CMStPnP BaltACD charlie - are you Ralph Nader of 'Unsafe at Any Speed' fame? Herr Balt.....Vorsicht.....Das ist der Krampus.
BaltACD charlie - are you Ralph Nader of 'Unsafe at Any Speed' fame?
Herr Balt.....Vorsicht.....Das ist der Krampus.
Boys, boys. Time to pick up your toys.
BaltACDcharlie - are you Ralph Nader of 'Unsafe at Any Speed' fame?
All these claims of instabiliy. Has amtrak installed a device that will measure how stable the cars are? Just speculation in this thread until some kind of testing is actually done. .
charlie hebdo Overmod charlie hebdo stated in absolute language that they were unstable above that speed Oh ok, from now on I (and you and all other posters) need to state "IMO" in their posts. Since I have clearly stated I am not any type of engineer (or industrial designer, to be clear) it seemed obvious, especially when you and several others frequently make assertions beyond your areas of expertise. OM: Here is a interesting research study looking at many passenger derailments worldwide. I note that Superliner cars seem to turn over in several. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download%3Fdoi%3D10.1.1.817.475%26rep%3Drep1%26type%3Dpdf&ved=2ahUKEwidk8iw9qr5AhX7GTQIHctUC7AQFnoECAgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0ih10j_tT0hui7vP0EjMaS
Overmod charlie hebdo stated in absolute language that they were unstable above that speed
Oh ok, from now on I (and you and all other posters) need to state "IMO" in their posts. Since I have clearly stated I am not any type of engineer (or industrial designer, to be clear) it seemed obvious, especially when you and several others frequently make assertions beyond your areas of expertise.
OM: Here is a interesting research study looking at many passenger derailments worldwide. I note that Superliner cars seem to turn over in several.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download%3Fdoi%3D10.1.1.817.475%26rep%3Drep1%26type%3Dpdf&ved=2ahUKEwidk8iw9qr5AhX7GTQIHctUC7AQFnoECAgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0ih10j_tT0hui7vP0EjMaS
charlie - are you Ralph Nader of 'Unsafe at Any Speed' fame?
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Overmodcharlie hebdo stated in absolute language that they were unstable above that speed
I confess that I would like to see citations that Superliners are unsafe in roll above 50mph -- but I don't demand them.
charlie hebdo stated in absolute language that they were unstable above that speed, and I'd like to know if he has read any references that establish that speed. I would find it hard to believe that all the people involved in developing the high-level Amtrak equipment were wrong about the practical safety of the equipment, but it would be far from the first time that common engineering knowledge turns out to have been misapplied.
I confess to still not 'believing' that the Waggon Union trucks provide the same roll stability as the GSC90 design... and that neither of them, as provided, 'go as far as they should' in providing roll stability. That is an utter and complete opinion and should be treated as such.
BEAUSABRE About the only quick fixes I can think of are to install seatbelts and seat back airbags and enforce the rules of remaining buckled up and no unnecessary walking about (potty breaks only). Refreshments will be delivered to your seat when a member of the crew passes by with the cart (you preselect meals either with your reservations or from a list the staff member takes down - just like an airliner. You buy drinks off the cart.The old dining car would become a kitchen-coach). Which would be bandaids (and may not be either practical or pass legal liability muster) and also destroy some of the ambiance ATK is trying to sell. "You can get up and walk around"
About the only quick fixes I can think of are to install seatbelts and seat back airbags and enforce the rules of remaining buckled up and no unnecessary walking about (potty breaks only). Refreshments will be delivered to your seat when a member of the crew passes by with the cart (you preselect meals either with your reservations or from a list the staff member takes down - just like an airliner. You buy drinks off the cart.The old dining car would become a kitchen-coach). Which would be bandaids (and may not be either practical or pass legal liability muster) and also destroy some of the ambiance ATK is trying to sell. "You can get up and walk around"
You offered your own opinion/assertion with no references which is correct. Get it?
BEAUSABRE Overmod I am a great fan of Corb's 'machine a habiter' use of small, snug sleeping environments. I like tiny houses, 'capsule hotels', and some of those European and Asian hostel-style multilevel bunks for 'assisted coach travel', so reminiscent of open sections We're Americans, we expect and demand bigger. There have been some reviews on line by millenials and Gen Z'ers and they all found the sleeper accomodations ingenious but cramped - to some reviewers terribly so.
