Bordercollie
Senior Member
Do they need to remove the seats and pull the floor to inspect the frame? That alone is labour intensive and put the cars out of service.
Can some be fixed if they are not in bad condition? Bracing?
|
|
|
VIA Rail
- Thread starter ehlow
- Start date
Can some be fixed if they are not in bad condition? Bracing?
Urban Sky
Senior Member
I would assume that there is a certain set of thresholds for cracks where the car has to be immediately repaired, a different one for when it needs to get immediately retired and a third one where the entire fleet would need to be immediately retired…
Bordercollie
Senior Member
Do they have the in-house expertise to complete these repairs?
Urban Sky
Senior Member
A company lawyer might insist on an external structural engineer to sign off the fate of any damaged car, but I would assume that some lighter repairs can be done in-house and the others by contractors. However, there is also the question of the time and money it would take to fix a given car…
lenaitch
Senior Member
Or perhaps NRC engineers, but agree that an arms-length second opinion would be desireable.
Bordercollie
Senior Member
Are we about half way to getting the HEPII fleet rebuilt?
dowlingm
Senior Member
via the Transport Action Canada twitter, Trains covers the VIA buffer car issue:
www.trains.com
VIA Rail Canada adds ‘buffer’ cars to rear of all heritage-equipped trains - Trains
MONTREAL — An independent consultant’s inspection requested by VIA Rail Canada management has prompted the company to immediately assign non-revenue buffer cars at the rear of all trains that utilize HEP-1 and HEP-2 stainless steel equipment manufactured more than 60 years ago. The action was...
www.trains.com
cplchanb
Senior Member
bit of an embarrassment seeing that we need to provide these makeshift measures due to our inability to let go of these dinosaur relics.via the Transport Action Canada twitter, Trains covers the VIA buffer car issue:
VIA Rail Canada adds ‘buffer’ cars to rear of all heritage-equipped trains - Trains
MONTREAL — An independent consultant’s inspection requested by VIA Rail Canada management has prompted the company to immediately assign non-revenue buffer cars at the rear of all trains that utilize HEP-1 and HEP-2 stainless steel equipment manufactured more than 60 years ago. The action was...
these cars shouldve been pulled at least 10 years ago
Bordercollie
Senior Member
Sorry for my ignorance but is there a difference in the buff force strength between the stainless steel fleet, LRC'S, or even something like EX GO single level or GO Bi-levels? Are they not all built to the same standard?via the Transport Action Canada twitter, Trains covers the VIA buffer car issue:
VIA Rail Canada adds ‘buffer’ cars to rear of all heritage-equipped trains - Trains
MONTREAL — An independent consultant’s inspection requested by VIA Rail Canada management has prompted the company to immediately assign non-revenue buffer cars at the rear of all trains that utilize HEP-1 and HEP-2 stainless steel equipment manufactured more than 60 years ago. The action was...
Especially considering the LRC's have structural issues shouldn't they be required to have buffer cars as well?
And why after almost 60 years in service are they now unsafe? I thought the reason why passengers are not allowed in the gangway area is because this space is a crumple zone and could cause injury during a collision? On top of this the first 10FT of the car on either end is used for baggage or crew areas. Park cars and dome cars don't have this space so it may not be as safe.
If the stainless steel cars are unsafe then, anything pre CEM rolling stock is unsafe. Unless it specifically is because the structure of the cars are compromised due to their age.
Bordercollie
Senior Member
But what makes them any safe than Amfleets?
cplchanb
Senior Member
At least amfleets are DECADES younger than most of the hep cars
crs1026
Superstar
The issue is indeed age, and metal fatigue. All rail cars wear out eventually. This is a real thing, not a hypothetical concern….. the cracks are showing up in both the Budd and LRC fleets.
Any other fleet will have a life-cycle plan that recognises the reality of aging and has a plan to replace the fleet before end of life is reached. Amfleet will eventually be replaced when the same fatigue issues begin to be seen. With VIA, Ottawa has stuck its head in the sand and squeezed every last ounce of use out of the current fleet - but the final curtain is here.
- Paul
Any other fleet will have a life-cycle plan that recognises the reality of aging and has a plan to replace the fleet before end of life is reached. Amfleet will eventually be replaced when the same fatigue issues begin to be seen. With VIA, Ottawa has stuck its head in the sand and squeezed every last ounce of use out of the current fleet - but the final curtain is here.
- Paul
Last edited:
cplchanb
Senior Member
Yup... via whether it be due to lack of funds or just too naive to plan and invest are wasting more money to keep these relics alive like the walking dead rather than to renew for cheaper overall.
dowlingm
Senior Member
there is all those lovely dollars for and photo ops with rebuilding shops too... given the high likelihood that new cars will not be built here.
Bordercollie
Senior Member
But where these issues discovered during rebuild? I know that some of the sleeping cars were beyond repair so they abandoned the upgrade with WiFi and such.
But we still don't have a plan to replace them. So are we going to be riding potentially unsafe equipment for another ten years?