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2005 American Public Transportation Association Conference with an Excursion on the Alameda Corridor and Long Beach and Los Angeles Harbour Tour 4/2/2005



by Chris Guenzler



This year's American Public Transportation Association conference was being held at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. APTA is a non-profit international association of more than 1,500 public and private sector member organizations. Benefits to our members include advocacy for federal funding and policies, research, technical expertise and consulting services, workforce development programs, educational conferences and seminars and 135 subject-matter working committees.

APTA is the only association in North America that represents all modes of public transportation including bus, paratransit, light rail, commuter rail, subways, waterborne services and intercity and high-speed passenger rail. More than 90 percent of the people using public transportation in the United States and Canada ride APTA member systems. Our membership is engaged in every aspect of the industry – from planning, designing, financing, constructing and operating transit systems to the research, development, manufacturing and maintenance of vehicles, equipment and transit-related products and services. Additionally, academic institutions, transportation network companies, transit associations and state departments of transportation are APTA members.

The organization that would eventually become APTA first organized as the American Street Railway Association on December 12, 1882 in Boston, Massachusetts. The initial meetings focused on the price of oats for the horses that pulled transit vehicles, but that focus evolved as more transit companies built electric systems. In 1905, the group met in New York and reorganized as the American Street and Interurban Railway Transportation and Traffic Association. To encompass even more modes of electric transit, the group changed its name to the American Electric Railway Transportation and Traffic Association in 1910. By 1932, many of the transit systems relied on motor coaches and trolleys in addition to electric streetcars, so the organization became known as the American Transit Association.

In 1966, ATA relocated from New York City to Washington, DC because of increasing reliance on federal funding, especially with the passage of the Urban Mass Transportation Act in 1964 and the creation of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (now the Federal Transit Administration). In the 1970's, the organization developed a closer working relationship with the federal government as more and more transit systems became publicly financed. The American Public Transit Association was created in 1974 when the American Transit Association and the Institute for Rapid Transit merged. The IRT dated back to 1929 and formally organized on June 7, 1961. In 1976, the Transit Development Corporation also merged with APTA. In January 2000, the name of the organization was changed to the American Public Transportation Association. Despite the various name changes, the mission of the organization has remained generally the same.

Planning For The Conference

I saw a post on Trainorders.com promoting the organization's conference and called Steve Grande of Trainweb.com to see whether he could arrange for me to attend the weekend events since there was an excursion on the Alameda Corridor, a place I wanted to ride through now that it had been completed. Upon my return from the spring break trip, there was an e-mail from Steve to let me know that everything was set up. Due to my work schedule and a rare case of being extremely tired after a great Amtrak trip, I would only be able cover the Saturday excursion on the Alameda Corridor and the Grand lunch and equipment display at LAUPT on Sunday.

Getting to Downtown Los Angeles

With no early train service by either Amtrak or Metrolink on Saturday morning, I needed a plan to get to Los Angeles by 7:00 AM and it came to a choice between the Amtrak Thruway Bus or to drive to Norwalk to take the MTA Green Line to the Blue Line then the Red Line to Pershing Square. I choose the latter, so after a quick drive to Norwalk, found a waiting Green Line train to take me to Rosa Park in the pre-dawn hours, where I detrained and went downstairs, where here came a Blue Line train to Los Angeles. The creatures of the night were still out, making it a very interesting trip to the end of the line at the Metro/7th Station. I went upstairs and almost immediately, a Red Line train arrived that took me one stop to Pershing Square, from where I walked four blocks to the conference hotel.

Alameda Corridor Technical Tour

"The combined Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach provide the largest single source of goods from the Far East to the United States. Today, this volume of freight is a critical factor in the provision and growth of passenger rail service in the Los Angeles region. This tour will take participants down the Alameda Corridor to the Port of Los Angeles, where participants will see the tremendous logistical challenges faced by the region. The tour will also include a harbor cruise aboard a charter boat to see the port "up close."

"Transportation: At 7:30 A.M. tour participants will travel from the Bonaventure Hotel to Union Station by bus, where they will board a Metrolink train to travel the Alameda Corridor. Continental breakfast will be provided on-board. Upon arrival at the harbor, participants will board a charter boat and tour the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Participants will return to Los Angeles Union Station via Metrolink and to the Bonaventure Hotel via bus or Metro Red Line." (The above two paragraphs from the APTA 2005 Conference website).





