[PRCo] Re: Baltimore Light Rail Shuts North End

[Phillip Clark Campbell]

> ----- Original Message ----

> From: Schneider Fred <fwschneider at comcast.net>
> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 12:49:03 PM
> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Baltimore Light Rail Shuts North End
> 
> 
> Had you dropped sand and made a controlled brake application you may  
> well have stopped in time.   But that isn't what you are supposed to  
> do in an emergency.   You are supposed to protect the company in the  
> event of a law suit.   You are supposed to use the red button.
> 
> Understood?


Let's see:  I said:  "The problem lies with using the sanders effectively - for sanding to be effective on starting the sand must be under all wheels."  Thus on braking it is the same - sand to get sand under all wheels, then apply the brakes.

Yes. Mr.Schneider;  I understand, don't I?


Phil



> I can walk an old streetcar out of the loop in Baltimore on sap  
> covered rails with no trouble at all.   You leave the air on or the  
> hand brakes on.   You apply a point of power.   You gradually ease  
> off on the air or the hand brake.   The car inches forward slowly  
> under control.  (Or you can release the brakes fully, pull a point of  
> power and watch the car sit there with the wheels spinning.)    The  
> old guys knew how.   But knowing how and protecting the agency from  
> lawyers are two different things.   Now if you are talking a PCC, you  
> can't apply air and power at the same time.   Sorry.   They weren't  
> built that way.
> 
> Fred (not Mr. Schneider)
> 
> 
> On Nov 19, 2008, at 3:27 PM, Phillip Clark Campbell wrote:
> 
> > Mr.Schneider;
> >
> >
> > According to the article it 'isn't' oil in leaves but "gelatinous  
> > substance" isn't it.  That is a tongue in cheek comment.
> >
> > I guess we can say that we didn't have this problem in the good 'ol  
> > days of (fill in the blank) but with the advent of modern tech slip/ 
> > slide features it just needs to be tweaked to work properly doesn't  
> > it.  Do these cars have sanders and do the sanders activate with  
> > slip/slide?  (They are quite concerned about wheel damage but not  
> > fall on board accidents from the bone chilling stops.)  It would  
> > then seem something is lacking in wheel design wouldn't it.  This  
> > shouldn't be that much a problem on open T rail since it would be  
> > difficult for leaves to accumulate; the problem would be most  
> > pronounced on streets or at stations if the track is paved.
> >
> > Pittsburgh obviously suffered from this in the good 'ol days but I  
> > only remember a couple incidents - all wheels spinning when leaving  
> > a stop and sanding did little or nothing.  The problem lies with  
> > using the sanders effectively - for sanding to be effective on  
> > starting the sand must be under all wheels.  Thus the problem needs  
> > to be anticipated and sanding done when braking for at least one  
> > car length.  Don't remember any sliding when stopping but that is  
> > also possible even probable isn't it..
> >
> > The so-called 'sweating' rails is also a problem isn't it -  
> > infamous pat 1726 incident.  Was on a Charleroi car inbound that  
> > had alot of trouble one winter - good amount of snow on the ground  
> > almost up to rail height.  We were near Latimer leaving the stop  
> > which produced endless spinning of the wheels on very many separate  
> > applications of power.  Operator finally used a little sand to get  
> > going.
> >
> >
> > Phil
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----
> >> From: Schneider Fred 
> >> To: Bente Bruce ; Peter Folger  
> >> ; pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org;  
> >> Murphy Rick ; Ken Spengler  
> >> ; Lybarger Ed 
> >> Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 11:32:11 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
> >
> >
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> >