ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[jamincan]

Maybe American thanksgiving?

[highlander]

While we're speculating, my guess is they will be ready to ship by Thanksgiving, not delivered.

[danbrotherston]

Or maybe the other two will take less time to ship. We don't know what CN's scheduling looks like.

[trainspotter139]

Bombardier I assume has more than 1 of the flatcars that shipped the train the last time since those cars are also used to ship TTC streetcars on. so they could always send a couple of those on a CN manifest to Belleville and have the local switcher bring them to the plant. then they can ship them out faster that way.

[Canard]

Different flatbed for TTC (1495 mm vs. 1435 mm).

[trainspotter139]

No ultra-circuitous route this time, eh?

CP doesn't regularly stop manifest trains in Galt That's why the last one had to go to London first.

Surprised that will stil take 10 days... but, I guess that's how freight goes.

Maybe it'll sit in Toronto for a couple of days? Should make for easy spotting.

This time the local switcher just has to pick it up from the plant, take it to Belleville (I'm assuming this since it's the closest CN yard i could find to the Kingston Plant) where the next manifest train can take it to MacMillan Yard in Toronto. From there it can be picked up by the next GEXR train from MacMillan Yard to Kitchener (whenever that is i don't know how often GEXR goes to MacMillan Yard) and drop it off in the Lancaster yard for the nightly train. This might take 10 days or it might take 4-5 days. Depends on the CN & GEXR schedules.

[trainspotter139]

Different flatbed for TTC (1495 mm vs. 1435 mm).

Still, a rail vehicle manufacturer only having 1 flatcar for delivery doesn't make any sense.

[jeffster]

Different flatbed for TTC (1495 mm vs. 1435 mm).

Still, a rail vehicle manufacturer only having 1 flatcar for delivery doesn't make any sense.

Though you would think, it's not like you have to deliver a lot of these on a daily basis, so perhaps having only one available for Kitchener is all you need.

At any rate, nice to see some progress. Maybe, just maybe, we'll be hopping on a train come April.

[Canard]

Exactly. There is no need at this point to have any more than one flatbed for us. I think the TTC is using two.

Think about it this way: If they can crank out an LRV in 2 weeks in Kingston, but it takes 10 days to get here, why on earth would you need more than one flatbed? It's a waste of money to build another.

Even if two were ready at once, it would all average out. There is no advantage.

[KevinT]

and drop it off in the Lancaster yard for the nightly train.

Interesting point, has there been a nightly train lately?  If it still fits under the Weber St overpass scaffolding, then there's hope yet that it won't prevent the next Ion delivery...

[Pheidippides]

I agree that for the number of trains that need to be delivered on a regular basis at the moment they only need flatbed is needed one.

But if it takes 10 days to get here presumably it takes 10 days to get back. So 20 days total between deliveries which is greater than the 14 days between LRV completions. That would mean at least 50 days until #2 gets here (10 days to here, 10 days back, 10 days to here, 10 days back, 10 days to here).

[Pheidippides]

The placement of this crossing at just north of Father David Bauer at Caroline will forever be horrible, but at least they are making VERY slow progress on fixing the lack of curb cuts. First they painted the place to cut the curb. A few months later they cut the curb. A few months later they have removed the dirt and are preparing a to frame the space for a concrete pour:
   

I saw them installing these curb and reflective pieces today on both sides of King where the spur line rail crosses. I guess it is to try and stop people from driving/walking/cycling along the rails?
   
   

Double standard example #22,345,435. The Willis platform has been complete for a year now? And pedestrians still can't use it as a refuge to cross? You can imagine the uproar if that were a street crossing.
   

[KevinL]

Why IS that crossing still closed? Seems perfectly usable to me.

[ijmorlan]

and drop it off in the Lancaster yard for the nightly train.

Interesting point, has there been a nightly train lately?  If it still fits under the Weber St overpass scaffolding, then there's hope yet that it won't prevent the next Ion delivery...

Yes. I haven’t noticed any unusual schedule for the train in the last few weeks. It goes right past within maybe 40m of my house so I’m very aware of whether or not there is a train.

[ijmorlan]

Different flatbed for TTC (1495 mm vs. 1435 mm).

Do you know that for a fact, or do you assume from the different gauge that it is a different flatbed?

My assumption (which however is not based on actual knowledge) is that the flatbed would be able to be changed between the two gauges by changing the mounting points for the rail segments (which if I am interpreting correctly what I saw in photos are not actually rail segments as such but rather square tubes).

However, I looked up some photos and the Ion vehicle was delivered on JTTX 157639 and at least one of Toronto's streetcars on (some number might be wrong, but enough to see the number is definitely different) JTTX 158091. So they definitely have at least two flatcars used for this purpose. It still raises the question of how easy it is to re-gauge the flatcar: do they have to re-weld stuff, or can they shift the rail pieces for a particular delivery?

http://www.railpictures.ca/?attachment_id=23899
https://www.flickr.com/photos/130597773@...289696924/