New rolling stock plant at Rochelle

Looks like this isn't the only rolling stock plant going up - Talgo is going to uproot from WI and move to IL. You know, for all the curvy railroad routes we have. I sincerely hope we don't buy these awesome science experiment trains and instead buy Sumitomo galleries with LD seating for future corridor service.

Nippon Sharyo news:

ROCKFORD (WIFR) -- Nippon Sharyo hosted a supplier event in Rockford today. The international rail car manufacturer is building a new production facility in Rochelle and looking for local suppliers.

http://www.wifr.com/home/headlines/Nipp ... 48709.html

Rochelle is on a roll! RAILWAY AGE's website for today has a news item about Virginia Railway Express (VRE) placing an order for eight more stainless-steel "gallery" bilevels from Sumitomo/Nippon Sharyo. These will come from the newly-built Rochelle, IL plant. If all options from this particular order are exercised, as many as 50 cars may be produced. Earlier VRE bilevels were assembled at Super Steel in Milwaukee, WI, as were the first RTA Metra Electric stainless steel "gallery" bilevels, as well as those of the NICTD South Shore Line.

Are they getting shells from Japan or is this the first American shop to build stainless car shells in 20+ years?

From what I understand, the shells for the CTA's new 5000s are actually being assembled on a jig right there at the plant they're being produced at. Unsure of where the materials are coming from, but I think there's something of a myth that "stainless steel shells are not produced in the US anymore." Lots of variables in there, including where the steel came from, if they came in pre-fab parts, etc.

Tadman wrote:Are they getting shells from Japan or is this the first American shop to build stainless car shells in 20+ years?

Kawasaki's Lincoln, NE plant build full stainless car bodies, now with the MNCR/ConnDOT M-8s and previously with the PATH PA5s. CAF in Elmira Heights, NY is doing so now with the new Viewliners.


@byte I'm not sure about that, but if indeed true it means the Plattsburgh, NY (BBD) plant now has full assembly capability. The NJT Multilevel, LIRR/MNCR M-7 and NYCT R142 stainless body shells were supplied from the Quebec plant.

Good points, thanks guys. Even if it's the second, it's great to see rolling stock made here in volume again.

Not sure if anybody's ever been to the former rolling stock plants, but Budd Red Lion is a golf course, Pressed Steel in Chicago is a steel warehouse (but could be used to assemble train cars again - it's in good shape with modern cranes) and the Pullman plants are either gone or derelict. Pullman-Standard in Hammond is operating as an aluminum mill and partially burnt down. The needed parts have been rebuilt, the unneeded parts are still standing but used for warehousing. I think this is where the orange CSS cars were built. Pullman's former south side operations are either torn down or going to be torn down for a Walmart, with the exception of the former MK building off the Ford Freeway and the protected 108th street facility where it all started.

The St. Louis Car Co. assembly plant at 8000 Hall Street still stands, now as the St. Louis Business Center, an industrial/commercial complex that includes a truck freight terminal and warehousing.

ACF's plant in Berwick, PA still exists.

Thanks for sharing, I'm a bit of an urb-ex junkie. That said, I've never made an illicit entry to an abandoned place, but my last job took me to many old and repurposed factories.

Is that a prison three doors down the road (scroll down)?

Its been a while my friends, but I had to stop by and chime in. All are great location and anywhere in the midwest over all is a step in the right direction, however the state with the highest debt should be finding the way to bring as many manufacturers to there state, and that state happens to be my home of Illinois. The plant at Rochelle is great however I personally wish it would have been located closer to the Chicagland area.

Tadman Glad to see your still around and thats not a prison down Hall street, its just the ST. Louis medium security correctional facility, big difference..lol

According to CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS (see Amtrak Forum) Rochelle will manufacture the shells for the current order of Metra Electric bi-level gallery cars, although the first shells will come from Japan. When production increases, then the shells will be fabricated at the Illinois plant.

CRAIN'S also says Nippon Sharyo will bid on the Illinois Amtrak corridor bi-levels.

Pacific 2-3-1 wrote:According to CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS (see Amtrak Forum) Rochelle will manufacture the shells for the current order of Metra Electric bi-level gallery cars, although the first shells will come from Japan. When production increases, then the shells will be fabricated at the Illinois plant.

Very fitting, as coachbuilding returns to the home state of the legendary Pullman Company.

CHICAGO TRIBUNE reporter John Hilkevitch, who was given a tour of the plant, reports this week that the stainless steel CTA 5000's are "made from scratch" at Bombardier/Plattsburgh, NY -- with the caveat that the UNDERFRAMES come from the Bombardier facility in Mexico (the same one that has assembled EMD locomotives).

And, of course, they don't roll on Pioneer III trucks like the 2200's.

But owing the former "The Budd Company/Railway Division" stainless steel patents probably doesn't hurt Bombardier.

Nippon Sharyo hiring office, factory workers for train car plant

ROCHELLE -- Assemblers, accountants, a manufacturing engineer and a setup welder are among open jobs on Nippon Sharyo career website, about a month before it cuts the ribbon on its new rail car factory.

Grand opening ceremonies for the $35 million train car factory is scheduled for Thursday, July 19.

http://www.rrstar.com/blogs/brianleaf/x ... -car-plant

It looks like the first of the Rochelle plant's Metra Electric cars, with Japan-fabricated shells, will be rolled out around Labor Day, with the second half of the order to be "made-from-scratch" (fabrication of carbody shells) there later on.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/03/19/ ... rict-line/