Line and to a lesser extent on the Røros Line. Construction was done by Maschinenbau Kiel (MaK) in Kiel, Germany, which was then part of Siemens Schienenfahrzeugtechnik. The class is largely based on the MaK-built DB Class 240, with each unit costing 32 million Norwegian krone (NOK). The first units were delivered in March 1996, one year after schedule, but were plagued with faults. By 1999, the entire order was terminated and the locomotives returned to Germany. They were taken over by locomotive lessor Dispolok and were used by various German railway companies. Ownership was taken over by Vossloh in 2003, after which most of the class were leased to German passenger train operator Nord-Ostsee-Bahn. In 2008, three units returned to Norway and are now used by Cargolink for freight trains.

Recently selected: Nordberg (station) - Homansbyen Depot - Holstein (station)

Week 8: February 20 - February 26

The Hillsboro Central/3rd Avenue Transit Center station is an American light rail station and transit center on the MAX Blue Line in Hillsboro, Oregon. Opened in 1998, the red-brick station is the 19th stop westbound on the Westside MAX, one stop from the western terminus of the line. Physically the largest station on the line, it is located at a former stop of the Oregon Electric Railway and includes artwork honoring the history of the community. The station building is designed to look like an old railroad station with features similar to those at a Grand Central Station type of facility.

Recently selected: NSB Di 6 - Nordberg (station) - Homansbyen Depot

Week 9: February 27 - March 4

Nydalen is a rapid transit station on the Ring Line of the Oslo Metro. It is located at Nydalen in the Nordre Aker borough of Oslo, Norway. The station opened on 20 August 2003, as part of the first section of the Ring Line to Storo. The station is served by lines 4, 5 and 6 of the metro, as well as several local bus services. Artistic effort was put into the construction of the station, and the escalators were built into the Tunnel of Light exhibition. Close by the station is the Norwegian School of Management (BI) campus and several large working places.

Recently selected: Hillsboro Central / Southeast 3rd Avenue Transit Center - NSB Di 6 - Nordberg (station)

Week 10: March 5 - March 11

Østhorn (until 1939 Korsvoll) is a station on the Sognsvann Line (line 3) of the Oslo Metro in Norway. It is located 7.1 kilometres (4.4 mi)^* from Stortinget station between Tåsen and Holstein stations. As one of the original stations on the line, Østhorn was opened on 10 October 1934. Nordberg was formerly the next northbound station, but it was closed in 1992, when the Sognsvann Line was upgraded to metro standard. Østhorn is located near a hill named Havnabakken, where local residents toboggan at winter's time.

Recently selected: Nydalen (station) - Hillsboro Central / Southeast 3rd Avenue Transit Center - NSB Di 6

Week 11: March 13 - March 18

The Skaugum Tunnel (Norwegian: Skaugumtunnelen) is a 3,790-meter (12,434 ft) long railway tunnel in Asker, Norway, on the Asker Line. The tunnel runs between Asker Station and Solstad and was built as part of the first stage of the Asker Line, between Asker and Sandvika. Construction started in February 2002 and the tunnel opened on 27 August 2005. The tunnel was built by Mika for the Norwegian National Rail Administration using the drilling and blasting method with one crosscut. During construction there was one blasting accident. Since the tunnel opened, there have been problems with leaks damaging the infrastructure. The tunnel has double track, is electrified and allows for a maximum speed of 160 kilometers per hour (99 mph). The cost to build the tunnel, excluding the infrastructure, was 450 million Norwegian krone (NOK). The tunnel has accelerated intercity and regional traffic west of Oslo and freed up capacity for the Oslo Commuter Rail on the old Drammen Line.

Recently selected: Østhorn (station) - Nydalen (station) - Hillsboro Central / Southeast 3rd Avenue Transit Center

Week 12: March 19 - March 25

Sinsen is a rapid transit station on the Ring Line of the Oslo Metro. It is located at Sinsen in the Grünerløkka borough of Oslo, Norway. Next to the station is the tram station Sinsenkrysset, that has been part of the Sinsen Line of the Oslo Tramway since 1939. The station opened on 20 August 2006, as part of the first section of the Ring Line. The station is served by lines 4 and 6 of the metro, as well as several local bus services. Sinsen is a mixed residential and commercial area.

Recently selected: Skaugum Tunnel - Østhorn (station) - Nydalen (station)

Week 13: March 26 - April 1

The Hell–Sunnan Line (Norwegian: Hell–Sunnanbanen) is a 105-kilometer-long (65 mi) railway line between Hell, Stjørdal and Sunnan, Steinkjer in Nord-Trøndelag, Norway. The name is no longer in official use and the line is now considered part of the Nordland Line. The Hell–Sunnan Line branches from the Meråker Line at Hell and runs on the east shore of the Trondheimsfjord passing through the municipalities of Stjørdal, Levanger, Verdal, Inderøy and Steinkjer. The Norwegian State Railways (NSB) started construction in 1899 and the first part of the line, from Hell to Stjørdalshalsen, opened on 1 February 1902. The railway opened to Levanger on 29 October 1902, to Verdalsøra on 1 November 1904 and to Sunnan on 15 November 1905. Sunnan was chosen as terminus because of its location on the southern end of the lake of Snåsavatnet. The line was further extended to Snåsa in 1926, after which it has been classified as part of the Nordland Line. The railway is the most heavily-trafficked non-electrified line in Norway, with the Trøndelag Commuter Rail running south of Steinkjer. It is also used by intercity passenger and freight trains.

