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(1534690)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Amtrak706 on Wed Jan 8 14:03:25 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by W.B. on Wed Jan 8 11:09:19 2020.

Well the R179s are extremely similar to R160s which in turn are extremely similar to R143s, and those are nearly 20 years old. So the R179s aren’t really “new tech” trains any more than the R62/A and R68/A fleets were (they used then-20-year-old 1960s tech).

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(1534692)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by italianguyinsi on Wed Jan 8 14:14:06 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Amtrak706 on Wed Jan 8 14:03:25 2020.

The TA got burnt with a real dog: The R-44. Then, the newer dog, the 46, with the P-wire troubles and the Rockwell trucks cracking. That's why they went back to basics with the 62 and 68. Even the BOM 68s have a decent MDBF number. Kaw's 68As even better.



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(1534694)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Spider-Pig on Wed Jan 8 14:52:06 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by pragmatist on Wed Jan 8 11:48:54 2020.

Blaming it on “NTTs” is just a convenient scapegoat for railfans averse to change and/or wishing that old cars stay on longer.

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(1534696)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Spider-Pig on Wed Jan 8 14:59:23 2020, in response to The incident involving R-179 cars doors was in service on (C) line (Tuesday PM rush), posted by gold_12th on Wed Jan 8 01:05:54 2020.

This happened on an R-32. The person said it was on an old train and not on one of the "nice new ones."

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(1534697)

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Re: The incident involving R-179 cars doors was in service on (C) line (Tuesday PM rush)

Posted by Orange Blossom Special on Wed Jan 8 15:07:29 2020, in response to Re: The incident involving R-179 cars doors was in service on (C) line (Tuesday PM rush), posted by Steve B-8AVEXP on Wed Jan 8 06:11:26 2020.

This is the average intelligence of 90% of the internet and 84% of the population.

Don't they have stickers that say don't lean on the doors?

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(1534698)

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OBS right again Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Orange Blossom Special on Wed Jan 8 15:08:01 2020, in response to R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by gold_12th on Wed Jan 8 00:31:10 2020.

I warned you people you should get the old blueprints out for the nicer older trains instead of getting all fancy.

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(1534699)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Jersey Mike on Wed Jan 8 15:12:09 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Spider-Pig on Wed Jan 8 14:59:23 2020.

I hope you corrected them.

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(1534704)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Spider-Pig on Wed Jan 8 15:54:01 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Jersey Mike on Wed Jan 8 15:12:09 2020.

What do you mean? The original Tweeter posted that.

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(1534705)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by VictorM on Wed Jan 8 16:01:11 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by italianguyinsi on Wed Jan 8 14:14:06 2020.

The 68s were built by Westinghouse-Amrail.

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(1534706)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Spider-Pig on Wed Jan 8 16:06:23 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by VictorM on Wed Jan 8 16:01:11 2020.

Did Westinghouse-Amrail build nothing other than the R-68? What's the story there?

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Re: OBS right again Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Spider-Pig on Wed Jan 8 16:06:48 2020, in response to OBS right again Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Orange Blossom Special on Wed Jan 8 15:08:01 2020.

Yes. They should have built more R-160s.

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(1534708)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by randyo on Wed Jan 8 16:09:58 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by MainR3664 on Wed Jan 8 08:27:05 2020.

That happened with one of my amplifers. It started emitting a loud buzz during one of my gigs but it was till under warranty so I returned it. It was supposedly repaired but the next time I used it, the same problem occurred so I returned it again. The dealer reported that he ahd it on and off for about 8 hours during the day and was about to return it back to me with no defect found when the condition recurred. This time it couldn’t be repaired so I ended up with a new one.

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Catfish 44 on Wed Jan 8 16:10:39 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by SLRT on Wed Jan 8 12:42:35 2020.

Good for them.

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by randyo on Wed Jan 8 16:11:51 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Catfish 44 on Wed Jan 8 08:38:29 2020.

If the R-179 problem is bad enough they might be needed.

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by randyo on Wed Jan 8 16:28:34 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Spider-Pig on Wed Jan 8 14:59:23 2020.

