They insist on running ventilation at hurricane velocities and lights enough suntan the passengers on these commuter lines. Perhaps they will turn down the ventilation and lights and save some KW on the hotel load on the locomotive so that it doesn't have to be in run 8 at the station. There is no good place to pick up outside air when near a locomotive: low and the surface dust is sucked in, high and the diesel exhaust is pulled in.
The ventilation standards are going to have to be looked at closely. I am sure that some bureaucrat thoght that if 100 cubic feet/minute was good, 1000 cubic feet/minute is even better. Ventilation in the Northstar commuter coaches is so loud you cannot talk across the aisle.
The case is similar for lighting. The lights are so bright you cannot see your computer screens or outside the window even if you wanted to.
Most likely the high ventilation assures that any soot swirling around outside will be pulled right in and through the car.
Anyone else experience these "uncomforts" in their commuting?
I don't see any cause given for the soot in the article but only that it occurs at the station Is it because the equipment rests there at full HEP power or is it inherent in the building? Or do the cars bring it in from other locations. Could the running of motors actually shake the soot of years gone by down from the bowls of the station building.. I am not making fun of the situation, I really am curious as to the cause..
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I believe them that the diesel 'soot' is high. But once the commuters get off of the trains, they are exposed to direct contact with auto gasoline and bus diesel exhaust as the walk down the Chicago sidewalks!
I suspect that since the diesel/HEP engines usually point 'to' downtown Chicago - Maybe the concentration of diesel fumes is greatest at the 'head house' end of the station(were that HEP has the diesel in RUN 8).
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
jrbernier I believe them that the diesel 'soot' is high. But once the commuters get off of the trains, they are exposed to direct contact with auto gasoline and bus diesel exhaust as the walk down the Chicago sidewalks! I suspect that since the diesel/HEP engines usually point 'to' downtown Chicago - Maybe the concentration of diesel fumes is greatest at the 'head house' end of the station(were that HEP has the diesel in RUN 8). Jim
In Chicago commuter operations, the engines typically point "away" from Chicago. In other words, the engines are on the end of the train opposite the headhouse.
I'm not real surprised to see exhaust issues at Union Station. The train sheds (which used to exhaust to the open air) were covered over by buildings long ago.
I'm a little more surprised to see exhaust issues at Ogilvie,since it has butterfly train sheds which shouldn't trap the exhaust. I suspect the problem there is due to the engines on standing trains being run at high speed for HEP, and the exhaust then being drawn into the air intakes of the car directly behind the loco. At Union Station, they don't do this - the cars are plugged into station power and the engine doesn't ramp up to provide the HEP until the train is just about to depart. Interestingly, I just rode a train from Ogilvie a couple of days ago, and they appear to have just recently adopted the same procedure used at Union Station. I wonder whether the Metra data for Ogilvie reflect the new procedure.
as for soot swirling in commuter cars, all air is filtered before it comes out of the ceiling.
Dutchrailnut as for soot swirling in commuter cars, all air is filtered before it comes out of the ceiling.
The measurement of particulates (soot) was inside the cars.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
Commuter cars? End doors are opened and not closed, or just the opening of one will bring in the dust. So will an open window...come on, some cars do have windows that open even if only one per side where conductors/trainmen handle the doors. Saw that on the LIRR just a couple of weeks ago. If soot is not from the locomotive of the train then it's from other locomotives near or passing the train. Then there is the surrounding air at any given location which might have more soot in it than elsewhere...there is probably no one reason for the why or source of soot.
A conductor window on a commuter car won't let in soot, since cars are at possitive pressure from HVAC system, as for open doors at end of cars, thanks you just verified for me that Commuters are to dumb to close a door by themselfs.
Awww come on Dutch...you know often the doors get stuck, electronics trip and doors stay open or just slip back and forth on their own...NJT, MNRR and LIRR, I've seen them all. And on the LIRR I found all the door control station windows, all of a foot square, at each conductor station on the train, were open continuously through the trip, on both sides of the train! I have also seen train personell leave doors open, too. So it ain't the just the dumb commuters! The inly one I will excuse is the cab car door to the vestibule left open by the engineer between Danbury and East Norwalk.
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