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ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit
Doubt it, I was there when it rolled over and nobody made a fuss. Likely one of those “it’s out of spec” things where it’s 0.2 mm out of tolerance and doesn’t really matter, but on paper...
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At least these reworks are getting done now and only take a few days.
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(02-10-2018, 03:10 PM)bgb_ca Wrote: At least these reworks are getting done now and only take a few weeks.

Fixed that for you

...and no, they should have been done 1+ year ago, when they were completed, instead of now where it is delaying testing (and opening).

But, no worries, someone will find a way to blame Bombardier, I'm sure. Rolleyes
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(02-10-2018, 03:14 PM)Canard Wrote:
(02-10-2018, 03:10 PM)bgb_ca Wrote: At least these reworks are getting done now and only take a few weeks.

Fixed that for you

...and no, they should have been done 1+ year ago, when they were completed, instead of now where it is delaying testing (and opening).

But, no worries, someone will find a way to blame Bombardier, I'm sure.  Rolleyes

At this point it’s looking like the construction team allowed the Bombardier problems to lull them into a sense of complacency — once they realized they weren’t on the critical path any more, they slacked off to the extent that they may well end up being on the critical path once again.

Do you know if Bombardier has been continuing construction of the vehicles? Last I heard I think the 9th or so was “mostly done” with the remainder in various stages of construction. By now I’m thinking they should all be substantially complete, depending on how they’ve been scheduling their work.
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They have to get going on the Edmonton order soon enough - I'm sure they want ours out the door as soon as they can.
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Vehicle 12 is married (modules mated together). They have begun the process of reworking 501. They're focusing a lot on Edmonton's first 7-module vehicle, which they're expecting to complete in March.

Basically, they don't have to rush on ours anymore, because there's the delivery lag issue. If the Region said tomorrow "start shipping them", they still have lots of time to finish off the last couple of units because it's months before they could even get them off the property.
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What effect, if any, will the addition of the TTC streetcar assembly line to the Kingston plant have on our shipping schedule? Are the flatbeds adjustable to accommodate either gauge vehicle or are there separate flatbeds for each vehicle type?
Everyone move to the back of the bus and we all get home faster.
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(02-10-2018, 04:05 PM)Pheidippides Wrote: What effect, if any, will the addition of the TTC streetcar assembly line to the Kingston plant have on our shipping schedule?

None at all.
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(02-10-2018, 03:48 PM)Canard Wrote: Vehicle 12 is married (modules mated together).  They have begun the process of reworking 501.  They're focusing a lot on Edmonton's first 7-module vehicle, which they're expecting to complete in March.

Basically, they don't have to rush on ours anymore, because there's the delivery lag issue.  If the Region said tomorrow "start shipping them", they still have lots of time to finish off the last couple of units because it's months before they could even get them off the property.

Thanks for the information, that’s good to hear.

While I’m asking questions, how big a deal is it to swap out modules? For example, suppose two vehicles were in collisions that each destroyed a cab module. How hard would it be to take the good cab from one and attach it to the remainder of the other vehicle? Would it make a difference if it was two A or B cabs as opposed to an A and a B cab destroyed? Similarly, how different are the two modules that connect directly to the cab modules?

Also, what is the order of the modules? I know it’s A-x-x-x-B, with the “x”s representing C, D, and E. And I think I remember you saying earlier that there is only one joint that is fully flexible in all directions. Which joint is that?
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Module order is A-D-C-E-B, with bogies in modules A, B, and C.  Modules D and E are without wheels and supported by their neighbours. It is worth noting that this nomenclature is only valid for the 5-module variant; not the 3 or 7. In other words, you can't just benignly say "a C module is always a short, intermediate one with a bogie and no doors", because on the 3-module variant you'd have A-C-B, and C would be the same as a 5-module's D or E.

   

I don't know which end it's from, but the train is set up as a 3+2 configuration, where the two articulations between the first three modules are only permitted rotation in yaw, and the same goes for the articulation between the fourth and fifth module.  The articulation between the third and fourth module is permitted to articulate in both Pitch and Yaw.  Roll is not permitted on any joint, so the train is effectively a stiff log if you were to try and twist the first and fifth modules relative to one another, along an axis running the length of the train.  This is why I'm very anxious to watch how the LRV's handle the complex curve at Benton/Charles SB.  The bogies themselves have a limited amount of yaw (via rubber dampers) to the module above them, and are permitted some small amount of roll, through springs.  They can also pitch.  This makes the entire system kinematically "okay" in that it can theoretically navigate any geometry profile thrown at it, but it's not really perfect.

   
Bogie shot from the Leslie Barns Open House in Toronto, for their FLEXITY Outlook LRV's.  You can see the bolsters (big bumpers) for permitting a little bit of Yaw between the bogie and module, as well as the springs for permitting Roll.

(I could geek out about LRV articulation and geometry for days.  I have studied kinematics and geometry of roller coasters ever since I started riding them in the late 90's (it's the only reason I did!).  I was curious about the engineering behind them and how they could take the curves, and after watching them I decided they were fun to ride, too.  500+ coasters later...)

I would have been able to answer your question about which modules had which points of articulation during the re-loading of 501 onto the flatcar, however, the stickers were all removed, so there were no identifying features that I could pick out to discern which was the "A" end and which was the "B" end.  There is a side marker light which is to the left of the centre seam in the above images in the centre module, which I could have used as a fiducial, but I'm not sure if it's "mirrored" feature or "rotated" feature around the Z axis of that module.  During loading or offloading, the sharp angles made at the start and end of the ramp make it easy to pick out where the Pitch articulation joint is, as shown below.

   

   

I don't think they will ever swap out a module on-site at Dutton.  If a train gets hit by a car, and the damage is more than superficial, it'll likely go back to Bombardier for them to swap it out.
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I recall a TTC guy saying on another forum that the joints in the modules wear to match each other. In theory you can mix and match, in practice it never quite works out. I believe he was referring to the ALRVs (TTC's older bendy streetcars), but I wouldn't be surprised if it applied to the Flexities as well. Perhaps if you replaced all the bearing surfaces in each part it would work out okay.
...K
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Are D and E modules interchangeable? How about A and B?
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Why can't they allow the LRV to twist, pitch, and yaw on every joint?
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(02-10-2018, 10:37 PM)jamincan Wrote: Why can't they allow the LRV to twist, pitch, and yaw on every joint?

The more types of flex you allow, the more complex the joint. Don't forget these are open gangways that have to allow people through.
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(02-10-2018, 03:14 PM)Canard Wrote:
(02-10-2018, 03:10 PM)bgb_ca Wrote: At least these reworks are getting done now and only take a few weeks.

Fixed that for you

...and no, they should have been done 1+ year ago, when they were completed, instead of now where it is delaying testing (and opening).

But, no worries, someone will find a way to blame Bombardier, I'm sure.  Rolleyes

Was the uptown refit really several weeks? I thought they had that done a lot quicker than that.

And yes, it should have been done last year.
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