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The
Grove at Farmers Market
One of
the more interesting variants on the Vintage Trolley concept is the battery
powered trolley which has been in service at the Grove at Farmer's
Market in Los Angeles since 2002. Created by Transportation
Innovations Group (TIG), the double deck vehicle is not
based on any particular prototype, but created to be an attractive and easily
accessible people mover within a very large outdoor shopping area.
The line connects the historic Farmers Market outdoor marketplace
with the large "Grove" shopping mall immediately adjacent. The
open-air mall is arranged around a themed streetscape, and the 1200 ft.
trolley line winds its way through several blocks of stores, restaurants,
a large theatre complex, and a 3,500 space parking garage. The line's single
battery powered trolley operates seven days a week and carries patrons
free of charge. Top speed of the vehicle is limited to about 8 mph
in deference to the pedestrian intensive environment.
The trolley operation
commenced in February 2002, and has exceeded expectations for both ridership
and reliability. The car runs 8-10 hours a day,
seven days a week and is rarely empty. During the occasional heavy rains
that occur in the winter months, the car is
withdrawn from service, but otherwise its fully open design is the
perfect match for the area's mild climate. Farmer's Market receives about 3 Million annual
visitors, and the trolley is currently carrying about 730,000 passengers
annually (although an estimated 830,000 rode in 2003). Not surprisingly, the trolley also incorporates large
advertising panels which serve as a revenue stream for the mall's operators,
managed by a large outdoor advertising firm.
The vehicle
uses refurbished PCC streetcar trucks and an all new steel-framed
carbody. Regenerative braking is utilized to recharge the batteries
while enroute, and the system has also been fitted with Wampfler
inductive charging apparatus for "opportunity charging" at one end of the
line. This system allows the batteries to receive a quick "topping off"
without being plugged in. The batteries receive a heavier charge
each night while the vehicle is plugged in inside its storage bay.
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Aerial view of the trolley from the
top of the Grove parking garage
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Boarding
the trolley at the Grove end of the line
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The
Wamphler inductive charging coil between the rails at the end of
the line stop.
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On the way
back to the Farmers Market end of the line. The upper deck is
quite popular with the passengers.
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The car uses dual running boards along
its length to provide easy access to the bench seats on the lower
deck.
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Departing
the Farmer Market end of the line.
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A
replica historic gas station sits adjacent to the Farmers Market
stop (trolley in background).
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The line has
one at-grade street crossing, although the street is used only for
parking and delivery access.
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| The
upper deck |
Ready
for another trip |
The
car is fitted with a cassette-type wheelchair lift |
Re-motored
PCC streetcar trucks are used for the running gear. |
John
Smatlak Photos 
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Other
Battery Powered Trams / Trolleys
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Rendering
of TIG Trolleys for Puerto Los Cabos
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Transportation Innovations Group (TIG), a division of
Entertainment Engineering of Burbank CA, (the engineers
responsible for creation of the Farmers Market trolley) are currently
producing two additional vehicles for an operation at the new Puerto Los
Cabos Marina in
Baja Mexico. TIG has recently incorporated its
own in-house fabrication division, and the new vehicles are being
manufactured in the Los Angeles area. The new trolleys feature the
same basic double-deck architecture as the car at Farmer's Market,
although with a different theme. The cars will be equipped with refurbished
PCC trolley running gear, and will also feature a small on-board
generator to permit battery charging enroute. TIG
is also pursuing several other inquiries for trolley vehicles- its
literature highlights the company's willingness
to apply the battery power concepts to a variety of vehicle types. Worldwide,
as of early 2008 Kawasaki has just produced a prototype of its new
battery-powered SWIMO
modern streetcar, said to be capable of operating up to 10km on a
charge. The Gomaco
Trolley Company is building a pair of battery powered cars for the
Americana at Brand shopping mall in Glendale, California. Other
battery powered trolleys/trams now in operation include the tramway at the restored Southport
Pier in the UK. This unique 3' 6" gauge operation began in 2005,
using a modern vehicle constructed by U.K.
Loco LTD. Click here for a link
to the Southport Pier tram.
The use of
batteries is also increasing for supplemental propulsion in light rail vehicles.
Vehicles in both the United States and Europe are being fitted with
batteries to
provide the capability of making short moves "off wire". In
some cases the batteries are intended only for short moves to navigate
past interruptions in the
overhead contact system or in maintenance facilities. In other cases,
such as on Alstom's
Citidas trams for Nice, France, battery power will allow the line to
routinely traverse two 500m segments through historic town squares
without overhead wire.
In the UK,
the Sustainable Transport Company (Sustraco) is developing an
"ultra-light rail" system capable of being powered by a range
of energy sources.
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News
/ Links / Updates
Transportation
Innovations Group
Wampfler
Coverage
of the Grove trolley on the Transit Rider website
The
Grove website
Farmers
Market website
Grove
trolley advertising
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This
page was last updated on 1/12/08
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October
2007- Work is progressing nicely at TIG on the two cars
for the Puerto Los Cabos Marina.