Silverliner Vs Out of Service - Schedule/Service Discussion

rslitman wrote:

Gilbert B Norman wrote:I trust there will be lengthened schedules for the trains to which they will assign the Amtrak equipment. Boarding and alighting Amfleet cars at low level platforms, has never been their "strong suit".

Lest we forget that running with the traps open (as did the New Haven's "Stamford Locals" when I was a kid) is a big "no no" nowadays.

What are traps?

Also, can someone please look at my earlier post about whether or not the borrowed equipment will only run on the three SEPTA lines that are also Amtrak lines and at least acknowledge it if the answer is not known? Thanks.

"Traps" are railroad nomenclature for the steps that go down to low level platforms. As for the leased foreign equipment, the modified schedules show it all running on Amtrak lines, at least at this juncture. There are still power restrictions on the ex-Reading side( Lansdale / Doylestown, Warmintser, West Trenton, Fox Chase, CHE and Norristown ) limiting it to two push pulls in revenue service at a time.

JoeRailRoad wrote:

STrRedWolf wrote:There is no such thing as a train union w/MARC. MARC contracts out the running of their equipment. With two CSX lines, it's Bombardier. With the NEC line ("Penn line" down here), Amtrak is under agreement to run MARC equipment with Amtrak crews.

I hate to bust your bubble but the BLET and SMART-TD represents the engineers & trainmen for Bombardier Transit Services/MARC.

Those unions are solely contracted with Bombardier, not with MARC. MARC doesn't handle the personnel issues -- Bombardier does. If MARC (a department of MTA Maryland) *did* then they would go under MTA Maryland's union payroll... which if BLET/SMART-TD ever saw how it worked, would object to any deal heavily.

If you want to argue about MTA Maryland's union payroll, I refer you to my signature and I'll see you in the DC/Maryland section.

For the record RTD still runs their Silverliner Vs. http://billypenn.com/2016/07/06/why-den ... he-tracks/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you have an engineer in the cab qualified for the territory but not the equipment, and a trainer qualified on the equipment but not the territory, isn't that how the person gets trained/qualified? Or does the training have to occur during non-revenue runs?

Just in time for this catastrophe, the rough weather has started up. Really sucks for all involved. Any word on which exact pieces of equipment specifically locomotives will be leased (road numbers would be great if possible)?

Also, just going to put this out there: Every SEPTA engineer I've ever talked to was at the very least professional and knowledgeable, if not friendly and fun to talk to. I can't even imagine what they are all going through along with the conductors. My hat is off to them!

BandA wrote:If you have an engineer in the cab qualified for the territory but not the equipment, and a trainer qualified on the equipment but not the territory, isn't that how the person gets trained/qualified? Or does the training have to occur during non-revenue runs?

In this case the Septa Road Formen will most likely be qualified on the leased equipment first then will qualify the engineers afterwards. The training does not have to occur on a non revenue train, if you can run one loco you can run any after you establish your bases.

The MARC and Amtrak Septa specials are in the Penn Coach Yard outside of 30th Street.

ChemiosMurphy wrote:The MARC and Amtrak Septa specials are in the Penn Coach Yard outside of 30th Street.

Which reminds me, is there space to mothball 120 cars? It hasn't come up in discussion, so I assume there is, but it seems like it would take a lot of space. 120 cars worth

kiha40 wrote:

ChemiosMurphy wrote:The MARC and Amtrak Septa specials are in the Penn Coach Yard outside of 30th Street.

Which reminds me, is there space to mothball 120 cars? It hasn't come up in discussion, so I assume there is, but it seems like it would take a lot of space. 120 cars worth

There probably is given they have to be parked overnight and large portions of the fleet are parked on weekends. Powelton Yard had a bunch of SL Vs parked there Friday afternoon. I would assume leased Amtrak, MARC and NJT equipment can be easily stored in the Penn Coach Yard, where there is usually space, and they would have direct access to perform a non-revenue move to outstations on the Paoli/Thorndale, Wilmington/Newark, Trenton and Chestnut Hill West lines without needing to reverse at Zoo or Phil. (Well, also to the Airport and Cynwyd lines, but the former doesn't need them and the latter is shut down. The Media/Elwyn line requires a reverse move at Zoo or Phil from the lower level of 30th/Penn Coach Yard.)

khecht wrote:There probably is given they have to be parked overnight and large portions of the fleet are parked on weekends.

