Toronto Union Pearson Express | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | MMM Group Limited

[smallspy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1091145198699188226

Was not enough cold weather testing done during the design process of the vehicles? Is the current extreme cold weather beyond what they tested for?

Metrolinx has quite literally trotted out the "wrong kind of snow" line to explain the delays. The truth is though that all of the cold weather testing in the world can't accurately recreate the effect that fine ice particles moving at 80mph can do to seals and panel gaps.

Dan

 

[Allandale25]

^ Good point.

 

[thettctransitfanatic]

Metrolinx has quite literally trotted out the "wrong kind of snow" line to explain the delays. The truth is though that all of the cold weather testing in the world can't accurately recreate the effect that fine ice particles moving at 80mph can do to seals and panel gaps.

Dan

Maybe the UPX just never was ready?? But, the UPX has always been up and running in the cold, till now, you better the UPX trains don't end up like the ICTS trains on Line 3.

 

[smallspy]

Maybe the UPX just never was ready?? But, the UPX has always been up and running in the cold, till now, you better the UPX trains don't end up like the ICTS trains on Line 3.

Cold is not the problem, and never has been. The way the snow has turned to ice, granulated and gets whipped around by passing trains is.

Dan

 

[thettctransitfanatic]

Cold is not the problem, and never has been. The way the snow has turned to ice, granulated and gets whipped around by passing trains is.

Dan

Makes sense. But, at least this problem isn't too big for Metrolinx, but also kind of is.

 

[steveintoronto]

^Then obviously they weren't tested for it. Or if they were, it was fudged. Doesn't stop their bus replacements, does it? Or other trains. If the speed was the problem, they could have run them at a slower rate. Like perhaps the same travel time as the replacement buses?

Meantime:

Arctic Circle Train


Details
Catch the Arctic Circle Train to visit many exciting destinations between Kiruna (Sweden) and Narvik (Norway). Combine spectacular scenery with skiing and a killer whale safari. Kiruna is the place to experience the midnight sun, polar night and the fantastical Northern Lights as they illuminate the skies with cascades of colour. Kiruna is also the place to go dog sledding and cross-country skiing through forests and alongside lakes, to visit Esrange, Europe’s largest civil space centre, or witness the historical relocation of Kiruna. Close to Kiruna is Jukkasjärvi, where you can visit the world-renowned Ice Hotel and find out how it feels to sleep in a bed made of ice. This Norwegian coastal town offers exciting killer whale safaris where these giants can be watched in their natural habitat. There are also many excellent ski slopes in Narvik.
Eligibility

• Arctic Circle train tickets are available to everyone.

Additional Details

• There are two daily train services between Kiruna and Narvik. The travel time is around 3 hours.
• To reach Kiruna, there are 2 night trains daily from Stockholm to Kiruna.
• This route covers 12 stops, from Kiruna to Narvik or vice versa. En route, these attractions are of special interest: Abisko National Park, Björkliden ski resort and Riksgränsen mountain range, popularly explored by snowmobile, dog sled or helicopter.

• https://www.scandinavianrail.com/scenicrail/sweden/arctic-circle-train

And 25kVAC catenary too!

Sweden By Rail

Sweden by rail takes you to the far-flung corners of our country, all the way from the temperate south to the wilds of the Arctic Circle.[...]

https://rivensflowsinbeauty.com/sweden-by-rail/

 

[dowlingm]

wonder if the mechanical transmissions in the UPX cars are a bit delicate at these temps?

 

[micheal_can]

Wasn't the other train sets that were sold, sold to a place with much warmer temperatures?

 

[steveintoronto]

wonder if the mechanical transmissions in the UPX cars are a bit delicate at these temps?

Wasn't the other train sets that were sold, sold to a place with much warmer temperatures?

Absolutely...Sonoma, just north of the bay from SanFran. And that's where the testing and acceptance from the factory was done. I suspect the xmssn and motor can be warmed up and stay that way. What can't are the Cardan Shaft* and universal joints. I'd suspect at least two on each shaft, and then going around the very tight radius curve at "Airport Spur" could cause grief. You can feel them complaining in even the best of weather, clanking, banging and bumping under the floor over the drive bogies, not to mention only one bogie is driven per car. Should've been electric from the get-go, or at least DEMU with both bogies per car driven by traction motors. But alas...Lighter versions of the engine and (ZF) xmssn have been tried and trued in buses for years with excellent results, and the motor is the most ubiquitous model to be used in DMUs, albeit most are DEMU, and ones that outperform the Sharyos with the same motor spec save the exhaust after treatment. In rain, sleet, ice and European 'futebol' matches.

Regardez:

[...]

[...]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_220




*A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, propeller shaft(prop shaft), or Cardan shaft is a mechanical component for transmitting torque and rotation, usually used to connect other components of a drive train that cannot be connected directly because of distance or the need to allow for relative movement between them.
Drive shaft - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drive_shaft

 

[nfitz]

^this is a fairly new line and it is already like Line 3...

As in very low ridership? The daily UP ridership at Pearson is even lower than the infamous Bessarion station looking at the recently released 2018 ridership numbers for GO/UP and TTC!

 

[torontocolin]

Bessarion sees, what, 10-12 four-car trains per hour in each direction? Pearson sees 4 two-car or three-car trains per hour. Even the fare difference aside, I don't think you can fairly compare the raw ridership numbers to define success.

Run 10 trains per hour at a $3 fare with free transfers onto the TTC and I suspect those numbers would balloon pretty quickly.

 

[nfitz]

Bessarion sees, what, 10-12 four-car trains per hour in each direction? Pearson sees 4 two-car or three-car trains per hour. Even the fare difference aside, I don't think you can fairly compare the raw ridership numbers to define success.

I wasn't attempting to define success. I was trying to understand how "it is already like Line 3".

How then is it like Line 3? Is it because they have to cancel service when it snows, or is cold?

 

[torontocolin]

Yes, they seem to be referencing the UPX being shut down due to inclement weather, much like Line 3 also was this past week and has in previous instances as well.

 

[steveintoronto]

Is it because they have to cancel service when it snows, or is cold?

Wait, listen! There's the explanation of what happened to the UPX:
[...sound of frozen injector pumps chirping...]

Metrolinx just hopes the questions go away, because they usually do. It's Toronto, not Sonoma.

 

[smallspy]

Wasn't the other train sets that were sold, sold to a place with much warmer temperatures?

The engines used on the UPX equipment are used on over 2000 self-propelled cars around the world, and variations of the transmissions are used on another several thousand.

Wait, listen! There's the explanation of what happened to the UPX:
[...sound of frozen injector pumps chirping...]

The cold was not the problem this week, at least not with regards to the rolling stock.

There were issues with the signalling systems and track in the cold, but that would then affect any other type of rolling stock as well.

Dan