Your Local Trains

[to2leo]

GO Transit (Government of Ontario Transit)

 

 

 

It started with one line but now have expanded into most corner of the city with 12 bi-levels cars per trainset.

[bikkuri bahn]

 

Wish we still had these old engines. We get so much junk from Chicago for some reason.

 

I can understand your feelings about those ex-BN E9's.  Hearing those twin 567's open up to notch 8 is akin to a railroad symphony.

[scott]

Martijn--send us your poor, your tired, your ugly trains....I like them! :)

 

Leo--that bottom picture is terrifying, but satisfying in a way.

[to2leo]

Martijn--send us your poor, your tired, your ugly trains....I like them! :)

 

Leo--that bottom picture is terrifying, but satisfying in a way.

 

@Martijin, does Norway has the same problem as N. America where there is a preference over cars?

 

@Scott, yup I love that picture, it is free advertisement for transit especially during rush hour on the Don Valley PARKway!

[Guest ___]

Pft, you call that traffic, there's plenty of room in that merge lane not being used by cars. In DC, we refer to that as regular beltway traffic between midnight and 5am.

[Martijn Meerts]

@Martijin, does Norway has the same problem as N. America where there is a preference over cars?

 

The rail network isn't very widespread here. Lots of mountains means it's expensive to lay tracks to the smaller towns. So in smaller towns people have no other option than to use their cars.

 

In the cities they're trying to push more towards public transport, but it's only partially working. The problem with cars is that there are virtually no available parking spots in the city center unless you get there at 5am. The problem with public transport is that it's uncomfortable, often delayed and overcrowded.

 

During winter especially it can be bad with busses. It's about -15 degrees Celsius outside, so people are wearing several layers of clothes and thick jackets. Inside the bus, heating is on max and it's easily +25 degrees Celsius. I've seen people faint in the bus because there was a lack of oxygen...

[marknewton]

My local trains are my workplace. My local station is Waterfall, which is also my home depot. I often take a camera to work with me, so here's a selection of Illawarra line EMU trains at various locations.

 

The old, but very reliable S-sets. My favourite suburban train. Photo taken in Waterfall down yard.

 

 

The not-so-old, but not -very reliable T-sets, otherwise known as Tangaras. Used for suburban and limited interurban working. Photo taken at Sydenham.

 

 

A V-set interurban train. Everybody loves these! Photo taken at Cawley, between Waterfall and Helensburgh.

 

 

Our newest EMU, the H-sets are also know by the lamentable name "OSCars" - Outer Suburban Cars... Photo taken on the down platform at Waterfall.

 

 

The last photo is no great shakes technically, but it shows the view from my kitchen window, and gives you an idea how close to work I live!

 

 

If anyone is interested, I can continue with some photos of railmotors, DEMUs and loco-hauled freight and passenger trains - even some steam...

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[alpineaustralia]

yes please.

[marknewton]

Okay Alpine, will do. It's bedtime for me now, so I'll put up some more tomorrow.

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

[bikkuri bahn]

Thanks for the pictures, Mark.  And those S-sets are mighty fine- helps that they are SS corrugated- bet they are bullet-proof rugged.

[alpineaustralia]

Mark one question that I have always wanted to know since I was a kid.

What is that bell looking thing (painted yellow) at the front of the S class train?

[scott]

During winter especially it can be bad with busses. It's about -15 degrees Celsius outside, so people are wearing several layers of clothes and thick jackets. Inside the bus, heating is on max and it's easily +25 degrees Celsius. I've seen people faint in the bus because there was a lack of oxygen...

 

Seems like there must be a fairly simple solution for that--if people aren't on board long, maybe they could use dividers to separate the only-slightly-heated passenger area from the heated driver's cab.

 

My local trains are my workplace. My local station is Waterfall, which is also my home depot. I often take a camera to work with me, so here's a selection of Illawarra line EMU trains at various locations.

 

So, Norway has better trains than we do, despite having to climb vertical, ice-covered fjord walls, and Australia has better trains than we do, despite being on the bottom side of the planet and being in constant danger of falling off. This is getting embarrassing.

[Bernard]

I remembered to bring my camera with me on my daily commute into NYC.

The first photo is the M6 the new trains that have cause a problem because the gap between the platform and the train is very wide. People have fallen through.

 

2nd is the Hybred Double Decker, it runs on Deisel and Electric.

 

3rd Photo is the Repair train yard.

 

And last is the Number 6 Subway were the fares went up to 2.25 last week. (bc6 do you ever take this line? When I took some photos, people on the subway platform asked me how do I like my visit to NYC so far? Fine, my visit been about 50 years so far.  )

[scott]

The first photo is the M6 the new trains that have cause a problem because the gap between the platform and the train is very wide. People have fallen through.

 

Now that seems like an easily-avoidable design problem....

[Martijn Meerts]

Since subways are mentioned as well, we have some of those..

 

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/59/218634758_cfab51dfd8.jpg?v=0

The old ones, pieces of junk ;)

 

http://cache.virtualtourist.com/1553565-Metro_of_Oslo-Oslo.jpg

Another old one, not many of these around.

