Mass Tram America is now offering a "Ticket for life" for their tram for only $100! According to their highwayinthesky website,
"We want you to have the chance of a lifetime: to get on board Mass Tram America, with a lifetime ticket! Why are we doing this? Mass Tram America is a grassroots movement for a new form of transportation. This will happen and it can happen even sooner with your support! For a mere $100.00 you get a Ticket for Life, no strings attached. This is a limited time offer. You will expect to pay an estimated $.42 per mile so over a lifetime you could save quite a bit, and be one of the first to hold a ticket for Mass Tram America!"
Their website says they are currently looking at a Mass Tram project between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, a 270 mile route that would cost $1.9 billion. If they sell 19 million "Tickets for Life" at $100 each, they'll have enough money to build their highway in the sky.
This time last year, the media was buzzing with Mass Tram America's proposal for a tram from Troutdale to Mt. Hood. I discussed their proposal to the Troutdale City Council here and here . The consensus of the City Council was to urge them to come back when they had some solid financials to show us. But I think we've been priced out of consideration. Oh well.
Showing posts with label Tram. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tram. Show all posts
May 9, 2008
Oct 10, 2007
Ski Resort In Troutdale? Plenty Mag Thinks So
"Mass Tram also has its eye on Oregon ski resorts Troutdale and Mt. Hood. Linking the two could be a boon to skiers who have difficulty getting to the slopes when the highway washes out. . ."
Plenty Magazine, the environmentally conscious magazine for global warming hipsters everywhere, featured Mass Tram America's proposed Troutdale Tram in its current issue. I must not be hip enough. I had NO idea there was a ski resort in Troutdale.
Thanks to blog posts here, and here, about the proposed Troutdale Tram, Plenty Magazine called and e-mailed me for comments. Thanks, Plentymag, for quoting me in your article. But where did you get the idea that Troutdale was a ski resort?
Plenty Magazine, the environmentally conscious magazine for global warming hipsters everywhere, featured Mass Tram America's proposed Troutdale Tram in its current issue. I must not be hip enough. I had NO idea there was a ski resort in Troutdale.
Thanks to blog posts here, and here, about the proposed Troutdale Tram, Plenty Magazine called and e-mailed me for comments. Thanks, Plentymag, for quoting me in your article. But where did you get the idea that Troutdale was a ski resort?
Aug 19, 2007
How They'll Sell The Troutdale Tram
Thanks to Max Redline for making me laugh tonight! (Oh, yeah, thanks also to the late, great Phil Hartman)
May 2, 2007
Last Tram(scam) To Troutdale
As far as I'm concerned, Mass Tram America's proposal for a tram in Troutdale is DOA. It will never be built. Here's why.
Mass Tram America Inc is the brainchild of Ben Missler, a (according to Willamette Week) "self-described veteran of the alternative energy movement". Missler and his PR rep Julie Mikalson gave the company's pitch to the Troutdale city council.
Mass Tram America claims these tram cars will travel between 100-200 mph.
Mass Tram America proposed a Troutdale-Mt. Hood resort area system. But there's a big problem.
A tram from Troutdale to Mt. Hood would have to go through the Columbia River Gorge Scenic area, which is adjacent to Troutdale. As most everyone is aware, the Columbia Gorge Commission won't allow so much as a sno-cone stand in the gorge, so I don't think they'll allow a goofy tram with 300 foot towers.
Troutdale residents tolerate the wind, but I'm positive they wouldn't appreciate 200mph trams flying between 50 foot-high towers above their neighborhoods. Can you see it? You're in your quiet backyard, enjoying nature, when WHOOSH, the tram screams by at 200 mph a mere 50 feet above your previously private yard.
The Portland Tram generated at least one "F*** the TRAM" banner displayed by an unhappy homeowner below that tram's route. I don't think Troutdale residents would be so polite!
$4 million per mile, not including rights of way. Mass Tram America claims they can build this system above existing highway and rail rights-of-way, or leased from farmers and landowners. That's where BIG problem lies with their estimate of $4 million per mile. It is totally unrealistic. Costs would run of tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions of dollars PER MILE for right of way acquisition.
According to Mass Tram America, the tram's benefit to Troutdale would be " free publicity, clean power, solar/wind farms."
