LIRR Service to Grand Central

[AmtrakMaineiac]

I wouldn't think you would want to be running diesels into a tunnel and underground station anyway, even if the station ventilation was designed for diesels which it probably wasn't.

 

[Tlcooper93]

I wouldn't think you would want to be running diesels into a tunnel and underground station anyway, even if the station ventilation was designed for diesels which it probably wasn't.

My guess is they’re referring to the 24 DM30AC dual mode locomotives which currently are used to access Penn station - this allows direct trains from the eastern parts of LI, where tracks are not electrified.

The 20 diesel-electric DE30AC are identical in almost every way to their dual mode counterparts, so the height restrictions are meaningful.

 

[railiner]

Is it a big deal that only a quarter-ish of their fleet can't run through those tunnels though? Yes, it's an obvious inconvenience, but out of their many major terminals don't they have adequate equipment for service to this one major station?

Operationally, it is true that they have more equipment than the new terminal can even handle, but I suspect that perhaps politically it could be a “big deal”, since many, or maybe even most of the affluent riders from the east end diesel territory desire to go there without change…

 

[jis]

Operationally, it is true that they have more equipment than the new terminal can even handle, but I suspect that perhaps politically it could be a “big deal”, since many, or maybe even most of the affluent riders from the east end diesel territory desire to go there without change…

The right way to fix that is to electrify the diesel territory not perpetuate the boondoggle. Even when one or two through trains make it to Penn Station if the DMs cooperate most feel cheated out of electrification at least on the Port Jeff Branch which used to be stomping grounds and I still know many people there

 

[George Harris]

The tendency of many short sighted managers and designers to "shrink wrap" the equipment with the clearance diagram for the structures has left me screaming for over 50 years. You are always, and I mean ALWAYS going to find that you need more space within a tunnel than you originally think you will. That though has worked its way in the railroad civil engineering profession over 50 years, more like 100 years ago, but it seems that many public transit agencies and quite a few people in railroad management that do not have operating or engineering experience don't get the picture.

 

[railiner]

The right way to fix that is to electrify the diesel territory not perpetuate the boondoggle. Even when one or two through trains make it to Penn Station if the DMs cooperate most feel cheated out of electrification at least on the Port Jeff Branch which used to be stomping grounds and I still know many people there

Might make sense to electrify the PJ branch, but do you think it would be wise to do so to Montalk, or especially, to Greenport?

 

[jis]

Might make sense to electrify the PJ branch, but do you think it would be wise to do so to Montalk, or especially, to Greenport?

Perhaps not, but they don’t have to go to GCT without changing at Jamaica either. In any case the size of the tunnel under the East River is water under the bridge at present. The only possible fix would be to build DEMUs within that loading gauge which the Brits have shown can be done.

 

[AmtrakMaineiac]

The only possible fix would be to build DEMUs within that loading gauge which the Brits have shown can be done.

Although ironically when BR decide to electrify the southern region line to Hastings, because the original DEMUs had been built especially narrow to fit in the existing tunnels, rather than build special EMUs they chose to single track the tunnels so that standard EMUs could be used. In this case the tunnels are short enough that the short single track sections aren't a bottleneck for the schedule.

 

[jis]

Although ironically when BR decide to electrify the southern region line to Hastings, because the original DEMUs had been built especially narrow to fit in the existing tunnels, rather than build special EMUs they chose to single track the tunnels so that standard EMUs could be used. In this case the tunnels are short enough that the short single track sections aren't a bottleneck for the schedule.

BR standard EMUs I believe are small enough to pass throgh ESA East River tunnels IIRC.

 

[AmtrakMaineiac]

BR standard EMUs I believe are small enough to pass throgh ESA East River tunnels IIRC.

I'm sure they would be given the standard UK loading gauge is much smaller than ours.

 

[AmtrakMaineiac]

Interestingly the reason those Hastings tunnels were so narrow in the first place was that the contractor for them had skimped on the layers of brick needed to meet the specs. When the company found out, they had to add more layers of brick thus rendering the tunnels smaller than the standard loading gauge. So this went even beyond "shrink wrapping".

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

Interestingly the reason those Hastings tunnels were so narrow in the first place was that the contractor for them had skimped on the layers of brick needed to meet the specs. When the company found out, they had to add more layers of brick thus rendering the tunnels smaller than the standard loading gauge. So this went even beyond "shrink wrapping".

Wait, are you saying "they don't build them like they used to" doesn't always mean better?

 

[jis]

The new GC Madison Station is vast …