CRC's DMUs, that are going to be used pretty widely since they arethe only ones meeting FRA standards, have two Detroit Diesel powerplants rated at 1200 total HP. I don't believe these are DE
units, and have some sort of hydromechanical or straight mechanical drive systems.
Does anyone know if: 1) they are DEs or not; and2) if not, what
form of transmission system drives the units?
If possible , could you provide details of the system with
respect to number(s) of driven axles , and their locations with
respect to the bogies. What system of traction control is used,
and who makes it(or licenses it to CRC, as the case may be).
Whose brake system are they using, and are the systems
employed going to be designated by the end user.
Candidly,I hope that the end user input is minimal with respect
to all mechanical elements, because if they are not, regardless
of the particular efficacy of a given transit systems choices, the
costs, which are already high, will shoot up further. Basically,
we need a Budd Car or EMD approach, or I fear every local
transit system's engineers will horn in, and screw up the work.
Passenger service is not regarded as essential by the mass of
our citizens, so leaving CRC to produce a reliable piece of
equipment that provides a basic, comfortable service, at the lowest
overall unitary cost; defining that cost by the totality of acquisition
and operational cost, is the only way to approach the issue.
In the 1970's , we put up with things like ROHR's cars and the
train control sytem needed to operate them on BART. P-S
cars and the standard CTC transit signal system that lost the
contract to ROHR's system was somewhat more than
thirty percent of the ROHR system bid. You can look it up in
Railway Age in the late 60s, when Rohr was running
centerfold's with popup BART equipment. Of course despite,
the cost none of the new age things worked, and the
reengineering of them cost more than the original
PS/GRS proposal.
The combination of a California based company, nutsy
enthusiasts for bringing the Space Age to a subway track,
and the lavish entertaining of local pols and transit experts
wrought a monsterous boondoggle.
Taxpayers, should not have to put up with that kind of crap,
and in this time frame, they won't! Please understand,
I am not saying people complaining about an absence of
onboard bike racks, are part of an IWW plot to destroy
train service. However, they are a symptom of the everyman
is a train designer school of citizenship, that leads to
irrationally expensive transit systems.
In any event, does someone know the details of the
propulsion, suspension, and braking systems of Colorado
RailCars DMUs.
Good-Luck, PJB
