New Red and Orange Line Cars

I spoke to an MBTA engineer about the springy-ness of the flip-up seats. He said the springs are fully adjustable and they will be optimized to close slower & smoother (right now they slam with great force leading to chipping the seat material).

Also, the seats will have a grip/anti-slip texture to them that was not on the mockup.


I did not think that was right. That the few folding seats flip up with such great force that they make a loud bang like a gun!

But I looked carefully and noticed some wear there, as though the orange paint began to chip off. :eek:
 
So, I'm on vacation in London right now, and all our trips so far have been on the bakerloo line. And, apparently, its their equivalent to the orange line in terms of being the line with the most out of date rolling stock. I felt sick riding it... because the cars were gorgeous!

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...ine.JPG/220px-72_T_INTERIOR_Bakerloo_line.JPG

I know its not fair to compare a system serving a population more than ten times as large to ours but... damn.
 
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So, I'm on vacation in London right now, and all our trips so far have been on the bakerloo line. And, apparently, its their equivalent to the orange line in terms of being the line with the most out of date rolling stock. I felt sick riding it... because the cars were gorgeous!

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...ine.JPG/220px-72_T_INTERIOR_Bakerloo_line.JPG

I know its not fair to compare a system serving a population more than ten times as large to ours but... damn.

Did you also take the Heathrow Express train from the airport to Paddington? Soo nice! To your point though, I very much enjoy taking the Tube in London! I have avoided the T in Boston like the plague.
 
Did you also take the Heathrow Express train from the airport to Paddington? Soo nice! To your point though, I very much enjoy taking the Tube in London! I have avoided the T in Boston like the plague.

I was in London for the first time last month and took HE to/from Paddington. Made me cry (as a Bostonian) how easy and clean it was.
 
Oh.

Either or, they are beginning to show their age.

Luckily also being fully replaced in the near-ish future :) Generally they look OK though when I take them every day unless its during/right after bad weather. The PCCs, OTOH, I don't think are ever washed after they were repainted.
 
Did you also take the Heathrow Express train from the airport to Paddington? Soo nice! To your point though, I very much enjoy taking the Tube in London! I have avoided the T in Boston like the plague.

Yup. I'll admit that I held the express to a seperate standard, since you had to buy a specific ticket for it and it really only has two stops (luckily for us, our hotel is relatively close to Paddington Station), but is very nice!
 
Luckily also being fully replaced in the near-ish future :) Generally they look OK though when I take them every day unless its during/right after bad weather. The PCCs, OTOH, I don't think are ever washed after they were repainted.


The Mattapan PCCs look good though with their distinctive retro yellow & orange color :cool:
 
On page 6 of this presentation, there is a picture of a pilot A-car for the Orange Line being prepared for shipment.
 
Well, at least ONE of them has started being made! :cool:
 
That was always the plan to first build the orange line cars and then build the red line cars because the orange line cars are in worse shape and need to be replaced sooner. Also I believe that picture is actually of the 1/3rd length mock-up considering the orange line cars will have three doors and I only see two doors.
 
That was always the plan to first build the orange line cars and then build the red line cars because the orange line cars are in worse shape and need to be replaced sooner. Also I believe that picture is actually of the 1/3rd length mock-up considering the orange line cars will have three doors and I only see two doors.

The photo on page 6 of the linked document is of one of the actual pilot cars, not the mock up. The car has three-doors and is sitting on top of an actual pair of trucks (bogies). The first 6 pilot cars for the Orange Line are being built 100% in China and will be tested for at least a year before the first cars with final assembly in Springfield arrive.
 
Thanks for the correction I wasn't sure I couldn't tell if it had three doors it looks like only two to me.
 
That was always the plan to first build the orange line cars and then build the red line cars because the orange line cars are in worse shape and need to be replaced sooner. Also I believe that picture is actually of the 1/3rd length mock-up considering the orange line cars will have three doors and I only see two doors.


Think that they might have removed the end caps off the mockup, added that part between the sections for the first test car and then put the end caps back on to make it a whole full-length car?

Certainly looks that way, considering that part is already painted and the rest of it is not.

One question;

What did they do with the front office? Or was it kept in its original location? :confused:
 

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