Multilevels are actually in service! Not my photos or video, but I think Joe will appreciate:
Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGhTX0wY328Photos:http://www.flickr.com/photos/kellergraham/archives/date-posted/2009/11/23/detail/
I really have no clue about what happened with the doors being too high. It must have been a false rumour (unless the high level platforms are a different hight for the MU's, but I doubt it).
Alex
Railfan AlexMultilevels are actually in service! Not my photos or video, but I think Joe will appreciate
Yay! Did you get all of yours yet?I believe we're waiting on about 3 cabs, and a few (prob about 10) trailers, both BR and non-BR.
And I think the high doors was true, but way exaggerated. From one of those photos (thanks for the links, BTW!), it looks slightly too tall, but deff not 5 inches!
Tyler: Yes, our stuff is wierd... As you saw, we have the MP20s, which NO ONE else has (just another standard Transit move, buying untested equipment...), the MLs (except now AMT)(which don't have many problems, minus the trainlining issues, and the inboard-bearing trucks, which are nothing other than a PITA since they require a inspection every 3 days, on a pedestal track, which several yards don't have), the various Comets, F40PH-2CATs, GP40PH-2s (all kinds), GP40FH-2s, PL42ACs, and Arrow IIIs, and soon the diesel-catenary dualmode ALP-45DP, which AMT will also be getting. So basically everything minus the 4300 series (non-revenue) GP40-2s and P40DCs. Of course, Metro-North has most of the same equipment, but I don't count it as "any other railroads," since the equipment is pooled on the Hoboken Division.And I found the 2 trains! The commuter was easy, but the Red Line was a little harder...
And it looks like tonight's MidTOWN Direct trip is on...
My Model Railroad: Tri State RailMy Photos on Flickr: FlickrMy Videos on Youtube: YoutubeMy Photos on RRPA: RR Picture Archives
That train is made up of the first 6 cars that have arrived from Bombardier. There are still 154 to go!
Ohhhhh... I thought you meant all of them were there. Like when you said the handbrakes were left on on all the cars, you meant all 6... not all 160...
Wow last night was great!
And it seemed luck was on my side... When I went down the stairs to our train, I was expecting the normal, a 9 car string of CVs and CIIMs, but nope. Waiting for us was a 9 car string of MLs!!! Wasn't expecting that on a 11:49 pm departure...Took me 3 years to get a ride on one of them, but it finally happenned! Now, I've ridden in every type of car, except the Comet IVs (there was one on our inbound train last night, but I didn't sit in it), and the pre-rebuild CIIs (about 8 years too late for that now!!).
I'll have a short trip report, with a few photos (mostly of the MLs!) later. I would have grabbed more shots, but it was way too dark. Except for a few shots in NYP and one at Dover station, they were all the MLs, except for one of the Aqua Track in Summit, but it's so dark, you can barely see the loco, and a set of Arrows blocked me from getting the actual Aqua Track part of the train... And the 3010 escaped me AGAIN!!!!!!!!!! The two times I passed East Dover in daylight, it was either out working, or tied down, but the 3010 was out for inspection and there was a replacement... And this time it was dark...
NOTE TO SELF: Never commute the day before a Holiday. First the MBTA changed the 1:05 Worcester express train, which I hurried across the city to catch because I wanted to miss rush hour, to one that stopped at Framingham, so I had to wait for the 2:40 all-stops Worcester local in a station packed with people heading home for Thanksgiving - no seating AT ALL so I ended up standing outside in the rainy weather.
When my train was finally announced, I managed to get a seat but I was still crammed in with other people and their luggage - the baggage racks on MBTA multi-levels are totally useless for anything other than a deflated backpack - and the whole train was standing room only until Framingham, 20-odd miles out of the city.
The ride into the city was fine. The rain was especially fun! "Ashland, station stop is Ashland." *after the train stops* "Due to weather conditions, riders in the first two cars please walk back to exit the train." That's another way of saying "The rails are wet and slippery and we missed the station!"
