ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[KevinL]

I've now had the chance to see the Victoria Park stone up close. I think it's a wonderful choice, with complex and unique patterns in its colour. It's also a subtle light brown, not the plain grey that I had first taken it for.

Perhaps the one downside to it is that the former post-office building is directly behind it, and that facade is also stone. It is likely to be redeveloped, though, so hopefully the station wall will stand out more at that time.

[tomh009]

Thanks -- my thoughts exactly!

[Canard]

It is stunning, that's for sure! But once you have also stood up close to Seagram and Northfield, you realize that all 3 are "brown stone" and are very similar, in contrast to the very different glass designs for all the stops.

We still haven't seen a ceramic installation yet; the third tile type. I bet R&T will be the first if it's not already up. Scaffolding was up last time I was by.

[KevinL]

I've seen Seagram, which is a much darker brown and has more of a stripe look to it, and is distinctive enough to me.

I've yet to see Northfield, hopefully it also stands apart.

[tomh009]

The "three brown walls" are also not on stations next to each other, so I really don't think anyone will get "browned out" by them.

[Canard]

1/2 - Monday, February 27, 2017

Here are a couple of the photos that I took during the LRV unloading process.

   
Here, the Trackmobile is pulling the ramp out of the South part of the OMSF.

   
These guys got the best job - pushing the ramp into place. Reminded me of the folks who carry in the Olympic Flag at the opening ceremonies.

   
Trackmobile pushing a flatcar up the ramp, with a Scharfenberg coupler adapter on the front.

   
Contact!

   
Bombardier team checking out the gear under the hood. The big green blob in the middle is the traction motor, the thing on the right with the two circles is a right-angle gearbox. The same setup is on the other side, just rotated 180 degrees. The disc on the left is for the friction brakes. You can see the torque arm for the gearbox/motor at the top, too.

[Canard]

2/2 - Monday, February 27, 2017

   
I think this photo shows best the articulation configuration of the train - Modules A, B and C are rigid in Roll and Pitch, and only articulate in Yaw. Same between D and E. The interface between module C and D is articulated in both Yaw and Pitch. (There is no roll axis between any of the modules - which is why the entire line is configured without superelevation/banking on any of the curves.)

   
Touchdown in Waterloo Region!  The Bombardier crew is one of many who stops to take some well-deserved photos.

   
This storage box for all the various mounting equipment was flat-packed - and it cleverly hid under the LRV during the trip down from Thunder Bay.

   
After lunch, the Trackmobile collected the unloading ramp, and, doing what everyone does when they bring in groceries, took everything back to the OMSF in one load.

   
At home in the yard, at long last.  See you on April 8!

[jamincan]

Do we know when #2 is going to show up?

[KevinL]

I think I heard July. This lets them check out any inherent bugs in #1 while they get the assembly line together in Millhaven.

[Canard]

Well, that's not totally the reason (definitely they'll pass along any issues back to Millhaven over the next little bit), but the bays are already up and running in Millhaven. That's how long it will take to build them; the first four from there are already in production!

[Canard]

No need to apologize; I love talking about this stuff!

The motor will do all of the work in normal operation of decelerating and stopping the vehicle. The disc brake can be used as a holding brake (or in emergencies) to bring it to a more rapid stop. Additionally, there is an electromagnetic track brake which sits between the wheels. When current is applied to it, it locks hard against the rail, with much more force than would be available via friction due to gravity - only ever used in emergencies.

   
Electromagnetic track brake between the wheels.

AC motors like this can be very accurately controlled by their drive (called a Variable Frequency Drive, or VFD); it's what makes the high-pitched quiet "squeal" or "whine" on newer trains as they accelerate and decelerate.  Some really nerdy folks like myself even get a kick out of the different noises that these types of systems make - my favourite being the 90, 120, 180, 240, 360 Hz startup tones of the Montreal metro trains...  

You can hear some of the motor noises very clearly in this great video by ErbosSan on YouTube:

[Chicopee]

Thanks for the explanation!

[clasher]

So anyone know why Weber between Queen and Ontario is still closed? I'd been out of town for a while and thought they'd got all the roads buttoned up at this point.

[danbrotherston]

So anyone know why Weber between Queen and Ontario is still closed? I'd been out of town for a while and thought they'd got all the roads buttoned up at this point.

Weber?  Do you mean Duke?

I also thought they were open, at least one way.

[KevinL]

Duke is closed for hydro work - the surface LRT stuff is finished.