TRE — Dallas-Fort Worth

[electricron]

Take the time to read the link!
The two main reasons given for the wish to sell the RDCs are (1) lack of room in the cab to install positive train control and (2) the difficulty of finding spare parts.
Reason number 1 eliminates every other commuter rail agency in the USA and reason number 2 eliminates everybody else that doesn't have a stockpile of RDCs in storage nearby.
Therefore, besides interested museums and tourists operators, that leaves VIA Rail or other Canadian commuter rail operators as the likely buyers.

[Rockingham Racer]

Electricon: MBTA hasn't even started PTC installation AFAIK. That would give them at least a few years of service up there in B&M territory. I wonder if some of those Budds were, in fact, originally in service on the B&M.

[dowlingm]

Can anyone figure out why they are only selling 11 of the 13?

Does the reference to federal interest mean they got fed $ to do the overhaul and some of this might be repayable on disposal?

[electricron]

Electricon: MBTA hasn't even started PTC installation AFAIK. That would give them at least a few years of service up there in B&M territory. I wonder if some of those Budds were, in fact, originally in service on the B&M.

An interesting report by SMART about purchasing RDCs on an intermittent basis....
http://www2.sonomamarintrain.org/userfi ... _final.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
There's a photo of a cab within a the report, where would you install the PTC racks?
The report also brings up issues with meeting the new EPA Tier standards. It also brings up the limitation of just three car maximum trains.

All the TRE RDCs came from VIA, I'm not aware how many RDCs VIA had originated from B&M.

Another point I wish to point out is that they're selling only 11. Has TRE used two of them as spare parts sources? Or does the TRE plan to use the last two for special events, or grant them to local museums?

[eolesen]

Half wonder if someone like UP or BNSF might have picked them up for MOW or track geometry purposes....

Museums and tourist roads can't afford to buy these at retail bid price.

[mtuandrew]

Half wonder if someone like UP or BNSF might have picked them up for MOW or track geometry purposes....

Museums and tourist roads can't afford to buy these at retail bid price.

Good thought, but perhaps Sperry Rail Services instead of a Class I.

[wigwagfan]

Half wonder if someone like UP or BNSF might have picked them up for MOW or track geometry purposes....

Museums and tourist roads can't afford to buy these at retail bid price.

Good thought, but perhaps Sperry Rail Services instead of a Class I.

I don't think Sperry has built (or rebuilt) a railroad car in decades. They prefer their truck based vehicles.

Much easier to pull them off the rails, and put the crew up in a local hotel, than to have to find a siding to park them for the crew to rest.

[John_Perkowski]

UP never used RDCs. While Mr Harriman bought a fair number of McKeen Cars, and they served well into the day, their experiments were with train sets ... The Cities streamliners, and later, the GM Aerotrain.

[electricron]

Can anyone figure out why they are only selling 11 of the 13?

Looks like TriMet has bought 2 of them during the summer of 2016. I'm not sure if these 2 are those missing from 13 to the present 11, or missing from the 11 they are still seeking to sell.

[dowlingm]

Here is the Trimet authorization request, very interesting as it notes the fate of the SMART option for a Nippon DMU and the cost US Railcar quoted for new cars.
https://trimet.org/meetings/board/pdfs/ ... -05-35.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[electricron]

Here is the Trimet authorization request, very interesting as it notes the fate of the SMART option for a Nippon DMU and the cost US Railcar quoted for new cars.
https://trimet.org/meetings/board/pdfs/ ... -05-35.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for the link. That answered my question, TriMet was bidding on two of the eleven put up for sale.
It still didn't answer who won the bids, if anyone did.

[Dick H]

20 years of TRE 9 minutes by Texas Train Productions. Posted 12/30/16
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rac9GqJ ... ploademail" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[electricron]

Look like the sale of 12 of the 13 RDCs is going to happen soon, per this presentation to be presented to a DART board subcommittee on Valentine's Day.
https://www.dart.org/about/board/boarda ... 4feb17.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Although the presentation doesn't state to whom.

FYI, it appears the TRE plans to keep one RDC in its roster for special events, celebrations, and historical purposes.

[electricron]

Update on sale of the RDCs.....
https://www.dart.org/about/board/boarda ... 7mar17.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Execute the sale of 12 RDCs to AllEarth Rail, LLC, for $3,606,000, plus $400,000 for associated spare parts, for a total of $4,006,000

AllEarth Rail LLC is a brand new railroad based near Burlington, Vermont.
http://www.allearthrail.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[electricron]

Update on sale of the RDCs.....
https://www.dart.org/about/board/boarda ... 7mar17.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Execute the sale of 12 RDCs to AllEarth Rail, LLC, for $3,606,000, plus $400,000 for associated spare parts, for a total of $4,006,000

AllEarth Rail LLC is a brand new railroad based near Burlington, Vermont.
http://www.allearthrail.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

More RDC news....
AllEarth Rail LLC has sold two (2) of the 12 recently bought RDCs from DART to TriMet for WES services.
http://trimet.org/meetings/board/pdfs/2 ... -03-26.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

End result, TriMet got the 2 exTRE RDCs they wanted anyways, via a third party.

That leaves only 10 of them will be heading to Vermont.