Passenger Trains > Old meets New in Bakersfield, CA

CDTX 2012 and CDTX 2101 at the station in Bakersfield, CA.

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F59PHI far better looking...and looks safer.

And the F59 has a much larger side window for good visibility. Gonna look like tunnel vision in that new motor.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/19/17 20:21 by Limited-Clear.

Never thought I'd be finding the F59PH to be "attractive" but here it is.

Tom Y

Is there a 'crash cage' or extra re-inforcing on the Charger since the operator sits forward of the leading truck (like the odd looking end of the Talgos in Washington and Oregon)?

Ed

The F59 does look better and safer!

Looks don't protect. And a structure that is built, as the Chargers are, to the latest Collision Energy Management standards, will do more to dissipate crash forces. 

A 1990 Crown Vic might look safer to some than a 2017 Subaru. But it's likely that the occupants of the Subaru are better protected against most crash forces -- despite all the stories about how someome's Uncle walked away once. Managed crash forces aren't about perception or impression, but about real-world testing and development. Europe has been doing this successfully longer than we have. 

Also, that tunnel vision mentioned is partly as result of CEM structure which protects the occupants. People will often walk away from their totaled Hyundai, with the front clip shoved back to the windshield, and talk about how "lucky" they were -- that if the car had folded any further... when the design intended that precisely delivered and life saving result. 

The real world (in the U.S.) has seen survivability from some very nasty incidents with similar new monocoque structures. The future will tell -- but the future of crashworthiness is no longer about size or looks. I love the classic results of the EMD and Alco stylist's pens too, miss the pretty ones. But the beauty and strength here aren't found in the lines that please the eye like the old days. 

I doubt I'll have much company over on this side of the pier. But this is a whole new aesthetic. And it pleases in a whole new way, under a whole new set of rules, like them or not. 

Cheers,

~ BZ