Urban Sky
Senior Member
If I recall correctly, a handful locos have their sanders (re)attached and these are targetted on trains known to be prone to wheel slip problems, like 84/87 during autumn...
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VIA Rail
- Thread starter ehlow
- Start date
roger1818
Senior Member
To do this, thick traction power (which is different from HEP) cables would need to be routed through all of the coaches to the cab car. I suspect that this could be problematic with the long and extra long trainsets. If you look at pictures of EMUs, they typically have the electrical pickups near the middle of the train and longer EMU trains often have multiple pickups.
All I see is a coach that has had its trucks removed for maintenance. The trucks are the components that see the heaviest wear and it is much easier to service them when they have been removed from the car. I don't know what the maintenance schedule is for the LRCs, but given that with my back of the napkin math an average corridor coach accumulates over 300,000 km per year, I wouldn't be surprised if the bearings need to be replaced every year or two (and they certainly need to be replaced if they start overheating). VIA isn't going to risk a derailment due to inadequate maintenance and can't afford to take coaches permanently out of service before the new trains come into service, so they need to maintain/repair the coaches they have.
Bordercollie
Senior Member
I guess they can't do this work at MMC which is why it's sent out to CAD?To do this, thick traction power (which is different from HEP) cables would need to be routed through all of the coaches to the cab car. I suspect that this could be problematic with the long and extra long trainsets. If you look at pictures of EMUs, they typically have the electrical pickups near the middle of the train and longer EMU trains often have multiple pickups.
All I see is a coach that has had its trucks removed for maintenance. The trucks are the components that see the heaviest wear and it is much easier to service them when they have been removed from the car. I don't know what the maintenance schedule is for the LRCs, but given that with my back of the napkin math an average corridor coach accumulates over 300,000 km per year, I wouldn't be surprised if the bearings need to be replaced every year or two (and they certainly need to be replaced if they start overheating). VIA isn't going to risk a derailment due to inadequate maintenance and can't afford to take coaches permanently out of service before the new trains come into service, so they need to maintain/repair the coaches they have.
roger1818
Senior Member
Others might be able to confirm, but my guess is that MMC is operating at reduced capacity as it is being transitioned to support the new fleet. That coach could also have sustained damage that are beyond the capabilities of MMC. All we have to work with is a photo taken in April without any background story. Whatever work is being done on it, VIA can't afford to just retire the coach yet.
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smallspy
Senior Member
The Chargers in the new sets are equipped with sanders, so that's at least one point that's taken care of.
And one of the things that VIA will be testing prior to the launch of service is how the new sets handle things like leaves on the track. While the first set that they've gotten won't be ready to test this years fallen leaves, there are other methods that they can use to simulate it for testing.
Another way is an operational procedure, much in the way you suspect that they will always operate cab-car-in at Central. Running with the loco pushing up grades where poor traction is known to happen can help prevent the train from stalling, as all of the wheels on the rail ahead of the propelling wheels will help clean the rail head.
That car was involved in a sideswipe collision just west of Kingston 2 years ago and received some structural damage at the vestibule on the other side of the car. I'm not sure if they are intending on repairing the car, or pulling it to bits to supply the rest of the fleet.
Dan
Urban Sky
Senior Member
Every major refurbishment programme requires capital funding, which means that we would have heard about any such project involving LRC cars...
crs1026
Superstar
Just in: VIA's Minister remains unchanged in the new Cabinet.
Reading the first-report media commentary, Transport is neither a controversial area for the government, nor an area where change or rapid progress is a public priority.
The good news (and bad news, depending on one's POV) is that VIA is likely to continue chugging along at its existing pace and momentum.
- Paul
Reading the first-report media commentary, Transport is neither a controversial area for the government, nor an area where change or rapid progress is a public priority.
The good news (and bad news, depending on one's POV) is that VIA is likely to continue chugging along at its existing pace and momentum.
- Paul
Allandale25
Senior Member
Recent article in the Hill Times on HFR (it's more than 10,000 characters so can't be posted here):
drive.google.com
hfr-ht.pdf
drive.google.com
cplchanb
Senior Member
Has there been any updates on when they will start testing the new trainset?
kEiThZ
Superstar
I see this as good news. Continuity will help get shovels in the ground faster.
roger1818
Senior Member
Certainly better the devil you know than the devil you don't. I am not convinced that someone else couldn't get shovels in the ground faster, but I agree that more likely would be for it to be slower with someone else. What will be more interesting is to if having Steven Guilbeault as Minister of Environment and Climate Change will help.
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Fritter
Active Member
I've always wondered for a Government/Party so big into climate change and helping the environment why they haven't announced a "trains to everywhere!' policy. One would think that would be an easy win for them, however it seams they border on just wanting to get rid of VIA altogether!
p_xavier
Active Member
It's pure hypocrisy at this stage.
Urban Sky
Senior Member
FYI, the party/government in question has released a billion on a new fleet for VIA and half a billion on bringing HFR closer towards reality - on both measures the largest amounts any government has ever allocated to VIA!
Also, trains have a worse per-vehicle-mile environmental footprint than almost any alternative mode (incl. airplanes and trucks). It's only Economies of Scale which may make them an environmentally advantageous mode, but that depends on the demand it can satisfy and the exact technological and operational environment. "Building trains everywhere!" is the exact opposite of making rational decisions which maximize the environmental benefits given the constrained nature of financial and non-financial resources...
p_xavier
Active Member
This is something that is unfortunately not known enough. Diesel trains pollute a lot compared to buses.