TTC: Flexity Streetcars Testing & Delivery (Bombardier)

[DSC]

Though I agree that some streetcar stops should be 'rationalised", if you look at the TOInView map at http://map.toronto.ca/maps/map.jsp?app=TO_INview2014 It shows where the TTC intend to make new curb cuts in 2014 for the new LRVs. All the locations noted above that I looked at are identified for curb-cut work. (Of course, the stop rationalisation team and the curb-cut team may not talk to each other!)

 

[TOareaFan]

Yes it should for 505 and 506.

A few others:

Victoria-York-Simcoe for King and Queen

I think you and I had a good discussion about this a while back.....and I just wanted to reiterate that I would address the stop spacing in the King University area a bit different.

I would not eliminate Simcoe but, rather, Universtiy. I work right at King and Uni and spend an inordinate amount of time staring out of meeting room windows at the streetcars and what I see is a pattern like this (a lot)

WB streetcar approaches University....traffic is moving so light is green......

Streetcar stops to let passengers off and pick up passengers.

By time that is done lights have changed and streetcar stops again.

Light changes and Streetcar passes through intersection

Streetcar stops at Simcoe to pick up and drop off passengers.

So, essentially, a great number of the streetcars stop 3 times in that very short stretch.

Eliminate the University stop and it is down to one and no harm is done......you still serve the subway via the path connection at 200 King W and with the longer streetcars the backdoors would be within easy sight of the subway entrance on the NW corner as well.

Same happens EB and, again, the Simcoe stop could serve the entire area but there would need to be clearer signage as I get the impression that a lot of people don't realize that the doors to RTH also get you to the subway fairly easily too.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Today, December 22nd, would be a PERFECT day to put the new Bombardier Flexity Outlook through its paces. Who needs a cold testing facility, when you can just put the new streetcar out on the street now.

 

[Johnny Au]

Today, December 22nd, would be a PERFECT day to put the new Bombardier Flexity Outlook through its paces. Who needs a cold testing facility, when you can just put the new streetcar out on the street now.

The TTC wasted a perfect opportunity for the ultimate climate test for the Flexity LRVs.

 

[salsa]

The TTC wasted a perfect opportunity for the ultimate climate test for the Flexity LRVs.

If the current streetcars are unable to operate then how would the new ones be any different? There are all kinds of problems like power outages, iced up rails and wires, fallen trees.

 

[JasonParis]

I "think" I've read that proper pantographs (as opposed to the current pole system) are better in ice as well. The new Flexity cars will be moving towards a proper pantograph system within five years or so.

 

[DSC]

I "think" I've read that proper pantographs (as opposed to the current pole system) are better in ice as well. The new Flexity cars will be moving towards a proper pantograph system within five years or so.

Yes, pantographs really just press onto the overhead rather than the trolley poles which have a 'shoe' that fits around the wires so they ought to work better if the wire is obstructed - though I guess the ice might not conduct electricity as well.

 

[chriskayTO]

For a demo of the current CLRVs and how they handled the ice, here's a video from the wee hours of Sunday morning, of a car trying to cross the Don River bridge on Queen St E.

[video=youtube_share;4vvyYUYpxvQ]http://youtu.be/4vvyYUYpxvQ[/video]

 

[Long Island Mike]

Yes, pantographs really just press onto the overhead rather than the trolley poles which have a 'shoe' that fits around the wires so they ought to work better if the wire is obstructed - though I guess the ice might not conduct electricity as well.

DSC: Pantographs do have some advantage in ice events as compared to trolley poles - Yes-the ice does not allow electricity to flow correctly
noting how much arcing can occur and in a way it helps to some extent for the heat of arcs to clear the wires...Railroad locomotives and cars
will use as many pans as possible during icing - locomotives use both of their pans to allow the front pan to be use as a "scraper" and usually
MU cars have at least one pan for each single car or married pair - the more pans up the better in these cases...

The drawback is ice damaging the wires or pans and if there is too much arcing it could damage either item...it can almost be an "arc weld"
depending on how the conditions are...

LI MIKE

 

[W. K. Lis]

For a demo of the current CLRVs and how they handled the ice, here's a video from the wee hours of Sunday morning, of a car trying to cross the Don River bridge on Queen St E.

[video=youtube_share;4vvyYUYpxvQ]http://youtu.be/4vvyYUYpxvQ[/video]

Wouldn't the carbon used in the trolley shoes burn away because they are carbon.

 

[yrt+viva=1system]

If anyone is interested in reading about pantographs and how they work when overhead lines are iced here's a nice FAQ site: http://maxfaqs.wordpress.com/tag/pantograph/

And if you're interested in browsing at different types of pantogrpahs, you'll come across many images when you google Strassenbahn Stromabnehmer

 

[W. K. Lis]

Seems to be a pretty nice night to take the new streetcar for a spin around in the -21°C night air.

[video=youtube_share;eNjn8pzqUFs]http://youtu.be/eNjn8pzqUFs[/video]

 

[ehlow]

Seems to be a pretty nice night to take the new streetcar for a spin around in the -21°C night air.

These things look sooo good

 

[Michael62]

To bad it's not one of ours

 

[the lemur]

Seems to be a pretty nice night to take the new streetcar for a spin around in the -21°C night air.

[video=youtube_share;eNjn8pzqUFs]http://youtu.be/eNjn8pzqUFs[/video]

That'll be handy the next time someone claims LRVs don't work in the snow/cold.