We got the free publicity. Willamette Week, KGW TV, Gresham Outlook. I was interviewed twice on KPAM 860's Victoria Taft Show. Not because this tram proposal was a great idea, but because of its goofy LARRY LIGHTBULB concept.
Clean Power? We already have that about 30 miles up I-84. It's called Bonneville Dam, The Dalles Dam, etc. haven't they heard of hydroelectric? Sure, the dams kill fish. But wind farms kill birds by the thousands. Which way would the animal rights activists sway? Is it ok to kill the ugly fish, but not the cute birdies? Too close to call?
What about wind power generation in Troutdale? The city has studied this. According to experts, Troutdale doesn't supply enough wind in the summer. In the winter, our high winds would trigger automatic shut-down of current technology wind generators. They don't operate at higher wind speeds that typically blow through Troutdale for weeks at a time in the winter.
If you can't explain what your basic concept is in 30 seconds, you'll never turn your tram dream into reality.
Mass Tram America's presentation to the Troutdale City Council was a long, slightly incoherent ramble of jargon. PR rep Mikalson talked non-stop for 45 minutes. During this entire long monologue, they couldn't elucidate what they wanted, who was supposed to pay for it, how it was going to be financed, or who was going to build it. Even when we asked direct questions on cost and financing methods, we got nothing but generalizations and more jargon.
Instead, we got 45 minutes of rambling on the following items (Taken from my notes)
Complex financial strategy
Business energy tax credit 35% of upfront costs financing
Solar/wind
Green tag currency to avoid diesel/Co2 emission
Create green tag currency market now
Collective desire
Climate Trust- greenhouse gas facilitator
High quality carbon offset proposal
Infrastructure would be same as wind towers
Proposal to build megawatts of community based power
Were you bored reading all that jargon? Could you decipher anything about a tram in there? Neither could I.
With all due respect to Mass Tram America, my gut tells me this tram idea is less about alternative transportation and more about finding ways to spend the free money given away by Greeniac scams such as the Energy Trust. The source of the free money: arbitrary Co2 standards set by Global Warming high priests and priestesses as a way to redistribute carbon emission penalties of perceived Co2 pollution.
I am disappointed in a lack of disclosure by Mikalson. There was nothing in Mass Tram America's written materials or her presentation to the city council declaring that apparently she's also selling solar systems for a solar energy company. At the same time she was encouraging Troutdale to buy into the wonders of this marvelous solar powered tram, she apparently had a dog in the fight as a sales representative of a solar energy company.
According to her own web site, and her MySpace site here, Mikalson appears to be a manufacturers rep for CitizenRe SOLAR equipment. Also of some interest is CitizenRe's business model. CitizenRe is a multilevel marketing organization. According to a recent WIRED magazine article, "Citizenrē's offer is generating a furor in renewable energy circles, fueled by the company's own secrecy and an unusual business plan that combines serious technological expertise with an exuberant multilevel marketing campaign in the style of Amway, Mary Kay and Tupperware."
Regardless of Mikalson's interests, I'm not inclined to do business with pyramid schemes.
Mass Tram America didn't do their homework.
A tram in Troutdale is a Larry Lightbulb solution without a problem.
Costs are inaccurate without considering right of way acquisition costs.
Wind power won't work in Troutdale
Columbia Gorge commission and Troutdale residents would never accept tram or its 50 to 300 foot high towers
If they can't communicate what they're doing in 45 minutes, they can't build anything.
Finally, if you're pitching a solar energy- based transportation system to a city, you need to disclose that you sell solar energy systems for a solar energy manufacturer.
Mass Tram America Inc is the brainchild of Ben Missler, a (according to Willamette Week) "self-described veteran of the alternative energy movement". Missler and his PR rep Julie Mikalson gave the company's pitch to the Troutdale city council.
Here's how it's supposed to work:
De-commissioned Boeing 737's are stripped of their wings, engines and tails. Power is provided by solar electricity, wind power and fuel cells.The system of single rails are hung from suspension cables. Towers from 50 to 100 feet high to support the rail system are erected every 1000 feet and fitted with solar panels or wind turbines.Mass Tram America claims these tram cars will travel between 100-200 mph.
Where It Is Supposed To Go:
Mass Tram America proposed a Troutdale-Mt. Hood resort area system. But there's a big problem.
