Tunnel Turned Into Safety Training Facility

StevieC48 wrote:They opend the facility today and from the photos looks great.

Where are the photos?

jr145 wrote:

StevieC48 wrote:They opend the facility today and from the photos looks great.

Where are the photos?

That's dry ice on the tracks simulating the smoke. And I'm going to guess some sort of propane fireplace contraption on the stairs.

Found this video, it's a TV

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/0 ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What happens if a train isn't in a station? Or a flood? It seems they won't be training for any accident (as opposed to deliberate) beyond a fire.

There is non-revenue track that can be used for training scenarios.

You can't close off a station for a training exercise during business hours (or even non-business hours).

joshg1 wrote:What happens if a train isn't in a station? Or a flood? It seems they won't be training for any accident (as opposed to deliberate) beyond a fire.

It's also a police and EMS training facility.

jr145 wrote:Found this video, it's a TV

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/0 ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That's closer, but it's actually a fire extinguisher training module.
http://bullex.com/product/bullseye-publiceducation/

Here's another photo showing the station with only the "emergency lighting" lit up.
http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog ... -facility/

If the scenario doesn't take place in a station, the platform lights can be shut off. Deliberate incidents (terror, active shooter situations) are a major theme especially considering the events at the Marathon (and the bombings in London and Madrid), but so is evacuation. There's a Stryker evacuation chair and stairs and the Light Rail Training area uses a Type 8 shell specifically because that's where a wheelchair user would ride.

The facility will also used by the T's accessibility department to teach riders with physical disabilities how to ride the system.

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote: That's dry ice on the tracks simulating the smoke. And I'm going to guess some sort of propane fireplace contraption on the stairs.

F-Line, I believe they're actually using simple fog machines (which any nightclub/DJ uses). Static fog machines are pretty self-maintaining. The liquid needed to fill them is cheap and typically available at many party/DJ stores.

I very highly doubt they'd use dry ice as 1) the T would have to constantly replenish it from a delivery source every time dry ice was needed for training use (as it dissipates over a few hours when left at ambient temperature) & 2) a mass of dry ice vapors can displace oxygen when breathed in...though it needs to be heavy & constant, I don't think it would be looked highly upon having these vapors always surrounding those breathing it in.

(from someone who works with dry ice & liquid nitrogen on a daily basis)

TrainManTy wrote:...the Light Rail Training area uses a Type 8 shell specifically because that's where a wheelchair user would ride.

That's one part of it...another reason is that this car (3879) was already out-of-service due to heavy derailment/fire damaged sustained at Comm Ave. in May '08. The T did enough repairs on it to make it usable for the training facility.

joshg1 wrote:What happens if a train isn't in a station? Or a flood? It seems they won't be training for any accident (as opposed to deliberate) beyond a fire.

The bus, streetcar, and r/t car are permanently installed at their location. they don't move nor is this section of the Broadway Tunnel equipped to interface with anything else in the system.

I was thinking "how to evacuate a train in between stations." If the emergency services can train for that in a regular tunnel after hours, then never mind.

As I noted on UniversalHub, it looks like they put alot of work into the 0600s. No rust, new paint, a new rollsign which even reads "Training Center"... Interesting!

From an outbound Fairmount Line train:


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: ... 0_cars.JPG" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It would be pretty easy to run track from the Cabot Yard into the test tunnel. They could easily temporarily block off the street when cars were using such a connector track.

Charliemta wrote:It would be pretty easy to run track from the Cabot Yard into the test tunnel. They could easily temporarily block off the street when cars were using such a connector track.

The tunnel isn't tall enough for almost any piece of rail equipment on the MBTA system. Both the Blue Line 0600s and the Green Line Type 8 in the tunnel had their underframes and trucks removed to fit in the tunnel, and had to be dragged in on special small-diameter (road) wheels. The Blue Line car at its new height almost looks like London tube stock. Nothing on the Red Line - save for MOW flatcars and maybe the diesel switcher - would fit in the tunnel without being lifted off its trucks, of course negating the idea of running track into the tunnel.