New Red and Orange Line Cars

stellarfun said:
"Production of each $2.43 million car will take 22 days in Springfield. The Springfield complex has a 2,240-foot track where cars will be tested."
Source: https://www.masslive.com/business-n...mbta_gets_first_crrc_orange_line_test_ca.html


https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2017/10/10/mbta-orange-line-trains-china/

So why are the two test alternatives described above not sufficient for testing?
Click to expand...

Because they want to test them adjacent to Cabot Yard, and they need to run testing during business hours?
 
Equilibria said:
Because they want to test them adjacent to Cabot Yard, and they need to run testing during business hours?
Click to expand...

This is a very inefficient way to conduct endurance testing, other than repetitive stop and start cycles. There is no loop, thus after a half-mile run, the operator has to change cab to take the set of tested cars in the opposite direction. Rinse, repeat. All day long. I suppose you could have an operator at each cab end, but that too is inefficient. Supposedly, the MBTA wants to test each car for several hundred miles before it is placed in service..

And because this is third rail, to keep trespassers from grievous misfortune, a fence needs to be erected around the whole perimeter of the lot. The No Name owner gets no use of his property.
 
stellarfun said:
This is a very inefficient way to conduct endurance testing, other than repetitive stop and start cycles. There is no loop, thus after a half-mile run, the operator has to change cab to take the set of tested cars in the opposite direction. Rinse, repeat. All day long. I suppose you could have an operator at each cab end, but that too is inefficient. Supposedly, the MBTA wants to test each car for several hundred miles before it is placed in service..

And because this is third rail, to keep trespassers from grievous misfortune, a fence needs to be erected around the whole perimeter of the lot. The No Name owner gets no use of his property.
Click to expand...

It seems to be going fine on the Orange Line, and they had an opportunity to do a loop track within Wellington Yard if they really wanted one. I assume they'd re-use the Orange Line track if they didn't care about the connection to Cabot. Also, the Non-Name folks signed an easement on their property - the agreement is meaningless if the parties can simply void it for being inconvenient.
 
Equilibria said:
It seems to be going fine on the Orange Line, and they had an opportunity to do a loop track within Wellington Yard if they really wanted one. I assume they'd re-use the Orange Line track if they didn't care about the connection to Cabot. Also, the Non-Name folks signed an easement on their property - the agreement is meaningless if the parties can simply void it for being inconvenient.
Click to expand...

Could they really use the orange line track, though? I would figure there wouldn't be enough platform clearance for the Red Line (unless they had enough room to move the track over).
 
This is so utterly ridiculous!

Why won't they just stop this foolishness Every friggng time progress is made on something, a bunch of morons try to get in the way & try to kill the process!!!
 
Last edited:
Without seeing No Names deed, my understanding from the newspaper reports is that when they purchased the parcel from Conrail, the deed was restricted in that Conrail and/or its successors (with respect to railroad operations) were granted an easement for Track 61's right-of-way. The easement also apparently extends to several spur tracks that run off Track 61. The owner of Track 61 right-of-way, which I assume to be the state, would need to formally abandon the spur tracks to end the easement.
______________________
There is a short discussion about the Track 61 test track here.
http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=58865&start=630

A bunch of posts about why the state didn't buy this parcel from Conrail over 30 years ago.
 
28503391617_ba8d07a971_b.jpg


Beeline, thanks for the aerial!!!!

The land on which Hayward Baker is excavating, and to where the tree is, is owned by Smiley First, who is also suing the MBTA. Part of No Name's land is where the track is, below the left excavator in the image.

The strip where they appear to be storing Jersey barriers seems to be a paper street.

Smiley First owns the land (the empty parking lot) on the other side of the paper street.

The larger part of No Name's land is to the right of the white rectangular blocks, and extends south past the right edge of the image. and to the west of the paper street.

The above delineation is very approximate.
 