A tram from Troutdale to Mt. Hood would have to go through the Columbia River Gorge Scenic area, which is adjacent to Troutdale. As most everyone is aware, the Columbia Gorge Commission won't allow so much as a sno-cone stand in the gorge, so I don't think they'll allow a goofy tram with 300 foot towers.
Troutdale residents tolerate the wind, but I'm positive they wouldn't appreciate 200mph trams flying between 50 foot-high towers above their neighborhoods. Can you see it? You're in your quiet backyard, enjoying nature, when WHOOSH, the tram screams by at 200 mph a mere 50 feet above your previously private yard.
The Portland Tram generated at least one "F*** the TRAM" banner displayed by an unhappy homeowner below that tram's route. I don't think Troutdale residents would be so polite!
What They Say It Will Cost:
$4 million per mile, not including rights of way. Mass Tram America claims they can build this system above existing highway and rail rights-of-way, or leased from farmers and landowners. That's where BIG problem lies with their estimate of $4 million per mile. It is totally unrealistic. Costs would run of tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions of dollars PER MILE for right of way acquisition.
What's the benefit for Troutdale:
According to Mass Tram America, the tram's benefit to Troutdale would be " free publicity, clean power, solar/wind farms."
We got the free publicity. Willamette Week, KGW TV, Gresham Outlook. I was interviewed twice on KPAM 860's Victoria Taft Show. Not because this tram proposal was a great idea, but because of its goofy LARRY LIGHTBULB concept.
Clean Power? We already have that about 30 miles up I-84. It's called Bonneville Dam, The Dalles Dam, etc. haven't they heard of hydroelectric? Sure, the dams kill fish. But wind farms kill birds by the thousands. Which way would the animal rights activists sway? Is it ok to kill the ugly fish, but not the cute birdies? Too close to call?
What about wind power generation in Troutdale? The city has studied this. According to experts, Troutdale doesn't supply enough wind in the summer. In the winter, our high winds would trigger automatic shut-down of current technology wind generators. They don't operate at higher wind speeds that typically blow through Troutdale for weeks at a time in the winter.
The Reason I Know It Will Never Be Built
If you can't explain what your basic concept is in 30 seconds, you'll never turn your tram dream into reality.
Mass Tram America's presentation to the Troutdale City Council was a long, slightly incoherent ramble of jargon. PR rep Mikalson talked non-stop for 45 minutes. During this entire long monologue, they couldn't elucidate what they wanted, who was supposed to pay for it, how it was going to be financed, or who was going to build it. Even when we asked direct questions on cost and financing methods, we got nothing but generalizations and more jargon.
Instead, we got 45 minutes of rambling on the following items (Taken from my notes)
Complex financial strategy
Business energy tax credit 35% of upfront costs financing
Solar/wind
Green tag currency to avoid diesel/Co2 emission
Create green tag currency market now
Collective desire
Climate Trust- greenhouse gas facilitator
High quality carbon offset proposal
Infrastructure would be same as wind towers
Proposal to build megawatts of community based power
Were you bored reading all that jargon? Could you decipher anything about a tram in there? Neither could I.
With all due respect to Mass Tram America, my gut tells me this tram idea is less about alternative transportation and more about finding ways to spend the free money given away by Greeniac scams such as the Energy Trust. The source of the free money: arbitrary Co2 standards set by Global Warming high priests and priestesses as a way to redistribute carbon emission penalties of perceived Co2 pollution.
What They Didn't Disclose To The City Council
I am disappointed in a lack of disclosure by Mikalson. There was nothing in Mass Tram America's written materials or her presentation to the city council declaring that apparently she's also selling solar systems for a solar energy company. At the same time she was encouraging Troutdale to buy into the wonders of this marvelous solar powered tram, she apparently had a dog in the fight as a sales representative of a solar energy company.
According to her own web site, and her MySpace site here, Mikalson appears to be a manufacturers rep for CitizenRe SOLAR equipment. Also of some interest is CitizenRe's business model. CitizenRe is a multilevel marketing organization. According to a recent WIRED magazine article, "Citizenrē's offer is generating a furor in renewable energy circles, fueled by the company's own secrecy and an unusual business plan that combines serious technological expertise with an exuberant multilevel marketing campaign in the style of Amway, Mary Kay and Tupperware."
