Profit motive drives inovation.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=39078
Inspection pits in the station! Brilliant! Ever see any kind of inovation driven from the inside of Amtrak?
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
Wow! you don't want to fall off that platform!
Johnny
Deggesty Wow! you don't want to fall off that platform! Johnny
That probably has more to do with why this idea died out quickly. Imagine what it would be like in today's lawsuit-happy society.
I was wrong. Track 16 at Washington Union Station has an inspection pit. Guess they're not too worried about law suits.
It's a great idea because you can avoid a reverse moves out of a terminal to shop and servicing tracks which can double the moves through the throat of the terminal. You can do a complete inspection there as well as do traction motor brushes and much easier brake shoe replacement. Might be able to squeeze an extra turn or two out of the equipment.
NJT's Atlantic City station doesn't have a pit, but does have platforms designed to accomodate work while the train is at the platform.
oltmannd Profit motive drives inovation. http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=39078 Inspection pits in the station! Brilliant! Ever see any kind of inovation driven from the inside of Amtrak?
The inspection pits were probably included when the station was originally built. Keep in mind that North Shore also had a shop at the south end of the street running and the Electroliners received a full inspection at that shop during their overnight layover. North Shore also had quick turnarounds of their cars and the pits were probably good for little more than spot inspections and running repairs. It's also interesting to note that such an innovation was never included at South Shore's separate platforms at Randolph Street Station.
Another piece to the puzzle. How many spare Electro-liners were there? How many spare Acela sets are there?
(The answers are none and four)
There were only two Electroliners built. Usually, both were in service. There was a set of modernized standard cars, including a diner-lounge, that substituted when one was in for regular overhaul. The standard equipment had no problem at all in making the same schedule. Indeed, if a standard train had all motor cars and no trailers, it could exceed the top speed of an Electronliner. The fastest I ever road on the North Shore was a mile in 36 seconds, or 90 miles an hour, from Deerpath south to Skokie on a regular express, riding the front platform. Probably had a tail wind and helped by a slight dowmgrade. I believe level balancing speed of an Electroliner was approximately 80mph. The field shunt equipment on the motors was either never activated or removed from service, because when I rode, the field shunting was not used, thus the 80 mph top speed.
I recommend the two books by the Central Electric Railfans Association:
INTERURBAN TO MILWAUKEEE
ROUTE OF THE ELECTROLINERS
So, why shouldn't the North Shore be a model for how to deploy the Acelas? The Acelas are idle overnight - why not do ALL the maintenance and repair work then? Do the little stuff and small repairs during the terminal turnaround. Get at least 19 of the 20 sets out on the road every weekday. Pinch hit "Metroliner" Amfleet consists when a set isn't available, then appologize and give the passengers $50 off their next trip or Amtrak Rewards points or whatever.
NIghtly inspection of the Acela's would seem to be very important, because they are really just a prototype technology. Might such regualr maintenace have detected the problem which sidelined these trains?
"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood." Daniel Burnham
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