Diesel Work Fleet Replacements by Battery/Electric Hybrids

[Jeff Smith]

NY Daily News: MTA to replace diesel work trains that spew fumes in NYC subway

But not the whole fleet, it seems:

MTA plans to replace its fume-spewing work trains will help keep subway riders and workers from choking on toxic exhaust.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board on Wednesday will vote on spending $233 million on 25 new diesel-battery hybrid locomotives to begin replacing the agency’s fleet of decades-old work trains that stink up subway tunnels and leave riders inhaling noxious fumes.

The current diesel work trains that carry construction materials and garbage throughout the subway system are a big source of air pollution for straphangers and transit workers, say researchers and union officials.
...
The new models will run on diesel in some areas where the batteries are not powerful enough. But officials said the locomotives will spit out less pollution than the old trains — the bulk of which were built between 1966 and 1983.

“They will mean cleaner air in the subway system while we do work on the tracks, and less fuel consumption in our system overall,” interim NYC Transit president Sarah Feinberg said in a statement. “We are in an incredibly challenged time fiscally, but the health of our employees and customers is too important to delay retiring inefficient old equipment.”

The MTA currently owns 103 diesel subway work trains, and the new order replaces less than a quarter of them.
...

[Pensyfan19]

Interesting news for the MTA, but I can't help but notice that the media is at it again of trying to make rail service look bad. Specifically, the use of the words "spew fumes" to discourage people from using the subway. It's bad enough that rail service including the NYC Subway has been given a bad rep due to the virus and consequently this fear of people.

I also can't help but wonder why the MTA is considering these options after they just announced numerous budget cuts due to not receiving $16 billion in federal aid. Or is that problem already resolved and the MTA will receive funding after all?

[Pensyfan19]

Also, the order for 25 locomotives matches the order for the MPI R255.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_N ... %80%931970

[GirlOnTheTrain]

Yet the worst offenders at spewing fumes are the newest work motors...

[Jeff Smith]

Yeah, I saw that too.

[Backshophoss]

Might help to use Bio-diesel or propane as fuel for the work diesels

[Red Wing]

Sorry to send this semi into bus land but, on the MBTA natural gas buses are not allowed in the Harvard Sq. trackless trolley tunnels do to the electric overhead. I would assume Propane would be similarly verboten from subway tunnels with the 3rd rail.

[GirlOnTheTrain]

You're excused as it is an excellent point

[octr202]

Third rail itself might not be an issue, as I've heard the problem with trackless trolley overhead plus CNG buses is that CNG is lighter than air, so any that leaks from passing buses would collect in the top of the tunnel - right where the trolley wire is (and arcing happens).

But...given the much larger scale of the NYC subway's underground system, even if that issue wasn't present, there's still 1000 over reasons to not run propane or CNG fueled motive power in tunnels.

[Ken W2KB]

Third rail itself might not be an issue, as I've heard the problem with trackless trolley overhead plus CNG buses is that CNG is lighter than air, so any that leaks from passing buses would collect in the top of the tunnel - right where the trolley wire is (and arcing happens).

But...given the much larger scale of the NYC subway's underground system, even if that issue wasn't present, there's still 1000 over reasons to not run propane or CNG fueled motive power in tunnels.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (“LPG”) a/k/a propane is heavier than air and would pool at track level, with 3rd rail arcing an ignition source.

[MattW]

Why wouldn't they have a third rail option? I would think third rail for primary propulsion, battery when third rail is turned off, diesel to charge the batteries or move to a powered section.

[Engineer Spike]

I agree with you MattW. The whole Green Goat was a flop ten years ago. They should have them tri-powered, just like the old NYC West Side power. They could run on the third rail, except if the track repairs require it off. Then it could run battery. The only time diesel power would even be needed is if the third rail was dead, and the battery went dead.

[Backshophoss]

Tri-power units would make sense,but the battery tech still takes too much space on board

[JamesRR]

I'm in the minority, but I love that post-diesel smell after they move through. Only second to the loud roar they make, late at night, when you know a work train is coming.

Seeing how infrequent these move through, and at off hours, I can't imagine that many riders would complain. Though it's bad for the employees who are down there for long periods of time.

[ConstanceR46]

There's no grand conspiracy to make the subway look bad. I rode it nearly every day in high school.

Every time i was underground and a work motor would trundle past, the fumes stunk up the place.