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What do we do?
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Railway
Preservation Resources is a Los Angeles-based consulting firm that specializes
in both the historical and technical aspects of heritage railway equipment and
operation. RPR works on a wide range of projects, with clients ranging from city
governments to private owners and museums.
The
company is operated by John Smatlak, and was founded in response to the demand
for professional services from owners and operators of
historic railway equipment. Working with a diverse group of associates, RPR
provides clients with access to highly specialized resources that might
otherwise be extremely difficult to find. Teams of personnel
can be assembled to meet a wide range of customer needs. RPR also partners with
other consulting firms as part of a team approach to larger projects.
Specialties
include Vintage Trolley feasibility studies and project management,
research and technical documentation, as well as vehicle evaluations, safety certification
and regulatory expertise. For museum clients, RPR provides
a variety of restoration related services, as well as vehicle assessments and appraisals. RPR helps
clients package their ideas into effective communication tools to pursue funding
and assist with project management. In-house CAD capability is employed to
provide detailed documentation.
RPR is dedicated to providing clients with the most accurate and up to date
information for their projects. Demonstrating this commitment, in 2000 RPR
debuted the North American
Vintage Trolley Systems web site to provide a resource for planners and
other individuals interested in learning about the potential for vintage trolley
operations in their own cities. The site’s content is continually updated and
it is a frequently utilized industry resource.
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Recent
Projects
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Port
of
Los Angeles Waterfront Red Car
Line- 2007, RPR has teamed with Wilson & Company, LTK, EDAW, Stone
Consulting, Aztec Engineering and other consulting firms on a comprehensive study for expansion of the
Waterfront Red Car trolley system. John Smatlak is serving as assistant
project manager for the study. The Red Car Line is operated by the City of Los
Angeles- Harbor Department (a.k.a. Port of Los Angeles).
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San
Francisco MTA- 2007, RPR provided a detailed appraisal of the three
historic cable cars on display at the Cable
Car Museum.
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City
of Savannah, Georgia- 2006, RPR provided technical assistance to the City for
their proposed Vintage Trolley line. Projects include preparation of a
detailed Technical Report on the restoration of a Melbourne W-5 class streetcar
owned by the City.
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Newstead
Tramcars, Australia- 2006. RPR was hired to conduct an evaluation of
historic streetcar No. 466, offered for sale to trolley operators in the US. RPR inspected
the car in Ballarat and prepared a detailed
report.
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Transportation
Innovations Group- 2005-07, RPR is assisting
T.I.G. with parts acquisition, research and design efforts for themed rail trolley vehicles,
including battery powered double-deck trolleys.
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Port
of
Los Angeles Waterfront Red Car
Line- From 1999-2005 RPR served as a consultant to the
City of Los Angeles-Harbor Department (a.k.a. Port of Los Angeles), for
services relating to the Port’s 1.5 mile vintage trolley line, which
opened in 2003. RPR assisted Port staff with technical and regulatory issues,
conceptual designs, and provided guidance on a wide range of strategic
planning, infrastructure, and rolling stock issues. RPR also played a key
role in development, construction and testing of the line’s rolling stock,
including two new replica Pacific Electric “Red Cars”.
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APTA
Heritage Trolley & Streetcar Subcommittee- John Smatlak is an
active member of the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA)
Heritage Trolley & Streetcar Subcommittee. Mr. Smatlak is currently
managing the Subcommittee’s Vehicle Equipment Standards project, developing
industry safety standards for vintage trolley vehicles.
Click here
to obtain a copy of the standard from APTA.
Mr. Smatlak presented a paper on the standard development effort
(click for pdf file) at
the 2005 APTA Rail
Transit Conference.
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Orange
Empire
Railway
Museum-
John Smatlak has had a long affiliation
with the non-profit Orange Empire
Railway
Museum, one of the nation's largest collections of historic railway
equipment. Mr. Smatlak joined the Museum in 1984 and has done pro-bono work on a wide range of acquisition, fundraising,
conservation and restoration projects. He has served as the
Museum’s Vice President-Collections since 1995.
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Astoria
Riverfront Trolley- In
2005, RPR performed an appraisal of the group's operating trolley, a 1914
product of the American Car Company, and also provided technical assistance
on maintenance issues.
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Pennsylvania
Trolley Museum-
In 2002, RPR performed an appraisal of the Museum’s nationally-
recognized collection of 50 historic trolley cars, providing a
detailed report on the entire collection along with an estimate of fair
market value. In 2005, RPR was hired again in order to update the appraisal.
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City of Torrance-
In 2003, RPR provided
consulting services to the city’s Parks Department on stabilization and
display of a city-owned trolley car.
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City of Riverside,
Ohio- RPR reviewed a proposal to operate
vintage trolley service between the US Air Force Museum and the Huffman
Prairie Flying Field historic site, and served as facilitator for a
strategic retreat for city staff and local business leaders to discuss the
project.
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L.A.
Railway 1435 Project- RPR performed a condition survey of this
streetcar prior to acquisition and shipment to
Los Angeles
for potential use as a display in the downtown area, and also served as a
sub-contractor to
California
Waterproofing & Restoration, who developed a restoration proposal for
static display of the car.
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TransMachine-
RPR developed a comprehensive Restoration Feasibility Study for the
TransMachine Foundation of
Torrance, CA, for their project to adaptively reuse a former Pacific Electric railcar
body as part of a transportation-themed children’s learning center. RPR
also assisted the Foundation with development of a costed restoration
proposal.
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North
American Vintage Trolley Systems web site-
RPR has created the North American Vintage Trolley Systems web site,
providing planners and public alike with a comprehensive resource on U.S.
Vintage Trolley operations. The site covers operations in more than
two-dozen cities, along with background information on equipment and other
resources.
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