Are all platforms now high level?

I was looking at photos of the new double deck cars. It doesn't appear they have traps and steps for ground loading. How can this be, not all stations have high platforms do they? What about the station in the street? How about east of Michigan City?

train2 wrote:I was looking at photos of the new double deck cars. It doesn't appear they have traps and steps for ground loading. How can this be, not all stations have high platforms do they? What about the station in the street? How about east of Michigan City?

The new cars do have traps and steps, on the non-operating end. Only 4 stations have high level platforms at this time - South Bend Airport, East Chicago, Hammond, and Hegewisch.

When looking at this photo:

http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPictur ... id=1428002

It appears a red step is hanging below the door, that looks to be for crew use. This red step looks like it would prevent a trap from swinging down.

I did not think the cars would work without traps, but the photos don't show this very well.

train2 wrote:When looking at this photo:

http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPictur ... id=1428002

It appears a red step is hanging below the door, that looks to be for crew use. This red step looks like it would prevent a trap from swinging down.

I did not think the cars would work without traps, but the photos don't show this very well.

Those are temporary steps used for transporting the cars. The real steps could not be shipped in place due to plate restrictions. They were retofitted after delivery.

you couldn't get away without low level boarding on the South Shore, which still has the interurban flair. On the IC its all high level. All low level boarding has the traps for high level boarding which is true for the old cars (the orange ones), and prolly for safety reasons the cars had to have low level access.

dinwitty wrote:and prolly for safety reasons the cars had to have low level access.

True, even the new Metra cars have a single trap door and low-level steps under one of the center doors, for crew use and emergencies.

Gary metro center also a high platform station. so thats 5. and for NICTD those are the most important for mainly those ones are where handicap accessibility are the most influenced. the new double decker's as I've been told will not run any further east than Michigan city due to height restrictions.

buddah wrote:Gary metro center also a high platform station. so thats 5. and for NICTD those are the most important for mainly those ones are where handicap accessibility are the most influenced. the new double decker's as I've been told will not run any further east than Michigan city due to height restrictions.

Gary Metro does not have a High Level Platform, it only has a center low level platform. It will probaly have a high level platform if the new gateway station gets built.

Dune Park desperatley needs high level platforms.

buddah wrote:Gary metro center also a high platform station. so thats 5. and for NICTD those are the most important for mainly those ones are where handicap accessibility are the most influenced. the new double decker's as I've been told will not run any further east than Michigan city due to height restrictions.

It's not due to height restrictions, it's because of the state of the wire and the fact that the new cars only have a single pantograph.

superbad wrote:Dune Park desperatley needs high level platforms.

It's next on the list.

jb9152 wrote:

buddah wrote:Gary metro center also a high platform station. so thats 5. and for NICTD those are the most important for mainly those ones are where handicap accessibility are the most influenced. the new double decker's as I've been told will not run any further east than Michigan city due to height restrictions.

It's not due to height restrictions, it's because of the state of the wire and the fact that the new cars only have a single pantograph.

difference between single and double pantagraphs? aside the south bend trains might minimally run 2 cars... but the higher traffic needs are towards the chicago side.

dinwitty wrote:

jb9152 wrote:

buddah wrote:Gary metro center also a high platform station. so thats 5. and for NICTD those are the most important for mainly those ones are where handicap accessibility are the most influenced. the new double decker's as I've been told will not run any further east than Michigan city due to height restrictions.

It's not due to height restrictions, it's because of the state of the wire and the fact that the new cars only have a single pantograph.

difference between single and double pantagraphs? aside the south bend trains might minimally run 2 cars... but the higher traffic needs are towards the chicago side.

There is a danger, on a car with a single pantograph, that if it gets into the wire it doesn't have a second pan to raise to move out of the damaged area. However, believe it or not, the ridership growth is all out east at this point. South Bend off-peak riders, especially, are up a LOT.

Well, mod a pole on it or a pole-slider, do the cars have current connections between them?

dinwitty wrote:Well, mod a pole on it or a pole-slider, do the cars have current connections between them?

No.