Some of the passengers, such as myself, arrived early for the tour and were checked off the list just as one of the buses arrived to take us to Union Station.





Conference members board the first bus. Downtown Los Angeles was deserted early on this Saturday morning and the bus took us to the Gateway entrance to Los Angeles Union Station and we followed one of our fantastic APTA group leaders who led us down the tunnel to Track 6.





Our Metrolink train waited for our departure.





Members of our tour group boarded.

The Alameda Corridor is a 20-mile freight rail expressway between the neighboring ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and the transcontinental rail yards and railroad mainlines near downtown Los Angeles. The Mid-Corridor-Trench that contains the below-ground railway that is 10 miles long, 30 feet deep and 50 feet wide. By consolidating 90 miles of other rail lines into a high-speed expressway, the Alameda Corridor eliminated conflicts at more than 200 at-grade railroad crossings where cars and trucks previously had to wait for long freight trains to slowly pass. Train travel from the harbour to the mainlines in Los Angeles were cut by more than half to now only about 45 minutes. This then cut locomotive emissions by 28 percent.

Since the start of operations on April 15, 2002, the Alameda Corridor has handled an average of 35 train movements per day, a figure consistent with earlier projections for this stage of operations. Usage is projected to increase steadily as the volume of international trade through the ports grows. The ports project the need for more than 100 train movements per day by the year 2020. The Alameda Corridor can accommodate approximately 150 train movements per day and is intended primarily to transport cargo arriving at the ports and bound for destinations outside of the five-county Southern California region (imports) or originating outside the region and shipped overseas via the ports (exports). This accounts for approximately half of the cargo handled by the ports. The other half of the cargo is bound for or originates in the region and that cargo is transported primarily by truck.





We departed the Los Angeles Union Station at 8:03 AM for our unique trip down the Alameda Corridor. Don Davis of the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority gave as a narrated journey as we travelled south.





Passing Mission Tower on a glorious spring morning.





Passing Mission Tower and crossing the Los Angeles River before running south down the east bank.





Pacific Surfliner 763 on its way to LAUPT then Goleta, from San Diego, as seen from the east bank of the Los Angeles River.





The skyline of Los Angeles as we proceeded.





We prepared to leave the east bank at Ninth Street to take the connection to the Alameda Corridor with the city skyline in the background.





9th Street where the Alameda Corridor starts.





We next crossed the Los Angeles River again, went under the Redondo Flyover, past the Redondo Tower and the BNSF connection to the Alameda Corridor.





Passing under Santa Fe Avenue en eroute to the trench.





Our train descended into the ten mile trench below the streets.





The only below-ground curve.





Signals are hung from the cross beam and are lifted out for maintenance. Emergency ladders are cranked down for crew exiting if the need arises. With no access road, all track work is performed by high rail trucks. Mile markers are on the cross beams and square plaques tell of the street crossings above.











Rear door views down the Alameda Corridor to the end of the trench.





The Alameda Corridor is then joined by the Wilmington Line, where a Union Pacific freight was waiting for our special to clear. Andrew Fox of Pacific Harbor Lines took over the narration and was very interesting.





After passing Union Paific's Dolores shops and the ARCO Refinery, we rounded another curve on our way to San Pedro.





West Thenard.





A container dock as we travelled along the former Pacific Electric West Basin Line.





Pacific Harbor Lines SD18 41, ex. Precision National 1837, exx. Precision National SD24 6337, exxx. Chicago and North Western 6638, exxxx. Southern 6337, nee Southern 2518 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1959 as viewed from our train.





The Vincent Thomas bridge, a 1,500-foot suspension bridge, crossing the Los Angeles Harbor, linking San Pedro with Terminal Island. It is the only suspension bridge in the Greater Los Angeles area and is part of State Route 47, which is also known as the Seaside Freeway. The bridge opened in 1963 and is named for California Assemblyman Vincent Thomas of San Pedro, who championed its construction. Thomas moved to San Pedro from Oakland in 1919. In 1928, he graduated from San Pedro High School. He received a Bachelor Degree from the University of Santa Clara in 1932 and attended the University of Santa Clara and Loyola Law Schools from 1932 to 1936. He worked as a minor sports coach and PE instructor while in college and also played football for Santa Clara.





The first time a Metrolink train had been to San Pedro. We were then led across the street to the Harbor Cruise boat "Spirit".

