[PRCo] Re: Baltimore Light Rail Shuts North End

[Rick Murphy]

In the old days, it was much less of a problem. The motorman simply hit 
the sanding lever and traction was vastly improved.

On Nov 19, 2008, at 13:53, Ken and Tracie wrote:

> It seems forgetting or ignoring previous knowledge is more dangerous 
> than moving into unknown territory.
>
> I must be getting old because I can remember when the only risk to 
> streetcars from fallen leaves were flat spots on wheels from braking 
> cars sliding..........
>
> K.
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Schneider Fred" 
> <fwschneider at comcast.net>
> To: "Bente Bruce" <bbente at bellsouth.net>; "Peter Folger" 
> <transitman at maine.rr.com>; <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>; "Murphy 
> Rick" <rpmurphy at charter.net>; "Ken Spengler" <kenspeng at mac.com>; 
> "Lybarger Ed" <trams2 at comcast.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 11:32 AM
> Subject: [PRCo] Baltimore Light Rail Shuts North End
>
>
>> You guys will love this one ... modern technology forced the closure
>> of the north end of the Baltimore Light Rail line indefinitely on
>> Monday because of falling leaves.   I guess we never had sap on the
>> rails before.  Something new and different like my cynical sarcasm.
>> Today's news is that they are also running short of buses.   (Some of
>> you -- Jack, Phil, Dave H. are getting blind carbons to not disclose
>> addresses.)   Comments back to me will be appreciated.
>>
>>
>> www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.rail18nov18,0,3518289.story
>>
>> baltimoresun.com
>>
>> Half of light rail halted indefinitely
>>
>> Leaves trigger braking glitch, causing trains to slide, wheels to bend
>>
>> By Michael Dresser and Brent Jones
>>
>> November 18, 2008
>>
>>
>>
>> Thousands of Baltimore-area commuters were forced to abandon trains
>> and board buses yesterday, the first workday disrupted by a light
>> rail shutdown that closed the northern half of the system. State
>> officials were unable to say how long service would be curtailed by a
>> problem caused in part by the fall of autumn leaves.
>>
>>
>>
>> Commuters attempting to take light rail between North Avenue and Hunt
>> Valley were diverted to shuttle buses, which passengers said added as
>> much as 90 minutes to the trip.
>>
>>
>>
>> Light rail typically serves 30,000 riders a day - about half of whom
>> use the northern stations.
>>
>>
>>
>> MTA officials were scrambling to find a way to fix a computerized
>> safety system that regularly over-reacts to slippery conditions and
>> brings trains to a hard stop, frequently damaging their wheels and
>> making them vulnerable to catastrophic cracking.
>>
>>
>>
>> "I understand there has to be train maintenance, but there seems to
>> be lots of train maintenance recently," said Lori Biddle, 30, who was
>> among several dozen commuters waiting for a shuttle to arrive at the
>> North Avenue station about 4:45 p.m. yesterday.
>>
>>
>>
>> Biddle said it took her an extra half-hour yesterday morning to go
>> from Lutherville to Camden Yards, where she works: "It is a bit
>> frustrating."
>>
>>
>>
>> Maryland Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari defended the MTA's
>> decision over the weekend to suspend service on the northern section.
>> "They take customer service interruptions very, very personally, as
>> do I," Porcari said. But, he said, "if we ignored it, it could be a
>> safety issue, and safety trumps everything."
>>
>>
>>
>> Problems with light rail go back to the original design and route of
>> the system, which opened in 1992 under pressure from then-Gov.
>> William Donald Schaefer to get it running in time for the debut of
>> Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The northern section of the line follows
>> a narrow, old railroad right of way along the Jones Falls Expressway
>> through forested parkland before emerging from the woods north of
>> Ruxton.
>>
>>
>>
>> The problem, Porcari said yesterday, is that trains run over fallen
>> leaves and can grind the wet plant matter into what he described as a
>> "gelatinous substance."
>>
>>
>>
>> When another train comes along, the wheels of its cars can slip and
>> slide on that substance, triggering an emergency response from a
>> computerized "train protection" system installed after two light rail
>> crashes at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall
>> Airport, in which 35 people were injured.
>>
>>
>>
>> The computerized system, in use since 2004, has succeeded in
>> preventing trains from crashing into each other or into barriers at
>> the end of the line. But according to MTA administrator Paul J.
>> Wiedefeld, its hair-trigger response to slippage on the tracks has
>> resulted in hard, sudden stops that can flatten the metal surface of