Recently selected: Sinsen (station) - Skaugum Tunnel - Østhorn (station)

Week 14: April 3 - April 8

A train on Beijing Subway line 15 in 2010

The Beijing Subway is a rapid transit rail network that serves the urban and suburban districts of Beijing municipality. The subway is owned by the city of Beijing and has two operators, the wholly state owned Beijing Mass Transit Railway Operation Corp., which operates 13 lines, and the Beijing MTR Corp., a public-private joint-venture with the Hong Kong MTR, which manages 2 lines. The subway's first line opened in 1969, and the network now has 15 lines, 190 stations and 372 km (231 mi) of standard gauge track in operation. It is the oldest subway in mainland China. Among the world's metro systems, the Beijing Subway ranks fourth in track length after the metros of Shanghai, London and Seoul, and fourth in annual ridership after those of Tokyo, Seoul, and Moscow. In 2011, the Beijing Subway delivered over 2.18 billion rides, and on September 9, 2011, set a single-day record of 7.57 million. All but two of Beijing Subway's 15 lines were built after 2001. The most recent additions, Line 9, along with sections of Lines 8, 15 and Fangshan, entered into operation on December 31, 2011. Despite the rapid expansion, the existing network cannot adequately meet the city's mass transit needs and extensive expansion plans call for 19 lines and over 703 km (437 mi) of track in operation by 2015 and 1,000 km (620 mi) by 2020. The network is set to reach 420 km (260 mi) by the end of 2012.

Recently selected: Hell–Sunnan Line - Sinsen (station) - Skaugum Tunnel

Week 15: April 9 - April 15

The Willow Creek / Southwest 185th Avenue Transit Center is a light rail station and transit center on the MAX Blue Line in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Located near the intersection of Baseline Road and 185th Avenue on the eastern edge of the city, it is the twelfth stop westbound on TriMet's Westside MAX, in the Portland metropolitan area. For 2006 to 2007, the station saw nearly 950,000 passengers. Opened in 1998, the station was originally conceived as the western terminus of the Westside MAX, but the line was extended further west into Hillsboro, due to population growth occurring at the time the line was being planned. Artwork at the stop represents a reading motif, as a library was planned for the station, but never built. Willow Creek is near the Oregon National Primate Research Center and the rest of the Oregon Health & Science University's West Campus in the Tanasbourne neighborhood.

Recently selected: Beijing Subway - Hell–Sunnan Line - Sinsen (station)

Week 16: April 16 - April 22

The Flåm Line (Norwegian: Flåmsbana) is a 20.2-kilometer (12.6 mi) long railway line between Myrdal and Flåm in Aurland, Norway. A branch line of the Bergen Line, it runs through the valley of Flåmsdalen and connects the mainline with Sognefjord. The line's elevation difference is 863 meters (2,831 ft); it has ten stations, twenty tunnels and one bridge. The maximum gradient is 5.5 percent (1:18), making it the steepest standard gauge railway in Europe. Because of its steep gradient and picturesque nature, the Flåm Line is now almost exclusively a tourist service and has become the third-most visited tourist attraction in Norway. Construction of the line started in 1924, with the line opening in 1940. It allowed the district of Sogn access to Bergen and Oslo via the Bergen Line. Electric traction was taken into use in 1944; at first El 9 locomotives were used, and from 1982 El 11. Until 1991, the train connected with a ferry service from Flåm to Gudvangen. In 1992, freight services were terminated, and due to low ticket prices and high operating costs, the line was nearly closed. In 1998, Flåm Utvikling took over marketing and ticket sale for the line, prices were heavily increased and El 17 locomotives were introduced. The trains remain operated by the Norwegian State Railways (NSB), while the line itself is owned and operated by the Norwegian National Rail Administration.

Recently selected: Willow Creek / Southwest 185th Avenue Transit Center - Beijing Subway - Hell–Sunnan Line

Week 17: April 23 - April 29

The Stavne–Leangen Line (Norwegian: Stavne–Leangenbanen) is a 5.8-kilometer (3.6 mi) railway line between Stavne and Leangen in Trondheim, Norway. The line provides an alternative connection between the Dovre Line and Nordland Line, allowing trains to bypass Trondheim Central Station. The line includes the Stavne Bridge over the river of Nidelva, Lerkendal Station and the 2.7-kilometer (1.7 mi) long Tyholt Tunnel. Construction of the line started during the Second World War by the Wehrmacht, the German military occupying Norway, in an attempt to make the railway in Trondheim resistant to sabotage. Because of the long construction time of the tunnel, tracks were laid in the city streets, but neither route was completed before the end of the war. Construction was placed on hold and the Stavne–Leangen Line did not open until 2 June 1957. At first it was primarily used by freight trains, but since 1988, passenger services have been provided.

Recently selected: Flåm Line - Willow Creek / Southwest 185th Avenue Transit Center - Beijing Subway

Week 18: April 30 - May 6

The Jarlsberg Tunnel (Norwegian: Jarlsbergtunnelen) is a 1,750-meter (5,740 ft) long double track railway tunnel which runs through Frodeåsen in Tønsberg, Norway. Located on the Vestfold Line, the tunnel was built as part of the 7.8-kilometer (4.8 mi) double-track high-speed segment from Barkåker to Tønsberg. It is located just north of Tønsberg Station and runs between Frodegata and Tomsbakken. Most of the tunnel is blasted, although 223 meters (732 ft) is in a concrete culvert. Planning of the tunnel started in the late 1990s. Several railway interest groups advised against building the isolated segment of upgraded track without a complete plan for upgrading the entire line. Construction started in April 2009 and the new section and the tunnel opened on 7 November 2011. It was the fourth segment of the Vestfold Line to be upgraded.

Recently selected: Stavne–Leangen Line - Flåm Line - Willow Creek / Southwest 185th Avenue Transit Center

Week 19: May 7 - May 13

The Kirkenes–Bjørnevatn Line (Norwegian: Kirkenes–Bjørnevatnbanen), or the Sydvaranger Line (Sydvarangerbanen), is an 8.5-kilometer (5.3 mi) long railway line between Kirkenes and Bjørnevatn in Sør-Varanger, Norway. Owned by the private mining company Northern Iron, the single-track railway is solely used to haul 20 daily iron ore trains from Bjørnevatn Mine to the port at Kirkenes. It was the world's northern-most railway until 2010. The line was built by the mining company Sydvaranger, who started construction in 1907 and inaugurated the railway in 1910. From 1912, the port network received electrification, as did the mainline in 1920. Originally, free passenger train services were also offered. During the Second World War, the line was largely destroyed, but rebuilt afterwards and re-opened in 1952. Electric traction was abandoned in 1955 when two EMD G12 diesel locomotives were bought. The line closed in 1997, but was reopened in 2009, following a change in ownership of the mine. There are proposals to connect the line to either one or both of the Finnish and Russian railway networks.