Boat Tour of Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbours

"The Port of Los Angeles, Southern California's gateway to international commerce, is located in San Pedro Bay, just 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. This booming seaport not only sustains its competitive edge with record- setting cargo operations, but is also known for its groundbreaking environmental initiatives, progressive security measures and diverse recreational and educational facilities."

"The Port of Los Angeles is a department of the City of Los Angeles and is often referred to as the Los Angeles Harbor Department. The Port is operated and managed under a State Tidelands Trust that grants local municipalities jurisdiction over ports and stipulates that activities must be related to commerce, navigation and fisheries. A five-member Board of Harbor Commissioners are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Los Angeles City Council to provide direction and create policy for the Port. As a proprietary and self-supporting department, the Port is not supported by taxes. Instead, revenue is derived from fees for shipping services such as dockage, wharfage, pilotage, storage, property rentals, royalties and other Port services. Considered a landlord port, the Port of Los Angeles leases it property to tenants who then, in turn, operate their own facilities."

"The Port encompasses 7500 acres, 43 miles of waterfront and features 26 cargo terminals, including dry and liquid bulk, container, breakbulk, automobile and omni facilities. Combined, these terminals handle nearly 150 million metric revenue tons of cargo annually. Last year, the Port moved an impressive 7.4 million TEUs, establishing a new national container record once again. The Port is also home to the nation's most secure cruise passenger complex, the World Cruise Center." (Taken from the Port of Los Angeles website).





Our tour group members boarding the Spirit.





Container dock cranes against a beautiful sunny California sky.





At the cruise ship dock was the Diamond Princess of Princess Cruises, one of five cruise ships lines that use the harbour.





A bunker barge, or floating fuel station, passed our boat on the way to refuel another vessel.





The Greca Terminal is unique to the harbour as when unloading the ships, the engines are turned off and electrical power from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is used for the ship's power while in port. This new technology is more environmentally friendly as it eliminates engine pollution that the ported ship would normal produce.





The Los Angeles Harbour West Basin with a ship of the Yang Ming Lines.





The white tanks are borax tanks and it is the only privately-owned dock in the harbour. The materials are shipped by rail from the High Desert of California.





Our boat made its way down the East Channel to north of Terminal Island and passed New York Container Line's "Artemis" unloading.





Port of Los Angeles Berth 180.





Piles of scrap steel were being loaded onto Fesco 06B on their way to Asia.





Around both harbours are fire boat stations and here is the LA City Fire 4 station.





The Badger bridge, also known as the Henry Ford bridge, carries the Pacific Harbor Line railroad across the Cerritos Channel to Terminal Island from San Pedro to serve the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach. It was built to accommodate operations at the Ford Long Beach Assembly plant which opened in 1930 and was closed in 1959. The original 1924 bascule bridge was dismantled and replaced in 1996 by a vertical-lift bridge.

We were stopped by a Pacific Harbor Lines train pushing cars of containers onto the island.





The Badger bridge then lifted and we passed through to enter the Long Beach Harbour.

"The Port of Long Beach is one of the world's busiest seaports, a leading gateway for trade between the United States and Asia and is the United States' second busiest port. Long Beach is the world's 12th busiest container cargo port. If combined, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles would be the world's third-busiest port complex, after Hong Kong and Singapore. East Asian trade accounts for more than 90 percent of the shipments through the port. Top trading partners are China/Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan."

"Leading Exports by tonnage: Petroleum coke, petroleum, wastepaper, steel, plastics, chemicals, hay, sulfur, fruit and nuts, cotton. By value: Machinery, plastics, electric machinery, meat, chemicals, vehicles, fruits and nuts, cotton, hides and medical equipment."

"Leading Imports by tonnage: Petroleum, furniture, machinery, electric machinery, cement, steel products, plastics, vehicles, toys and chemicals. By value: Machinery, electric machinery, vehicles, clothing, toys, furniture, shoes, petroleum, plastics and medical equipment." (Information taken from the official Port of Long Beach website).





Mediterranean Line "Zim Ure Zim" unloading at their dock.





The "Mount McKinley".





Mobile Oil tanker "Li Massol" and the New York Container Line auto carrier. Automobiles are both imported and exported from both harbours.





The Gerald Desmond bridge with the MSC Atlantic approaching from the south with another scrap steel loading port on the right. Since its earliest days, Long Beach has needed reliable access to Terminal Island. The first bridge with access to the island was a single railroad track built on a wooden trestle by the Salt Lake Railway. By 1908, it was clear that something more reliable was needed. That year the trestle was replaced by a 187-foot bascule drawbridge known as the "jackknife" bridge, because it opened and closed like a pocket knife.

