Would Buying Diesel Trainsets Benefit Metro-North

Doesn't the Denton A-Train use a european model of DMU that's only modified a little bit now? Or do they still have to operate under a waiver, and time separation?

Oh, God, this is going the way of NHAirhead.

If we're gonna be talking DMU's, let's talk practical. CRC is dead, nobody is buying their IP when their cars are extremely few in number and performing like crap, nobody is building FrankenBudds, nobody has yet built a production-model North American DMU or EMU that can trainline with any off-shelf equipment so coulda/shouldas are moot until there is manufacturer proof that one is being readied for market, and the third-largest commuter rail operator in North America is not sticking its neck out and buying anyone's wild and crazy ideas on a lark. Show something proven and scalable and I'm sure both MTA roads will seriously study it and keep an eye out for their next branchline procurement window. If such an animal is available by their next procurement window. It isn't available today.

Difficulty: proven AND scalable. None of this spitballing meets either criteria, let alone both.

CTRailfan wrote:

F-line to Dudley via Park wrote:Difficulty: proven AND scalable. None of this spitballing meets either criteria, let alone both.

CRC got it right, they just got stuck in the chicken and egg problem here. So then the question: who breaks the chicken and egg problem and gets enough of these things running to make it appealing for other agencies to run them? There are only a handful of relatively small operators running DMUs at the moment, and two of those are branch lines off of light rail systems.

I think Tri-Rail is or maybe I should say was the only operator of DUM equipment and it has not been considered any kind of a success here. It has crapped out with passengers on the road several times, they had two train sets and I don't think they have ever been able to run both of them at any one given time. They might be all right on a scenic railway or tourist line but I don't see how they will amount to anything for a common carrier. By the way, I would not consider Tri-Rail a "small operator", we have 25 round trips a day and the line is about 70 miles end to end, a lot of equipment and a fair number of employees as well. The trains carry a good load of passengers, don't believe me? just look at the parking lots on a weekday.
Noel Weaver

Topic sanitized (using all senses of the word) warnings/bans issued.

DO. NOT. FEED. THE. TROLLS. Do me a favor, just use the report function. Responding makes more work for me or the moderator in cleaning a topic.

New guidance: discussion of Colorado Rail Car is verboten. Discussion of DMU's is allowed, provided it actually relates to a service that MNRR provides or might provide. Which it doesn't. CRC clearly had nothing to do with the topic of buying diesel trainsets. Yeah, I'd love it if a set of two Budd's were running Waterbury or Danbury, but it's clearly in fantasy land at this point.

So let's stick to the topic of buying diesels, which I think has been pretty much answered. PM us (Kevin) if you have something to add. If you want to start a new topic on potential Gennie or Brokeville replacements, ok.