MNRR Bilevel/Double Decker Coaches Proposal

L'mont wrote:So then, as it seems, double deckers would work on tracks 1 and 2 and could platform on the upper level......sounds good to me.

It sounds good until 1&2 are OOS. When the cars aren't usuable on half the tracks that enter the terminal, you probably should not be using them.

edit: table=terminal

No no, of course not. I was being somewhat tongue and cheek. Its just a funny thought.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... g&refer=us

Metro-North Railroad to Consider Double-Decker Trains
By Chris Dolmetsch

Nov. 14 (Bloomberg) - Metro-North Railroad, which carries commuters
between Manhattan and the northern suburbs, may consider buying
double-decker and self-propelled rail cars to ease congestion, the
agency's president said today.

Metro-North has been working to replace aging units of its 1,000-car
fleet, some of which are more than 30 years old, as higher gas prices
and crowded highways increase ridership. The railroad had a record
74.5 million passengers in 2005.

The agency will consider double-decker trains or self-propelled cars
- also called diesel multiple units, or DMUs - in its next equipment
purchase, Metro-North President Peter Cannito said. The railroad is
part of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which
also operates the Long Island Rail Road and New York City Transit.

"What will come out of that process will be a specification for a
vehicle that best suits our needs in a broader sense," Cannito told
the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Metro-North committee
today in a meeting in Manhattan.

Double-decker cars have been used by North American railroads,
including the Long Island Rail Road, since the 1930s. More agencies
are using them to ease congestion as ridership rises, according to
the National Association of Railroad Passengers. New Jersey Transit
Corp. will begin running bilevel cars on its lines next month.

More in article itself

I can't quite picture double deck equipment handing Metro North's notoriously tight clearances, particularly on the New Haven with its low clearances and high voltage catenary. However, I imagine somebody must have thought of this.

Regarding Diesel MUs, I have to say that from what I've read, talked about with railroaders, and experienced myself, that no good, reliable, maintainable diesel MU has ever been in service on this continent. What, you say? I don't consider the 50's vintage RDC a success? After all, aren't some still in service even today? Well, yes. But talk to any railway equipment mechanic and they will agree that in its best days it was a fairly maintenance-intensive piece of equipment. And maintenance intensive translates into high labor cost (Doesn't almost anybody who owns a high maintenance automobile wish they didn't?)

Metro North seems to have a pretty good deal with its Gennies and Boms. From everything I see they're quite a success in service. Why mess with success?

From Mechanical and enviromental its much safer and economical to maintain one Road diesel with HEP on one train, that to maintain 4 or 6 engines under a DMU.
The debris damage alone will sky rocket the maintenance. and containment of fluids on such a car is a nightmare.
Todays EPA will not let oil, fuel, anti freeze run on ground like in older days. on a road diesel like the genesis the fluids are contained in a waste tank located between the fuel tanks.
On a DMU there is no clearance to put up a containment system or tank.
The RDC's you know how many caught fire due to leaf accumulation in engine boxes ???

Why mess with success? While I think that MNRR is indeed an incredible success, this is only due to some serious work to keep things running and still they could use more equiptment. Ridership is at an all time high and will only climb higher, especially in non-electrified areas. Home costs are pushing greater numbers of commuters further north.

As for double deckers, sounds great! I think it was discussed in a previous thread that the LIRR C-3 can fit in the park ave tunnel by a few inches, but only on the center two tracks and not the outer two.
*Would it be feasable to buy double deckers and restrict them to the center two tracks or does this create too much of an operations planning problem? Also, I'm sure with a little creative engineering, they could make the double deckers a little bit smaller still. Who knows, but any opportunity for improvement or expansion is certainly worth a close examination.

Dutch wrote

From Mechanical and enviromental its much safer and economical to maintain one Road diesel with HEP on one train, that to maintain 4 or 6 engines under a DMU.
The debris damage alone will sky rocket the maintenance

Thank you for your insider's point of view backing up my opinion on this

DMUs are certainly worth a try. I've read that Colorado Rail Car will let RRs try it for a period of time to see if they like them or not.

Danbury Railway Museum has a couple of Budd cars... maybe MN can borrow those for a demonstration project!!

(kidding).

-otto-

The Colorado Car DMU's are not fit to run on MNCR. their single level DMU burned up at Pueblo test center and their multi level DMU is poor performer in florida.
The Multi level DMU does not have doors for high level platforms.

Anything is worth looking into. What MN has is CLEARLY NOT WORKING!!! The failure rate of both the ancient FL-9Ms and the exhausted P-40s is shocking!! If I were a paying customer on the Waterbury Branch and had to endure the huge amount of trains that are late, break down or are substituted by a bus, I'd be pretty annoyed.

Well we have 11 locomotives on order for shuttle/work trains.
Maybe managment is already doubting Brookville locomotves product ???

Takes a deep breath and with fingers tightly crossed says................."Time will tell!!"

The new, New Jersey tranist doubles don't seem like they're much taller than the humps on an M-2. Does anyone know the dimensions and if they'd fit in the Park Ave. tunnel?

If they fit in hudson tunnels they fit in park avenue tunnel.
MNCR president is interested in them.
I suggested a while ago to test run the multilevel test cars before they get final rebuilt and get deliverd to NJT.
I am sure Bombardier would love to showcase these cars.