In the mid-1930's, the jackknife bridge was removed after the Union Pacific stopped using it. For several years, there was no bridge in place, leaving the Badger Avenue Bridge as the only rail link to Terminal Island. As World War II neared, the Navy needed better access to and from its station on Terminal Island. A pontoon bridge was constructed that could open and close allowing ship traffic to pass in and out of the harbor. The pontoon bridge was intended to be a temporary structure in place for six months, but was used for decades.

In the mid-1960's, construction began on the replacement of the pontoon bridge, the Gerald Desmond Bridge. The roughly 1.5-mile span, named after a former city attorney and councilman of the City of Long Beach, was completed in 1968. The bridge has served the needs of the Port and the City for many years. Increasing traffic volumes and the ravages of time have taken a toll. Although safe for traffic, protective netting catches chunks of concrete that periodically fall from the span. The Gerald Desmond Bridge has three lanes on the incline, and two lanes on the decline, in each direction.





The Edison steam power plant which has sunk 29 feet over the years. This power plant can be fired up at anytime, especially during blackout periods in Southern California.





Hyundai "National" being loaded.





Hanjin Terminal on Terminal Island.





Boeing sea launch base. Satellites are taken from here to the equator for launching and ten to twelve launches were planned for this year.





Both harbours protect nature to the fullest as sea lions enjoyed the sunshine on one of the buoys and there are also bird preserves in the harbour.





The view towards the nine mile breakwater with three openings that protect the harbour from the full force of the Pacific Ocean.





Another buoy, more sea lions.





The Angel Entrance to Los Angeles Harbour with Angel Gate Lighthouse protecting the opening with its green light.





Sea lions on another buoy with Terminal Island in the background.





On rocks along the shore of Terminal Island, California seals enjoy this beautiful Saturday.





Angel Gate Lighthouse. In July 1912, the structural steel framework, provided by Llewellyn Iron Works of Los Angeles, was ready for erection on the forty-foot-square pierhead. The lighthouse was built around twelve steel columns and sits at the end of the 9,250-foot San Pedro breakwater. The base of the structure is octagonal and covered with steel plates, while the upper section is cylindrical and built using cement plaster on metal lath. Champion Iron Works of Canton, Ohio provided the helical-bar lantern room and cast-iron parapet for the tower. The twelve columns, covered with pilasters, give the lighthouse a Romanesque feel. Edward L. Woodruff, assistant superintendent of the eighteenth lighthouse district, designed the lighthouse and later received a Phebe Hobson Fowler Architectural Award for his work. No other lighthouse was ever built to this design.

The bottom story of the lighthouse originally housed the station's fog signal equipment along with water and fuel tanks and the floor above this contained storage space and a bathroom. The third story housed a kitchen, pantry and living room, while the fourth story had a bathroom and two bedrooms for the keepers, whose families were housed on shore, and the fifth story had a third bedroom and the watchroom.





The view looking west towards San Pedro.





The houses for the staff of the Terminal Island Federal Prison.





American President Lines at Pier 400 on Terminal Island.





The "Susan Maersk Hellerup" unloads at the Maersk Dock at Pier 300. This part of the harbour also has a bulk loading facility for coal and other materials.





Returning to San Pedro from where we started, after touring the harbour all the way around Terminal Island.





The port has several dry docks to repair ships in need. We then returned to the dock where our group split up and most people went to get lunch or visit area attractions.





Some of the group chose to ride the San Pedro Waterfront Streetcar Line, which uses two replicas of Pacific Electric 500-class series streetcars.





The waiting Metrolink train that would take us back north to Union Station the same way we came, up the Alameda Corridor. A good time was had by all on the unique rail tour of the Alameda Corridor and the fantastic boat tour of Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbours.





On the return journey, waiting for our special train to clear were Pacific Harbor Lines GP7R 101, ex. Pacific Harbor Lines 101, exx. Central Kansas Railway 4287, exxx. Chicago and North Western 4287, nee Chicago and North Western GP7 1589 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1952, and Pacific Harbor Liines GP9E 103, ex. Central Railroad of Indianapolis 103, exx. Southern Pacific 3846, exxx. Southern Pacific GP9 3655, nee Texas and New Orleans 451 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1959.





The Metrolink train returned all to Los Angeles Union Station and a waiting bus back to the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, ending a fantastic APTA tour.





I went to the conference registration desk to sign in and pay for the trip.

