 |
Re: TrainNews eBart: BART gauge origin?
Author: Ed Workman
Date: 12-31-2013 - 15:31
Thanks Folks
But
Is eBart 66 or 56.5?
I knew BART is 66'', I'm old enough to have followed the original hassles, I spose I was tuned into the rumor/myth mill, and I actually worked for the joint venture for a bit [structures ]- but that was waaaay after the gage war. Somewhere in my pile are BARTD trackwork bid documents, or I sent them to WRM. My recollection is that the elevated being exposed to high winds thus needed the greater stability was a red herring, or at least looked on as such by those who wanted a true rapid transit system at most reasonable cost and ASAP.
IIRC the original stirrings for a Bart started about the same time the Key System threw in the towel and the bus system was taken over by the public agency AC transit.
SO
To forestall the "why can't we just use the old Key and SP tracks", which would have constricted the routes, curves etc etc, and the Bridge Authority wanted the other half of the lower deck, the Bart folks picked 66" and bulked up the reasons. And the oddness is part of the reason I asked-
Are the DMUs to be 56.5" gage?
so that they could be sold on the second hand market in case eBart gets abandoned [ not bloody likely- it's tax money of which there is a seemingly endless supply] The RFP for the DMUs online [ not including the whole spec, a $75 CD] states the vehicle design is to be "service proven" but does not mention track gage
OR do they plan to scrap the cars and simply add third rails and power supply?
Is part of the "savings" in the cost of shorter ties? Did they figure any conversion will be do far off, if ever, that the rails and ties get scrapped at that time, so a wider gage is "free"?
But
Is eBart 66 or 56.5?
I knew BART is 66'', I'm old enough to have followed the original hassles, I spose I was tuned into the rumor/myth mill, and I actually worked for the joint venture for a bit [structures ]- but that was waaaay after the gage war. Somewhere in my pile are BARTD trackwork bid documents, or I sent them to WRM. My recollection is that the elevated being exposed to high winds thus needed the greater stability was a red herring, or at least looked on as such by those who wanted a true rapid transit system at most reasonable cost and ASAP.
IIRC the original stirrings for a Bart started about the same time the Key System threw in the towel and the bus system was taken over by the public agency AC transit.
SO
To forestall the "why can't we just use the old Key and SP tracks", which would have constricted the routes, curves etc etc, and the Bridge Authority wanted the other half of the lower deck, the Bart folks picked 66" and bulked up the reasons. And the oddness is part of the reason I asked-
Are the DMUs to be 56.5" gage?
so that they could be sold on the second hand market in case eBart gets abandoned [ not bloody likely- it's tax money of which there is a seemingly endless supply] The RFP for the DMUs online [ not including the whole spec, a $75 CD] states the vehicle design is to be "service proven" but does not mention track gage
OR do they plan to scrap the cars and simply add third rails and power supply?
Is part of the "savings" in the cost of shorter ties? Did they figure any conversion will be do far off, if ever, that the rails and ties get scrapped at that time, so a wider gage is "free"?
