Kinda makes you wonder how tenable an operation (Portland Streetcar) this is if they can't afford what I would call warranty repairs.

Expensive little hobby horse, isn't it. Maybe COP can launch ferries across the Willamette, instead of bridges, for its next act. Or maybe Hales could pull the plug?

Portland Streetcar is asking the City of Portland for $145,000 to fix a malfunctioning propulsion system on the only streetcar that manufacturer United Streetcar has delivered to the city.

What is it about this that I don't understand?
Why would we be paying to fix a malfunction, instead of the manufacturer?
Or why would we be paying to fix a malfunction, instead of Portland Streetcar?

"Why would we be paying to fix a malfunction"

Because CoP wants streetcars so bad, they'll just raid whatever honeypots they can find to pay for this stuff.

Besides, it's other peoples money, what do they care?

I'd guess if you looked long and hard at the contracts for the "purchase" you will find that Portland Streetcar agreed to accept a prototype and to help pay for it's development in exchange for reduced prices in the future when United Streetcar (and the usual suspects) find some more unsuspecting marks in other cites to buy them.

The propulsion system would be even less capable if the thing had riders on it. I am rooting for the local guys, but I wish I wasn't paying for them to learn.

The propulsion systems on those things are a joke. I remember I tried to use the Streetcar as part of my commute, during my brief time attending PSU in the early '00s. It would routinely get stuck on the slight incline on SW 11th Ave, near Taylor St, and sit there with its blinkers on for 10 minutes.

I quickly came to the conclusion that it was better for my sanity, my health, and sheer expedience to just walk. To call the Streetcar "transportation" is a joke.

The streetcar has never been about 'transportation'. It's meant to help sell condos to the unwary.

The streetcar has never been about 'transportation'. It's meant to help sell condos to the unwary.

Indeed, the whole insanity of so-called "development-oriented transit". I remember reading the glossy PR flack brochure about that, mouth agape at the sheer stupidity of it all.

Why, oh why, do I hear Sam Adams snickering "You'll lose money with every streetcar, but you'll make it up in volume!" in the background?

Was it that under Sammyboy’s horrific watch the City was bamboozled into purchasing streetcars without warranties? It figures!

The streetcar mania goes all the way back to the gusty idiot winds of Char-Lie, Mother Vera, and Opie Sten.

They will just increase parking rates and parking fines to cover the shortfall. You could patch a lot of potholes for what is spent on streetcars. Don't believe the BS about color of money.

Fire Gustafson. His salary should more than cover this.

But there's never any money to replace TriMet's 23 year old aging, unreliable bus fleet...

There's always money to throw around at the Streetcar, to placate the handful of vocal Streetcar supporters who are too good to ride a bus.

It may be time for those who may not have read it yet,
or a refresher to the link to the Gravy Train article.

http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-7641-gravy_train.html
Gravy Train
Earl Blumenauer and the ”transportation mafia”

This is a good time to view The Simpsons tackle the mono rail and watch the fast talking 'mono rail' salesman sell Springfield a toy train that goes around in circles!

So for the price of half of a new bus, they might be able to fix one lemon Streetcar that goes less places, carries less people, and does it slower?

How is United Streetcar not footing the bill for their non-functional piece of garbage? Why did anyone think it was a good thing that we were buying from a company that has never produced a working product, instead of another company that has, solely for geographic reasons?

Please keep this garbage "transit" system in Portland, and do not export it to other cities.

Tuscon, while waiting for United streetcars, is considering hooking up burros to old San Diego rubber-tired fake streetcars to move the 59 people who have purchases season passes.

I guess there are so many potholes the brain trust have decided to build rails over them instead of going old school and just filling them.

This is a good time to view The Simpsons tackle the mono rail and watch the fast talking 'mono rail' salesman sell Springfield a toy train that goes around in circles!

[Lyle Lanley]: "I've sold streetcars to Brockway, Ogdenville, and North Haverbrook, and by golly it's put them on the map!"

Did Vera used to say she wanted to put Portland "on the map"?

A nice recap:

http://ti.org/antiplanner/?p=7399#more-7399