LA Metro Metro and Bus Bits 1 (mini)

Planning Lax At LAX?

Above is "Hangar 1", opened in 1928 and the first significant structure at what would become Los Angeles International Airport (Code LAX). By 1931 it had growed a bit, pictured here on a military display day in 1931.

It is even bigger now ...

Blog readers may wish to amuse themselves on a quiet February evening by trying to work out where the terminals are. This diagram may help ...

... as might this zoom in!

Strangely, by today's standards, LAX lacked a direct rail service of any kind until 2022. L A Metro Rail line C came close but new line K was planned to served a super duper LAX station opening in 2023.

Only it didn't.

Line K had a hole in the middle!

It's not quite an intergalactic black hole, but it is coloured grey.

This meant the there were two separate Ks.

Before we explore the deep chasm further, a look a short video to give a taste of what Line K, the newest on the system, looks like.

It has reserved track, viaducts, tunnels etc etc and is much more a light railway that the original blue line A.

Mind The Gap

Apparently the Gap exists because the airport couldn't get its act together in providing a connection between the Metro metro station and the vastness of the airport.

It's there now (just about) and the Metro metro gap filler will open (should open, might open?} later this year. 

But the people mover needed to get passengers from train to plane will not open  (should open, might open?) until 2026.

The People Mover is fully automatic (should be, might be?) ...

... and somewhat basic internally.

Presumably, typically overweight "Angelenos" can park their ample posteriors on the perches along the sides. The service runs on a squashed sausage shaped loop at a two minute frequency (Should run? Might run?).

fbb reckons that a 2 min headway is tight for loading people and luggage.

So what happens in the gap at the moment?

It's a bus innit?

It is a proper LA Metro bus with route number 857 ...

... a simple route map ...

... and a proper timetable; all filling the gap.

A ten minute frequency is on offer. So is this short video.

Line C will also extend to, and terminate at, the new station.

=====================

Unbodging the Bodge with a Bodge

The idea was that those two sidings could be removed en bloc to provide fbb with a small work becnch. We have already seen that the hillock and trees are removable.

But fbb's over enthusiastic ballasting had gummed things up! 

So a new base was created using bodged bits of card (several thicknesses) and a good dollop of PVA glue. It was all weighted down with Mrs fbb's father's shop sticky tape dispenser. It weights slightly more than a double deck bus.

Once set, fbb began the process of re-ballasting with slightly less "panache" than before; seen below in the process of setting.

Sadly rhe set of two short sidings failed. The (relatively newly purchased) point had lost its "over centre" tiny spring which meant that it persistently refused to pass the electric to its sidings. fbb thinks he might have been a little too violent in pinging off bits of rock solid ballast and pinged off the vital spring.

Ham fitted idiot!

A new second-hand point is on its way from a well known South American river.

P.S.

No 1 son is 50 today! 

Which makes fbb feel very old!

But fbb IS very old!

=========================

 Next LA bits blog : Sat 15 Feb