Recently selected: Jarlsberg Tunnel - Stavne–Leangen Line - Flåm Line

Week 20: May 14 - May 20

Tryvannshøyden seen from high ground in 2007

Tryvandshøiden (also Tryvannshøgda, Tryvann and Øvreseter) was a planned station on the Holmenkollen Line in Oslo, Norway. It was planned by the company Tryvandsbanen in the early 1910s and partly constructed in 1916 at the end of a single-tracked line from Frognerseteren. A red signalman's house named "Norden" was the station's only facility. Passenger trains never served the station, and the tracks from Frognerseteren to Tryvandshøiden were removed in 1939. The signalman's house was not demolished. In 1993, 2004 and 2008, proposals were made to re-open the station so that it would be more convenient for Oslo residents to use the Tryvann Ski Resort. However, these proposals were all rejected by the operator Oslo Sporveier on the grounds that the extension would be too expensive.

Recently selected: Kirkenes–Bjørnevatn Line - Jarlsberg Tunnel - Stavne–Leangen Line

Week 21: May 21 - May 27

Vestgrensa (originally Ullevål Haveby) was a light rail station on the Sognsvann Line of the Oslo Metro in Norway. It opened on 10 October 1934, and was located between Blindern and Ullevål stadion stations. The station was rebuilt when the Sognsvann Line was upgraded from light rail to metro standard in the early 1990s. It was closed on 22 August 1999, when it was replaced by the new station Forskningsparken.

Recently selected: Tryvandshøiden (station) - Kirkenes–Bjørnevatn Line - Jarlsberg Tunnel

Week 22: May 28 - June 3

Fairfax Harrison (full name Reginald Fairfax Harrison: March 13, 1869 – February 2, 1938) was an American lawyer, businessman, and writer. The son of the secretary to the Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Harrison studied law at Yale University and Columbia University before becoming a lawyer for the Southern Railway Company in 1896. By 1906 he was Southern's vice-president of finance, and in 1907 helped secure funding to keep the company solvent. In 1913 he was elected president of Southern, where he instituted a number of reforms in the way the company operated. By 1916, under Harrison's leadership, the Southern had expanded to an 8,000-mile (13,000 km) network across 13 states, its greatest extent until the 1950s. Following the United States' entry into World War I the federal government took control of the railroads in December 1917, running them through the United States Railroad Administration, on which Harrison served. An economic boom after the war helped the company to expand its operations. Harrison worked to improve the railroad's public relations and to upgrade the locomotive stock by introducing more powerful engines. Another of his concerns was to increase the amount of railroad track and to extend the area serviced by the railway. Harrison struggled to keep the railroad afloat during the Great Depression, but by 1936 Southern was once again showing a profit. Harrison retired in 1937, intending to focus on his hobby of writing about historical subjects including the roots of the American Thoroughbred horse, but he died three months later in February 1938.

Recently selected: Vestgrensa (station) - Tryvandshøiden (station) - Kirkenes–Bjørnevatn Line

Week 23: June 4 - June 10

Herne Hill railway station is a passenger railway station in Herne Hill in the London Borough of Lambeth, South London, England, on the boundary between London fare zones 2 and 3. Direct rail services are provided by First Capital Connect to London Blackfriars, Farringdon, St. Pancras International and Luton Airport on the Thameslink route and by Southeastern to London Victoria and Orpington on the Chatham Main Line. Trains to Victoria call at Brixton, where passengers can transfer to the London Underground. The station building on Railton Road was opened in 1862 by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway. Initially passengers could travel only to Victoria, but by 1869 direct services were available to the City of London, King's Cross, Kingston (via Wimbledon) and Kent, including express trains to Dover Harbour for boat trains to continental Europe. The arrival of the railways transformed Herne Hill from a wealthy suburb with large residential estates into a densely populated urban area. The future pattern of passenger services is uncertain. Network Rail has recommended terminating all northbound First Capital Connect services from Herne Hill at Blackfriars from 2018; passengers for other central London stations on the Thameslink route would then have to change trains at Blackfriars.

Recently selected: Fairfax Harrison - Vestgrensa (station) - Tryvandshøiden (station)

Week 24: June 11 - June 17

Steamtown, USA, was a steam locomotive museum that ran steam excursions out of North Walpole, New Hampshire, and Bellows Falls, Vermont, from the 1960s to 1983. The museum, which was founded by millionaire seafood industrialist F. Nelson Blount, was operated primarily by the non-profit Steamtown Foundation following his death in 1967. Because of Vermont air quality regulations that restricted steam excursions, declining visitor attendance, and disputes over the use of track, some pieces of the collection were relocated to Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the mid 1980s, while the rest were auctioned off. After the move, Steamtown, USA, continued to operate in Scranton but failed to attract the expected 200,000–400,000 visitors. Within two years the tourist attraction was facing bankruptcy, and more pieces of the collection were sold to pay off debt. In 1986, the United States House of Representatives, under the urging of Scranton native, Pennsylvania Representative Joseph M. McDade, voted to approve $8 million to study the collection and to begin the process of making it a National Historic Site. As a result, the National Park Service (NPS) conducted historical research on the equipment that remained in the foundation's possession. This research was used for a Scope of Collections Statement for Steamtown National Historic Site and was published in 1991 under the title Steamtown Special History Study. The report provided concise histories of each piece of equipment and made recommendations as to whether or not each piece belonged in the soon-to-be government-funded collection. Historical significance to the northeast quarter of the United States was a criterion of the recommendations. By 1995, Steamtown had been acquired and developed by the NPS with a $66 million allocation. Since the government acquisition, several more pieces have been removed from the collection. A part of the Blount collection is still on display at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, while several other pieces have been sold or traded and are located in various locations throughout the United States and Canada.

