Anybody like riding trains and learning technical details?

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as408
Blue Jay
Blue Jay

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Joined: 25 Mar 2011
Age: 44
Gender: Male
Posts: 96
Location: San Jose, CA

06 Nov 2011, 6:37 pm

Over the years I've had an off/on interest in modern day railroads. Also if anybody wants a railfan buddy, I'd be happy to meet.

My train interests include:
- rapid transit
- subways
- lightrail
- streetcars
- commuter locomotives
- railway electrification

I've ridden almost every piece of public rail in the SF Bay Area:
- Amtrak Capitol Corridor
- VTA lightrail
- Muni lightrail
- Muni F line
- Caltrain
- BART (in 2003 BART extensions cost $200/mile to build)
- Lake Vasona Park Train
- SF Zoo Park Train

As for train technical details...
- VTA lightrail uses 700 VDC
- Muni lightrail uses 600ish VDC
- BART uses 1000 VDC
- BART has been fully computerized since it got deployed in the 1970's

- SF had a Muni Meltdown back in 1998.
they began computerized train operations and numerous bugs were found.
one train took off without its operator
other trains got stuck in-between tunnels.

- SF now uses Breda manufactured lightrail vehicles. The older Boeing Vetrol trains had constant reliability issues.



shrox
Veteran
Veteran

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Joined: 11 Aug 2011
Age: 61
Gender: Male
Posts: 3,295
Location: OK let's go.

06 Nov 2011, 6:53 pm

BART is great! I used to ride my electric scooter to BART, then take BART into the city, then ride my scooter from the station to work.