It remind me of an incident involving a bad order EE in the PM rush in the 60 St tunnel. The train went O/S at Lex due to door trouble but then laid down just S/O the 11 St cut backing up all service behind it. After that R-1/9 cars that were used along with the R-16s and 38s were ordered off the EE. The problem was that it was a SMEE train that had the problem and not an R-1/9.

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Re: OBS right again Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by randyo on Wed Jan 8 16:32:00 2020, in response to Re: OBS right again Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Spider-Pig on Wed Jan 8 16:06:48 2020.

“R” designations are just contract numbers, not specific car types as was the case with the prewar BMT and IRT cars so it’s highly possible that even a Bombardier built car with the exact technology of an R-160 would likely have the same problems.

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Re: OBS right again Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Orange Blossom Special on Wed Jan 8 17:27:57 2020, in response to Re: OBS right again Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by randyo on Wed Jan 8 16:32:00 2020.

Bombardier, bring back Budd.

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Joe V on Wed Jan 8 17:29:00 2020, in response to R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by gold_12th on Wed Jan 8 00:31:10 2020.

Say what you want about jerky R32's and rusting R42's - they work and they're over 50. Give 'em another GOH.

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Jackson Park B Train on Wed Jan 8 17:30:13 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Spider-Pig on Wed Jan 8 14:52:06 2020.

No, flimsy crap is not sacred because it is shiny and digital. The fact I am typing on a computer keyboard rather than a large noisy typewriter to then walk this missive to a post box makes clear I accept technological advances. That said, having a subway car door randomly open while the train is moving in not acceptable no matter how much digital whiz-bang.
I was on a BART train 30+ years ago when the couplers released between the car I was in and the several forward cars. Happily this occurred just as starting to leave a station so slow speed and as designed our section went BIE. Not a pleasant adventure though no one was injured.

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(1534719)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Joe V on Wed Jan 8 17:39:46 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by murray1575 on Wed Jan 8 11:46:56 2020.

BBD went down the toilet after that.

TTC just retired their last C-LRV. I guess they are confident with their BBD Flexities.

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(1534720)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Spider-Pig on Wed Jan 8 17:41:10 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Joe V on Wed Jan 8 17:29:00 2020.

If doors open while the train is moving, they do not “work.”

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(1534721)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by AEM-7AC #901 on Wed Jan 8 17:41:40 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Spider-Pig on Wed Jan 8 14:52:06 2020.

Blaming it on “NTTs” is just a convenient scapegoat for railfans averse to change and/or wishing that old cars stay on longer.

That's admittedly the irony here. It's a mechanical component failing versus bug ridden software. The same part could have easily gone bad on a newly manufactured SMEE car.

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(1534724)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Spider-Pig on Wed Jan 8 17:47:02 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Jackson Park B Train on Wed Jan 8 17:30:13 2020.

No, flimsy crap is not sacred because it is shiny and digital. The fact I am typing on a computer keyboard rather than a large noisy typewriter to then walk this missive to a post box makes clear I accept technological advances. That said, having a subway car door randomly open while the train is moving in not acceptable no matter how much digital whiz-bang.

And it's happening to the R-32, as we learned from Twitter. There's nothing sacred about NTTs, but old cars can't last forever.

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(1534725)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Joe V on Wed Jan 8 17:47:36 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Spider-Pig on Wed Jan 8 17:41:10 2020.

Very rare. The R179's have been lemons for as long as they have had them, including structural issues.

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(1534726)

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Re: OBS right again Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Joe V on Wed Jan 8 17:48:35 2020, in response to Re: OBS right again Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Orange Blossom Special on Wed Jan 8 17:27:57 2020.

It's a Golf Course now.
VIA Rail runs their whole western Canada service with Budd equipment

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Bill from Maspeth on Wed Jan 8 17:51:32 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by The silence on Wed Jan 8 12:26:48 2020.

Yes, they are lemons.

While Bombardier is surely at fault for many reasons, it has to be remembered that there are many sub-contractors who could be at fault here for manufacturing flimsy components which are not holding up to our demanding operating conditions.