>> the wheels - putting them in added danger of cracking.
>>
>>
>>
>> Wiedefeld said the MTA has paid more attention to the issue of wheel
>> damage since the discovery last spring of a crack in one of the
>> wheels of a car in a rail yard.
>>
>>
>>
>> That discovery prompted the agency to inspect wheels much more
>> frequently than the 45-day schedule recommended by the manufacturer.
>> That led to service disruptions, including severe crowding and long
>> waits at platforms.
>>
>>
>>
>> Last week, as train slippage caused by leaves sent a growing number
>> of cars to the shop, the MTA announced that it would terminate its
>> northern service at Timonium, using buses to serve stations between
>> there and Hunt Valley. But by the weekend, the MTA had so many cars
>> out of service that it decided to call an emergency halt to service
>> north of North Avenue - the most leafy section.
>>
>>
>>
>> Wiedefeld said the agency is attempting to find an interim solution
>> to the problems by recalibrating the train protection system so that
>> it acts more like the anti-lock brake systems found on cars. The
>> "ultimate fix," he said, will not come until the MTA completes its
>> planned midlife overhaul of its train cars - a project expected to be
>> finished about 2011-2012.
>>
>>
>>
>> Until then, Wiedefeld said, the MTA has its maintenance shop working
>> around the clock to repair or replace wheels. He said the flattened
>> wheels can be fixed three times before they require replacement - a
>> procedure that can put an entire car out of commission for 15 days.
>>
>>
>>
>> Wiedefeld said he does not have an estimate now of how long it will
>> take to fix the computer problem. He said any proposed solution would
>> have to be tested on the main line and then verified by an
>> independent contractor before it can be implemented. He added,
>> however, that he doesn't think the disruptions will persist for 
>> months.
>>
>>
>>
>> Porcari echoed Wiedefeld's reluctance to be pinned down to a target
>> date for the return of full service, noting that the weather could be
>> a factor in how long the disruptions continue.
>>
>>
>>
>> "The natural tendency is to be conservative in your estimates and
>> then over-deliver if at all possible," he said. He noted that when
>> transportation officials discovered weaknesses in the Bay Bridge's
>> side barriers after a fatal tractor-trailer crash last summer, they
>> originally estimated 10 weeks of severe lane closings but ended up
>> wrapping up the work in about two.
>>
>>
>>
>> For riders of light rail, relief can't come soon enough.
>>
>>
>>
>> Lee Russell, 60, said it took him an extra 90 minutes yesterday
>> morning to get from Timonium to his job at the state Department of
>> Health and Mental Hygiene near the Cultural Center stop. Russell said
>> he learned about the shuttle buses when he arrived at the Timonium
>> station, and traffic and the frequent stops stretched out his trip.
>>
>> Russell, a longtime rider, will continue to use the transit system
>> because he doesn't have a downtown parking pass, but he added that he
>> expects delays to be reduced substantially.
>>
>> "I've put up with a lot over the years, including when they were
>> laying double tracks," he said.
>>
>>
>>
>> Jim Dutt, 65, who commutes from Mount Washington to the Mount Royal
>> Station, said he learned only yesterday morning that he would have to
>> board a shuttle bus. He said he was 30 minutes late to his job at the
>> University of Baltimore.
>>
>> "I think [MTA] needs to explain a little bit more as to why this is
>> taking place at this point and why it's taking so long," Dutt said.
>> "Last week, they were running single cars. And now it's gotten worse."
>>
>> Dutt said he will continue to ride the train but will adjust his
>> start time.
>>
>>
>>
>> "It's one of the hazards, I suppose, of using the light rail," he
>> said. "But I'm not going to switch. I enjoy coming to work by rail
>> and not having to worry about a place to park."
>>
>> Autumn leaves are not a problem unique to Maryland's light rail
>> system, said Martin Schroeder, program manager for rail at the
>> American Public Transit Association. He noted that when the trade
>> group held its 2006 rail conference, it put together a panel of
>> experts to deal with that issue alone.
>>
>> "It's a problem of physics," Schroeder said, adding that leaves can
>> reduce friction on the rails to about one-sixth of normal: "It's like
>> your car on ice."
>>
>>
>>
>> Porcari said the problems with leaves reach their peak in late
>> October and November but subside soon after that.
>>
>>
>>
>> "The leaves will all be done very soon," he said. "A couple of good
>> winds, and we'll be off to the races."
>>
>> Copyright © 2008, The Baltimore Sun
>>
>>
>