Recently selected: Herne Hill railway station - Fairfax Harrison - Vestgrensa (station)

Week 25: June 18 - June 24

Edmund Sharpe (31 October 1809 – 8 May 1877) was an English architect, architectural historian, railway engineer, and sanitary reformer. In 1835 he established an architectural practice in Lancaster, initially working on his own. In 1845 he entered into partnership with Edward Paley, one of his pupils. Sharpe's main focus was on churches, and he was a pioneer in the use of terracotta as a structural material in church building, designing what were known as "pot" churches. He also designed secular buildings, including domestic properties and schools, and worked on the development of railways in Northwest England, designing bridges and planning new lines. In 1851 he resigned from his architectural practice, and in 1856 he moved from Lancaster, spending the remainder of his career mainly as a railway engineer, first in North Wales, then in Switzerland and southern France. Sharpe returned to England in 1866 to live in Scotforth near Lancaster, where he designed a final church near to his home. Sharpe achieved national recognition as an architectural historian. He published books of detailed architectural drawings, wrote a number of articles on architecture, devised a scheme for the classification of English Gothic architectural styles, and in 1875 was awarded the Royal Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Towards the end of his career Sharpe organised expeditions to study and draw buildings in England and France. While on such an expedition to Italy in 1877, he was taken ill and died. His body was taken to Lancaster, where he was buried. Sharpe's legacy consists of about 40 extant churches; railway features, including the Conwy Valley Line and bridges on what is now the Lancashire section of the West Coast Main Line; and his archive of architectural books, articles and drawings.

Recently selected: Steamtown, USA - Herne Hill railway station - Fairfax Harrison

Week 26: June 25 - July 1

Santa Teresa Tram over the aqueduct arches in 2007

The Santa Teresa Tram (Portuguese: Bondinho de Santa Teresa, IPA: [bõˈdʒĩɲu dʒi ˈsɐ̃tɐ teˈɾezɐ]) is a historic tram line in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, connecting the city centre with the primarily residential, inner-city neighbourhood of Santa Teresa, in the hills immediately southwest of downtown. It is currently maintained mainly as a tourist attraction, and is nowadays considered a heritage tramway system, having been designated a national historic monument in 1988. The line has a very unusual gauge: 1,100 mm (3 ft 7+5⁄16 in). The main line is 6.0 kilometres (3.7 mi) long. Having run continuously since its opening in 1877, it is one of the oldest street railway lines in the world and, having been electrically powered since 1896, it is the oldest electric railway in all of Latin America. It is also the only remaining metropolitan tram system in Brazil. The only other original tram systems in the country to have survived past 1971 are the Campos do Jordão interurban tram/light rail line and the Itatinga line (near Bertioga), a rural and non-public tram line, which both continue to operate. All other cities closed their systems by 1971 (Santos being the last), but since that time, three towns, Belém, Campinas and Santos, have reinstated trams as heritage services.

Recently selected: Edmund Sharpe - Steamtown, USA - Herne Hill railway station

Week 27: July 2 - July 8

Horseshoe Curve is a 3,485-foot (1,062 m), triple-tracked, railroad curve on Norfolk Southern Railway's Pittsburgh Line in Logan Township, Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is close to 1,300 feet (400 m) in diameter and has a grade of almost 2 percent. As a train travels west from Altoona, it ascends almost 60 feet (20 m) in the 0.66-mile (1.06 km) segment that makes up the curve and rotates 220 degrees. The curve was completed in 1854 by the Pennsylvania Railroad as a means of lessening the grade to the summit of the Allegheny Mountains by increasing the distance. It was built as an alternative to the time-consuming Allegheny Portage Railroad, the only other method of traversing the mountains. It has formed an important part of the region's transport infrastructure since its opening, and during World War II was targeted by Nazi Germany in 1942 as a part of Operation Pastorius. The curve was later owned and used by the Pennsylvania Railroad's successors—Penn Central, Conrail, and Norfolk Southern. Horseshoe Curve was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. It was also designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2004. Since its opening, Horseshoe Curve has been a tourist attraction. A trackside observation park for visitors was completed in 1879. The park was renovated and a visitor center constructed in the early 1990s. The center is managed by Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona and contains exhibits pertaining to the curve.

Recently selected: Santa Teresa Tram - Edmund Sharpe - Steamtown, USA

Week 28: July 9 - July 15

Elisenberg Station (Norwegian: Elisenberg stasjon) is an unfinished railway station within the Oslo Tunnel on the Drammen Line in Oslo, Norway. The ghost station was partially built during the construction of the tunnel between 1971 and 1980, but has never been taken into use. It is located under Balchens gate, near the tram stop with the same name, between Nationaltheatret Station and Skøyen Station, at Elisenberg in Frogner. A 220-meter (720 ft) long center platform and part of the access way has been built, but never completed. While the station initially was not taken into use because of lack of funds to complete it, it is now unlikely that it will ever be completed, as the need for a station has disappeared and an opening would involve large extra investments.

Recently selected: Horseshoe Curve (Pennsylvania) - Santa Teresa Tram - Edmund Sharpe

Week 29: July 16 - July 22

William Henry Barlow FRS FRSE FICE MIMechE (10 May 1812 –12 November 1902) was an English civil engineer of the 19th century, particularly associated with railway engineering projects. In his long life Barlow was involved in many engineering enterprises. He was engineer for the Midland Railway on its London extension and designed the company's London terminus at St Pancras. With John Hawkshaw, he completed Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Clifton Suspension Bridge. Following the Tay Bridge disaster he sat on the commission which investigated the causes and designed the replacement Tay Bridge. Barlow was also an inventor and experimenter, patenting a design for a rail and carrying out investigations on the use and design of steel structures.