Regardless of Mikalson's interests, I'm not inclined to do business with pyramid schemes.
CONCLUSION
Mass Tram America didn't do their homework.
A tram in Troutdale is a Larry Lightbulb solution without a problem.
Costs are inaccurate without considering right of way acquisition costs.
Wind power won't work in Troutdale
Columbia Gorge commission and Troutdale residents would never accept tram or its 50 to 300 foot high towers
If they can't communicate what they're doing in 45 minutes, they can't build anything.
Finally, if you're pitching a solar energy- based transportation system to a city, you need to disclose that you sell solar energy systems for a solar energy manufacturer.
Apr 15, 2007
Misc. Troutdale Stuff
First of all, I'm not happy with city staff this weekend. The budget document for the proposed 2007-08 budget was delivered to my doorstep on Friday afternoon, April 13. The budget committee meetings are scheduled for April 16, 17, and 18. This gave me and every other member of the budget committee only the weekend to go over this complex budget document. Nice.
Second, the idea of a tram made from recycled 737 fuselages and funded via the smoke and mirrors of carbon offsets still strikes me as a joke. But not the funny kind of joke. More on this later. I'm writing a speech for next week's Toastmaster meeting, and I'll blog on this later in the week.
Third. Wow. Wasn't it a beautiful day today! Indeed it was!
Fourth, Imus will be missed. He was gross, offensive, disgusting, and at the same time smart, funny, an entertaining. Race baiting is alive and well in the USA. What Imus said was over the line, granted. But when fake preachers like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, and record companies like CBS get thug rappers fired for saying what Imus said, I'll believe justice will be done.
Fifth, beautiful days like this deserve to end with a cold Corona, served in a chilled mug. On that note, I'll wish everyone a happy Sunday evening. And by the way, let's go Mets!
Second, the idea of a tram made from recycled 737 fuselages and funded via the smoke and mirrors of carbon offsets still strikes me as a joke. But not the funny kind of joke. More on this later. I'm writing a speech for next week's Toastmaster meeting, and I'll blog on this later in the week.
Third. Wow. Wasn't it a beautiful day today! Indeed it was!
Fourth, Imus will be missed. He was gross, offensive, disgusting, and at the same time smart, funny, an entertaining. Race baiting is alive and well in the USA. What Imus said was over the line, granted. But when fake preachers like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, and record companies like CBS get thug rappers fired for saying what Imus said, I'll believe justice will be done.
Fifth, beautiful days like this deserve to end with a cold Corona, served in a chilled mug. On that note, I'll wish everyone a happy Sunday evening. And by the way, let's go Mets!
Apr 6, 2007
No Joke! Tram Proposed In Troutdale
After opening next week's city council agenda notebook, one agenda item popped out at me: MASS TRAM AMERICA. I did a double take. A tram proposal for Troutdale? Surely the date read April 1 and was a late April Fools day joke. But I looked at the date again. Nope. It's a real agenda item, for the April 10 meeting.
Next step: Google it. There it is. With a write-up in the most recent Willamette Week, no less. Step Two: I clicked on the web site for the project, the highwayinthesky.us.
I couldn't help myself. A snorting guffaw came out when my eyes fell on the artist's rendering (seen above). I know, I know. These people are apparently very serious about their proposal. And as an elected official, I should, with all decorum, show plenty of the proper seriousness and respect for any proposal that comes before us. So please accept my apologies for my lack of decorum, Mass Tram America.
In all seriousness, this is what Mass Tram America wants from the city of Troutdale:
"Troutdale and Mass Tram America agree to discuss and review designs for potential Prototype routes and partnership concepts that can help leverage the finance and development of a pollution-free transit system Prototype". etc etc.
Then we get to the money line in the last sentence of their proposal: "I look forward to working with the Mayor, Commissioners and Troutdale planning staff to create and fund an exciting solution to meet a range of urban livability challenges. Best Regards, Julie Mikalson, Progressive Strategies".
In other words, they have their hand out for some public money to finance their tram concept: recycled 737 aircraft fuselages powered by solar cells.
Troutdale's a small town. Couldn't they start smaller, say, by recycling Sky King's twin-engine Cessna 310B?
(I always wanted to meet his niece, Penny. . .)
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