Cab Car operations on ABC Primetime live...

Here's an update. ABC did a story today about some wierd looking box device being tested that can be installed on the front of a cab car. It's supposed to absorb some of the impact. They said Metrolink is looking in to getting them within three years. ABC is still pushing the anti-cabcar theory though. This was on that news show at 5:30.

Better not tell ABC about CSS, METX-ME, MNCR M-series, SEPTA/NJT Arrows, etc... They wouldn't be able to come up with a snappy reply.

All one needs to do is look at Metra 7382. That's the (former) cab car that sliced through a loaded gravel truck and didn't derail nor was anyone inside seriously hurt. (although it was a different type of accident than the one in CA, where a fouled switch caused the wreck) That car is still in use to this day (albeit de-cabbed after the accident - it was numbered 8222 when it hit the truck) but I doubt a Bomb car would have survived. It would be kind of a flawed argument to bring it up against what ABC's showing - but then again, their stance ("coffin car?" Come onnn...) doesn't exactly hold water either.

Nippon-Sharyo needs to put out some propaganda showing the safety record of standard gallery cars like Metra's versus that of the cigar cars. Perhaps then it will be made clear that not all cab cars are "coffin cars," just the death-trap Bombardiers. I'll bet the South Shore's 100-series cars would stand up pretty well against the cigar cars, too.

More discussion and links in the Long Island forum.

www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=23327

MikeF wrote:Nippon-Sharyo needs to put out some propaganda showing the safety record of standard gallery cars like Metra's versus that of the cigar cars. Perhaps then it will be made clear that not all cab cars are "coffin cars," just the death-trap Bombardiers. I'll bet the South Shore's 100-series cars would stand up pretty well against the cigar cars, too.

No Mike, that wouldn't be propaganda, because the excellent safety record of the Nippon-Sharyo gallery cars would be based on actual factual evidence. FWIW, Caltrain in SF uses both Nippon-Sharyo and Bombardier cab cars, and they seem to be working out just fine. (I know, this is the Metra forum, I just had to use Caltrain as reference...)

I wouldn't be afraid to hit a car with one of our control cars.

Uhm, ya, when it's made of stainless steel, uhm, I don't see much of a problem. If an 8200 can nail a loaded gravel truck and not even derail.........................ya. I think that says it right there. The Bomb cars are made so flimsly that if they hit a fly, the glass on the window breaks.

It's more like: Metra's cars don't derail in accidents. The BBD bilevel and the Superliner are both cars that are notorious for flipping over easily - Superliners flip in even low speed derailments. Metra's stuff is about on par with east coast single levels, which are only a bit worse than MUs (the electric gear under the car helps push the center of gravity low)

What's stupid is all of these designs are FRA compliant, but some obviously ouperform others in important areas. This says the regulations aren't worth a damm...

The Superliners flipping has got to be in part from their higher-level main floor. They're almost like regular bilevels, but rather than the top floor being maybe 2/5 of the floor, it's a whole second floor, which of course weighs more, thus raising the center of gravity.

I ride in the first seat in the cab car and think nothing of it. Maybe some of the "experts" at ABC should try it.

After that accident in the 90's where a CSS train hit a steel coil truck and the 35t steel coil rolled thru the MU, certain members of my family won't ride in the lead car on CSS trains. I on the other hand don't care, as your odds of getting hurt in that manner are much less than your odds of getting in a car accident as you leave the station that evening. That and the fact that most longer trains have lead/tail cars with less people, as they are too lazy to walk to the extreme ends of the train - if you want to see real proof, try the CTA ravenswood trains - the last 20' of the platforms are 2' wide, so the lead car is usually empty. Perfect.