Recently selected: Elisenberg Station - Horseshoe Curve (Pennsylvania) - Santa Teresa Tram

Week 30: July 23 - July 29

The Old Rouen Tramway was a tramway built in Rouen, Normandy, northern France. It started service in 1877 and closed in 1953.Horse-drawn carriages and omnibuses had started at the end of the 18th century and progressively improved, but were no longer enough to provide urban services in an age of industrial and demographic growth. Local officials therefore adopted a new mode of transportation: the tramway. At first horse-drawn and then steam-powered, the tramway was electrified in 1896. The network quickly spread; at its largest it covered 70 kilometres (43 mi) of route, the longest network in France during the Belle Époque, and contributed to the success of events in the town's history, such as the Colonial Exhibition of 1896 and the Norman Millennium Festival of 1911. Although the 1920s saw a slight growth in traffic, the network grew no more. Private motoring had arrived to put an end to its monopoly. The rising power of buses and trolleybuses, the Great Depression in France, and above all the Second World War that ravaged Rouen and Normandy, condemned the tramway to death. The last trams stopped running in 1953, after seventy-six years of service. However in 1994, a new Rouen tramway came to the Norman capital.

Recently selected: William Henry Barlow - Elisenberg Station - Horseshoe Curve (Pennsylvania)

Week 31: July 30 - August 5

The Bloor–Danforth line (officially Route 2 Bloor–Danforth Subway) is a rapid transit line of the Toronto subway and RT, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission. It has 31 stations and is 26.2 kilometres (16.3 mi) in length. It opened on February 25, 1966, and extensions at both ends were completed in 1968 and again in 1980. It is also numbered as Route 2 (formerly route 601), but its route number is used primarily for internal purposes and is rarely shown on public maps or signs. The line runs primarily a few metres north of Bloor Street (and parallel to it) from its western terminus at Kipling Avenue to the Prince Edward Viaduct east of Castle Frank Road, after which the street continues as Danforth Avenue. Just east of Main Street, the line begins to deviate north from Danforth Road and runs grade-separated until its eastern terminus, slightly east of Kennedy Road on Eglinton Avenue.

Recently selected: Old Rouen tramway - William Henry Barlow - Elisenberg Station

Week 32: August 6 - August 12

System map of the Chicago Great Western in 1897

The Winston Tunnel is a railroad tunnel located 9 miles (14.5 kilometers) west of Elizabeth, Illinois. The tunnel was completed in 1888 for the Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad, a predecessor to the Chicago Great Western Railway (CGW). The tunnel was located on the CGW main line 152 miles (245 kilometers) west of Chicago in the isolated and hilly Driftless Area of extreme north-western Illinois. In 1972, four years after the Chicago Great Western was merged into the Chicago and North Western Railway (C&NW), the CGW's largely redundant trackage in the area, including the Winston Tunnel, was abandoned. It was the longest railroad tunnel in Illinois throughout its years of service at 2,493 feet (760 m).

Recently selected: Bloor–Danforth line - Old Rouen tramway - William Henry Barlow

Week 33: August 13 - August 19

The Pont-y-Cafnau (English: Bridge of Troughs), sometimes written Pont y Cafnau or Pontycafnau, is a 14.2-metre (47 ft) long iron truss bridge over the River Taff in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. The bridge was designed by Watkin George and built in 1793 for his employer, the Cyfarthfa Ironworks, to support both a tramway and an aqueduct to carry limestone and water into the works. A Grade II* listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument, the Pont-y-Cafnau is the world's earliest surviving iron railway bridge.

Recently selected: Winston Tunnel - Bloor–Danforth line - Old Rouen tramway

Week 34: August 20 - August 26

A Baltimore Light Rail train at Camden Yards station in 2010

The Maryland Transit Administration Light Rail is a light rail system serving Baltimore, Maryland, United States, and the surrounding suburbs. In downtown Baltimore it uses city streets. Outside the central portions of the city the line is built on private rights-of-way, mostly from the defunct Northern Central Railway, Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad, and Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railway. It is operated by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA). In the fourth quarter of 2010, it had a daily ridership of 36,300.

Recently selected: Pont-y-Cafnau - Winston Tunnel - Bloor–Danforth line

Week 35: August 27 - September 2

Barnoldswick railway station was the only railway station on the Midland Railway's 1 mile 64 chains long Barnoldswick Branch in the West Riding of Yorkshire in England. The line left the Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway at Barnoldswick Junction 55 chains from Earby railway station. The line through the junction was on a 20 chain radius after which it converged to a single track and ran in a straight but undulating line to Barnoldswick. The passenger train that ran back and forth between Barnoldswick and Earby was known locally as the 'Barlick Spud' or 'Spudroaster'. The real reason for the name is lost in time, but the two versions that were commonly recited are that the original branch locomotive was so small it looked like a portable potato roaster used by a local vendor or that the journey time was the same as that taken to roast a potato in the locomotive's firebox.

Recently selected: Baltimore Light Rail - Pont-y-Cafnau - Winston Tunnel

Week 36: September 3 - September 9

A tram in the early 1900s in Olav Kyrres gate

Bergen Tramway was a tramway in Bergen, Norway, which was in operation from 1897 to 1965. The first three lines were opened on 29 June 1897. Starting in 1950, tramway lines were gradually replaced with bus and trolleybus routes. The last line was closed in 1965. Since 1993, a heritage tram operates in Møhlenpris by the association Bergen's Electric Tramway. A light rail system was proposed in 1995, adopted in the 2000s and started operating in 2010.

Recently selected: Barnoldswick railway station - Baltimore Light Rail - Pont-y-Cafnau

Week 37: September 10 - September 16

Long Ashton railway station was a railway station on the Bristol to Exeter Line, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southwest of Bristol Temple Meads, serving the village of Long Ashton in North Somerset, England. There were two stations on the site, the first, called "Ashton", opened in either 1841 or 1852 and closed in 1856. The second station, opened by the Great Western Railway and originally known as "Long Ashton Platform" before being renamed as "Long Ashton" in 1929, was operational from 1926 to 1941. The site is now partly under the A370 Long Ashton Bypass. There is local support for the station to be reopened, possibly sited further to the west, and possibly as part of the University of Bristol's proposed Fenswood Farm development.