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(1534731)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Bill from Maspeth on Wed Jan 8 17:53:26 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by italianguyinsi on Wed Jan 8 14:14:06 2020.

P- Wire troubles were caused by defective batteries.

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(1534732)

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Re: OBS right again Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Bill from Maspeth on Wed Jan 8 17:55:25 2020, in response to OBS right again Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Orange Blossom Special on Wed Jan 8 15:08:01 2020.

I would have if I were in charge.

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(1534733)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Catfish 44 on Wed Jan 8 17:59:14 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by randyo on Wed Jan 8 16:11:51 2020.

Then they can use the 179s for garbage detail.

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(1534736)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by W.B. on Wed Jan 8 18:31:21 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by AEM-7AC #901 on Wed Jan 8 17:41:40 2020.

As what happened with the first trucks used on the R-10's, in 1948-49?

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(1534738)

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Re: OBS right again Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by TransitChuckG on Wed Jan 8 18:32:03 2020, in response to Re: OBS right again Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Joe V on Wed Jan 8 17:48:35 2020.

When I was working for The Budd Company , Trailer division, we had a tour of the Red Lion plant and saw them building commuter railcars.I forget the year, but I think it was on the late 1970's.I enjoyed the tour because of my love for transit vehicles:)

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(1534739)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by VictorM on Wed Jan 8 18:33:57 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Spider-Pig on Wed Jan 8 16:06:23 2020.

According to Wikipedia, the R-68s were built by a joint venture of Westinghouse, ANF Industrie, Jeumont Schneider, and Alstom. Alstom did build the later R-160A cars, but the others built no other cars as far as I know.

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(1534740)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by TransitChuckG on Wed Jan 8 18:38:57 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Jackson Park B Train on Wed Jan 8 17:30:13 2020.

No, flimsy crap is not sacred because it is shiny and digital. The fact I am typing on a computer keyboard rather than a large noisy typewriter to then walk this missive to a post box makes clear I accept technological advances. That said, having a subway car door randomly open while the train is moving in not acceptable no matter how much digital whiz-bang.
I was on a BART train 30+ years ago when the couplers released between the car I was in and the several forward cars. Happily this occurred just as starting to leave a station so slow speed and as designed our section went BIE. Not a pleasant adventure though no one was injured.


I agree with Jackson ParkB Train, 100%


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(1534741)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by TransitChuckG on Wed Jan 8 18:42:07 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Joe V on Wed Jan 8 17:39:46 2020.

A Toronto motorman that I know, says the BBD Flexities are a pleasure to operate.

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by nasadowsk on Wed Jan 8 18:44:51 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by murray1575 on Wed Jan 8 11:46:56 2020.

They still are slow and ride like shit.

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(1534745)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Steve B-8AVEXP on Wed Jan 8 18:47:18 2020, in response to R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by gold_12th on Wed Jan 8 00:31:10 2020.

"Uh, not so fast with those R-42s yet. We still need 'em."

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(1534746)

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Re: Skip-Stop service suspended? Re: R-42 cars back in service on (J)/(Z) lines

Posted by Steve B-8AVEXP on Wed Jan 8 18:47:50 2020, in response to Re: Skip-Stop service suspended? Re: R-42 cars back in service on (J)/(Z) lines, posted by Union Tpke on Wed Jan 8 08:24:20 2020.

sZemp is taking in extra Zzzzzs.

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(1534748)

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Re: The incident involving R-179 cars doors was in service on (C) line (Tuesday PM rush)

Posted by Goumba Tony on Wed Jan 8 19:01:10 2020, in response to Re: The incident involving R-179 cars doors was in service on (C) line (Tuesday PM rush), posted by 3-9 on Wed Jan 8 01:45:25 2020.

That little normal 'bit' of movement allowed by the armature type door operators would certainly quality.

Like people aren't prone to exaggeration.

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Re: The incident involving R-179 cars doors was in service on (C) line (Tuesday PM rush)

Posted by Train Dude on Wed Jan 8 20:46:22 2020, in response to Re: The incident involving R-179 cars doors was in service on (C) line (Tuesday PM rush), posted by 3-9 on Wed Jan 8 01:45:25 2020.