Oh, and we now have an automated station announcer on some inbound trains! It sounds just like a stereotypical machine trying to mimic human speech... "Entering FraminghamWest Natick isnext" is a typical broken-up and mis-spaced station announcement. We had an even better conductor! (*Easter Bunny on drugs or maybe an excess of coffee voice*) "Fraaaaaamingham! Entering Framingham!"
Last weekend was a good one for me. Saturday, I went over to Naperville where I ran into another Youtuber and we spent the morning there. Here is the most interesting shot I got, BNSF ES44C4 casting its reflection. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4128693210/
Then Sunday I caught three IC&E trains.
IC&E Train 1: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4126133256/
Shot one of the second one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4126133158/
Shot two: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4125364817/
IC&E Train 3: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4126133472/
A bonus SOO with another SD40-2 behind it! http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4126133342/
Hmm, my post just posted itself, so allow me to finish it...
TrainManTythe baggage racks on MBTA multi-levels are totally useless for anything other than a deflated backpack
Same on our Multilevels! And for some reason, Bombardier only put them on the top level. And the lower level has coat hooks, but the upper level doesn't. And on the lower level, the floor under the seats is about 3" higher than the aisle, but not on the top... Strange design there...
On our cars (CIVs, IIMs, and Vs) we have the automated voice, although it's actually human. It is believed to be recorded by the late Hella Young. It doesn't make sense to me how it goes "The next station is..." and then "This station stop is..." (addition of the word stop during the current station announcement)They weren't on the MLs, so IDK if they weren't working, or if they aren't equipped...
And now on to the trip report:
When we got to Dover, our train, 6666, was already sitting there (we barely made it). ALP-44 4412 was on the head end, and the consist was a 9 car mix of Comet IIMs, CIVs, and CVs, with 6066 (CV) trailing. Yes, I know it's really ironic that 6066 was trailing on train 6666!Just as we were getting ready to pull out, the crossing bells sounded, which meant something was coming on Track 1. Morristown & Erie C424s 18 and 4240 were running multiple light eastbound. The 4240 was purchased from Canadian Pacific, and still has the Pac-Man logo, even though the unit is all tagged up. 4240 has been a parts unit, stored at Lake Junction for a long time, since it arrived, and I was told that it was likely being brought to Morristown to donate parts to 4216, which is another ex-CP C424, which is being brought back from the dead. They stopped just east of the station on track 1, where we overtook them on track 2. I don't have any photos because it was so dark, and it caught me off guard, but nevertheless it was a pleasant surprise!!There wasn't anything in the layover yard because it was still early. But NS 3010, and the bay window caboose, 21303, which are used on H-02, were tied up at East Dover for the night. So we had a 3 way meet between us, the M&E, and the 3010! Again, still no photos because it was so dark.We sat in Comet IIM 5303. It was the first of 9 cars behind the loco. I had to go to the bathroom, and it was, well, interesting to say the least. I walk down a few cars, and no bathroom yet. Keep going. All of a sudden, I'm in the trailing cab! The bathroom was 9 cars away! From the time I began walking at Denville, through a total of 18 cars (that's a 1/4 mile!), I was back in my seat by the time we reached Morris Plains!Then we traveled to NYPS. I won't give the details of the entire Morristown Line ride, though. On the way, we passed two ML sets, about a 1/2 dozen Arrow III MUs, a few electric push-pull sets (single level), and a diesel consist with a Metro-North F40PH-2CAT on the head end, all heading west.At Kearny Junction, we climbed up the connection ramp and onto the NEC, over PORTAL draw, through the North River Tunnels, and into NYP. The 4412 was rebuilt by the MMC (must I say more?), and has trouble going through phase gaps, but we made it through the PGs at Baker (in Morristown) and Maplewood, as well as the voltage change (25 KV on the MoTown Line to 12 KV on the NEC) at Kearny. Luckily, it stopped drawing power as it passed over the magnets, so nothing exploded, and then came back on after the PG!Our train arrived on Track 7 in NYP. Across the platfrom, on Track 8, was this northbound Acela Express:
Going home, we just missed the 10:49 outbound departure, so we had to wait till train 6683 at 11:49. In NYP, the departure board said that there was a train to Bay Head, although no trains from NY operate to BH, since electrification ends in Long Branch, and you can't (illegal) run diesel engines in NYC. Whoops...:
Our train left on Track 4. When I walked down the stairs, I was expecting a string of Comet Vs, since it was a late train. But it was a string of Multilevels! It was my first ride on a ML, and it was fantastic!
