New Red and Orange Line Cars

tysmith95 said:
The MBTA racked up a bunch of debt in the 90s and 2000s through far flung commuter rail expansions and the silver line, and MassDOT wasn't helping because they were busy with the big dig. When the recession rolled around, mbta revenues fell (they rely on the sales tax) and the state didn't do enough to pick it up. As a result during the recession and just after there was lots of deferred maintenance.

Well that, and MBTA pensions are more lucrative than any other state agency. But I won't get into out of control costs (green line extension).
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They also put peoples' health & welfare at risk by doing that. Some of the Red Line equipment is even older!! Maybe THAT is why they decided to replace the entire fleet altogether. The model 1600 trains are pushing 45 years old, I think!! :eek:
 
F-Line to Dudley said:
Yes. Just an inspection hut for on-the-fly stuff. Perspective on the photos may be off, but I think it's supposed to be able to fit 2 cars...though one of the cars might well be sticking out the door with how small it looks.

If they need to take a look at any major problems they'll be bringing it to the main Cabot facility with its indoor lifts and huge stock of inspection equipment.
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Haven't seen one for the Orange Line. I wonder why. Is it because they can bring them over to the Wellington building for quick jobs?
 
Jahvon09 said:
They also put peoples' health & welfare at risk by doing that. Some of the Red Line equipment is even older!! Maybe THAT is why they decided to replace the entire fleet altogether. The model 1600 trains are pushing 45 years old, I think!! :eek:
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Which would make them only. . .

  • 6 years younger than New York's R32's, of which there are nearly 220 in-service.
  • 2 years younger than the Paris Metro MF 67's (360+ cars in-service)
  • 1 year younger than the New York R42's (400 cars in-service)

Stop this "death trap" alarmism, please. The Red Line cars are old, but they are hardly rolling coffins as evidenced by the much more numerous rosters of other 'premier' subway systems' fossils above.

The biggest threat they pose is that a minor part crap-out will send a bunch of employees on a wild goose chase to find a replacement part...all the while the car is out-of-service. Having it a royal P.I.T.A. to acquire parts is a problem when they're on the fritz a lot of the time. But that is a very different and more mundane problem than "This train will KILL you."
 
What do you mean, death trap alarmism? I call it as I see it. Don't you?

They've been playing games with peoples' lives, and you know it! :mad:
 
Jahvon09 said:
What do you mean, death trap alarmism? I call it as I see it. Don't you?

They've been playing games with peoples' lives, and you know it! :mad:
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Yes...^that^ death trap alarmism. They are not playing games with people's lives, as there is zero evidence that the cars are unsafe or that maintenance on them has gone lax. But you keep bleating that scare tactic periodically in this thread to get attention. And then inevitably start flinging poo all around when you get called out on it the latest time.


In the real world...outside of the imaginary make-believe land of the Internet...doing exactly what you're doing here would have a significantly different set of self-consequences.
 
F-Line to Dudley said:
Yes...^that^ death trap alarmism. They are not playing games with people's lives, as there is zero evidence that the cars are unsafe or that maintenance on them has gone lax. But you keep bleating that scare tactic periodically in this thread to get attention. And then inevitably start flinging poo all around when you get called out on it the latest time.


In the real world...outside of the imaginary make-believe land of the Internet...doing exactly what you're doing here would have a significantly different set of self-consequences.
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Not to mention that it is entirely possible to maintain vehicles for far longer. The airforce still uses B-52s that were built in the 1950s... and plans to continue to do so until the 2050s. And thats a plane that goes into warzones - at a far greater risk than a subway car.
 
F-Line to Dudley said:
Which would make them only. . .

  • 6 years younger than New York's R32's, of which there are nearly 220 in-service.
  • 2 years younger than the Paris Metro MF 67's (360+ cars in-service)
  • 1 year younger than the New York R42's (400 cars in-service)

Stop this "death trap" alarmism, please. The Red Line cars are old, but they are hardly rolling coffins as evidenced by the much more numerous rosters of other 'premier' subway systems' fossils above.

The biggest threat they pose is that a minor part crap-out will send a bunch of employees on a wild goose chase to find a replacement part...all the while the car is out-of-service. Having it a royal P.I.T.A. to acquire parts is a problem when they're on the fritz a lot of the time. But that is a very different and more mundane problem than "This train will KILL you."
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And Buenos Aires used the same trains for 100 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Brugeoise_cars_(Buenos_Aires_Underground)
 
F-Line to Dudley said:
Yes...^that^ death trap alarmism. They are not playing games with people's lives, as there is zero evidence that the cars are unsafe or that maintenance on them has gone lax. But you keep bleating that scare tactic periodically in this thread to get attention. And then inevitably start flinging poo all around when you get called out on it the latest time.


In the real world...outside of the imaginary make-believe land of the Internet...doing exactly what you're doing here would have a significantly different set of self-consequences.
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Look here;


The cars on the orange Line have been breaking down to the point where metal has fallen off hitting the 3rd rail. The Red Line cars have been in motion with one of the doors open, or starting to move with no one in the cab! The Type 8's have been derailing off the tracks. Prove me wrong.

Yet you call it death trap alarmism?! Get your facts straight, pal. These are true facts, & I'm not saying this to get attention, nor am I lying. if you think I am, then you've gotten your wires crossed!! Go on Youtube to find out. Go grow up somewhere & put a sock in it!:rolleyes:
 
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After some digging I found the answer to why the exterior "rollsigns" are so large.
rlolsigns.png


Nothing to do with Chinese characters, simply the MBTA mandated 6in high letters to fit two rows of text.

Also while I was digging, I can only assume this option in the contract was never exercised?
rlol2.png


And this one was...
rlol.png
 
Great finds. Appreciate you digging through the specs.
 
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It is disappointing that the active route map display was left on the table; it would be a boon to tourists and other visitors (and the rest of us for the 95% of the time when the voice announcements are a garbled mess instead of useful).

Is there some hidden difficulty to its implementation that we might not be aware of? I have to imagine that after some front-end work, changing software once to add new stations or indicate service changes is easier than printing and taping over the physical boards everywhere like we do now.
 
cadetcarl said:
It is disappointing that the active route map display was left on the table; it would be a boon to tourists and other visitors (and the rest of us for the 95% of the time when the voice announcements are a garbled mess instead of useful).

Is there some hidden difficulty to its implementation that we might not be aware of? I have to imagine that after some front-end work, changing software once to add new stations or indicate service changes is easier than printing and taping over the physical boards everywhere like we do now.
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I'm not sure whether this is from the mock-up or one of the actual cars, but it looks to me like we are getting something that I would call an active route display.

OL-car-screen.jpg


@HelloBostonHi, what makes you think this requirement was dropped?
 
HelloBostonHi is correct. The "Active Route Map" like NYC option was not pursued in favor of the "LCD" option which can show the active route map digitally anyway plus ads and other info.

We are still getting active route info, just not on a long board with the LEDs.

Also, the OL mockup originally had the LCD screens on the top runner, but thru feedback, they agreed to make them larger and move them to the walls next to the doors like the RL mockup.
 
BART does a very nice job with their LCD route maps on their new fleet:

640px-Map_screen_in_new_BART_car%2C_March_2018.JPG
 
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