Montreal transit agency ready to roll out AZUR trains
The Societe de transport de Montreal(STM) announced yesterday that it’s ready to begin sending more of its new AZUR trains into passenger service following the successful completion of a testing period.
Photo: Societe de transport de Montreal
The testing allowed STM to validate and adjust the performance of several systems with passengers on board, such as ventilation in automatic mode or the volume of audio messages. The first AZUR train traveled more than 14,000 miles with customers aboard since it debuted on the Orange Line in February.
Dave, when I looked at the Wikipedia website https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPM-10 for these cars, I noted that it said for BRAKING SYSTEMS STM-made wooden brake shoes. I find this suspicious. Rail brakes made of wood would catch fire. Bad for a subway. Any thoughts. I know, don’t believe all you read on the internet.
Wood will not warp like steel or iron would do. They will have a shorter life span, but are less expensive and apparently eaisly replaceable.
Bean Counters have approved them, and there must be something to them for engineering to accept them.
Perhaps they will cause less damage to the wheel sets. Longer life on those things will be a big asset.
ROAR
WOW, I learned something new. Thanks for the link to the video. I still don’t know how the wood shoes handle the heat without catching fire but it impresses me that they don’t. I preume that regenerative braking or dynamic braking handles most of the deceleration and the wood shoes only handle the last 5 or 10 mph similar to PCC cars.
I have never forgotten riding the B&O’s National Limited down the grades in West Virgina and seeing the sparks coming off all the wheels on the train as I was watching from the vestibule door. Retainers were on and it was dark and a real fireworks show. No dynamic brakes in those days.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Back in railroadings infancy, the 1830’s, wooden brake shoes were used.
And don’t forget that the brakes on SF cablecars include wood blocks pressed on the rails themselves.
It is easier to replace brake shoes than rails.
ROAR