Breda Numbering

Does anyone think that the T8's will be re-numbered to reflect the discontinued order? (Example 3875 being given a lower number) What do ya'll think?!

Probably not, I mean the Boeing's weren't re-numbered after the rebuilding program. But it would be interesting.

Then again, if it has to do with the T8's I don't give a damn.

Not to from what im hearing just rember there are 3 or more unaccepted cars sitting in the Riverside Yards/Shops so its still up in the air.

why would you bother. thats really a waste of money, who cares what the numbers are as long as you can tell what unit it is by the number. That would just be paperwork management stress and money wasted.

Now, if they have to build more than 100 Type 9's (etc.) will they go to the 4xxx series (assuming that the Flyer Trackless Trolleys are gone by then) or back down to 3xxx and start over?

Not exaclty the most gripping question, though...

I think for the Type 9's they will use 39xx. That if they are built, of course.

3000-3599 will be freed up by the time the Type 9s ever come around so I wouldn't doubt that they would be placed in that area.

Correct me if I am wrong, but haven't all light rail/trolley cars been in the 3000-3899 area for decades? Unless I am missing something, the last set outside that range were the Type 5s way back in the 1950s...

Streetcar numbering has run the gamut over the years. Before the semiconvertible era, pretty much anything went. The semiconvertibles (Type 1 thru 5) were numbered consecutively starting at 5000 and ending at 5970, except for a gap between Type 4 5475 and Type 5 5500.

Center-entrance cars were 6000s (motors) and 7000s (trailers). 4000s were used first for homebuilt "two rooms and a bath" articulateds, and later for secondhand ex-Eastern Mass Street Railway semiconvertibles. The 9000 series was used briefly for Birneys.

The "modern" era has used the 3000 series exclusively (so far). PCCs were numbered sequentially, regardless of design variations, starting with 3001 and ending with 3346. Light rail vehicles, of course, are not so neatly numbered, and there are gaps between each series, so that a 500-slot number series is used up on only 311 cars (144 Boeings, 120 Type 7s, and 47 Type 8s). Life is imperfect.

Now, it is true that there is some precedence to renumbering cars in order to stay within a certain number series... four cars in the Boeing fleet were renumbered before delivery so the 144 cars (out of 175) finally accepted ended up in a neat 3400-3543 series. I'm not sure why it was necessary, but it was only four cars, and it was done before they were delivered and accepted.

On the other hand, take 3875 as an example. It's already been accepted, it's in revenue service, and it already has a maintenance history and other records tagged to that number and lurking in a whole bunch of different computers. Renumber it, and you have to go back and change all of the records that refer to it. Sure, it can be done, but is it somehow necessary to have a neat 3800-3846 series? Doing that would require the renumbering of 17 cars currently numbered beyond 3846, 14 of which are already in service. I might be wrong, but I don't see it happening.

Don't forget that there are still a handful of PCCs and work cars in this number range. NETransit lists 10 Mattapan-Ashmont cars in the 3072-3096 and 3222-3271 series, as well as work cars 3283 and 3332. There are also the two Boeing work cars, 3417 and 3453, which I'm sure will stick around for a while even after the rest of the LRVs are retired.

Maybe we'd see a mass renumbering of all these miscellaneous cars if they needed that number range for new deliveries, but I doubt that would happen anytime soon. Even if/when they do end up ordering a fleet of Type 9s, I would hardly expect them to need more than 100 unless the older Type 7s were needing replacement by that time. Most likely the new cars would get the 3900-3999 range, and then who knows what happens next.

jwhite07 wrote: four cars in the Boeing fleet were renumbered before delivery so the 144 cars (out of 175) finally accepted ended up in a neat 3400-3543 series. I'm not sure why it was necessary, but it was only four cars, and it was done before they were delivered and accepted.

Those LRV's were renumbered after delivery but before they were placed in service - I have photos in my collection of 3550 and 3552 at Riverside yard.

JD

What about renumbering the PCCs to allow newer trains to use those numbering series? Is it possible or would there be too much paperwork?