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| The MR90 is FRA compatible??? (was:Re: Metro-North New Haven Line on track for new cars) (219660) | |||
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The MR90 is FRA compatible??? (was:Re: Metro-North New Haven Line on track for new cars) |
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Posted by WillD on Wed Feb 22 17:52:59 2006, in response to Re: Metro-North New Haven Line on track for new cars, posted by SUBWAYMAN on Wed Feb 22 16:55:24 2006. Because sometimes he doesn't understand why railcars are getting heavier. The addition of components and FRA requirements are usually the cause.It's funny, if we return to the EMU comparison offered by the Caltrain Electrification study again: http://www.sonic.net/~mly/Caltrain-Electrification/2000-08-Rolling-Stock-Draft/a6.pdf Both the M7 and MR90 are listed with 800,000lb buff load ratings. As far as I know that's the primary way the FRA determines the crashworthiness of a given design. I don't know if the M7 incorporates any improvements in it's crashworthiness over the MR90 which aren't listed on those forms, but it seems odd that two designs so radically differing in weight would have the same buff strength. That document was (if you couldn't tell from the logos all over it) put together by Bombardier, so I'd wholly expect them to tout whatever crashworthiness improvements the M7 has over the MR90. Very strangely, other than the M7 having a slightly greater acceleration and top speed they're extremely similar. The acceleration and speed can be chalked up mostly to the M7 having all cars powered while the MR90s are roughly 50/50 powered and trailer cars. There's virtually nothing to either explain the 20,000lb weight difference between the designs, they both have the same stainless steel body, the same features (the M7 has disc braking, but those things can't weigh more than 5000lbs total). I am completely at a loss to explain the M7's high weight, especially if the MR90 with a carbody some 20,000lbs lighter has the exact same buff load rating and is an acceptable design. If that's true then the FRA didn't make the M7s heavy, that onus would fall on the MTA or Bombardier. |
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