Streetcar News

[CLRV4002]

55 minutes ago, Xtrazsteve said:

I think he was talking about the rebuilds. They plan was to make them last longer but we all know what happened to the refurbished ALRVs. Money wasted and gotten nowhere.

Since reliability can't be improved for the cost of a rebuild, it made no sense to try to keep them longer. This leads to the next question, how long will the Mark I rebuilds on the SRT last? I am having doubts they'll last till 2029 or whatever year the SSE/L2EE finishes.

Well I was more so referencing the earlier decommissioning schedules which indicated some CLRVs would be around until 2022-23 or so. Then they changed those figures to retiring in 2019. The ALRV rebuilds had the right idea and I feel as if a similar project was undertaken with CLRVs instead of ALRVs, the results would’ve been better and maybe keeping them until 2024 would be possible. 

The Mark I rebuilds will be interesting for sure, especially since that 2029 date seems somewhat arbitrary at this point. I’m interested to see how the T1 rebuilds work out as well, but that’s a few years out yet. 

 

[TTC4120fan]

On my trip up to Halton Railway museum today, I spoke to one of the mechanics working in the shop (car barn 2). Out of general interest, I asked him about the CLRV and ALRV. He said that to his knowledge, they will be getting 3 CLRV and 1 ALRV. He said that the units that will be chosen are units that have been recently rebuilt/refurbished. As for when they will be getting them, he said sometime in October. He mentioned the storage problem. Storing cars beside car barn 2 have resulted in vandalism, and he thinks they will stored behind car barn 4 until they get another shed. He also mentioned the possible rebuild of car barn 1 and storing them there, but there is something holding them back and I don't remember exactly what he said. I think its funding. He was nice enough to let me inside car barn 2 for a quick peek at all the cars inside.

The usual suspects were operating on the line. 2894 and 8 were out, and later on 327 was brought out as it wasn't raining. 4386 is still in the same spot, but with nature starting to take over it. 4426 and 4684 also remain unchanged. 2984 is still inside car barn 3 in rough shape. 4600 was inside also in rough shape. A little piece in the back was missing. 2424 and 4611 were inside car barn 2, both receiving repairs. 4611 had its trucks on display outside, while inside it was on some Jacks. 2424 was making weird noises and had something wrong with it. 416 is still being rebuilt inside. W-30 was displayed outside, only a couple tracks away from 4386. All other cars were inside being displayed.

A few photos from today:

Some where behind all the foliage, is 4386.

The missing piece of 4600.

The interior of 4426.

4426, 4684 and L&PS 3, awaiting the future.

2424 inside car barn 2, with 416 beside it on the left.

2894, waiting to head back to the East End cafe.

[T3G]

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/08/19/ttc-sees-dramatic-rise-in-streetcar-maintenance-orders.html

[dowlingm]

2 minutes ago, PCC Guy said:

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/08/19/ttc-sees-dramatic-rise-in-streetcar-maintenance-orders.html

Let's send all the legacy cars to Halton they can handle along with the blacksmith, the CLRV electronics dudes and a bus load of cash, and clear out Hillcrest for refit into a Flexity shop. There is not a moment to be lost.

(During the early years of Irish Rail's 22000 Class rollout, Rotem took over the Heuston Station Valeting Shop to perform warranty work. Maybe it's time to work with BBD to recruit some of the folks in Thunder Bay who are about to be laid off to move south and do likewise.)

[MK78]

1 hour ago, dowlingm said:

 Maybe it's time to work with BBD to recruit some of the folks in Thunder Bay who are about to be laid off to move south and do likewise.)

Yeah, hire the people that built the defective junk to begin with... Good one.

[dowlingm]

3 hours ago, MK78 said:

Yeah, hire the people that built the defective junk to begin with... Good one.

Bear in mind that the folks there were mostly assembling what other folks elsewhere were supposed to have built correctly.

[nfitz]

6 minutes ago, dowlingm said:

Bear in mind that the folks there were mostly assembling what other folks elsewhere were supposed to have built correctly.

Despite that, they've come a lot closer to hitting the 35K MDBF recently, with 29K in the July report, up about 10K from same time last year. Might hit it soon if things improve at the same rate.

[Wayside Observer]

Well, until all that happens, the BlogTO pumpkins have found a streetcar that can be restored and put back into service to ease crowding.

I hate to break it to them but that rusting hulk's been there for many, many decades and pretty much everyone that's ever gone to the Haliburton Scout Reserve has passed by it.  The bigger news is that some snowflake made a wrong turn on the way to the latest four star glamping resort in the Haliburton Highlands, saw the remains of that Peter Witt, and made it out of there in one piece before getting into serious trouble or having convulsions from the onset of Starbucks withdrawl symptoms.

[smallspy]

2 hours ago, nfitz said:

Despite that, they've come a lot closer to hitting the 35K MDBF recently, with 29K in the July report, up about 10K from same time last year. Might hit it soon if things improve at the same rate.

That's only because they've changed the metrics, and some things that were originally considered "failures" are no longer counted.

 

Dan

[Xtrazsteve]

It's better to have a car than no cars as all the CLRVs are performing worst. With all these defects near the end of the production run, one would wonder if the workers really don't care at all since they are losing their jobs.

[Bus_Medic]

4 hours ago, Wayside Observer said:

Well, until all that happens, the BlogTO pumpkins have found a streetcar that can be restored and put back into service to ease crowding.

