Passenger Trains > Siemens Venture Coach Test Train

I've been very busy and just got around to editing photos from the last two weeks, here we see Amtrak 975 backing out to 21st street on April 21st. The train was headed to downstate Illinois for a weeks worth of testing between Chicago and Carbondale. Sure will be nice to see these cars being used regularly instead of occupying two tracks next to the river or one off testing. 

Seth- 

---

Beautiful

Posted from Android

Nice looking cars.

Posted from Android

Just curious -- anyone know why they are not testing them on the Chi-St.Liuis route -- as this route will be the first to receive them.

Also, as these cars already have traveled 2,000 miles from Sacramento--they are "road-worthy"

What are the things they are testing.?
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/19/21 08:49 by ronald321.

ronald321 Wrote:
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> Just curious -- anyone know why they are not
> testing them on the Chi-St.Liuis route -- as this
> route will be the first to receive them.
>
> Also, as these cars already have traveled 2,000
> miles from Sacramento--they are "road-worthy"
>
> What are the things they are testing.?
>  
I think I read here or Facebook they are testing the crossings? They have to be able to set off something so that the crossings will activate I believe. I read this several days, maybe a week or more ago so I might not be right, or it could have been testing something else, I've slept since then :) 

ronald321 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just curious -- anyone know why they are not
> testing them on the Chi-St.Liuis route -- as this
> route will be the first to receive them.
>
> Also, as these cars already have traveled 2,000
> miles from Sacramento--they are "road-worthy"
>
> What are the things they are testing.?
>  

"Road worthy" is not "revenue service ready."  There is operation training, maintenance training, as well as crew familiarization. 

You don't want to overshoot the platform on the first run and then have the doors fail to open. 

cabsignaldrop Wrote:
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> Nice looking cars.

I suppose, if you think Brio wood block trains are attractive. 

ronald321 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just curious -- anyone know why they are not
> testing them on the Chi-St.Liuis route -- as this
> route will be the first to receive them.
>
> Also, as these cars already have traveled 2,000
> miles from Sacramento--they are "road-worthy"
>
> What are the things they are testing.?

Signal shunting. CN/IC's suck so they have to test minimal axle requirements. 

altoonafn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ronald321 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Just curious -- anyone know why they are not
> > testing them on the Chi-St.Liuis route -- as
> this
> > route will be the first to receive them.
> >
> > Also, as these cars already have traveled 2,000
> > miles from Sacramento--they are "road-worthy"
> >
> > What are the things they are testing.?
> >  
>
> "Road worthy" is not "revenue service ready."
>  There is operation training, maintenance
> training, as well as crew familiarization. 
>
> You don't want to overshoot the platform on the
> first run and then have the doors fail to open. 

That's an engineer issue, not anyone's issue in the coaches.  And are you saying that overshooting the platform will keep the doors locked?
I hope not, especially if there's an emergency exiting needed somewhere.

sums007 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> altoonafn Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > ronald321 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Just curious -- anyone know why they are not
> > > testing them on the Chi-St.Liuis route -- as
> > this
> > > route will be the first to receive them.
> > >
> > > Also, as these cars already have traveled
> 2,000
> > > miles from Sacramento--they are "road-worthy"
> > >
> > > What are the things they are testing.?
> > >  
> >
> > "Road worthy" is not "revenue service ready."
> >  There is operation training, maintenance
> > training, as well as crew familiarization. 
> >
> > You don't want to overshoot the platform on the
> > first run and then have the doors fail to
> open. 
>
> That's an engineer issue, not anyone's issue in
> the coaches.  And are you saying that
> overshooting the platform will keep the doors
> locked?
> I hope not, especially if there's an emergency
> exiting needed somewhere.

I'm saying that different equipment brakes differently. Better to find it on a test run than a revenue run. Also, new equipment has all kinds of quirks and different computers than what is currently there, so the crews need to know how to operate that equipment. 

 

Oh brother.  That's been the excuse all along.  How long can that take?  How long have they been sitting there?

Noice they didn't do this under stress test with snow in February. We don't want to dirty them.

Didn't know coaches had computers in them -- what for.?

I always thought a coach was a fairly simple piece of equipment.

Some of these cars have been sitting in Chicago for close to 7 months.

I keep wanting to say---these are just coaches for heaven sake--not a Saturn Rocket!  There can't be that much to test

Only in America would new coaches sit so many months before being placed in service. Absurb.

ronald321 Wrote:
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> Didn't know coaches had computers in them -- what
> for.?
> I always thought a coach was a fairly simple piece
> of equipment.
> Some of these cars have been sitting in Chicago
> for close to 7 months.
> I keep wanting to say---these are just coaches for
> heaven sake--not a Saturn Rocket!  There can't be
> that much to test

You can't buy a sewing machine that is not computerized. 

Or a washing machine, clothes dryer, new truck etc.

Everything has semiconductor chips.

Posted from Android

Yes, and in my old college, the washing machines send a text message as to when the wash is done. The poor darlings can't remember to go down and get their load after 35 minutes. 

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> Yes, and in my old college, the washing machines
> send a text message as to when the wash is done.
> The poor darlings can't remember to go down and
> get their load after 35 minutes. 

And in times gone past, either (a) the person who's clothes were being washed would be sitting there doing homework (with paper and pencil) or (b) -- the next person waiting to use the machine would have emptied the washer themselves  and put their own clothes in!  How times have changed.

Bruce

I just got an email from Subaru, telling me to add windshield washer fluid. Times have changed indeed.