The LACMTA Board is scheduled to award a $72m contract to Talgo, Inc to perform a mid-life rebuild of up to 74 heavy rail cars delivered by Breda in the 90s. The only other bidder was Alstom Transportation.
Interestingly Talgo proposes to conduct the work at their Milwaukee plant.
That is interesting. With two Talgo sets ostensibly headed to Southern California they will need a maintenance base. One facility to handle both jobs would be idea but probably not feasible.
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D.Carleton That is interesting. With two Talgo sets ostensibly headed to Southern California they will need a maintenance base. One facility to handle both jobs would be idea but probably not feasible.
Unlikely that it would be feasible as they have two different sets of requirements. The maintenance facility for Talgo train sets in operation is primarily about maintaining wheel profiles so its primary equipment is a wheel lathe and the facility is usually located near one of the terminals so maintenance can be performed overnight.
A refurb facility is more like a backshop where cars are partly disassembled and deteriorated components replaced. Virtually nothing in common.
Buslist D.Carleton That is interesting. With two Talgo sets ostensibly headed to Southern California they will need a maintenance base. One facility to handle both jobs would be idea but probably not feasible. Unlikely that it would be feasible as they have two different sets of requirements. The maintenance facility for Talgo train sets in operation is primarily about maintaining wheel profiles so its primary equipment is a wheel lathe and the facility is usually located near one of the terminals so maintenance can be performed overnight. A refurb facility is more like a backshop where cars are partly disassembled and deteriorated components replaced. Virtually nothing in common.
In a running repair shop we true wheels, replace failed components (HVAC, toilets, etc.), perform daily/periodic inspections, Class 1 brake tests and even single car test. We can also drop trucks and/or axles for replacement. Heavy overhaul would entail the ability to strip the vehicle to the shell and completely reconstruct the body. Of course, not all running repair shops are created equal.
In this case it is highly unlikely there is much body deterioration to what are essentially subway cars. All Talgo should be doing is stripping the shell and replacing all the traction control and propulsion, HVAC, interiors and on-board electronics with predesigned replacements. In theory this would be within the bounds of a good running repair facility but building such a facility for just 74 rebuilds cannot really be justified.
D.Carleton Buslist D.Carleton That is interesting. With two Talgo sets ostensibly headed to Southern California they will need a maintenance base. One facility to handle both jobs would be idea but probably not feasible. Unlikely that it would be feasible as they have two different sets of requirements. The maintenance facility for Talgo train sets in operation is primarily about maintaining wheel profiles so its primary equipment is a wheel lathe and the facility is usually located near one of the terminals so maintenance can be performed overnight. A refurb facility is more like a backshop where cars are partly disassembled and deteriorated components replaced. Virtually nothing in common. The original plan for Talgo in Wisconsin was to use the assembly facility in Milwaukee as the running repair facility until a new one could be built in Madison. Obviously that didn't turn out. In a running repair shop we true wheels, replace failed components (HVAC, toilets, etc.), perform daily/periodic inspections, Class 1 brake tests and even single car test. We can also drop trucks and/or axles for replacement. Heavy overhaul would entail the ability to strip the vehicle to the shell and completely reconstruct the body. Of course, not all running repair shops are created equal. In this case it is highly unlikely there is much body deterioration to what are essentially subway cars. All Talgo should be doing is stripping the shell and replacing all the traction control and propulsion, HVAC, interiors and on-board electronics with predesigned replacements. In theory this would be within the bounds of a good running repair facility but building such a facility for just 74 rebuilds cannot really be justified.
The original plan for Talgo in Wisconsin was to use the assembly facility in Milwaukee as the running repair facility until a new one could be built in Madison. Obviously that didn't turn out.
Had a "tour" more like a walk through of the maintenance facility in Seattle as part of the high speed rail convention there some years ago. Ain't no way you are rebuilding or even rerofitting heavy rail cars in there. That's maybe even more of an issue since the lease on the Talgos by LA is only 5 years, how extensive a facility do you want to build.
The retrofit of the traction packages (not sure what's specified) but in the UK this has required an upgrade not an inkind replacement. Even the experienced EMU builders are having issues ( Bomb, Alstom etc.). With Talgo not having a lot of EMU experience I wouldn't be comfortable with them doing it in a running repair shop.
Relative to the Milmaukee situation a very senior Amtrak official (and a friend)was very opposed to using the assembly facility for the running repairs and was about to veto it when things fell apart.
As an aside, the ex-Milwaukee Talgo sets will run as part of the Pacific Surfliner service which is now controlled by the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency. LOSSAN membership overlaps, but is not the same as, the SCCRA (Metrolink) sponsoring counties.
Therefore, I think it is more likely that the Talgo sets will be maintained at the NCTD facility in north San Diego County, with the SCRRA shops near downtown LA as the second possibility. Amtrak maintains its own equipment for this service (and others) so it may not want Talgo equipment and techs at its DTLA yard.
If modifications to the sets are required prior to operation on the LOSSAN corridor, I have no idea where that work will be done.
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Buslist Had a "tour" more like a walk through of the maintenance facility in Seattle as part of the high speed rail convention there some years ago. Ain't no way you are rebuilding or even rerofitting heavy rail cars in there. That's maybe even more of an issue since the lease on the Talgos by LA is only 5 years, how extensive a facility do you want to build. The retrofit of the traction packages (not sure what's specified) but in the UK this has required an upgrade not an inkind replacement. Even the experienced EMU builders are having issues ( Bomb, Alstom etc.). With Talgo not having a lot of EMU experience I wouldn't be comfortable with them doing it in a running repair shop. Relative to the Milmaukee situation a very senior Amtrak official (and a friend)was very opposed to using the assembly facility for the running repairs and was about to veto it when things fell apart.
081552The LACMTA Board is scheduled to award a $72m contract to Talgo, Inc to perform a mid-life rebuild of up to 74 heavy rail cars delivered by Breda in the 90s. The only other bidder was Alstom Transportation. Interestingly Talgo proposes to conduct the work at their Milwaukee plant.
As a local taxpayer I really, really hope that the Metro staff did their due diligence. Does anyone know what skill base Talgo still has left in Milwaukee? How detailed were the engineering specs that the bidders responded to? This could turn out to be a CAF-style disaster.
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