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| APRIL FOOL: Nat'l Cap. Trolley Mus. Acquires DC Metro Cars? https://rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=29155 |
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| Author: | Alexander D. Mitchell IV [ Wed Mar 31, 2010 11:54 pm ] |
| Post subject: | APRIL FOOL: Nat'l Cap. Trolley Mus. Acquires DC Metro Cars? |
With the pending replacement of the Washington Metro's original Rohr-built cars, already rebuilt in the mid-1990s by Breda, the National Capital Trolley Museum has taken a proactive step in securing for future preservation a pair of the original Washington Metro subway cars. The NCTM has identified two original, largely unmodified cars for preservation: 1028, now used as a clearance car after its sister car was damaged in a wreck in 1982, and 1076, whose sister car was damaged in a 2004 accident. (Four other cars were relegated to "money train" status, but their armor and security modifications made them unsuitable for preservation.) The cars are now being held aside at the WMATA's Greenbelt, Md. facility for eventual transfer to the NCTM's new facility in Colesville, where trolley poles will be fitted for eventual demonstration runs. More is being posted at the NCTM website at http://www.dctrolley.org/carcollection. ... sWhatAgain" target="_blank? |
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| Author: | robertmacdowell [ Thu Apr 01, 2010 1:47 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: National Capital Trolley Museum Acquires Wash. Metro Cars |
That... is the RIGHT way to do that thing. Talk to them early and get the equipment reserved. And hey - anyone want to preserve BART cars? Better get in line. I think most of us have written off preserving BART cars because they are 5'6" gauge. But I have it on good authority that these WMATA 1000-series trucks are substantially compatible with the original BART cars, and of course, they are standard gauge. Getting them "now" will assure that preserving BART cars in the future is possible. |
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| Author: | artschwartz [ Thu Apr 01, 2010 11:54 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: National Capital Trolley Museum Acquires Wash. Metro Cars |
Convincing story, except that there is no way that a Metro car would fit into the NCTM carbarns. |
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| Author: | Alexander D. Mitchell IV [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 10:02 pm ] |
| Post subject: | And now to make it reality? |
Now, after this April Fool's joke from SIX YEARS ago, it's time to get serious. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/tr ... story.html Quote: Twice a week since Feb. 9, on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, a truck pulling an oversize flatbed trailer has arrived at Metro’s Greenbelt train yard.
Each day, another 75-foot-long rail car, 11 feet wide and weighing 72,000 pounds, is loaded aboard. And off it goes, north on I-95, bound for the United Iron & Metal scrap yard in West Baltimore. So far, six of the 280-plus 1Ks have been hauled away. Those half-dozen 1Ks had been out of passenger service for a long time. The next four to leave will also be “non-revenue cars,” as Metro calls them. The first 1K to be junked from the active fleet is slated to depart Greenbelt on March 15, and the transit agency is planning a media event — “a little send-off,” Stessel said. In New York, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority puts museum-piece subway cars, some dating to the Depression, back on the rails occasionally, giving straphangers a nostalgia trip. Asked whether Metro intends to mothball any of the 1Ks to roll them out, say, in 2076 for the subway’s centennial, Stessel replied, “No, not at the moment.” But Metro isn’t opposed to selling them to the public, he said. “If someone wants to make a diner out of one of these or use it for a school trailer or something? If someone can facilitate getting it off the property and is willing to make a reasonable offer, we’d entertain that. We’ll listen to anyone.” |
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| Author: | Reading T1 2124 [ Wed Mar 02, 2016 11:47 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: APRIL FOOL: Nat'l Cap. Trolley Mus. Acquires DC Metro Ca |
I won't even begin to say it will look less strange, but Rockhill Trolley Museum put a trolley pole onto their ex-P&W bullet. If anyone is desparate enough to preserve one, it would be easiest to do that because, as far as I know, no museums have third rail trackage. |
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| Author: | filmteknik [ Thu Mar 03, 2016 5:12 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: APRIL FOOL: Nat'l Cap. Trolley Mus. Acquires DC Metro Ca |
No way to run a funeral train to the scrappers or does that tiny gauge difference matter? And why is that anyway? |
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| Author: | Bobharbison [ Thu Mar 03, 2016 5:46 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: APRIL FOOL: Nat'l Cap. Trolley Mus. Acquires DC Metro Ca |
filmteknik wrote: No way to run a funeral train to the scrappers or does that tiny gauge difference matter? And why is that anyway? Laying third rail all that way could get expensive... OK, joking aside, you can't couple to them, the air brakes aren't compatible, they're not inspected for interchange, the list goes on and one. It's simply not possible. The gauge difference would probably not be an issue for practical purposes, though I don't know if the wheels would fall outside of allowable standards or not. Does anyone know why they did that? Are the wheelsets also narrower or is just the track gauge? Maybe the track was held 1/4" tight for less lateral play? (I am guessing, I don't know if the wheelsets are different) |
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| Author: | Larry Lovejoy [ Thu Mar 03, 2016 8:16 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: APRIL FOOL: Nat'l Cap. Trolley Mus. Acquires DC Metro Ca |
When design of the WMATA system commenced in the 1960s, there was virtually no expertise in rapid transit trackwork outside of transit agency personnel in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago. Deleuw Cather & Company, the consulting engineers who were managing the WMATA project, therefore hired several trackwork engineers who had previously worked for the Baltimore & Ohio. For better or worse, those fellows (two of whom I knew professionally) elected to use both ¼ inch tight gauge in main tracks and cylindrical profile on the wheel treads. The wheel mounting gauge was kept at AAR standard dimension, with the effect that gauge freeplay was reduced. These measures were an attempt to control “truck hunting”, and both were fairly common on the nation’s passenger railroads back in the day. Track gauge in WMATA’s yard track was kept at the standard 56 ½ inches, since truck hunting was not an issue at slow speeds. Unfortunately, the cure was determined to be worse than the disease as wheel and rail wear were severe, particularly in sharp radius curves. The problems were exacerbated by rotationally “stiff” trucks, yet another attempt to control hunting. The cylindrical wheels were therefore replaced by a conical/tapered wheels beginning around 1978. The track gauge in main tracks is still 56 ¼ inches. But, since the Rohr cars have wheel profiles and wheel gauge that are virtually identical to those used by the freight railroads, a “funeral train” would theoretically be possible. It would, however, require the cooperation of CSX or Norfolk Southern, which is doubtless the same thing as saying “ain’t gonna happen.” The mechanical issues cited by Brother Harbison pretty much seal the issue. Moving these cars by truck is quite possibly cheaper than trying to deal with the freight railroads. /s/ Larry Lawrence G. Lovejoy, P.E. |
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| Author: | Alan Walker [ Fri Mar 04, 2016 2:15 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: APRIL FOOL: Nat'l Cap. Trolley Mus. Acquires DC Metro Ca |
IRM runs their CTA El cars off the trolley wire. I got an opportunity to motor one of the train sets last fall at the ATRRM conference and had a blast-got to motor the full length of the main line at track speed. |
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