This is no time for NNIMBYS to start interfering & saying; Not in my back yard!! The train has already left the station. Why is this train wreck allowed to continue?!! :mad:
 
Jahvon09 said:
This is no time for NNIMBYS to start interfering & saying; Not in my back yard!! The train has already left the station. Why is this train wreck allowed to continue?!! :mad:
Click to expand...

What do you propose? Its being handled by the courts. Thats where land disputes go.
 
Jahvon09 said:
This is no time for NNIMBYS to start interfering & saying; Not in my back yard!! The train has already left the station. Why is this train wreck allowed to continue?!! :mad:
Click to expand...

The yard is owned the NIMBYs. Anyone who owns real property can tell you what they would say and do if, for example, the city one day decided it was going to build a new sidewalk on THEIR property, or lay a new sewer line on THEIR property, and tried to do so without their okay.
 
They knew that the MBTA was getting these new trains, & they knew that they have to be tested before they can be put into revenue service, so they should let them do it.
 
I think that it's the right thing to do.

The T usually wins its cases, and my opinion is that the court should allow them to test-drive the trains there. :cool:
 
Jahvon09 said:
I think that it's the right thing to do.

The T usually wins its cases, and my opinion is that the court should allow them to test-drive the trains there. :cool:
Click to expand...

You're the T's lawyer in court.

The judge asks you why can't the test track end here under the West Second St Bridge?

https://goo.gl/maps/thmDVXRBftM2

The state OWNS the right-of-way for Track 61 from under this bridge all the way back to Cabot Yard and beyond. Why does the T need the several hundred feet of track 61 north of this bridge -- that is on privately-owned land -- for the test track?
 
if they don't get it there, they'll put it someplace else. it's gotta go somewhere.

They are not going to waste millions of $$$$ on these new trains & can't use them!!
 
Jahvon09 said:
if they don't get it there, they'll put it someplace else. it's gotta go somewhere.

They are not going to waste millions of $$$$ on these new trains & can't use them!!
Click to expand...

So if they ‘will put it someplace else’ why does No Name have to accomodate the T for no benefit to them?
 
Why does the MBTA HAVE TO ACCOMMODATE them? Hopefully, they can work out a deal.

It all comes down to this; Continue to ride on raggedy broke-down problematic Relics of the Dinosaur Age that we'd probably have to deal with for the next dozen winters or so, while standing in bitterly cold weather, waiting for them to slowly creep along into a station.

Or ride in modern up-to-date high-tech trains that are safer, quieter & can stand up to some of the most brutal winters that we've had in years. Take your pick. :eek:
 
DominusNovus said:
So if they ‘will put it someplace else’ why does No Name have to accomodate the T for no benefit to them?
Click to expand...

No sorry. This isn't how it works. That rail has been there for over a century. Its also owned by MassDOT. No Name knew the track was there, and there's been plenty of discussion of it being used over the past several years. Yet crickets from no name.

But the minute the T wanted to test trains and actually was going to use it, it was a different story. Especially since it interferes with them building condos, of course. Because you know this is what this is all about... them making $ off condos, and that track interferes with them doing so.

Its all about money, pure and simple. That lot has been empty for decades. So why all of sudden its important now.. oh right, money from condo sales.
 
MAssDOT does not own the right-of-way for Track 61 between Cypher St and West Second St. MassDOT apparently chose not to buy it when Conrail offered it for sale 30+ years ago. MassDOT also chose not to buy it when they used it, under agreement with No Name, for the Big Dig. MassDOT could take it by eminent domain, but chooses not to do so. Why? Because it doesn't want to spend the money?

No Name pays the city of Boston $60,000 a year in real estate taxes. Should the city abate the $60,000 because the property is useless to No Name? Should the MBTA pay 'rent' for using the right of way it doesn't own?

Anyway, Hayward Baker running all over the property indicates some sort of agreement has been reached between the MBTA and No Name and Smiley. Otherwise, the MBTA is setting itself up for damages for trespass.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top