Overmod I am a great fan of Corb's 'machine a habiter' use of small, snug sleeping environments. I like tiny houses, 'capsule hotels', and some of those European and Asian hostel-style multilevel bunks for 'assisted coach travel', so reminiscent of open sections
We're Americans, we expect and demand bigger. There have been some reviews on line by millenials and Gen Z'ers and they all found the sleeper accomodations ingenious but cramped - to some reviewers terribly so.
You refer to articles by third parties. Citations?
BEAUSABRE charlie hebdo Superliners are top-heavy and unsafe for speeds over ~50mph given rough trackage and hazardous crossings on most lines outside of a few corridors. OK, rather than make an assertion, try providing references to back it up
charlie hebdo Superliners are top-heavy and unsafe for speeds over ~50mph given rough trackage and hazardous crossings on most lines outside of a few corridors.
OK, rather than make an assertion, try providing references to back it up
Most postings on here are assertions or opinions. Citations only are needed when a third party is a source.
charlie hebdoSuperliners are top-heavy and unsafe for speeds over ~50mph given rough trackage and hazardous crossings on most lines outside of a few corridors.
PJS1 trains, would it be technically and economically feasible to rebuild the Superline cars? If so, how long would the rebuilds be expected to last?
trains, would it be technically and economically feasible to rebuild the Superline cars? If so, how long would the rebuilds be expected to last?
Since we are on the topic of Superline cars, let me pose another question.
According to several news sources, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are rebuilding some of their older locomatives. The rebuilds, according to the articles, could extend the life of the locomotives up to 20 years.
Instead of buying new cars for the Superliner equipped long-distance trains, would it be technically and economically feasible to rebuild the Superliner cars? If so, how long would the rebuilds be expected to last?
Rio Grande Valley, CFI,CFII
OvermodYou'd probably want the equivalent of those bus hoverchair mechanisms in seats mounted in possum-belly -- I think we learned valuable lessons with all those lightweight and 'tubular' equipment in the '50s.
Perhaps necessary since much American trackage is in poor condition compared to track on the DB.
Superliners are top-heavy and unsafe for speeds over ~50mph given rough trackage and hazardous crossings on most lines outside of a few corridors.
In my not-so-humble opinion: I would thoroughly agree with IC2-style coaches for LD (with the 'extra space' used for a wide range of potential amenities to make the experience better) but I would retain high-level full sleepers if possible, and use the upper level of the IC2 equipment for the 'gangways' to the sleepers. With some care in designing the intercar transitions, this might allow in-train use of Superliners with newer equipment that has different vestibule height.
One thing the IC2 equipment would facilitate would be the use of dome-style 'fenestration' on the upper deck -- the existing cars go a long way toward it -- and repurpose the lower one as 'sleeping chairs' or hostel-style bunking. This solves the issue with coach seat tracking and, I think, provides an immediate path to multiple types of inexpensive ways to endure, or should I say enjoy, what may be multiple-day trips on LD services.
You will get no argument from me regarding sleeping comfort: my concern was that 'Murican' sleeper passengers might not understand or appreciate the smaller and tighter accommodation size. I admit I was thinking of the existing IC2 envelope (I think it conforms to a UIC plate size) with sleeping accommodations on that upper level.
You'd probably want the equivalent of those bus hoverchair mechanisms in seats mounted in possum-belly -- I think we learned valuable lessons with all those lightweight and 'tubular' equipment in the '50s.
OM: I was thinking more of the IC2 design for the coach portion of LD trains and single level for sleeper accomodations. As has been pointed out on here numerous times, most LD train passengers are riding to/from and between intermediate stops. So it is likely they are not overnighters requiring berths.
As to smaller berths: I'm 6'2" and retired. I have no problem with berths on European overnight trains and when I was a bit younger, the 4-bunk couchettes we're fine. Many Europeans are large, BTW.
If I remember correctly, Siemens offered this or a very similar double-deck shell as one option for the Amfleet replacement, and it was 'not proceeded with' in favor of the same company's single-level offering.
In part this is because the low-level 'possum belly' construction requires stairs or ramps compliant with the ADA for use with high-level platforms. This is much less of a concern with much of the LD service; in fact low-floor entrances in Superliners are a boarding advantage for many... if there is some provision to get the disabled to the upper level. That would be a terrible space-waster and perhaps integrity compromiser if implemented in each car (presumably as a wheelchair-and-attendant sized electric elevator).
