I ride the 4 or the 5 on a daily basis and I see that the fleet of cars on the Lexington Ave line is split between the two manufacturers. I have seen a few VERY minor cosmetic differences but thats about it. Are there any significant differences between the manufacurers. Has one performed better than the other??
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Kawasaki vs. Bombardier
- Discussion relating to the past and present operations of the NYC Subway, PATH, and Staten Island Railway (SIRT).
Moderator: GirlOnTheTrain
Well, the sound of the propulsion is a way to tell the difference between the two. The Kawasaki R142As look better than the Bombardier R142s, but IMO, it looks like the Bombardier R142 is gonna last longer than the Kawasaki cars, but that's just my opinion. Both cars operate very good and it's hard for me to say which car performs better.
i know im late but its rumored that Kawasaki has the better car. MTA ordered extra r-142 and they chose Kawasaki because they have the edge in price and reliability
From the few glances ive had at trains stopped in stations on the opposite side from me, it seems like the Bombardier and Kawasaki cars have very different-looking trucks (bogies). I know they have different traction motors (though i cant tell much of a difference in sound), but are the entire trucks different as well?
One model seems to have trucks with large cast frames that wrap around the axles and are connected to the axles with shock boots, as seen in these photos: 1, 2.
The other has a smaller squared off cast frame that ends at the axles, and a prominent stamped steel bracket that comes down flush with the side of the cars, as seen in these photos: 1, 2.
The earlier photos at nycsubway.org seem to be of the former type (and there seem to be more photos of the former type in general), while the later photos seem to be of the latter. Since 142's (Bombs) outnumber 142A's (Kawasakis) my best guess from this information is that the first type of trucks are Bombardier and the second, Kawasaki, but this is just an educated guess.
Anyone know for sure?
One model seems to have trucks with large cast frames that wrap around the axles and are connected to the axles with shock boots, as seen in these photos: 1, 2.
The other has a smaller squared off cast frame that ends at the axles, and a prominent stamped steel bracket that comes down flush with the side of the cars, as seen in these photos: 1, 2.
The earlier photos at nycsubway.org seem to be of the former type (and there seem to be more photos of the former type in general), while the later photos seem to be of the latter. Since 142's (Bombs) outnumber 142A's (Kawasakis) my best guess from this information is that the first type of trucks are Bombardier and the second, Kawasaki, but this is just an educated guess.
Anyone know for sure?
Gentlemen;
As an aside; doen't it strike you as "different" that none of the choices are American Made ? As I remember it, one choice is Japanese, and the other is Canadian. And you wonder why there are Americans collecting Unemployment insurance, or worse, the Unemployment insurance ran out. And now they are off the books and are no longer counted.
As an aside; doen't it strike you as "different" that none of the choices are American Made ? As I remember it, one choice is Japanese, and the other is Canadian. And you wonder why there are Americans collecting Unemployment insurance, or worse, the Unemployment insurance ran out. And now they are off the books and are no longer counted.
pennsy wrote:Gentlemen;Though the only quote I can find quickly is from Wikipedia, and only in reference to the Acela trainset, I am fairly sure I have heard from a few sources that both companies do a great deal of the assemply of these cars in the U.S.
As an aside; doen't it strike you as "different" that none of the choices are American Made ? As I remember it, one choice is Japanese, and the other is Canadian. And you wonder why there are Americans collecting Unemployment insurance, or worse, the Unemployment insurance ran out. And now they are off the books and are no longer counted.
"To meet U.S. government "Buy American" regulations, final assembly of these trains was carried out at Bombardier's U.S. rail car assembly facility in Barre, Vermont."
Kawasaki also has a facility in Yonkers (This is indicated on the mfr plates inside the 142A's). Though im not sure if the Buy American act applies to the MTA, I get the impression that a large amount of the manufacturing is done in the states. The R160 is assembled by Alstom (a French company) in Hornell, NY and trucked in (I have seen them on flatbeds on I-80 in Jersey).
While the cars are very similar, the 142As (Kawasaki) have dramatically better air conditioning - they almost always seem to have both more and colder air in the summers. Also, while the Bombardiers have been troubled lately with traction motor issues, the Kawasakis have not, making them appear to be more reliable. Also, other NYCT experience with Kawasaki equipment (R62, R68A) has been very good.