 

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MX3000.jpg

New ones, quite nice, very uncomfortable seats though. Designed by Porsche, and the company running the subway here sure are proud of that =)

 

 

And then there's the trams.

 

http://home.chello.no/trondre/la_trikken_doe/majorstua.jpg

Old ones, don't run anymore, except on special occasions I believe, only seen it once or twice myself.

 

http://home.chello.no/trondre/la_trikken_doe/trikk1.jpg

These are being slowly replace. As far as I understood they bought these from Sweden, where they were too old and crappy to stay in use ;)

 

http://funini.com/train/norway/trikk/00.html

New ones. Quite nice, but they messed up a bit here as well. The first winter after these went in service, they found out that the bogies couldn't handle the cold, so they all had to be adjusted ;)

[scott]

So--what does "Husk Skilting" mean?

[Martijn Meerts]

Hmm.. Not sure actually.. I'm not Norwegian and my knowledge of the language is limited to everyday conversational Norwegian ;)

[Bernard]

The first photo is the M6 the new trains that have cause a problem because the gap between the platform and the train is very wide. People have fallen through.

 

Now that seems like an easily-avoidable design problem....

 

Oh, it's been a major headache and a couple of people have died. The problem is the design of the bottom of the train, it curves in, the older trains where round. How did they fix the problem, pre-recorder messages with Alec Baldwin saying, "Please watch the Gap as you enter the train, be train smart." Oh, and about a million stickers that say, you got it, "Watch the Gap."

[bc6]

Bernard every once and a while I take the #6 Train, my main train is the #2 train. I'll have to take some pics of the #2 on my work tomorrow. For those that dont know ALL the trains in NYC look almost the same, how boring  . I'm basically the opposite everyone swears Im from nyc and ask me for directions grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr (I was born and raised in NYC lol).

[Bernard]

Ahhh, a West sider...

bc6 - My favorite announcement, that is when they're audible, is, "To our fellow passangers, please safe guard your personal belongings, they're might be some pick-pocketers on the train. Thank You."

And that's when everyone on the train checks to see if they have their wallet and now the pick-pocketers know exactly where you keep your valuables.  :icon_cyclops_ani:

[marknewton]

Thanks for the pictures, Mark.  And those S-sets are mighty fine- helps that they are SS corrugated- bet they are bullet-proof rugged.

 

You're welcome bb. As you say, S-sets are just about bullet-proof. Traincrew love them, as they're very reliable, they brake well in EP or auto, and on the rare occasions that they play up, they're not hard to sort out and get going again. Passengers, on the other hand, don't particularly like them, as they don't have airconditioning except in the cabs. As the saying goes, you can't please everybody. 

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[marknewton]

Mark one question that I have always wanted to know since I was a kid.

What is that bell looking thing (painted yellow) at the front of the S class train?

 

It's the live receptacle for the MU jumper cable.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[marknewton]

The Illawarra line maintenance centre for EMUs is located at Mortdale, roughly halfway between Sydney and Waterfall.

 

 

Two of my workmates having a break on the platform at Waterfall. The S-set had just returned from overhaul, and was on a trial trip.

 

 

Before the line was electrified south of Sutherland, local services were run with diesel railmotors like these, known as "Tin Hares" or "42-footers". These are preserved examples on a railfan tour returning from Helenburgh

 

 

These days, the electrification ends at Kiama. Services to Bomaderry are run by Endeavour railcars. This photo was taken in the elephant house at Eveleigh, which is the DMU maintenance centre.

 

 

The only regular loco-hauled passenger train on the Illawarra now is a privately-operated tourist train, the "Cockatoo Run." It is usually diesel powered, using a variety of heritage locos. This view shows the train hauled by 45-class loco 4501, an Alco "World Series" DL-541. The bloke that owns this loco is a mate of mine, and I've been privileged to run it a few times - great fun!

 

 

Now and again there is another loco-hauled job that comes by, the AK track and overhead inspection train, hauled here by privately-owned 4473, an Alco World DL-500.

 

 

Then if we're really lucky, we'll get a steam-hauled excursion train come by. The Cockie has had a steamer on it a few times recently, Baldwin-built 5917, owned by the Lachlan Valley Railway. (That's my mate Milo driving.)

 

 

Or we'll get a visit from the Rail Transport Museum's "Heritage Express", hauled here by locally-built 3642. This is a bittersweet photo for me, the bloke seen driving the 36, Ian Thornton, died not too long after this trip. He was a legend among steam crews on our railway, a bloody good engineman and a bloody good mate.

 

 

Anyway, I'm off to work soon, so I'll post some photos of the freight trains we get here tomorrow.

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

[Bernard]

Mark - These trains are a whole lot more interesting than the ones I take daily.  :happy10:

[bikkuri bahn]

Mark, once again great pictures.  You can see the clear British and North American influences on the rolling stock, especially the steam locomotives.  The Baldwin is clearly a variation of the USRA light 2-8-2 design, while 3642 looks like a combination of Great Western and Southern influences- love the GWR-style cap on the chimney!