ehill27
Short North
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According to this article:
The former Colorado Rail Car, which has since been purchased by a Gahanna-based company and renamed U.S. Rail Car, is the only U.S. manufacturer of the trains.
Say what?! Really?
On the web at http://www.usrailcar.com (notice the skyline on the header image). Additional news here.
Anyone have any more info on this? Are they actually building this plant?
ehill27
Short North
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Well, found some more info here.
10/23/2009 - Though it has yet to open a factory, a Columbus rail car company is making a name for itself on Capitol Hill.US Railcar LLC CEO Michael Pracht has been meeting with congressional members and staffers in recent months, and his efforts are getting the company noticed. US Railcar was the only manufacturer to testify at an Oct. 14 hearing on long-term federal funding questions for American rail projects, and Pracht also took part in a July roundtable on rail issues put on by a House transportation subcommittee.
groundrules
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i suspec that "gahanna-based" does not necessarily mean 'gahanna manufactured'. corporate ownership and production are often quite separate.
groundrules
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pez wrote >>
What do they consider 'train manufacturing'? General Electric makes locomotives in Erie, PA. The interesting thing about trains is that the diesel engine just runs a generator, the actual wheels are propelled by electric motors fed from the generator.
I think the "only manufacturer" is in reference to the DMU type trains, not regular freight trains.
and yeah, while I have no proof in the railroad world, my theory is that the advantage of electric power (via diesel generation) is that an electric motor has very different power delivery properties versus an internal combustion engine. For instance, you can get very near maximum torque (which is nice for hauling a big-ass load) at almost zero RPM, where as an internal combustion engine has an incremental power delivery that increases with engine speed. This requires that you have a transmission so that you can rev the engine to a torque producing speed but still allow the train wheels to turn slowly. An electric motor doesn't require that, and in fact doesn't care if it's running fast or slow or forward or backward.
there. discuss.
pez
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groundrules wrote >>
I think the "only manufacturer" is in reference to the DMU type trains, not regular freight trains.
and yeah, while I have no proof in the railroad world, my theory is that the advantage of electric power (via diesel generation) is that an electric motor has very different power delivery properties versus an internal combustion engine. For instance, you can get very near maximum torque (which is nice for hauling a big-ass load) at almost zero RPM, where as an internal combustion engine has an incremental power delivery that increases with engine speed. This requires that you have a transmission so that you can rev the engine to a torque producing speed but still allow the train wheels to turn slowly. An electric motor doesn't require that, and in fact doesn't care if it's running fast or slow or forward or backward.
there. discuss.
From what I remember, you are right, electric motors can provide significant amounts of their torque at low speed, and you can run them backwards as well as forward, so you'll often see one of the locomotives on a double or triple engine train in line backwards, but I assume that's more to ease switching them to new trains at the other end.
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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I've driven electric forklifts and they're the same way, they have all their torque immediately so they can really launch.
Locomotives have fan pages. For example, I have a picture of one of the downtown bridges with a CSX train on it, and I can make out the number 8018. So google CSX 8018 and you get its fan page:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locopicture.aspx?id=1120
Those things get around.
ehill27
Short North
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groundrules wrote >>
I think the "only manufacturer" is in reference to the DMU type trains, not regular freight trains.
Ahh... that makes sense. Thanks.
I don't know what was more shocking... not having any clue about this company in the area, or the notion that there is only one train manufacturer in the entire US.
pedex
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groundrules wrote >>
pez wrote >>
What do they consider 'train manufacturing'? General Electric makes locomotives in Erie, PA. The interesting thing about trains is that the diesel engine just runs a generator, the actual wheels are propelled by electric motors fed from the generator.I think the "only manufacturer" is in reference to the DMU type trains, not regular freight trains.
and yeah, while I have no proof in the railroad world, my theory is that the advantage of electric power (via diesel generation) is that an electric motor has very different power delivery properties versus an internal combustion engine. For instance, you can get very near maximum torque (which is nice for hauling a big-ass load) at almost zero RPM, where as an internal combustion engine has an incremental power delivery that increases with engine speed. This requires that you have a transmission so that you can rev the engine to a torque producing speed but still allow the train wheels to turn slowly. An electric motor doesn't require that, and in fact doesn't care if it's running fast or slow or forward or backward.
there. discuss.