Where we boarded, the car was full, so we had to walk about 6 cars before finding seats. That meand 6 cars of walking up and down stairs. Oh well...That was my only complaint about the MLs, along with the lack of headroom. I was fine, but if I were any taller (I'm 6'0"), I woulda been squished.
Not much happened until we got to Summit. As we pulled in, the Aqua Track was sitting on the Gladstone Line track. The Aqua Track is a really high pressure power washer, used to remove slippery leaf residue from the rails. The residue is horrible on the M&E and M-B lines, so it runs jsut about every day. For a while the 4139 has been assigned to the Aqua Track, since it doesn't have operating HEP. Just as we pulled in, an Arrow set blocked my view, but I was able to grab a (really dark) shot of the 4139 as we pulled out:
Not much else was going on. When we went through Morristown and CP Baker, the M&E shops were visible below the ROW. The 18 and the 4240 were still hooked up outside the shop building.
Our train arrived in Dover around 1:30am. We arrived on Track 2, so the train would be able to enter the yard. The loco, which was shoving for the trip, was ALP-46 4603, and the leading cab was 7041. Here is 4603, just before it would pull the train into Dover Yard. The track diverging to the right is the yard:
Overall, it was a great. The MLs were a great experience, and they were comfortable and smooth.I have a few more ML interior shots, but I'll save those for bombarding (no pun intended, nothing to do with the Bombardier ML) this place with eastern shots Sorry for the lack of photos, but it was jsut way too dark. And for the photos I have, sorry they're crappy, but all I had was my phone, since my dad wouldn't let me take the camera...
I've ridden the multi-levels once - NYP to Newark Penn to go railfanning. I took PATH back - darn their "No Photography" rule! Do the NJT cars have those single seats on either side of the stairs on the upper level? I always try to get one of those seats when I can - it was the score of the day when I used my insider knowledge (Worcester and Forge Park/495 trains both leave at 2:40 from tracks 1, 2, 3, or 4, and the Worcester train is always on the left, plus I know one of the conductors) to get on the train before it was announced. I got one of those seats when the car was empty, then less than 10 minutes later every seat in the train was full and the aisles were jam-packed. I had a comfortable ride all 44 miles and 1.5 hours to Worcester!
Please try and bear with me while I try and explain this.
Imagine you are standing in the aisle on the top level, in the center of the car (doesn't matter which end you face). At the end of the aisle, the stairs are offcenter to the right. To the right of the stairs, two of the rows have only one seat. So that means there are two one seaters on each end, so 4 single seats total. To the left of the aisle on the end, there is a four-seater (2 two-seat rows, facing each other), so there are 2 "four-seaters" per car.The seats on both sides are in rows 2 by 2 (as opposed to 2 by 3 on the Comets and Arrows). The seats do not flip like on the Comets. Half of the seats face one way, and half face the other way, all facing the ends of the cars, except the 1 seaters (one of which per end faces a 2 seater) and one 2 seater per end.
If that doesn't make sense, here's the Technical Drawing from Bombardier.Since it's really small, you will have to save it to your computer, and then open it.
Yeah, that's the same kind of single-seats we have, but our cars are 3-by-2 seating, all facing towards the center of the car where there's seats facing each other with a table between them (we have free Wi-Fi, do you? ).