I hate to break it to them but that rusting hulk's been there for many, many decades and pretty much everyone that's ever gone to the Haliburton Scout Reserve has passed by it.  The bigger news is that some snowflake made a wrong turn on the way to the latest four star glamping resort in the Haliburton Highlands, saw the remains of that Peter Witt, and made it out of there in one piece before getting into serious trouble or having convulsions from the onset of Starbucks withdrawl symptoms.

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/a846e786-0bad-461d-bcf9-8fd6b995bbf3

[nfitz]

16 hours ago, smallspy said:

That's only because they've changed the metrics, and some things that were originally considered "failures" are no longer counted.

That begs the question of what was originally being considered a "failure" and should it ever have been considered a failure.

[smallspy]

2 hours ago, nfitz said:

That begs the question of what was originally being considered a "failure" and should it ever have been considered a failure.

 Conversely, it also begs the question about whether they are now being lenient in order to try and pump up the metrics.

And unfortunately in the absence of any actual data, we're all left wondering.

 

Dan

[dowlingm]

Given the fondness for graphs in CEO Report, it would be fair for a journo to ask whether previous figures were not going to recalculate to reflect the going forward metric... but that would spoil the lovely upward trend...

[dowlingm]

3 hours ago, Allandale25 said:

Is he sure his Facebook source and his CPTDB source aren't the same person?

 

 

[T3G]

56 minutes ago, dowlingm said:

Is he sure his Facebook source and his CPTDB source aren't the same person?

 

 

I am, yes. Unless our Dan also goes by Joshua elsewhere...

Edit: looks like that puts an end to the rumour mill: https://twitter.com/JayeRobinson/status/1166816152288411648?s=20

[Wayside Observer]

1 hour ago, dowlingm said:

Is he sure his Facebook source and his CPTDB source aren't the same person?

 

 

I guess that also settles where CHUM-FM got that tidbit from that the used to start off the entertainment news with years ago.  I didn't know, not having seen the movie.

As for the ALRV situation, well, I guess I'm a bit sad to see them go even if I wasn't all that fond of them.  It's the completion of one big step towards a totally homogenous fleet.  After the last of the CLRVs go and it's just low floor cars later this year or sometime in early 2020, I think that may be the first time that Toronto has had only one type of streetcar in operation.  The TTC never ran only one type of streetcar; even when it was just PCCs, there were several different classes, so you'd have to look back to the early days of the private companies to see if maybe one of them ran only one car type >100 years ago.

[leylandvictory2]

I can confirm September 2 will the last revenue day for ALRV.  To celebrate this special occasion, TTC will offer free rides on Queen Street from Russel Car House to Bathurst Street.  2 ALRV will be dispatched for this special event.  The schedule as follows:

Car 1
Depart Wolesley Loop ~2 p.m.
Depart Russell 2:45 p.m.
Depart Wolesley 3:30 p.m.
Arrive Russell Carhouse at 4:15 p.m.
Car 2
Depart Russell at 2 p.m. 
Depart Wolesley at 2:45 p.m.
Depart Russell at 3:30 p.m.
Last trip: Depart Wolesley at 4:15 p.m.
Arrive Russell at 5 p.m.

[dowlingm]

If TTC said “streetcar team says nuh-uh” so Jaye Robinson could have her social media unobstructed I will be both appalled and unsurprised at the same time

[Ed T.]

43 minutes ago, leylandvictory2 said:

I can confirm September 2 will the last revenue day for ALRV.  To celebrate this special occasion, TTC will offer free rides on Queen Street from Russel Car House to Bathurst Street.

I hope they don't expect very much revenue, then.

[anyfong]

"Revenue" means it's a service intended for regular passengers, it doesn't matter if a fare is charged or not.

[Genius101]

5 hours ago, Wayside Observer said:

It's the completion of one big step towards a totally homogenous fleet.  After the last of the CLRVs go and it's just low floor cars later this year or sometime in early 2020.

Personally I like variety and I'm not looking forward to having a homogeneous streetcar fleet. It's going to be like the subway system. I miss the days when we had TRs, H5s and T1s on line 1 and H4s, H6s and T1s on line 2. Now it's just 1 model running on each line. 

[wil9402]

16 hours ago, leylandvictory2 said:

I can confirm September 2 will the last revenue day for ALRV.  To celebrate this special occasion, TTC will offer free rides on Queen Street from Russel Car House to Bathurst Street.  2 ALRV will be dispatched for this special event.  The schedule as follows:

Car 1
Depart Wolesley Loop ~2 p.m.
Depart Russell 2:45 p.m.
Depart Wolesley 3:30 p.m.
Arrive Russell Carhouse at 4:15 p.m.
Car 2
Depart Russell at 2 p.m. 
Depart Wolesley at 2:45 p.m.
Depart Russell at 3:30 p.m.
Last trip: Depart Wolesley at 4:15 p.m.
Arrive Russell at 5 p.m.

Car 1 will be 4207, Car 2 will be 4204. It is also confirmed (or reconfirmed) that one ALRV will be preserved.

Source: TTC.ca: TTC’s ‘bendy streetcars’ reach the end of the line 

[T3G]

Of note is that 4204 was the first ALRV to enter service on January 19, 1988 on the 507. I appreciate that they have selected 4204 to be the last to run in as I feel it very nicely book ends this era.

[CLRV4002]

1 hour ago, PCC Guy said:

Of note is that 4204 was the first ALRV to enter service on January 19, 1988 on the 507. I appreciate that they have selected 4204 to be the last to run in as I feel it very nicely book ends this era.

Yes that was a good decision. I also assume it will be kept either with the TTC or at Halton with 4207 going wherever 4204 doesn’t. Unless 4221, 4228, 4230 or 4249 are in better shape after further inspection.