SEPTA Cancels CRRC multi level order (Was:SEPTA to get multi-level railroad coaches)

[ExCon90]

I think the reason for single cars to Cynwyd is the inability to rustle up enough passengers to fill one car serving only three stations. It's a political thing -- some influential people use that line. (If it's SRO to Wynnefield Ave., I stand corrected.)

[R36 Combine Coach]

Yet the dinky also serves an influential town, but is on the ax.

[Silverliner II]

I think the reason for single cars to Cynwyd is the inability to rustle up enough passengers to fill one car serving only three stations. It's a political thing -- some influential people use that line. (If it's SRO to Wynnefield Ave., I stand corrected.)

Cynwyd caters more so to the reverse commuter. The last time I rode the Cynwyd Line, it was in April of 2019 to do a video ride of the line. I rode the second outbound trip of the morning, and the train left 30th Street with perhaps 1/3 a car full, so perhaps around 30 people. Most getting off at Bala.

[Silverliner II]

THIS is what I was looking for last night. Expression of Interest for the Silverliner VI bids

https://web.archive.org/web/20240118123 ... ocurement/

[MACTRAXX]

The proposed Silverliner VI renderings....
The proposed drawings make it appear that they will be all married pairs, but the verbal word was they were considering triplet sets. We will see....

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Everyone: Interesting renderings of the proposed Silverliner Six cars showing a married pair...
This car design reminds me of the Bombardier Montreal MR90 MU cars - the difference here is the quarter
point high level doors - the MR90 has a single center door area along with low-level end doors...The new
Six cars should have a high/low capability end door similar to some of NJT's Comet and Multilevel cars...

Compatibility with the ROTEM Five fleet should be a must noting that the Four and Five cars can not run
with each other...and remembering that the S2, S3 and S4 cars were compatible when it was necessary.

EC90: There are no clearance or low wire spots on the Center City Commuter Connection trackage
through Market East - as mentioned the problem areas are the Suburban Station (Broad) Interlocking
throat west of the SS platforms along with the 4 track segment to 30th Street Upper...MACTRAXX

P.S. AC - You may want to place all of the Silverliner Six MU car posts here with the procurement topic...

[ExCon90]

Cynwyd caters more so to the reverse commuter. The last time I rode the Cynwyd Line, it was in April of 2019 to do a video ride of the line. I rode the second outbound trip of the morning, and the train left 30th Street with perhaps 1/3 a car full, so perhaps around 30 people. Most getting off at Bala.

Very likely household help. I didn't think of that, but for many years there was regular ridership westbound in the morning on the Paoli line; maybe there still is.

Gotta watch that autocorrect -- it changed Paoli to Palo when it thought I wasn't looking. I had to go back and correct it twice before it accepted the correction and then changed it to Palo again when I was typing this sentence.

[Dcell]

Meanwhile, the first batch of NJT's new rail cars are nearing completion https://www.facebook.com/video.php/?vid ... 0139979506

[Silverliner II]

From the link I shared earlier, inside Exhibit B, three points:

3. SEPTA is considering single level semi-permanently coupled married pairs, triplets, or
quadruplets (married pairs with only one car equipped with a cab).

4. SEPTA is considering reducing the operating speed of the Silverliner VI fleet to 80 mph from
100 mph.

5. SEPTA is considering requiring open gangways with a minimum opening of 40 inches between
semi-permanent couplings as well as diaphragms between coupled trainsets.

[R36 Combine Coach]

Why the trend away from single units? Single units have been featured in the SEPTA fleet since the Pioneer III
and going back to the PRR MP54 and Reading MUs in 1915 and 1931 respectively.

[RandallW]

I'll go out on a limb and posit that a married pair will be less expensive to operate and maintain than two single units because there will be less equipment to maintain and will offer more seating per pair than single units can. If I am reading them right, ADA requirements require that one car per train have a restroom, which would mean that single units would need to carry a restroom as well as two cabs to be a complete train (a two car train would be two complete sets of electrical/power equipment, two restrooms, and four cabs to maintain) while a married pair would be one set of electrical power equipment, one restroom, and two cabs to maintain and I expect a married pair would weigh less per axle than two single units meaning less rail impact and less power draw to operate.

[Nasadowsk]

Why the trend away from single units? Single units have been featured in the SEPTA fleet since the Pioneer III
and going back to the PRR MP54 and Reading MUs in 1915 and 1931 respectively.

Why the trend away from steam? Coal? Semaphores? Pure AC motors and contactors, fed by dry transformers? Carbon steel bodies? Friction bearings? Clasp brakes?

[JeffK]

4. SEPTA is considering reducing the operating speed of the Silverliner VI fleet to 80 mph from 100 mph.

Is this a safety consideration, an economic one, a combination of both, or something else? Are there too few places (IIRC mostly limited to west of Paoli) where a 100-mph car could stretch its legs?

Gotta watch that autocorrect

Which is why I like to call it Autocorrupt

I bleedin' well know the difference between IT'S and ITS, but not Autocorrupt. And every once in a while it decides to replace "definitely" with "defiantly". Go figtree. I mean figure.

[Nasadowsk]

I suspect the number of places sustained 100 mph running is done, doesn’t justify 100 mph trains. You can barely make the case for it on NJT.

Remember, it’s not just being at 100 mph, it’s getting there fast enough, and staying there long enough for it to make a difference, that justifies it.

I don’t see a safety case. You crash at 80 or 100, it’s gonna suck either way.

[scratchyX1]

I suspect the number of places sustained 100 mph running is done, doesn’t justify 100 mph trains. You can barely make the case for it on NJT.

Remember, it’s not just being at 100 mph, it’s getting there fast enough, and staying there long enough for it to make a difference, that justifies it.

I don’t see a safety case. You crash at 80 or 100, it’s gonna suck either way.

Would it be a difference of gearing?

[Silverliner II]

I'll go out on a limb and posit that a married pair will be less expensive to operate and maintain than two single units because there will be less equipment to maintain and will offer more seating per pair than single units can. If I am reading them right, ADA requirements require that one car per train have a restroom, which would mean that single units would need to carry a restroom as well as two cabs to be a complete train (a two car train would be two complete sets of electrical/power equipment, two restrooms, and four cabs to maintain) while a married pair would be one set of electrical power equipment, one restroom, and two cabs to maintain and I expect a married pair would weigh less per axle than two single units meaning less rail impact and less power draw to operate.

The SEPTA cars will not be restroom-equipped. They're not required for runs of under 100 miles. But if an operator chooses to have them, at least one per train must be ADA-accessible.