MBTA3247 wrote:3295 hasn't moved for a quarter century, so most of the control system would need a teardown and cleaning before it could run under its own power again. Otherwise, AFAIK it's in good condition from having been stored in the subway the whole time, so the T should be able to make it operable again fairly quickly if they had a mind to.
BandA wrote:Maintaining these things indefinitely is way cheaper than buying new rolling stock, right? The only problem is the vehicles are smaller, so you need more operators (and second car operators aka farebox watchers) when there are crowds. Why can't the "T" have a heritage line?
F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:BandA wrote:Maintaining these things indefinitely is way cheaper than buying new rolling stock, right? The only problem is the vehicles are smaller, so you need more operators (and second car operators aka farebox watchers) when there are crowds. Why can't the "T" have a heritage line?
They're dirt simple and can run on much crummier track than LRV's, but it takes expertise they really don't have anymore to maintain them as a mainline fleet. For example, there's plenty of secondhand parts available to keep old PCC's running if you know where to look, but you have to have someone in-house knowledgeable enough to be able to scour the aftermarket for the right parts and also evaluate the condition of those parts. And there just aren't many of those people left at the T who know the guts of an old PCC well enough for that. This isn't a heritage operation staffed with ops that has specific expertise in running a heritage operation. The High Speed Line is a fairly substantial cog in the rapid transit network. If it needs to glom off Green Line ops for the economy of scale to keep it running, then their needs are what they are and they don't line up with keeping a specialized staff, parts, and support facilities for a de facto heritage operation. We all knew this long ago, so it's not really ripe for second-guessing. Nor should they deviate one iota of attention away from trying to pull the Green Line out of its maintenance hole. So if the Type 9 options free up a fleet of 6-8 Kinkis to go to a track-and-cat upgraded High Speed Line, so be it. Priority #1 is keeping the abandonment and--shudder--BRT rumors from popping back up again (which thankfully they have not in the last decade).
Of course, if Milton hadn't been so bullheaded about throwing up blockers so they can keep their itty-bitty intermediate stops we would've had a proper Red Line extension ages ago. And could easily mount that as the PCC replacement for quite a bit less money than every other major transit project in the city. But they don't want to give up Butler, Valley, and Capen and mash Milton + Central Ave. into a combo heavy rail intermediate stop so it's been the same impasse with the town for three-quarters of a century.
BandA wrote:Maintaining these things indefinitely is way cheaper than buying new rolling stock, right? The only problem is the vehicles are smaller, so you need more operators (and second car operators aka farebox watchers) when there are crowds. Why can't the "T" have a heritage line?
MBTA3247 wrote:BandA wrote:Maintaining these things indefinitely is way cheaper than buying new rolling stock, right? The only problem is the vehicles are smaller, so you need more operators (and second car operators aka farebox watchers) when there are crowds. Why can't the "T" have a heritage line?
The High Speed Line doesn't run 2-car trains in normal service. The boost in service frequency during rush hour is sufficient to handle the crowds on the line.
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I'm laughing at all the concerns about 3295 not having air conditioning. The High Speed Line's riders managed to get by without it just fine for decades.
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The major issue with running Type 7s (or any articulated LRV) on the High Speed Line is trucking them to/from Riverside for any remotely heavy maintenance. Is there a route with suitable clearances for an 80' lowboy trailer between Mattapan and Rt 128?
F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:The Route 138 exit is a straight shot to Mattapan Yard with no overhead structures except for the new arch at the station driveway (which has generous clearance).
F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:One would presume they're going to lengthen the pits if LRV's come to Mattapan, since things like that are non-optional. The whole shed will get re-equipped with whatever it needs.
Gerry6309 wrote: As for the future, they could always buy back some of the cars they sold to Vintage Rail for parts to keep the wartimes going.
TomNelligan wrote:Gerry6309 wrote: As for the future, they could always buy back some of the cars they sold to Vintage Rail for parts to keep the wartimes going.
Unfortunately, those cars are now heavily vandalized ruins. See this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzqiYIpRItU
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