The issue is that on the older cars, when the door panel was fully closed the door arm moved "over center" and was locked. To unlock and open the panel, two circuits had to be energized before the motor could move the arm over center to allow the panel to open. On the new tech trains there is a linear motor that drives the door panel and it requires an electronic lock. Some of these locks were found out of adjustment.

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(1534752)

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Re: The incident involving R-179 cars doors was in service on (C) line (Tuesday PM rush)

Posted by Train Dude on Wed Jan 8 20:50:02 2020, in response to Re: The incident involving R-179 cars doors was in service on (C) line (Tuesday PM rush), posted by Gold_12th on Wed Jan 8 12:47:29 2020.

No. It was an R179 according to my source

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Express Rider on Wed Jan 8 21:25:15 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by MainR3664 on Wed Jan 8 08:27:05 2020.

Gremlins!

(...from the Kremlin)

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(1534757)

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Re: The incident involving R-179 cars doors was in service on (C) line (Tuesday PM rush)

Posted by Steve B-8AVEXP on Wed Jan 8 21:52:12 2020, in response to Re: The incident involving R-179 cars doors was in service on (C) line (Tuesday PM rush), posted by Orange Blossom Special on Wed Jan 8 15:07:29 2020.

Either they can't read, don't care or don't pay attention.

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(1534758)

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Steve B-8AVEXP on Wed Jan 8 21:53:11 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by randyo on Wed Jan 8 16:28:34 2020.

Sounds as if someone jumped to a conclusion.

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Henry R32 #3730 on Wed Jan 8 22:50:01 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by nasadowsk on Wed Jan 8 18:44:51 2020.

LIRR's ride like shit while in comparison MNR's ride like floating on a cloud, so there's something else going on there for LIRR's crap ride.

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Henry R32 #3730 on Wed Jan 8 22:58:00 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Joe V on Wed Jan 8 17:39:46 2020.

Their Azur (MPM-10) in Montreal are running so well they've ordered more.

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by MTA T on Thu Jan 9 00:29:38 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Gold_12th on Wed Jan 8 11:51:53 2020.

Don't question the logic of nostalgia-minded trainheads.

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Express Rider on Thu Jan 9 01:24:44 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Train Dude on Wed Jan 8 09:35:14 2020.

Was this before Railway Preservation bought and of the retired fleet?

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NYT: MTA Pulls 300 New Subway Cars Over Fears Doors Would Open

Posted by gOld_12th on Thu Jan 9 07:08:18 2020, in response to R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by gold_12th on Wed Jan 8 00:31:10 2020.

The removal of the cars, which were used on the A, C, J and Z lines, is a setback to efforts to modernize New York’s system.

An entire fleet of New York City’s newest subway cars was abruptly pulled out of service on Wednesday after two recent episodes raised concerns that doors could open while trains were moving, according to people involved in the transit system who were told about the defects.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the subway, did not provide details about the episodes that led it to sideline the 298 cars, but officials said that no riders had been injured.

Authority officials also declined to comment on whether the problems would have allowed doors to open while trains were in motion until an investigation is complete.

The removal of the cars, which were being used on trains on the A, C, J and Z lines, is a significant setback in the authority’s effort to modernize the subway system’s antiquated infrastructure. It is also the largest such equipment removal in recent years.

The new cars were supposed to replace others that date to President Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration and are some of the oldest train cars in operation in the world.

The new cars, known as R-179s, were bought as part of a problem-plagued, $600 million contract between the authority and the Canadian manufacturing giant Bombardier that has raised questions about the M.T.A.’s oversight of its vendors.

Troubling signs emerged when the cars first started to roll after multiple delays.

Transit workers complained that the R-179’s speedometer was hard to see, that the master controller used to drive the train was uncomfortable and that the space between cars was too narrow for some workers to maneuver in.

A more pressing concern for riders was that the new cars broke down more often than some older ones that had been in service since the 1980s, according to authority data.

“As documented, the M.T.A. has identified repeated issues with Bombardier’s performance and finds this latest development unacceptable,” Andy Byford, the president of the New York City Transit Authority, said in a statement on Wednesday. “We intend to hold the company fully accountable.”

