Railroad Forums 

  • Rotem Cars Discussion (new bi-level cars)

  • Discussion relating to commuter rail, light rail, and subway operations of the MBTA.
Discussion relating to commuter rail, light rail, and subway operations of the MBTA.

Moderators: sery2831, CRail

 #1398132  by octr202
 
Exactly - a big chunk of SEPTA's network is a very different beast. Lines like the Needham and Fairmont lines are much more of the style of their operation. But don't discount the longer rides to places like either Trenton, Doylestown, Thorndale or Newark. And yes, trying to compare operating practices and farebox recovery is almost impossible between the two systems

Also worth noting that the Silverliner V's were originally designed to be all 3x2 but rider and advocacy organization pushback caused SEPTA to do the compromise plan of partial 2x2. I didn't seem to sense any of that level of attention from the public to equipment design on the MBTA.
 #1401452  by dbperry
 
dbperry wrote:Coach 835 joins the "Rotem shake" club with 2 different separate reports:

https://twitter.com/MunkinArts/status/7 ... 9793465345" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://twitter.com/the_eskimo_spy/stat ... 5356215296" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
If 835 got a fix, then it didn't work.
https://twitter.com/Gritchell/status/777982955864162304" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

According to my list, here are the Rotem shakers:
835-842-839-1801-1805
 #1404781  by F-line to Dudley via Park
 
BandA wrote:Is the vibration the cause of damage or is damage the cause of vibration?
Let vibrations like that continue unabated for 10 years and you're definitely going to see pieces of plastic shaking loose and banks of lights going out from loose connections. Pressure vs. time.

Put it this way: the vibrations didn't feel like a malfunction or flat wheels. No death rattles. And it wasn't the shaking-braking and brake squealing that are a whole other separate and more acutely annoying issue with the Brokems. This felt like the car was "singing" some sort of note through its whole body ...and through the bodies of everyone sitting in it. Like that was the car's natural frequency at proper functioning, and that frequency was never damped out during design. And maybe these X other Rotem trailers have the same reported 'singing' problem and these Y other Rotem trailers don't...because each car is making a slightly different note there's no one-size-fits-all damping fix to neutralize it all across the whole fleet. So we get some cars that 'sing' a little, some that 'sing' a lot, and some that are properly silent. And probably have that be a crapshoot across their whole lives.

I mean...it was annoying to sit through on Wi-fi because I could feel me own fingertips shaking from 802's whole 'note'. But you'd acclimate to it until you were momentarily reminded at every station stop that it was no longer there. And then REALLY, REALLY reminded on the return trip in a 72x non-rebuild how silky-smooth the ride was on exactly the same rails.


These things are going to be dumptrucks-o'-fun to ride when they're 12 years into their 'singing' careers. I can hardly wait. :(
 #1436027  by nomis
 
Just watch out for the semi-refined CRRC Septic Bi-Level "Bomb. MLV Clone", with 2x2 seating and less headroom than what your used to. Just like Budd said "Take 'em or leave 'em". It's such a pity Bombardier wasn't picked for Septa's run of 45 MLV cars. Reopening the tried-and-true NJT-AMT-MARC tooling would of made too much sense for a nearly identical MLV fleet traveling from Mass to DC.
 #1436374  by RenegadeMonster
 
I hope the study also listens to peoples complaints about squeezing 3 people into a seat.

This morning on the train, in the double decker each 3 person seat had 2 people. Then people were standing. Not a single person wanted to squeeze in. The conductor while walking through collecting tickets with a loud firm voice kept saying "there are plenty of seats guys, make them slide in" and "Guys, these seats are meant for to 3 people. Slide in, put your bags above".

Not one person who was standing made any effort to move out of the vestibule levels of the bi-level car to take a seat as the third person in a 3 seater to the frustration of the conductor.
 #1436610  by BandA
 
When I was riding, I would get up out of my aisle seat and offer the standee the middle seat, then sit back down in the aisle seat. If I knew the car was going to be full or more I would try to get one of the +2 seats on the other side.

Goal should be enough cars to run 2+2 seating with few or no standees, level boarding and automatic doors. Then the dwell time is reduced.
 #1436875  by RenegadeMonster
 
Car 828 is in need of a bit of maintenance.

The trucks underneath were making a lot of noise navigating curves and moving in a very jerky stick / give fashion that shook the car. This can't be good for their longevity. Is lubrication part of routine maintenance?


Also, one of the seats on 828 had purple tap on it. 5 pieces wide and 2 feet long. If a seat was damaged that badly why7 not replace?
  • 1
  • 133
  • 134
  • 135
  • 136
  • 137
  • 149