New Cars at the New Colton Facility
A visit to outside the gated Metrolink Colton facility was made on Sunday, October 31, 2010, and at least seven new Metrolink cab cars were present, six of which were coupled together. The below shot was taken from the east approach to the Mill Street overpass.
A side view. The new cab car on the right is numbered 643.
One cab car was within an outdoor servicing structure.
For any that may wish to visit the new Colton facility, be advised that it is a gated yard with security guards present. It is also very difficult to photograph the new cars. Besides the gating around the facility, there are "No Parking" signs everywhere. This forumist had to actually park in two different residential areas, and hike in on public roads each time. But, it is great to personally see and photograph the spiffy new cars at the new facility!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- K.P.’s absolute “theorem” from early, early childhood that he has seen over and over and over again: Those that CAUSE a problem in the first place will act the most violently if questioned or exposed.
K. P. Harrier New Cars at the New Colton Facility A visit to outside the gated Metrolink Colton facility was made on Sunday, October 31, 2010, and at least seven new Metrolink cab cars were present, six of which were coupled together. The below shot was taken from the east approach to the Mill Street overpass. A side view. The new cab car on the right is numbered 643. One cab car was within an outdoor servicing structure. For any that may wish to visit the new Colton facility, be advised that it is a gated yard with security guards present. It is also very difficult to photograph the new cars. Besides the gating around the facility, there are "No Parking" signs everywhere. This forumist had to actually park in two different residential areas, and hike in on public roads each time. But, it is great to personally see and photograph the spiffy new cars at the new facility!
Nice pics!! Any word on when the will enter service?
EEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!! THAT LOOKS SO FOREIGHN
I wondered where they went. They were at the San Fernando Blvd facilities at the start of October, still think they look alot better than the current cab cars.
Have fun with your trains
Natarai (11-4):
You asked when the new cars would enter service. I don't know, but I was by the Colton facility Thursday (12-2-2010), and the new facility was just packed with the new cars!
K.P.
K. P. Harrier Natarai (11-4): You asked when the new cars would enter service. I don't know, but I was by the Colton facility Thursday (12-2-2010), and the new facility was just packed with the new cars! K.P.
Thanks for the update!
Someone on the amtrack unlimited forums said they read a tweet/blog post from metrolink saying the first cars will enter service (either fully as a new train, or combined with the older cars) around the 6th of december.
Natarai (12-4):
Here is what the semi-packed with new cars Colton Metrolink facility looked like yesterday (Saturday, December 4, 2010) in the late afternoon.
Most, if not all, of the new cab cars faced south.
"Whistle Stop Debut"
Here is the Metrolink website link about touring December 6, 8, and 9, 2010 ...
http://www.metrolinktrains.com/news/?id=5803
http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_16792495
They will be in service starting next Monday 12/13/10
Check out the imbedded videos in the article, the one at the bottom is interesting.
Had Aliens Taken the New Cars Up to Outer Space? Was Scrooge on the Prowl?
It was Christmas Day 2010, and K.P. thought that a bunch of the crashworthy new Metrolink cars surely would be idle at the end of the San Bernardino Line. To K.P.'s dismay, however, NO new cars were present. Had aliens taken them through outer space to another planet? Was Scrooge on the loose?
Here is what the idle OLD cars looked like. View looks east from Mt. Vernon Ave.
The servicing facility on the west side of the Mt. Vernon Avenue's Viaduct Bridge: Something had crashed through the bridge's protective side walling.
A nearby overflow yard (background) by the I-215 Freeway:
Out of all the cars at the San Bernardino stop and its surroundings, one would think at least a few new cars would be present. But, absolutely none were!
One time K.P. forsook riding Metrolink for lack of parking spaces at San Bernardino. A new parking structure is finally being built ... and is well along. At least those wishing to ride the new cars (when they show up) will soon have a place to park and ride.
A few days earlier, a non-cabcar was spotted behind the engine on an outbound run on the Riverside Line, near Pico Rivera. The train was quickly moving away from the camera (leftward).
Also passed by on Christmas Day was the new Metrolink Colton Maintenance Yard just about a mile to the south. It WAS packed with the new cars! Earlier posted photos of the new cars at that facility are elsewhere in this thread.
If it wasn't for the near to Pico Rivera single new car siting and seeing the Maintenance facility in Colton full of new cars, this forumist just might have started to believe aliens had taken the new cars to outer space ...The new cars' widespread absence undoubtedly disappoints the followers of this thread!
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4440444
In Search of the New Cars
Part I (of I-V)
K.P. arrived at the San Bernardino stop early in the morning, at the crack of light on Tuesday, March 29, 2011. Still, most of the big fleet of early trains had already departed for Los Angeles. And, again, NO new cars were present.
However, there was a train in the curved servicing facility just to the west, and that train had new cars!
The train soon was pulled to the station tracks, and right behind the engine was two of the new cars.
The last car was a new cab car.
Continued in Part II
Part II (of I-V)
Boarders tricked over to the train.
More people arrive and it is getting lighter.
Old and new commuter car roofs:
Continued in Part III
Part III (of I-V)
A close-up of that cab car 648:
Departure time arrives, and like clockwork, the train moves out.
Continued in Part IV
Part IV (of I-V)
Within seconds the cab car will go under the Mt. Vernon Ave. viaduct.
And, the last two new cars follow.
The train goes up the flyover ...
... and it is on its way to Los Angeles.
Continued in Part V
Part V (of I-V)
The Colton maintenance facility is only a short distance from the San Bernardino stop, and that facility is accessed by BNSF's Main 4, the former AT&SF "Short Way" from many years ago.
That Colton maintenance facility had a number of 85-foot flats with newly delivered Metrolink cars on them.
So, slowly things are looking up and more promising for those in search of the new cars!
blue streak 1 As slick as the cab cars look they are not functional. The shovel nose Cab car has no way to be an intermediate car and the other one does not either. I can not tell you how often you see cab cars in the middle of a train on commuter services so the un needed cars are not run empty during non rush hour times. Looks great but not very economical!
As slick as the cab cars look they are not functional. The shovel nose Cab car has no way to be an intermediate car and the other one does not either. I can not tell you how often you see cab cars in the middle of a train on commuter services so the un needed cars are not run empty during non rush hour times. Looks great but not very economical!
The North Western, for one, ordered more cab coaches on the premise that trains would be broken down for off-peak service and built up for the rush. Few if any cars are switched in and out this way; and consists stay fixed for the peak load. In reality, only enough cab coaches are needed for the number of train sets operated plus spares for rotating equipment through inspection and maintenance. Hardly any economy would be lost; in fact, fewer expensive cabs would be needed. Whether the fuel cost would be a factor in deadheading cars back and forth in the off-peak may become an issue.
EEW GROSS
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