danasgoodstuff
OBS Chief
New train fleet coming to Amtrak's route linking Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland | Urbanized is there any genuinely new info here, or is it rehash?
New Cascades trainsets
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danasgoodstuff
OBS Chief
It seemed familiar, but I thought maybe some new wrinkle re when and how many?
Rehash. WSDOT and ODOT finalized their piggyback onto Amtrak's Corridor order for Ventures last year.
Old news
When are they going to scrap the Talgos? I guess I should make a trip to the PNW to ride them before they're gone.
Are the new train sets capable of Talgo speeds?
If not, who going to pay to lower the elevation in the curves, pay for the ballast needed to do so, removal of the soon to be collectable Talgo speed signs?
If not, who going to pay to lower the elevation in the curves, pay for the ballast needed to do so, removal of the soon to be collectable Talgo speed signs?
Yes, they will be. BNSF is also allowing the Horizon consists currently providing service on 4 of the 6 current Cascades schedules to run at Talgo speeds. The "T" speed boards will remain.
The Talgos provided increased passenger comfort through curves at increased speeds as the passive tilt reduced the centripetal force on passengers. It was never required for safe operation. Like the Horizons, the Ventures will not have the passive tilt and passengers experience a bit more outward force on curves than on the Talgos, but they will operate at the same speeds.
Curves were not super elevated for Cascades service. The track structure had not been modified. The Talgo car bodies tilted, not the track. No trackwork was involved in running the Talgos at the slightly higher speed through curves and none is required for their retirement.
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The Talgo 6s, which made up the majority of the Talgo fleet, and all WSDOT owned Talgo sets, have already been scrapped. That happened last year. The two ODOT owned, FRA-compliant, Talgo 8 sets remain, though one is out of service. 4 out of the 6 daily Cascades trains on the current schedule are running with Horizon cars. Horizons will likely provide the majority of the service until the delivery of the Ventures.
I imagine the two remaining ODOT sets will remain after delivery of the Ventures since they are both relatively new and FRA-compliant. However, I understand WSDOT and ODOT have now bailed on the Talgo-required maintenance contract, and that might limit their service life.