Getting Home on Saturday

I retraced my steps but had much longer waits between trains. At 7th and Metro, I just missed a Blue Line train so had a fifteen minute wait for the next one, on whichi some idiot was cursing and swearing that made for a very tense ride to Rosa Park. Upstairs, I had another fifteen minute wait for a Green Line train to Norwalk then traffic on Interstate 5 was horrible until the Riverside Freeway, where it opened up for the rest of the drive to Santa Ana and I returned home after a great day. I tried for a good night's sleep but did not have one, so awoke tired again the next morning.

A Better Way to Los Angeles 4/3/2005

With the Grand Lunch at noon, Amtrak could be used but it would get me to Union Station over two hours early. I took Pacific Surfliner 565 to Los Angeles, having the always-smiling Mishi take my ticket. Once at LAUPT, I went to the Red Line, bought another day pass and boarded a train to North Hollywood, where I met Art Brown, one of the speakers at the event. He detrained at 7th and Metro and I enjoyed my underground ride all the way to North Hollywood then had a front window seat back to that station, where I walked the three blocks to the hotel.

The Grand Lunch





Sunday's main event of the 2005 APTA Conference was the Grand Lunch, with the main speaker a personal hero of mine, the legendary basketball coach John Wooden of University of California at Los Angeles. I was joined at my table by Susan Berlin of APTA and their photographer Christopher Loudahl, as well as Timothy Maurier, Joseph Alexander, Donald Nelson and Jesse J Diaze from the Washington Group, who specializes in transportation projects around the United States. They are under contact for the operation of New Jersey Transit's Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Line and also built the Gold Line in Pasadens and are currently working on the extension of the Gold Line to East Los Angeles.

Lunch was a delicious chicken platter with a very tasty cheesecake for dessert.





Kathryn D. Waters welcomed everyone to the 2005 APTA Commuter Rail Conference and informed us that this would be the last solo conference.





Art Brown, the chairman of the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink) spoke briefly next, stressing that we must educate the Administration and Congress about the very important relationship between commuter rail and Amtrak. A short music video about Metrolink was shown on a large projection screen.





David Solow, the Chief Executive of SCCRA, was an original member of the team that started Metrolink and told of the system starting with just eleven stations and there were now fifty-three, soon to be fifty-four.





It was then time for Larry Shaw to introduce our main speaker, John Wooden.

John Robert Wooden is considered the greatest NCAA basketball head coach of all time. But many people knew him simply as coach. On the court, Wooden led the UCLA Bruins men's basketball program to an impressive number of wins, with a 664-162 record, and was named NCAA College Basketball Coach of the Year six times. In his more than 40 years as a coach, and through his years as head coach at UCLA, Wooden built teams, an elite athletic program and a legacy that astounded the sports world. While his success on the court is heavily celebrated, Wooden’s teachings extend far beyond the realm of sports. A master teacher, he created the Pyramid of Success and wrote several books to share his philosophy with the world.

John Wooden was born Oct. 14, 1910, in Hall, Indiana to Roxie Anne and Joshua Hugh Wooden. He grew up on a modest farm with no electricity, where he rose early every morning to help milk the cows and do other farm chores before he headed to school. It was his father that gave him the very first foundation of what would later become the Pyramid of Success. Wooden began playing a rudimentary version of basketball with his three brothers Maurice, Daniel and William with a homemade basketball and a tomato basket as a hoop in a barn. But 17 years later, after moving to Martinsville, he would lead the town's high school basketball team to the Indiana State championship in 1927.

Wooden went on to play ball as a guard at Purdue University from 1928 to 1932, earning three straight All-America selections and named college basketball player of the year. He was selected as team captain when he was a junior, and graduated Purdue with an English degree. He married the love of his life, Nell Riley, soon after in 1932. In his early career, Wooden taught English and coached several sports at both Dayton High School in Kentucky and South Bend Central High School in Indiana.

As a teacher, Wooden taught his students that academic success was about more than grades; as a coach, Wooden taught his players that a victory was about more than the number on the scoreboard. He cared deeply for the athletes he led and encouraged them to be winners on more than just the court. To inspire his students and players to work their hardest, he developed the principles of his Pyramid of Success teaching model during his time at South Bend Central High School and beyond.