Our single-level cars have 2-by-3 seats that face the ends of the cars. The middle seats are back-to-back.
Like I said, the only places where there are seats facing each other are at the ends (upper and lower levels), but with no tables. And Transit is too poor for Wi-Fi! The state gives them no where near enough funding for everything! And sorry about going into politics, but with the cuts Governor elect Christie is going to make, yeah right ! (and I'll leave it at that).
All the Comets have the flippable 3 by 2 seating. The Comet Is don't (didn't) flip, but the IBs did. But the end seats, against the walls, don't flip (for obvious reasons!).
And great news. Found out more about the Toys For Tots train, which conicidentally runs the same day as the TSRHS/NJT Santa Claus Special. The TFT train will run with NS 3010, a NJT loco, possibly along with other Morristown & Erie and/or New York, Susquehanna, & Western locos. M&E 1775, a camo painted boxcar painted and numbered to honor the Marines, will run on the train and hold the toys. On Saturday, the 12th, it will run on M&E rails, and on NYS&W on Sunday the 13th. Since I will be on the Santa Clause Special in the morning, hopefully I'll be able to catch it at Sleepy's in Ledgewood, to drop off a donation, and get some shots (I'd feel really guilty if I grabbed shots without donating anything...). For more info, see the train's website
In other news, a photo has surfaced on another forum, and it would appear that NJT 4629, the first new ALP-46A, is being loaded on a ship in Germany, for shipment over here. It'll probably be here in testing (or possibly in Pueblo) by the end of the year. I don't know anything about the rest of the order, though...
Next trip report: EJ&E 444, two photos, might be the last J switcher I get! http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4142319278/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4142336380/
Former BCOL SD40-2 752, now bound for a scrapper as well as the NBEC units behind it. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4141575997/
Also, CN has began demolishing the old EJ&E roundhouse at Joliet Yard, unfortunatly. http://www.flickr.com/photos/24084206@N08/4141567189/
Lots of happenings up in the Twin Ports.
-Work continues in South Itasca, where CN is putting a new, high speed curve to replace the current curve where the former WC line south out of Superior connects with the former DM&IR trackage that leads to Saunders and Pokegama Yard. This will allow southbound trains to hit a 40MPH speed, and won't have to creep through the area any longer. Estimated finish date is Dec. 31st.
-Work in Proctor Yard is finished, with extra tracks being laid in the west end of the yard to service and switch CN freight trains. Already, trains have been delivered and switched inside the yard, with two CN GP9s doing the switching duties. For the first time in a long, long time, the yard has seen GE locomotives, as well as SD75I and SD70M units, including a duo of UP SD70Ms.
-It would appear as though Pokegama Yard may be just a stopping point, and nothing more in the near future. The word is that all of the Pokey staff except for the clerkmaster have been moved up to Proctor. It would seem that the DWP line from Nopeming to Rainer may be a thing of the past if nothing's going to be coming out of Pokey.
Nothing new with me,
couple of shots from a few weeks ago
416 in Weyauwega
CN NB in Lomira
CN SB in Sussex
this time of the year trains start to slow down for me.
That's quite confusing on why CN is turning Proctor into a switching yard. I can understand that they want to relive congestion at Pokey, but Proctor just seems so far out of the way. I suppose they could use Pokey for the Q trains that need to make pick-ups there, and they could use Proctor for a terminating and originating point for the A and L trains. Other wise it just seems to far out of the way. I also didn't know that Adolph had a connecting track to get on the Interstate branch from Proctor. Well I guess CN is just trying to make things more efficient. I also have to question about the old DWP, it seems like CN never uses it. I've heard CN uses it for directional running. But on my two trips up there, I have never seen a train south of Shelton Junction on the DWP. You'd think that the Shelton Junction connection track would be a bottle neck. I mean I haven’t seen trains go around that curve in land speed records.
If I ever go up there again, things will be a lot different.
My Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/JR7582 My Flickr Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wcfan/