A summary statement too...   for one Czech Streetcar we could have gotten 3 NOLA cars.  That could have given us frequency rates of 3-4 minutes instead of 10 minutes that we have now.  Imagine how many people could use the system with that type of frequency!!!!

Now onto a few specific points.

* The NOLA cars (just like the classic Streetcars Portland has) are silent in operation.  The Czech cars when they first arrived, from what I recall, where relateively peaceful.  Maybe the new ones will be really silent too.  But if they go the same route as the current operating cars in PDX they will get louder and louder, and clunkier and clunkier in operation.  I'm sorry, but if my car made that much noise, it's time for repairs or a new car.  I feel the same way about transit vehicles.  I hate how noisy diesal busses are.  I love how silent the MAX LRVs are and how nice and polite the NOLA cars roll through neighborhoods.  The Czech PDX cars just tear up a racket.

I still must clause though.  I'd rather the racket of the Czech cars than busses or nothing.

** The NOLA cars, the one's that weren't built recently, are over 90+ years old.  (Perly Thomas cars).  They where built by the same shops that built the new cars.  They've had some maintenance etc.  But their costs are so low it would make JK spaz.  They probably ARE at about .18 cents a mile (re: recent Portland TRansport comments for that one).

The Czech ones, from what I can gander, are barely pushing 20+ years in some places.

Another mention of qualms.  A mention was made in a previous comment regarding Prague's great system.  We used to have great system, to compare or beta out other countries easily.  Now we don't because we're so busy attempting to emulate and not tread our own path (or whatever reason one wants to make).

Also - Don't get me wrong, I love the Czech cars enough to enjoy the hell outta of em'.  But blast it I just see the decision making and the good use of American know how just horrible to have bypassed.  This is one of the scenarios where the American product is better IN EVERY WAY!!!  I can't say the same if they where trying to buy a car, an SUV, or such.  Because American cars and SUVs are embarrassing in so many ways.  But by goodness our Streetcars will kick their Streetcars butts!

**** Last but not least.  The articulation adds a major future maintenance cost (if it hasn't already), adds a major construction cost, and is not needed at all for America streets, even in Portland.  Every turn I have seen in this beautiful city is plenty wide enough for a traditional single frame car.  If this was used instead (such as with the NOLA cars) the costs would be drastically reduced.  Also the legal liability (I'm sure it is almost non-existent anyway as the city & Portland Streetcar I doubt are accountable for the actual design or operation of such vehicles) is reduced, the possible problems if I child wedges in between bars in the car are eliminated, and persons per car is not reduced by any significant amount (maybe 4-8 people at most).

So anyway, this is the specific list of the issues I see.  The reasons I feel Portland got shafted and continues to get shafted by said design, and the reason I keep hoping that someone (Sam? Rex?) steps up and says, we need a cheaper, more reasonable, more logical Streetcar to use on our streets.  Maybe one day Portlanders will actually give JK and the naysayers of such systems a real math fact to say hey, it really is better and cheaper instead of adding fuel to the fire of anti-transit advocates.

Nothing sells transit better than good transit usage and design.  Nothing loses ridership and supporters faster than a bad design, high prices, and irrelevant service.