In 1942, Wooden served as a Navy lieutenant during World War II, and shortly thereafter he returned to the world of basketball. In 1946 coached basketball at Indiana State Teachers College. His basketball teams secured a 44-15 record over two seasons and back-to-back Indiana Collegiate Conference titles. He also coached baseball and served as athletic director while he earned a Master’s degree in English. In 1947 his team received an invitation to the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball (NAIB) National Tournament in Kansas City, however he refused the invite because the NAIB banned African-American players.

Wooden arrived at UCLA to take over as head basketball coach in 1948. At the time, the facilities to build a team were subpar, but Wooden was focused on giving his team the discipline to become great competitors—and his players' hard work paid off. Over time, UCLA won 38 straight NCAA tournaments, had 88 consecutive victories, secured four perfect 30-0 seasons and won 10 national championships. Wooden was the first person to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as both player and coach.

Wooden retired in 1975 but continued to be an influential figure in sports. He received several awards after retiring, including the Reagan Distinguished American Award in 1995 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003. Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom, George W. Bush said, "All his players will tell you, the most important man on their team was not on the court. He was the man who taught generations of basketball players the fundamentals of hard work and discipline, patience and teamwork. Coach Wooden remains a part of their lives as a teacher of the game, and as an example of what a good man should be."





Larry Shaw and John Wooden.





He spoke to us about what it takes to succeed in life. Something we should all aspire to attain is success; success is never trying to be better than anyone else in life. Always learn from other people. He then quoted a short verse.

At God's footstool to confess,

a poor soul knelt to and bowed his head,

"I failed", He Cried. The Master said, <"Thou didst thy best, that is success!"

Peace of mind comes from knowing you did the best you can. Happiness in your heart comes from knowing that you did your best. For a plan to success, John came up with his idea for the "Pyramid of Success."





The base or foundation has at one end "Enthusiasm" and at the other "Industriousness". In between these important ideas are the ideas of "Friendship, Loyalty and Cooperation." The second level has "Self Control, Alertness, Initiative and Intentness". On one end is the idea of "Ambition" and on the other end "Sincerity." The third level has "Condition, Skill and Team Spirit". One end of this level has "Adaptability" while the other has "Honesty." The fourth level is "Poise and Confidence" braced by "Resourcefulness" on one end and "Reliability" on the other. The top level of the "Pyramid of Success" is "Completive Greatness" surrounded by "Fight, Faith, Patience and Integrity".





The Pyramid of Success.

He opened the floor to questions from the audience and was asked about the Los Angeles Lakers and stated they could use some good old-fashioned teamwork. I had a chance to ask a question: "Coach Wooden, you have seen thousands of basketball players in your great career. In your opinion, who was the best guard, forward or center that you have ever seen play basketball?

He thought for a moment and said, "Center, that would be Bill Russell as he caused the game of basketball to be changed forever. Forward, a quick pause, Larry Bird as he was the most natural player, not great athletic skills but a true love of the game. Guards, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Michael Jordan, who was the best all-around player ever. If I was going to have an All Star Team, I would also include Lew Alcindor [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar] and Bill Walton".

I had always wanted to ask Mr. Wooden that question and thanked him for his answer. That was the final question of the lunch and with it, I walked back to the Red Line Subway 7th and Metro station to reach Union Station for the APTA equipment display.





ORMV2 Advanced Rail Management Cooperation and HRZ118 Herzog Rail Tester. The ORMV-2 is an Optical Rail Measurement Vehicle and HRZ 118 is a Hi-Rail support equipment vehicle.





Union Pacific ES44AC 5365 led one display track with Metrolink coach 171, F40PH 800, cab car 602, coaches 201 and 204 with F59PHI 884.





Union Pacific ES44AC 5365 built by General Electric in 2005.





The "Scottish Thistle" led private cars "Pacific Sands", "Overland Trail" and "Colonial Crafts" with Superliner coach 34109, Pacific Surfliner café/coach 6307 and F59PHI 463.





Metrolink 884 held one end of the line, while to the left, Pacific Surfliner 463 held the other.

On My Way Home

A very tired Chris boarded Pacific Surfliner 580 for the trip back to Santa Ana. Knowing that Santa Fe 3751 would be steaming north sometime soon to be part of the display, I knew I had to keep my eyes open.





Down at the Redondo Junction Roundhouse was Santa Fe 4-8-4 3751 whistling at our train as we passed on the Metrolink flyover. With that picture, I dozed off as the train took me home, where I detrained. This ends my coverage of the 2005 APTA conference. Thank you to all the APTA members I met, but a special thank you to Virginia Miller, who arranged everything for me.



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