If you put sleeper accommodation on the lower level of an IC2 you're going exactly counter to the ideas of high-level cars in the first place; if you put them on the upper level the space becomes disturbingly cramped for most people familiar with legacy sleeper accommodation unless the shell is redesigned taller and wider. (Disclaimer: I am a great fan of Corb's 'machine a habiter' use of small, snug sleeping environments. I like tiny houses, 'capsule hotels', and some of those European and Asian hostel-style multilevel bunks for 'assisted coach travel', so reminiscent of open sections.) While the upper deck of an IC2 is certainly crowded by Superliner standards, you can get at least the effect of roomettes in there -- but I suspect it will be a hard sell to charge current Amtrak prices for the resulting accommodation unless there are truly wonderful amenities... something Amtrak is poor at either supplying or maintaining.
ORNHOOI, for one, have always found it unfortunate that Isambard Kingdom Brunel did not have a more lasting influence on the subject of railroad gauge. A wider stance on the rails would go far to mitigate the effect of a higher center of gravity.
Had even the 6' gauge persisted in the United States, you would have seen its loading gage brought out to the stable maximum, as in the 3m Breitspurbahn later. One of the arguments about doing this with Brunel's even wider gauge is that the axles start to become fairly heavy without intermediate support when you get into 'cost-effective' loading.
Now, it might have been interesting to see a world in which overhead clearances were restricted to, say, New York Central levels, but on 6' or 7-and-a-fraction gauge out to stable limits. That would have allowed relatively wide cabins with 'steamboat' ceiling height; staterooms on either side of a central aisle, etc. But the American love of property tax would likely have ruined this before it could be extensively built out.
There have been periodic attempts to bring the idea back either for stability or convenience. I was impressed when young by the Trains article on the case for the double-track train, and by the RRollway that operated on three-rail broad gauge to accommodate then-enormous American cars driven on and off transversely. (Note that I do not mention explicitly a certain mid-Seventies jiggle-show Love Boat on wheels...)
Rather more expensive than simply buying better equipment, doncha think?
I, for one, have always found it unfortunate that Isambard Kingdom Brunel did not have a more lasting influence on the subject of railroad gauge. A wider stance on the rails would go far to mitigate the effect of a higher center of gravity.
Overmod that lawyers will try to establish that the basic Superliner design is fundamentally unsafe.
Perhaps more suitable for Amtrak is the DB IC2
https://images.app.goo.gl/Gj475E5nEdyVz6QX9
charlie hebdoI think it is difficult to retrofit older generation Amtrak equipment with lateral or longitudinal CEM passive measures.
One problem I see coming is that, with these fairly high-profile derailments dumping consists on their side, that lawyers will try to establish that the basic Superliner design is fundamentally unsafe. If they do, Amtrak may have no choice but to implement some kind of positive safety attempt... no matter how parlous in actual situations.
I'm wondering how the Superliner center of gravity compares with double deck equipment in Europe or Asia?
Having said that, the fastest railroad train in the world at this point is a French bi-level, so I think there is clearly going to be some solution that would make a high-level HSR or 125mph service a possibility. It is certainly an option for non-commodity-corridor adaptation of PRIIA, which I think is the logical follow-on for Superliners (despite the initial Siemens 'Amfleet replacements') when it comes time... fairly soon, I think, 2024?... to start replacing them. Those shells can be carefully designed to minimize tipover, and be given adequate glazing and internal-impact management as well as better passenger restraint methods.
I am not an engineer. That said, I think it is difficult to retrofit older generation Amtrak equipment with lateral or longitudinal CEM passive measures.
I'm wondering how the superliner center of gravity compares with double deck equipment in Europe or Asia?
charlie hebdo Overmod charlie hebdo will agitate for better CEM in the passenger areas,
Overmod charlie hebdo will agitate for better CEM in the passenger areas,
azrail The Superliners were basically clones of Santa Fe's Hi-Levels. But they were made of less durable metals than the Santa Fe cars-they crush easier.
The Superliners were basically clones of Santa Fe's Hi-Levels. But they were made of less durable metals than the Santa Fe cars-they crush easier.
Thanks, Dude.
Still in training.
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