How do you unload a Streetcar? You erect a temporary crane. 
Watching a Streetcar get unloaded is a lot like watching paint dry. There’s a lot of waiting. 
I came back a few hours and they were about to move the car off the wash track into the shop. 
Yes, Bob, you can link two cars together. Here one of the current cars is pushing and pulling the new vehicle. 
Blue and Apple Green |
10 responses to “One Down, Two to Go”
I just went by a few minutes ago and checked out the car sitting there under the cranes on the tractor trailer.
I ask again, why did it have to come on trucks? Couldn’t UP have just used one of the 8 zillion cranes and flat bed carriers to get it over here? How much did shipping cost on these? I’m seriously curious about that cost.
Thanks for the answers.
btw – The new cars I kinda dig, not sure how people are gonna cope with that Green, I’m betting it’ll get mixed reviews. I kinda like it personally, but I’m also into wierd color schemes and odd color designs.
I thought the new cars were supposed to have four doors per side (the smaller upper level door was supposed to be on either side, not just the front-right side).
The color is different – but after looking at bus after bus that’s painted the same (minus the change a few years ago, but still a lot of 1700s-2500s with the old brown and orange stripes), it’s nice to see something different.
Of course, I’m also used to seeing blue and green, since a couple different shades of each are C-TRANs’ colors.
The shipping was optimized for time, we were hoping to get at least one of them in service by the Tram opening at the end of the month when we expect a crush of ridership (doesn’t look like we’ll make it). Trucks still get things there faster than rail, which is no doubt one of the reasons truck freight is growing so much faster than rail freight.
As far as I know the door configuration was spec’ed exactly the same as the current vehicles. An extra door where you suggest would not line up with the platform, and would take out seating.
…yeah I can see where tractor trailors continue to increase their loads.
Railroads’ Cost:
Infrastructure; Covers over 99%.
Logistics Planning and Costs; 100%.
Vehicles & Operational Costs; 100%.
Tractor trailers’ cost:
Infrastructure; Covers about 30-40% at best estimates.
Logistics Planning and Costs; 60-80%.
Vehicles & Operational Costs; 100%.
Of course tractor trailers are faster, they’ve had infrastructure built for em’, then they commence to run it into the ground on the taxpayers tab. Joy.
I digress though. This choice just really rubs me the wrong way.
Don’t know about here, but in Boston the MBTA stopped having subway cars shipped by freight rail long ago. The reason that I’ve heard is speed, but more importantly, vandalism. Its just too easy and temping to mess it up apparently.
Why does Portland need such short sectioned articulated cars. Wouldn’t traditional 4 axle single bodied cars with a low center entrance work as well?
I’m not certain, but I suspect it has something to do with turning radius. It may also be that it was the ‘off the shelf’ design that was available. We tried not to increase cost by adding specs that didn’t matter.
The blue/green one was streetcar #9, the #8 was unloaded as well, and it’s green/yellow. #10 should’ve been unloaded today, but I hadn’t been able to swing by.
The #9 already has it’s pantograph assembled and mounted, those shop guys work fast!
While going past the Streetcar shop on the 77 earlier today, I saw the new orange/green one.
I think the green color some people are wondering about looks better when you see it in person, rather than in a picture on a website.