Recently selected: Bergen Tramway - Barnoldswick railway station - Baltimore Light Rail

Week 38: September 17 - September 23

The Metropolitan District Railway (commonly known as the District Railway) was a passenger railway that served London from 1868 to 1933. Established in 1864 to complete the inner circle, an underground railway in London, the first part of the line opened using gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives. Initially the Metropolitan Railway operated all services before the District introduced its own trains in 1871. The railway was soon extended westwards through Earl's Court to Fulham, Richmond, Ealing and Hounslow. After completing the inner circle and reaching Whitechapel in 1884, it was extended to Upminster in East London in 1902. Needing to finance electrification at the beginning of the 20th century, American financier Charles Yerkes took it over and it became part of his Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL) group. Electric traction was introduced in 1905, and by the end of the year electric multiple units operated all of the services. On 1 July 1933, the District Railway and the other underground railways of the UERL were merged with the Metropolitan Railway and the capital's tramway and bus operators to form the London Passenger Transport Board. Today, former District Railway tracks and stations are used by the London Underground's District, Piccadilly and Circle lines.

Recently selected: Long Ashton railway station - Bergen Tramway - Barnoldswick railway station

Week 39: September 24 - September 30

Tanum Tunnel (Norwegian: Tanumtunnelen) is 3,590-meter-long (11,780 ft) double-track railway tunnel on the Asker Line, between Jong in Bærum and Åstad in Asker, Norway. It was built as part of the first state of the Asker Line, between Asker and Sandvika; construction started in February 2002 and the tunnel opened on 27 August 2005. The tunnel was built by AF Gruppen for the Norwegian National Rail Administration. Most of the tunneling was conducted using the drilling and blasting method, although the easternmost 800 meters (2,600 ft) were built using the cut-and-cover method. After the tunnel opened, there have been problems with leaks damaging the superstructure. The tunnel has double track, is electrified and allows for a for maximum speed of 160 kilometers per hour (100 mph). The cost to build the tunnel, excluding the superstructure, was 370 million Norwegian krone (NOK). The tunnel will accelerate intercity and regional traffic west of Oslo and free up capacity for the Oslo Commuter Rail on the Drammen Line.

Recently selected: District Railway - Long Ashton railway station - Bergen Tramway

Week 40: October 1 - October 7

Bay Street Station is a New Jersey Transit station on Pine Street between Bloomfield and Glenridge Avenues in Montclair, New Jersey, along the Montclair-Boonton Line. The station is served by all trains on the line, including all ten weekend trains. The first station of six in Montclair, Bay Street is the southernmost, servicing the downtown district. The station was built originally in 1981 to replace the Lackawanna Terminal built near Grove Street in 1913 as a part of creating the Montclair Connection. Upon its opening on February 27, 1981, Bay Street was a lone platform with a single shelter. In 2002, as part of the Montclair Connection, Bay Street was completely rebuilt to standards for handicapped persons, including two high-level platforms and a new elevator for a bridge crossing the tracks. The station also received honors in July 2010 for the development around the station and as a result was a part of getting Montclair designated a transit village by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Recently selected: Tanum Tunnel - District Railway - Long Ashton railway station

Week 41: October 8 - October 14

The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) refer to the reduction of route network and restructuring of the railways in Great Britain outlined in two reports, The Reshaping of British Railways (1963) and The Development of the Major Railway Trunk Routes (1965), written by Richard Beeching and published by the British Railways Board. The first report identified 2,363 stations and 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of railway line for closure, representing 55% of all stations and 30% of route miles, with an objective of stemming the large financial losses being incurred during a period of increasing competition from road transport; the second identified a small number of major routes within the remaining network for significant investment. The 1963 report also recommended some less well publicised changes, including a switch to containerisation for rail freight. Protests resulted in the saving of some stations and lines, but the majority were closed as planned and Beeching's name is to this day associated with the mass closure of railways and the loss of many local services in the period that followed. A number of these routes have since reopened, been incorporated into the National Cycle Network or used within roads schemes; others were lost to construction or simply reverted to farm land.

Recently selected: Bay Street (NJT station) - Tanum Tunnel - District Railway

Week 42: October 15 - October 21

The bilevel car (North American English) or double-decker coach (British English) is a type of rail car that has two levels of passenger accommodation, as opposed to one, increasing passenger capacity (in example cases of up to 57% per car). In some countries such vehicles are commonly referred to as dostos, derived from the German Doppelstockwagen. The use of double-decker carriages, where feasible, can resolve capacity problems on a railway, avoiding other options which have an associated infrastructure cost such as longer trains (which require longer station platforms), more trains per hour (which the signalling or safety requirements may not allow) or adding extra tracks besides the existing line. Bilevel trains are claimed to be more energy efficient, and may have a lower operating cost per passenger. The height of the cars can limit their use, especially in countries with low loading gauges. In some countries such as the UK new lines are built to larger than standard gauge to allow the use of double-deck trains in future. The high passenger capacity can create flow and problems at train stations when much larger numbers of passengers try to board or disembark at the same time.

Recently selected: Beeching cuts - Bay Street (NJT station) - Tanum Tunnel

Week 43: October 22 - October 28

A Bombardier Innovia Metro train on the Kelana Jaya Line in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2005

Innovia Metro (stylized as INNOVIA Metro) is the current name given to an automated rapid transit system manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. The original versions look like small subway cars that typically run in two-, four- or six-car trains, but the latest versions are more streamlined two-car articulated designs that are not easily uncoupled. Innovia Metro systems currently in operation run on conventional metal rails and pull power from a third rail, but are powered by a linear induction motor that provides traction by pulling on a "fourth rail" placed between the running rails. The design was originally developed in the 1970s by the Urban Transportation Development Corporation (UTDC) in Canada as a system that would provide economic rapid transit service in the suburbs. During development the system was known as the ICTS, for "Intermediate Capacity Transit System." Sales of the ICTS were made for metro lines in Vancouver, Toronto and Detroit. Further sales were not forthcoming and the Ontario government lost interest in the company, selling it to Lavalin of Quebec in 1986 then eventually it was acquired by Bombardier. Bombardier used the name "Advanced Rapid Transit" or "ART" after its acquisition of the technology. Bombardier has been much more active in developing and promoting this system, introducing a major new version and winning several additional sales in New York, Beijing and Kuala Lumpur. A future system in Yongin, near Seoul, South Korea, is to use the technology as well. The largest Innovia Metro system is part of the Vancouver SkyTrain network, which operates just under 50 kilometres (31 mi) of track compatible with Innovia Metro trains.

