I'm going to the park tomorrow, I bought tickets to take my son to see Thomas the Engine. I will see if I can see this MKII myself! Looks even older than the MKII cutout I had years ago, one that just looked exactly like a longer MKI.
I'm going to the park tomorrow, I bought tickets to take my son to see Thomas the Engine. I will see if I can see this MKII myself! Looks even older than the MKII cutout I had years ago, one that just looked exactly like a longer MKI.
I don't think its actually at the park yet. According to the article it's in a railway yard behind that fuel tank beside that road there in the photos. If you can find out where this road is, doesn't look like there is any fencing, you can go up and close to it and take much better photos for all of us here
Thankfully it was only a prototype, or else it would have been a step back in mass transit vehicle design.
It's obviously built using the same fabrication technology as the Mark I generation. According to the article, it was built as a dimensional test bed to make sure that the new, longer and wider cars could work without issues. I wonder if it even had motors and a control system, or if it was just towed...?
I remember this thing parked at the OMC by Edmonds Station a long time ago. It was usually covered in a blue tarp but once or twice the tarp was off and it could be seen.
I even had a cardboard fold-up model of this prototype Mark II back in the late 80s or early 90s, painted in the red and blue stripes of the Mark Is. I remember the model had three doors on each side and there was no doors to walk between cars, just three windows on each end. I learned at some point (maybe the little BC Transit write-up on top of the model) that it was supposed to run in a train of three cars rather than four Mark Is. Cool that this thing is still around!
Is it possible that it's even uglier than the MKI train?
Sure just like the Canada Line trains.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AverageJoe
I remember this thing parked at the OMC by Edmonds Station a long time ago. It was usually covered in a blue tarp but once or twice the tarp was off and it could be seen.
I even had a cardboard fold-up model of this prototype Mark II back in the late 80s or early 90s, painted in the red and blue stripes of the Mark Is. I remember the model had three doors on each side and there was no doors to walk between cars, just three windows on each end. I learned at some point (maybe the little BC Transit write-up on top of the model) that it was supposed to run in a train of three cars rather than four Mark Is. Cool that this thing is still around!
Yes I remember it too during the late 90s. In fact I remember two of them, there were two cars parked on the same OMC siding all the time covered in blue tarps. Wish I took pics back then.
Is it possible that it's even uglier than the MKI train?
Engineers aren't paid to be designers.
Fortunately Bombardier has some staff with a design esthetic who can make their trains more pleasing to the general public after the engineers get what they need from the prototype.
Prev
thats awesome! hope you guys have a good time!
Linear Mode
