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This urget need for new equipment was caused largely by the Glendale wreck and tragedy of January 26, 2005. Remember that the Seattle Sounder cars were in Metrolink service BEFORE that 1-26-05 Glendale wreck. That Glendale wreck removed almost TWO complete trainsets from service. That is the main reason why Metrolink is trying to lease these Chicago Gallery Cars. Remember too that these "gallery cars" will be a completely NEW and DIFFERENT type of equipment than Metolink has used in its entire history.
Up here in the SF Bay area of Northern California is what I believe to be the ONLY area outside of Chicago IL that uses gallery cars. You can currently ride "gallery car" equipment on our Caltrain commuter line that runs from San Francisco to San Jose. These gallery cars form the majority of the equipment that Caltrain uses. We do also have only a few sets of the LA Metrolink style tri-level (football) shaped cars that are mainly used on the Caltrain Baby Bullet express trains. Yes, that is correct Caltrain currently operates BOTH the Chicago style gallery cars and LA Metrolink style tri-level cars. Those Caltrain tri-level cars were originally purchased but NEVER used by the Seattle WA Sounder commuter agency. I have NEVER EVER seen Caltrain operate a mixed consist of both cars. I do not think the two different types of equipment are electrically compatible. By the way the Caltrain commute service(San Francisco to San Jose in California) can be found on the web at this page: http://www.caltrain.com/
That is about all I can add to this interesting discussion at this time. --- Daniel
Posts: 283 | From: Palo Alto,CA | Registered: Jul 2000
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