I was imagining, maybe incorrectly, that while under normal circumstances some of the fleet would be staged at distant stations, they are currently storing all of the Vs at shops or main yards.

A line if SL-V's have been parked on a side track at suburban (track 0 i think) all week. Maybe 8-10 cars

kiha40 wrote:I was imagining, maybe incorrectly, that while under normal circumstances some of the fleet would be staged at distant stations, they are currently storing all of the Vs at shops or main yards.

That's probably a fair assumption. I would imagine that they are currently at Powelton, Roberts, Overbrook and possibly Malvern as the inspections took place at the latter three locations.

Here is one for you guys: How will the employees be effected by this? You have regularly advertised and bidded jobs that are not working due to an equipment shortage. Are they simply annulling jobs or abolishing them while this goes on? Will these employees still be paid?

Yesterday I saw a ton of Vs parked at Powelton and several parked on the stub-end tracks at Suburban Station. Didn't ride as far as Wayne Junction but I'd imagine a lot of Vs are there as well.

scotty269 wrote:Lease agreements almost signed and ready for:

Amtrak
2x ACS64
5x Amfleets

NJT
1x ALP-44
8x Comet cars

MARC
5x passenger cars

New schedule starts July 11th (Monday):
Trenton Line - removing 12 SL-IV and putting 1x NJT and 1x MARC consist (+300 seats)
Trenton/Cornwells/Levittown platforms are being extended with pavement
Warminster line - additional local service between Center City/Glenside (+1440 seats)
Paoli/Thorndale - 3x quick turns between Bryn Mawr using Amfleet equipment
Lansdale/Doylestown - Additional early AM train(s)

Looking at express bus routes from high traffic stations to Center City
Not done leasing equipment - additional equipment possible from Amtrak and other agencies from across country
DNC likely not to affect railroad scheduling/passenger counts

240 trucks total = 37 have no cracks
480 beams total = 264 have cracks
Repair is not likely possible given magnitude of problem, not entirely ruled out (SEPTA and Rotem both came to this conclusion)
If repair is out of questions, Rotem has already sourced steel for new parts.
Trucks are under warranty

Service disruption will likely last through August, at minimum.


Source: Press conference 7/8/16 1:30pm

Scotty and Everyone:

Good post showing extra equipment that SEPTA RRD has secured for now...

Does anyone have any idea what the peak hour/daily weekday MU car requirements for each RRD line is for now?

Good idea operating at least an extra round trip using the P/P equipment each middays...

Here's a thought: Try and lease about 50 NJT Arrow 3 MU cars and re-equip all Trenton Line (except peak hour P/P trains)
with them - these would originate/terminate at Roberts Yard to/from TRE with the option of going through to NWK and NYP
with a TRE crew change - most likely will originate/terminate at TRE. This will be if NJT can spare these A3 MU cars...
Extending the Cornwells Heights platform NB and both Levittown platforms is a good idea - TRE has adequate high level
platforms...The NJT and MARC leased equipment could serve other routes (Paoli/Thorndale or Wilmington/Newark?).

More Glenside Locals (operating to/from PHL Airport?) will help serve the busy RDG trunk line.

Amfleet equipment to Bryn Mawr is an interesting option for these short turns - Will any added P/P runs be added operating
west to Paoli or Thorndale middays?

Express buses from ? to CCP will offer added alternatives - is the Airport Line on this list?
I can see this line operated between Suburban Station and the Airport using two S4 pairs (4 cars total) half hourly.

With the S5 car shortage looking to be long term (depending if the defective trucks are repaired or replaced outright)
SEPTA will have to make changes depending on what equipment or crews are available. The ongoing Engineer shortage
is another significant problem that SEPTA will need to deal with only compounding RRD problems...

MACTRAXX