MBB Overhaul

Why does it seem like there aren’t any 1500’s running at all? Hardly see any of them on the tracker plus some 1600’s replaced them from their original sets.

Here's something interesting regarding the rebuild program. Posted with a picture on Facebook today by Marc Glucksman. MBTX 529 being prepped
10/05 for truck transport to Delaware Car Company due to "complications" with the contract. Silk Road Specialized handling the truck move from N.J. to Delaware.

Wonder what the contract issues are?

Post on River Rail Photo on Facebook.

Just adding the link for those who dumped face book

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=40 ... 4280061980

GP40MC1118 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 14, 2021 12:39 pm Here's something interesting regarding the rebuild program. Posted with a picture on Facebook today by Marc Glucksman. MBTX 529 being prepped
10/05 for truck transport to Delaware Car Company due to "complications" with the contract. Silk Road Specialized handling the truck move from N.J. to Delaware.

Wonder what the contract issues are?

Post on River Rail Photo on Facebook.

I wonder why by truck and not by rail.....

Probably would take too long to go by rail. Remember that the F40 shells were once shipped by rail (NS) to Curry Rail in
Holidaysburg from Erie. NS became too slow and now shells go via truck. One other possibility is maybe something wrong
with the frame or trucks.

I would assume it’s because it takes too long by train and you don’t know how reliable the transfers are from one railroad to another.

MBTA MBBs 1513 & 1524 have been placed out of service in Rochester. They are candidates for rebuild in Rochester, control cab deactivation and renumbered 537 and 538.

Why do we need to rebuild them and deactivate them in the first place?

There are different requirements for inspections between cabcars and regular coaches. Cost to benefit the T thinks they will save money in the long run to convert these cabcars to coaches.

so it's cheaper to remove control cabs from the MBB and then purchase new cab cars? Perhaps repair parts are not available for the MBB control cabs or the electronics have become unreliable?

Pure speculation on my part. And another speculation, they have enough cab cars but need blind coaches.

If you are making the trainsets longer then yes you need more blind coaches.

The MBTA's 80-coach Rotem order from 2019 includes enough control cars (31) to replace the remaining MBBs and then some. Here's the presentation from the Board meeting.

In short, 80 coaches with 31 CTC and 49 BTC - 31 new, 2 to replace wrecked cars, 16 for South Coast Rail

The MBBs are obsolete, have an older cab signal system and are cheaper to make blind than to upgrade and replace the controlling end. My guess is that these will end up as part of the surge fleet once rebuilt, or put into other service. There was a severe coach shortage pre-COVID so MBTA/MassDOT will hang onto them for if/when ridership returns or other service expansions.

I always did question the wisdom of why in the world (with the MBB and Bombardier 1600/600-series orders), did the MBTA order them virturally on a 1:1 cab to trailer ratio. 33/34 for MBB and 53/52 for the Bombardier fleet. Though in a way, one would think that balanced out, what with the 350-series Bombardiers, and the Pullman-Standard cabs all being rebuilt into trailers, and with the coaches being renumbered into the 200-series.
But then, the T went and deactivated 1600 to 1622.... and now rebuilding excess MBB cabs into trailers....

Does anyone know if the mbb’s stored in sea view are going to get rebuilt to blind coaches or if they are going to continue and rot there? Eventually they might need extra capacity before the new rotems to arrive.