photobug56 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 25, 2022 12:01 am So the question - is there equipment they can buy, mostly off the shelf, that could provide LIRR DM double decker service from diesel country to GCT?I doubt it:
- There are no dual mode DEMUs that match the power/platform height/size requirements the LIRR has (that I can find). The only third rail powered DEMUs I can find are pre-1980s British Rail equipment.
- With the exception of the dual-mode Siemens Charger units on order by MTA for MNCR (with options for CDOT and LIRR), dual mode diesel electric locomotives are designed for overhead, not third-rail running.
- The Bombardier Multi-Level cars used by MARC and NJT are about the most compact bi-level cars available in the North American market, but they are wider than the C3 cars (If Wikipedia is correct, the C3 cars are about 8 inches narrower than the M7s and M9s; it may turn out that the profile of the Multi-Level cars could work, but I'm not optimistic.