The LACMTA Board is scheduled to award a $72m contract to Talgo, Inc to perform a mid-life rebuild of up to 74 heavy rail cars delivered by Breda in the 90s. The only other bidder was Alstom Transportation.
Interestingly Talgo proposes to conduct the work at their Milwaukee plant.
That is interesting. With two Talgo sets ostensibly headed to Southern California they will need a maintenance base. One facility to handle both jobs would be idea but probably not feasible.
Unlikely that it would be feasible as they have two different sets of requirements. The maintenance facility for Talgo train sets in operation is primarily about maintaining wheel profiles so its primary equipment is a wheel lathe and the facility is usually located near one of the terminals so maintenance can be performed overnight.
A refurb facility is more like a backshop where cars are partly disassembled and deteriorated components replaced. Virtually nothing in common.
The original plan for Talgo in Wisconsin was to use the assembly facility in Milwaukee as the running repair facility until a new one could be built in Madison. Obviously that didn’t turn out.
In a running repair shop we true wheels, replace failed components (HVAC, toilets, etc.), perform daily/periodic inspections, Class 1 brake tests and even single car test. We can also drop trucks and/or axles for replacement. Heavy overhaul would entail the ability to strip the vehicle to the shell and completely reconstruct the body. Of course, not all running repair shops are created equal.
In this case it is highly unlikely there is much body deterioration to what are essentially subway cars. All Talgo should be doing is stripping the shell and replacing all the traction control and propulsion, HVAC, interiors and on-board electronics with predesigned replacements. In theory this would be within the bounds of a good running repair facility but building such a facility for just 74 rebuilds cannot really be justified.
[quote user=“D.Carleton”]
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D.Carleton
That is interesting. With two Talgo sets ostensibly headed to Southern California they will need a maintenance base. One facility to handle both jobs would be idea but probably not feasible.
Unlikely that it would be feasible as they have two different sets of requirements. The maintenance facility for Talgo train sets in operation is primarily about maintaining wheel profiles so its primary equipment is a wheel lathe and the facility is usually located near one of the terminals so maintenance can be performed overnight.
A refurb facility is more like a backshop where cars are partly disassembled and deteriorated components replaced. Virtually nothing in common.
The original plan for Talgo in Wisconsin was to use the assembly facility in Milwaukee as the running repair facility until a new one could be built in Madison. Obviously that didn’t turn out.
In a running repair shop we true wheels, replace failed components (HVAC, toilets, etc.), perform daily/periodic inspections, Class 1 brake tests and even single car test. We can also drop trucks and/or axles for replacement. Heavy overhaul would entail the ability to strip the vehicle to the shell and completely reconstruct the body. Of course, not all running repair shops are created equal.
In this case it is highly unlikely there is much body deterioration to what are essentially subway cars. All Talgo should be doing is stripping the shell and replacing all the traction control and propulsion, HVAC, interiors and on-board electronics with predesigned replacements. In theory this woul
[quote user=“D.Carleton”]
Buslist
D.Carleton
That is interesting. With two Talgo sets ostensibly headed to Southern California they will need a maintenance base. One facility to handle both jobs would be idea but probably not feasible.
Unlikely that it would be feasible as they have two different sets of requirements. The maintenance facility for Talgo train sets in operation is primarily about maintaining wheel profiles so its primary equipment is a wheel lathe and the facility is usually located near one of the terminals so maintenance can be performed overnight.
A refurb facility is more like a backshop where cars are partly disassembled and deteriorated components replaced. Virtually nothing in common.
The original plan for Talgo in Wisconsin was to use the assembly facility in Milwaukee as the running repair facility until a new one could be built in Madison. Obviously that didn’t turn out.
In a running repair shop we true wheels, replace failed components (HVAC, toilets, etc.), perform daily/periodic inspections, Class 1 brake tests and even single car test. We can also drop trucks and/or axles for replacement. Heavy overhaul would entail the ability to strip the vehicle to the shell and completely reconstruct the body. Of course, not all running repair shops are created equal.
In this case it is highly unlikely there is much body deterioration to what are essentially subway cars. All Talgo should be doing is stripping the shell and replacing all the traction control and propulsion, HVAC, interiors and on-board electronics with predesigned replacements. In theory this woul
As an aside, the ex-Milwaukee Talgo sets will run as part of the Pacific Surfliner service which is now controlled by the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency. LOSSAN membership overlaps, but is not the same as, the SCCRA (Metrolink) sponsoring counties.
Therefore, I think it is more likely that the Talgo sets will be maintained at the NCTD facility in north San Diego County, with the SCRRA shops near downtown LA as the second possibility. Amtrak maintains its own equipment for this service (and others) so it may not want Talgo equipment and techs at its DTLA yard.
If modifications to the sets are required prior to operation on the LOSSAN corridor, I have no idea where that work will be done.
No, the Talgo facility in Seattle is too small and too hemmed in by Amtrak to be used for anything else. (Work has taken me through the facility quite a few times.) The first lot of the cars to be rehabed came with DC propulsion. I cannot imagine they will not be all be AC drive when this is done. Talgo is taking on a new challenge with these and I hope it works out for them. A new facility for both running repairs and rebuilding in California would have helped: a) solidify their position in the state and, b) get them out of Wisconsin for good. Biased? Well, maybe a little…
As a local taxpayer I really, really hope that the Metro staff did their due diligence. Does anyone know what skill base Talgo still has left in Milwaukee? How detailed were the engineering specs that the bidders responded to? This could turn out to be a CAF-style disaster. [banghead]