RyPN has a thread about the Talgo auction, which includes links.
Jim200Talgo Milwaukee factory.
It's not a Talgo factory, it is the former Tower Automotive Frame plant. Talgos are only assembled there from parts made overseas. So when a Talgo is bought most of the labor and money goes overseas, it is only really a very token presence in the United States. Additionally, their presence in that specific plant is subsidized by taxpayer money. They do not even own the building and they are only using one floor in one of the multi building complex to assemble from parts.
Really, he is not touring anything he is just walking around an assembly floor in one building of a several building complex which was purchased by the state or city to avoid demolition and marketed as a small business incubator (and largely failed at that purpose) so the politicians came up with a scheme to stick Talgo assembly in the plant because it had rail access and it might lessen the heavy red ink of the mostly empty facility.
Of course the now Mayor of Milwaukee wishes they had more business as the complex is considered a white elephant on the taxpayers backs which it would have been without Talgo as a failing small business incubator with few people leasing space in it.
Some of the skills learned from assembling a Talgo might have transferrable aspects but my guess is that most of them do not and are unique to assembling a talgo trainset. So is this really creating jobs?
Tuesday, Nigeria received the two Talgo VIII train sets from Milwaukee. They will be used on the Red Line Rail from Agbado to Byingbo, which will take less than 30 minutes.
https://naijauto.com/market-news/lagos-finally-takes-delivery-of-new-trains-for-rail-transport-system-9434
Amtrak is also auctioning off the last two Talgo VI train sets, but I don’t have the link for it.
Apparently the two Wisconsin Talgo trains were moved back to Milwaukee in about December 2019. The link below from Nigeria shows the governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, with a blue plaid scarf, touring the Talgo Milwaukee factory.
https://www.thecable.ng/lagos-completes-purchase-of-two-talgo-trains-originally-designed-for-us-city/amp
blue streak 1 Newspaper report. Talgo trains sat idle in a Milwaukee facility now heading to Nigeria (jsonline.com)
Newspaper report.
Talgo trains sat idle in a Milwaukee facility now heading to Nigeria (jsonline.com)
The Wisconsin Public Radio in the link below, reported that the two Wisconsin Talgo trains went to Beech Grove Indiana in the spring of 2014 according to court documents, and have been there a long time. They have several pictures showing them there in November of 2019.
WPR also states that there were also two trains made for Oregon, and those trains were being used in Oregon/Washington in 2013.
Maybe I missed something, but I thought there were only four Talgo series VIII. So, did the two Wisconsin Talgo trains move back to Milwaukee or are they still at Beech Grove?
I read that Washington DOT now has something like $75 million to spend on new train sets. I wonder how much Nigeria paid. It seems a shame that these trains weren’t put to use here.
https://www.wpr.org/derailed/years-after-rail-saga-wisconsins-talgo-trains-sit-idle
CMStPnPwhen attribution is provided. Go figure.
You provided no attribution. Blue streak did, which corrected your error. Get it?
charlie hebdo I guess MR's remark was just his fantasy.
I guess MR's remark was just his fantasy.
blue streak 1 Have a very reliable source that several persons have been sent to MKE to prepare Talgos stored there are going to be moved. Plans at present are to rail unit(s) to Savannah and put on ship to Africa, Of course it always can change. Have not received any possible routing. May be wherher Amtrak or class1s?
Have a very reliable source that several persons have been sent to MKE to prepare Talgos stored there are going to be moved. Plans at present are to rail unit(s) to Savannah and put on ship to Africa, Of course it always can change. Have not received any possible routing. May be wherher Amtrak or class1s?
They pulled the trainsets out of Milwaukee a long time ago. Talgo is now competing against long standing American firms for rebuilding or assembling commuter cars at it's highly subsidized Milwaukee plant. The American firms are probably paying full costs on their factory space and hence probably cannot bid as low on the projects because their fixed costs are higher and do not have a taxpayer subsidy.
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