Recently selected: Bilevel rail car - Beeching cuts - Bay Street (NJT station)

Week 44: October 29 - November 4

A booster engine for steam locomotives is a small two-cylinder steam engine back-gear-connected to the trailing truck axle on the locomotive or, if none, the lead truck on the tender. A rocking idler gear permits it to be put into operation by the engineer. It would drive one axle only and could be non-reversible with one idler gear or reversible with two idler gears. A booster engine was used to start a heavy train or maintain low speed under demanding conditions. It could be cut in while moving at speeds under 15 mph (24 km/h), rated at about 300 hp (224 kW) at speeds of from 10 to 30 miles per hour (16 to 48 km/h). It would automatically cut out at 30 mph (48 km/h). Tractive effort of 10-12,000 lbf (44 to 53 kN) was common. Tender boosters were equipped with side-rods connecting axles on the lead truck. Such small side-rods restricted speed and thus were confined to switching locomotives, often used in transfer service between yards. Such boosters were far rarer than engine boosters.

Recently selected: Bombardier Innovia Metro - Bilevel rail car - Beeching cuts

Week 45: November 5 - November 11

The Borki train disaster occurred on October 29 [O.S. October 17] 1888 near Borki station in the former Kharkov Governorate of the Russian Empire (present-day Kharkiv Oblast of Ukraine), 295 kilometres (183 mi) south of Kursk, when the imperial train carrying Tsar Alexander III of Russia and his family from Crimea to Saint Petersburg derailed at high speed. Twenty-one people died at the scene and two later, with between 12 and 33 injured. According to the official version of events, Alexander held the collapsed roof of the royal car on his shoulders while his family escaped the crash site uninjured. The story of the miraculous escape became part of contemporary lore and government propaganda. The investigation into the crash, led by Anatoly Koni, resulted in the appointment of railway manager and future Prime Minister of the Russian Empire Sergei Witte as the Director of State Railways.

Recently selected: Booster engine - Bombardier Innovia Metro - Bilevel rail car

Week 46: November 12 - November 18

The LNER Class A3 Pacific steam locomotive No. 4472 Flying Scotsman (originally No. 1472) was built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) at Doncaster Works to a design of H.N. Gresley. It was employed on long-distance express trains on the LNER and its successors, British Railways Eastern and North-Eastern Regions, notably on the 10am London to Edinburgh Flying Scotsman service after which it was named. In its career 4472 Flying Scotsman has covered more than 2,000,000 miles (3,200,000 km). The locomotive was completed in 1923, construction having been started under the auspices of the Great Northern Railway (GNR). It was built as an A1, initially carrying the GNR number 1472, because the LNER had not yet decided on a system-wide numbering scheme. In 1963 the Flying Scotsman was sold to Alan Pegler, who had it restored at Darlington Works as closely as possible to its LNER condition. Following an overhaul in the winter of 1968–69 it went on a promotional tour to the USA, for which it was fitted with cowcatcher, bell, buckeye couplings, American-style whistle, air brakes and high-intensity headlamp. After its return to the UK via the Panama Canal in 1973, the locomotive underwent another restoration at Derby Works after which it was transferred to Steamtown (Carnforth), from where it steamed on various tours. In October 1988 the locomotive arrived in Australia to take part in that country's bicentenary celebrations and during the course of the next year it travelled more than 45,000 kilometres (28,000 mi) over Australian rails, including a transcontinental run from Sydney to Perth. In April 2004, Flying Scotsman was bought by the National Railway Museum in York, where it is undergoing a complete rebuild and restoration that is expected to be completed in late 2013.

Recently selected: Borki train disaster - Booster engine - Bombardier Innovia Metro

Week 47: November 19 - November 25

The Bratsberg Line (Norwegian: Bratsbergbanen) is a 74-kilometre long (46 mi) railway line between Eidanger and Notodden in Telemark, Norway. It opened in 1917, connecting the Tinnos Line, the Sørland Line and the Vestfold Line, allowing Norsk Hydro to transport fertilizer from their plant at Rjukan to the port in Skien. Since 1991 only passenger trains are operated, using Y1 stock by Norges Statsbaner (NSB). The route is on contract with the county through the transit authority Vestviken Kollektivtrafikk. NSB uses diesel traction despite the railway being electrified. The railway is single track and features Norway's tallest railway bridge, Hjukse Bridge at 65 metres (213 ft). The line is owned by the Norwegian National Rail Administration

Recently selected: LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman - Borki train disaster - Booster engine

Week 48: November 26 - December 2

Gloucester Road is a London Underground station in Kensington, west London. It is served by the District, Circle and Piccadilly lines. On the District and Piccadilly lines, the station is between South Kensington and Earl's Court, and on the Circle Line, it is between South Kensington and High Street Kensington. It is in London fare zone 1. The station entrance is located close to the junction of Gloucester Road and Cromwell Road. Close by are the Cromwell Hospital and Baden-Powell House. The station is in two parts: sub-surface platforms, opened in 1868 by the Metropolitan Railway as part of the company's extension of the Inner Circle route from Paddington to South Kensington and to Westminster, and deep-level platforms opened in 1906 by the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway. A variety of underground and mainline services have operated over the sub-surface tracks. The deep-level platforms have remained largely unaltered. A disused sub-surface platform features periodic art installations as part of Transport for London's Art on the Underground scheme.