The authority has hired an outside firm to inspect the faulty cars and has replaced them for now with others in its roughly 6,700-car fleet. The move has resulted in trains running less frequently on the J and Z lines, officials said. It was unclear how long the inspections would take.

“There is nothing more terrifying than the idea of a door flying open when you’re leaning against it,” said Nick Sifuentes, the executive director of Tri-State Transportation Campaign, an advocacy group. “But from a safety perspective, it’s good that this is being flagged now and can be rectified immediately.”

A Bombardier spokeswoman said on Wednesday that the company’s own investigation of the cars, which prompted the authority’s action, showed that the doors had not been properly calibrated by a supplier, Nanjing Kangni Mechanical & Electrical of China.

She declined to elaborate.

“We are now inspecting all of the R179 cars and, where necessary, making adjustments to ensure the safe and reliable performance of the doors for the entire fleet,” she said.

Modernizing the subway-car fleet has been a priority since the system fell into crisis in 2017 and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who controls the authority, declared a state of emergency.

The M.T.A.’s contract with Bombardier has been troubled with delays and design flaws since the first R-179s were delivered in 2016. Several cars were pulled from service last January because of software defects.

The extent of the problems was outlined in an audit by Scott M. Stringer, the city comptroller, in December. The audit faulted Bombardier for performance issues and found that the authority had not sufficiently held the company accountable.

The audit determined that missed deadlines combined with problems in the car’s design had delayed the contract’s completion by three years, costing the authority $35 million to keep old cars in service.

“Bombardier sold us lemons,” Mr. Stringer said in a statement on Wednesday. “Straphangers need the M.T.A. to manage these contracts from the beginning.”

Because of the delays in delivering the cars, Bombardier agreed to give the authority 18 extra cars at no cost.

The authority has started to increase pressure on contractors like Bombardier that fail to comply with contract terms, including adopting rules that would disqualify them from doing business with the agency for five years under certain conditions.

Transit advocates have welcomed the M.T.A.’s push to hold contractors more accountable, but many say that those regulations are too harsh.

By automatically disqualifying a contractor, even when a project is delayed or goes over budget for reasons beyond the contractor’s control, the policy could make some companies reluctant to work with the authority.

That could create hurdles for the M.T.A.’s effort to transform the subway because there is a relatively small pool of companies that can meet the vast system’s needs.

It is “a blunt and ineffective tool to hold contractors accountable because it discourages them from bidding on projects in the first place,” said Rachael Fauss, a senior research analyst at Reinvent Albany, a watchdog group. “As the M.T.A. seeks to lower its costs, it needs to revise its regulations to create a fair debarment process that does not limit competition.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/08/nyregion/mta-pulls-subway-cars.html

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Andy Byford's statement on the R-179 car saga

Posted by gOld_12th on Thu Jan 9 07:08:23 2020, in response to R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by gold_12th on Wed Jan 8 00:31:10 2020.

"Bombardier Transportation alerted the MTA last night that its analysis of two recent incidents, in which all passengers were safe, raised questions about the reliable operation of a door mechanism on their newly-delivered R179 cars. Out of an abundance of caution, NYCT removed all R179 train cars from service overnight for thorough inspection and re-deployed other spare cars to continue service for this morning's rush and ensure minimal impacts to customers.

NYCT has brought on expert LTK Engineering Services for an independent third-party review of inspections of the cars.

All lines are operating at normal levels with the exception of (J)/(Z) line, where the headways have been increased by two minutes in between trains for the AM peak period, and ship-stop service suspended. I commended the hard working men and women of New York City Transit for their efforts last evening.

As documented, the MTA has identified repeated issues with Bombardier's performance and finds this latest development unacceptable. We intend to hold to hold the company fully accountable.

We will provide updates as they become available."

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Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha

Posted by Joe V on Thu Jan 9 07:19:21 2020, in response to Re: R-179 car saga... The entire fleet is Out of Service! AM rush hour...haha, posted by Henry R32 #3730 on Wed Jan 8 22:58:00 2020.

I thought Alstom built them ?

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