#14 Orange Line Cars 1400-1551 (From Red/Orange Procurement discussion)

My understanding is rail tariffs to transport subway cars are far higher than trucking, especially given the relatively short distance in this particular case. MBTA has not received rapid transit cars by rail since the late 70s/early 80s (Boeing LRVs and Hawker-Siddeley Orange and Blue Line cars). There are no current direct physical connections between the national rail network and MBTA rapid transit, although their proximity in several locations would make it relatively easy.

The Orange Line has an intact connection north of Wellington.

It's not clear if the connection to the Green Line at Riverside is still intact, but it would be trivial to restore it if it isn't.

The Red Line has a new connection at Cabot Yard built as part of the test track. Historically, a temporary switch connecting to the Old Colony line would've been cut in near Columbia (today's JFK/UMass).

I remember seeing the 1800's being trucked in during the mid 1990's.

Given the short distance for the delivery, it'd most likely take days longer and cost far more to ship them by rail. A normal trip by road probably takes 3-4 hours at most, or less if the truck is able to run at or close to highway speed.

Head-end View wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 7:54 pm I remember seeing the 1800's being trucked in during the mid 1990's.

Came from Barre, Vermont, likely via I-89/91 and I-90.

The Siemens cars on the Blue Line were also on trailers from Elmira Heights (now CAF).

MBTA3247 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 6:14 pmIt's not clear if the connection to the Green Line at Riverside is still intact, but it would be trivial to restore it if it isn't.

It very clearly is...

I wasn't sure the Riverside connection was presently whole either. For a while there were a few lengths of rail missing along the way. I wasn't aware of the Orange Line/Medford Branch connection either and didn't know that Track 61 still had a connection to the Old Colony even after being rehabbed to serve as the Red Line test track.

Regardless, all such connections at present seem to be moot as far as potential for use to deliver new rolling stock. Maybe someday.

Everett Shops had a connecting track, since removed. The Orange and Blue Line trains from Hawker-Siddely were delivered to the T in the late 1970s on their own wheels. A gondola with an adapter coupler was used on each end, and the cars were placed in the train just ahead of the caboose.

The overhanging foliage in the current satellite view covers enough of the connection at Riverside that there could easily be some missing lengths of rail that aren't visible. If someone's had eyes on the ground in recent history and can confirm that the track is intact, I'll defer to them.

I vaguely recall that they severed the connection permanently shortly after Green Line service was restored after some major flooding, during which they were transferring people to Commuter Rail.I know that the flooding shutdown happened in 1996 but I want to say it was more recent than that. It seemed odd that once they no longer needed to, they ripped up the rails that allowed them to do it in the first place.

The Riverside switch is very much in tact and remains connected on both ends still today. Green line uses it as a test track, wire ends shortly before the chain link fence gate that leads to the B&A switch equipped with a derail and electric lock. An MOW siding was recently added there so that switch sees some use now.

Digging up the APTA/USDOT complete catalog of postwar North American heavy rail cars (1980 edition, from the LA County MTA library), I realized how late the 01200s were.

On page 57 (PDF page 77) the purchase order for the 01200s (and Blue Line 0600s) was in 1976, but the 01200s were not delivered until 1980-81. What is more interesting is the very young age of the predecessor cars at the time the purchase order was signed: 19 (1957) and 25 years (1951) for the Orange and Blue lines respectively as of 1976, younger than the 01800s by 2019 or the Boeings in 2003.

The 01200 order was added onto to the Blue line bid because of the the fear that no company would bid on the small Blue line order. The very nice 01100s were still in good condition except for getting beat up from flat wheels they started getting once Haymarket North opened. The Blue was also running the 1923-24 Pullmans besides the 1951 St. Louis cars.

Does anyone know if any new cars have been delivered since 1484-1485?

The orange line is the only one that’s been getting new cars about 2-4 each month. Not sure why they haven’t received any more red line cars other than the one set that’s in service. I thought they had 2 red line train sets. Not sure why 1910-1911 has been listed as in testing for quite some time. Also what’s taking them so long to bring back the original 1400-1401 back into service since it was derailed back then.