Recently selected: Bratsberg Line - LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman - Borki train disaster

Week 49: December 3 - December 9

The Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor Project (HHCTCP) is the official name for the plan to construct an elevated rapid transit line serving the City and County of Honolulu on the island of Oahu. Plans for a mass transit line to connect Honolulu's urban center with outlying areas began in the 1960s, but funding was not approved until 2005. The controversy over the rail line was the dominant issue for local politics leading into the 2008 Honolulu elections, and culminated in a city charter amendment which left the final decision to the citizens of Oahu. The amendment passed with 53% of voters in favor. A ground-breaking ceremony to signal the beginning of construction was held on February 22, 2011. The project, as planned, will construct an elevated rapid transit line from the eastern edge of Kapolei, near the University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu campus, to Ala Moana Center. The line will pass through communities along southern Oahu, via Honolulu International Airport and downtown Honolulu. The plan also includes extensions west through Kapolei, and a link through Salt Lake. In addition, there will be extensions east to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa campus and Waikiki. The line will use 128 ft (39 m) trains carrying about 390 passengers each, similar in size to light rail systems elsewhere in the United States (such as the MAX in Portland, Oregon and the Gold Line in Los Angeles) as opposed to larger trains typically found on heavy rail rapid transit systems like the New York City Subway or Bay Area Rapid Transit. Physically, the Honolulu system will have a good deal in common with light rapid transit systems such as SkyTrain in Vancouver, British Columbia or the Copenhagen Metro.

Recently selected: Gloucester Road tube station - Bratsberg Line - LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman

Week 50: December 10 - December 16

The Furuset Line (Norwegian: Furusetbanen) is a 5.6-kilometer (3.5 mi) long line on the Oslo Metro between Hellerud and Ellingsrudåsen in Oslo, Norway. Running mostly underground, it passes through the southern part of Groruddalen, serving neighborhoods in the boroughs of Alna and Furuset. The line is served by Line 1 and 2 of the metro. The line is owned by Kollektivtransportproduksjon and operated by Oslo T-banedrift on contract with Ruter using MX3000 trains. It is served four times per hour during regular service. The section from Hellerud via Tveita to Haugerud opened in 1970. The line was extended to Trosterud in 1974, to Lindeberg and Furuset in 1978, and to Ellingsrudåsen in 1981. There are plans to extend the line further east through Lørenskog to Akershus University Hospital, and to build a branch from Furuset to the Grorud Line.

Recently selected: Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor Project - Gloucester Road tube station - Bratsberg Line

Week 51: December 17 - December 23

Redland railway station is on the Severn Beach Line and serves the districts of Cotham and Redland in Bristol, England. It is 3.3 miles (5.3 km) from Bristol Temple Meads. Its three letter station code is RDA. It was opened in 1897 by the Great Western and Midland Railways as part of the Clifton Extension Railway, following a petition by local residents. It was originally built as double-track, but was singled in 1970. By 1995 there was talk of the line being closed completely, but services were improved following action by the campaign group Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways, and in the nine years 2002–11, the station saw an 80% increase in passenger numbers. As of 2012, it is managed by First Great Western, which is the third franchise to be responsible for the station since privatisation in 1997. They provide all train services at the station, mainly a train every forty minutes in each direction between Bristol Temple Meads and Avonmouth.

Recently selected: Furuset Line - Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor Project - Gloucester Road tube station

Week 52: December 24 - December 30

The Roa–Hønefoss Line (Norwegian: Roa–Hønefossbanen, formerly Roa–Hønefosslinjen) is a 32-kilometer (20 mi) long, single track railway line between Roa and Hønefoss in Norway. At Roa Station, the line connects to the Gjøvik Line, while at Hønefoss Station, it connects to the Randsfjorden Line and the Bergen Line. The line runs through Buskerud and Oppland and allowed the Bergen Line access to Oslo at Oslo East Station. The Line was built by the Norwegian State Railways (NSB) and opened on 1 December 1909, along with the last part of the Bergen Line. The line was electrified in 1961. Until 1989, nearly all Oslo–Bergen trains used the line to terminate at Oslo East Station. It was also possible to reach Oslo from Hønefoss via the Randsfjord Line, albeit terminating at Oslo West Station. NSB also ran a local service between Hønefoss and Oslo along the Roa–Hønefoss Line. Oslo–Bergen trains ran via the Randsfjord Line after 1989 and local train services have been terminated. However, the line remains in use for freight trains along the Oslo–Bergen route.

Recently selected: Redland railway station - Furuset Line - Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor Project

Week 53: December 31, 2012 - January 6, 2013

Watsessing Avenue (also known as Watsesssing) is a New Jersey Transit station in Bloomfield, New Jersey, along the Montclair-Boonton Line. It is located beneath the Bloomfield Police Benevolent Association meeting hall (which formerly served as the station building) near the corner of Watsessing Avenue and Orange Street in Bloomfield. It is one of two stations on the line where the boarding platform is below ground level (the Glen Ridge Station, two stops away from it, is the other). The Watsessing station and the Kingsland station in Lyndhurst on the Main Line shared similar designs (both station platforms are located below street level) and were built about the same time. The current Glen Ridge, Bloomfield and Watsessing stations along the Montclair branch were all built in 1912 during a grade separation program by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. During New Jersey Transit's running of the line, two stations between Watsessing and Newark Broad Street were closed due to low ridership—the Roseville Avenue station in Newark, at the junction with the Morristown Line on September 16, 1984, and Ampere Station in East Orange on April 7, 1991. The word "Watsessing" is a Native American term that translates to "mouth of the creek". The station has been on the New Jersey State Historic Preservation Office listings since March 25, 1998, the last of the four stations from East Orange to Glen Ridge to receive the listing. On September 14, 2005, the entire Montclair Branch was added to the same listings, although Ampere, Bloomfield and Glen Ridge stations have been on the listings since March 17, 1984.

Recently selected: Roa–Hønefoss Line - Redland railway station - Furuset Line