that is more or less correct
using diesel electric eliminates the need for a clutch which with a locomotive with 4000hp would be enormous and hard to control to begin with
plus with locos weight is not an issue, they are typically ballasted up to their max weight which is 70,000lbs per axle
tractive force is coefficient of friction times weight, that can be anywhere from .1 up to around .65 depending on track conditions
a 6 axle loco will come in up around 420,000 lbs with a tractive force up around 140,000 lbs, friction coefficient runs around .33 or so normally and they have sand for when its slick that gets squirted in front of the wheels
they have other physical limits like drawbar strength, it will snap at around 250,000 lbs of pull---so with multiple locos jamming the throttle to max is a no no and the modern locos won't let that happen anyway, the power is very tightly controlled and wheel slip is limited otherwise the loco will literally rip the track to shreds
using electric also allows the motors to be used as brakes, they call that dynamic braking where the motors act in reverse as generators shunted across a resistive load
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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Don't the locos also have throttle presets ranging 1 - 8 so they can be set to the same power levels when coupled?
The CSX line passes about 1/2 mile from this house. It's climbing to the Powell Moraine, and the tracks in Linworth are about 100 feet higher than they are at Lane Avenue. The loaded northbound coal trains are hammering the throttle, but the southbound empties whoosh through quickly and quietly.
ehill27
Short North
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Billionaire Icahn, local railcar firm form passenger-rail venture
Thursday, February 18, 2010 6:34 PM
By Marla Matzer Rose
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
A local startup company that aims to make diesel-powered railcars announced a joint venture late today with another railcar startup backed by billionaire Carl Icahn.
US Railcar, based in Columbus, and Missouri-based American Railcar Industries say they plan to actually make the railcars in Arkansas.
Columbus investor Barry Fromm, who bought US Railcar out of bankruptcy last year, was passed over this week for $8 million in federal stimulus funds he hoped to receive. Fromm said earlier this week that he was still awaiting word from the Ohio Department of Development on a request for nearly $4 million in incentives to put a manufacturing facility in Gahanna.
[Link]
deraj1013
Merion Village
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From the Dispatch...
Columbus rail plant plan might be derailed
Ohio election results among key blows to local venture's goal of passenger-rail-car factory
By Marla Matzer Rose
Two weeks after the Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati passenger-rail plan was effectively halted by John Kasich's election as governor, plans for a Columbus-based passenger-rail manufacturing plant appear to be in jeopardy.
KingLincolnUrbanEnthusiast
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Kasich is in an idealogue - he has a scorch and burn mentality. He doesn't like the 3C because of the money, but because it might benefit the union. He is an arogant SOB from Westerville, from a poor family, he has nothing other than crusts to offer Ohio. He is a mistake. The SOB never managed more than 3 folks and he will manage this great state into the ground. The one thing that might distinguish OHIO from Easter Island is the 3C rail - Kasich is too ignorant, short sighted and plain stupid. $400M will go to NY because of his principles. This guy is a JERK! The Republicans have no ideas - perhaps all these poor ignorant, blue color, church goers can eat their bibles. The stupidity in this STATE is AMAZING!!!They have elected an absolute JERK. Ohio was isolated before we are even more isolated now this AS...XXXX and he thinks he has a mandate! 3C Rail is good for Ohio and will connect us with the the rest of the USA HE JUST DOESN'T GET IT! LIKE PRESIDENT OBAMA ONLY WORSE AND MORE OUT OF TOUCH! 25,000 jobs in Ohio could be created because of the 3C effort - so he will let the money go to CA, FL and NY because of his principles and promises to the Circleville Chamber of Commerce and farmers who got him elected. A GUY IS AN AS HXXXXX. This state deserves what it gets!
ehill27
Short North
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Railcar group pitching for new facility
By MARLA K. KUHLMAN - ThisWeek Community Newspapers
Oct 24, 2011
Representatives of US Railcar are expected to appear before the Gahanna City Council today to detail their plan to build a $15 million factory in the city to produce diesel-powered commuter trains.
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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Dispatch ran the TWN story today:
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2011/10/24/rail-venture-wooing-gahanna.html
News
Columbus Underground
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Gahanna council axes plan for rail-car plant
Friday November 4, 2011 5:30 AM
A proposal to build a railcar manufacturing plant in Gahanna was stopped in its tracks when the City Council rejected a resolution to apply for a $12 million federal grant. The project also required a $3 million match that was to be covered by USRailcar Co. or private financing.
READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2011/11/04/gahanna-council-axes-plan-for-rail-car-plant.html
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