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  #841  
Old Posted Feb 26, 2012, 5:23 AM
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I don't think so. Currently the Lake Shore Limited and Capitol Limited share tracks with the Michigan Services as far as Porter, IN (not to be confused with Portage or LaPorte). However, these trains are on the northern/South Bend route.

If we ever get Fort Wayne trains, they will probably use a different route through NW Indiana and Chicagoland.
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  #842  
Old Posted Mar 15, 2012, 9:57 PM
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The latest on Wisconsin's rail train wreck:

Quote:
Legislators buck Walker, reject train maintenance base

By Larry Sandler of the Journal Sentinel
March 14, 2012

Over the objections of Gov. Scott Walker's administration, a key legislative committee voted Wednesday against building a new train maintenance base - a decision that officials warned could mean mothballing two brand-new trains and walking away from the $71.8 million already invested in them.

The Legislature's Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee voted, 12-4, along party lines not to borrow $2.5 million to continue planning a $55 million to $63 million permanent maintenance base in Milwaukee.

That base would have serviced two new trains built in Milwaukee by Spanish-owned Talgo Inc. for Amtrak's Milwaukee-to-Chicago Hiawatha line.

Immediately after the vote, Transportation Secretary Mark Gottlieb issued a statement saying, "Today's decision to not provide funding for the permanent rail maintenance facility means that the state will be unable to put the Talgo trains into revenue service. We hope to work cooperatively with Talgo to resolve any outstanding contractual issues in a mutually satisfactory way. Existing rail service on the Hiawatha route, using Amtrak equipment, will continue without interruption."

But Talgo Vice President Nora Friend said the new trains still could enter service later this year, using the temporary maintenance base that has been set up at Talgo's north side manufacturing plant. She said that would give the state and the company until 2014 to work out a solution for a permanent base.
Link for the rest: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepo...142671085.html
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  #843  
Old Posted Mar 15, 2012, 10:19 PM
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Guess we can't pin it all on Walker anymore.
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  #844  
Old Posted Mar 16, 2012, 2:13 AM
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^It's a shared mentality and ideology. The blame is shared by anyone with an R by there name in that state.
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  #845  
Old Posted Mar 16, 2012, 8:38 AM
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It’s also important to note that Milwaukee has very little heft in Wisconsin politics—Milwaukee County only has about 17% of the state’s population (a very gerrymanderable 17%), in contrast to Cook’s 40%or the collar counties’ 34% in Illinois—if the committee features members from both the state house and senate you have to take into account disproportionate rural representation as well. Although I’m sure Busy Bee’s right to some degree, the more business-type Republicans in southeastern Wisconsin who use the Hiawatha don’t have as much pull as the suburban Republicans would here. Unlike Walker—who’s supported Hiawatha upgrades in the past as well (remember his request for federal funds some time ago?) and gets support from SE WI—there’s little incentive for rural Republicans to support the service.
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  #846  
Old Posted Mar 16, 2012, 5:27 PM
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Well, Southeast Wisconsin isn't exactly a strong supporter of rail. Anybody remember KRM?
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  #847  
Old Posted Mar 16, 2012, 5:43 PM
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This is sorta what WI gets for electing a Republican governor, considering it has long been a Blue state. I was disappointed when some of the Midwestern neighbors went Red during the Midterms, and now under new rule they're realizing how different the agendas truly are and are missing out on items I'd say places like WI would normally welcome (i.e. HSR).
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  #848  
Old Posted Mar 16, 2012, 7:29 PM
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Originally Posted by min-chi-cbus View Post
This is sorta what WI gets for electing a Republican governor, considering it has long been a Blue state. I was disappointed when some of the Midwestern neighbors went Red during the Midterms, and now under new rule they're realizing how different the agendas truly are and are missing out on items I'd say places like WI would normally welcome (i.e. HSR).
Isn't the Governor GOP, and wasn't he in favor of building a new maintenance facility? A change of controlling political party in State government wouldn't affect what one party wanted to do if it had fully funded it. The previous legislature bought the trains, but somehow forgot to fund the maintenance facility. Now, the lack of the maintenance facility puts at risk the trains they had funded. Poor leadership, if you ask me... they should have fully funded what they desired.....
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  #849  
Old Posted Mar 16, 2012, 9:08 PM
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The maintenance facility was fully funded...back when the state had $810 million for the Milwaukee-Madison leg of the Hiawatha extension. It was to be built in Madison and was expected to be the the maintenance base for a fleet of Midwestern Talgos (the Midwestern states had been cooperatively working on a rail plan using Talgo trains as the basis of their planning...and those subsequently never came to fruition). Then-Gov. Elect Walker refused to use the money for that rail project, so it was taken away. Later he tried to get some of that money back, specifically for building a maintenance base in Milwaukee for the Talgos being built (and now completed) for Wisconsin. That request was denied.

Note that the current Talgo assembly plant on Milwaukee's north side can be converted into a permanent maintenance base...all that's needed is about $30 million or so to convert it--the bulk of that money needed to upgrade track and signaling on the rail line connecting the base to the downtown station. That is quite a bit less than the $55-$63 million estimated to build a maintenance base from scratch (the cost varies depending on the sites being proposed).
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  #850  
Old Posted Mar 16, 2012, 10:11 PM
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Then in technical terms the right choice was made (albeit for all the wrong reasons), ha.
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  #851  
Old Posted Mar 17, 2012, 12:21 AM
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Converting the Talgo assembly plant on the North Side into the maintenance base is less expensive (in that they don't have to buy land and/or construct a new building) However, moving the trains there, several miles away from the Intermodal Station, for storing overnight and to do maintenance in between runs during the day would require deadheading moves on tracks used by two different freight railroads (hence the need for track/signaling upgrades taking up the bulk of the money). During its scouting process several months ago, WisDOT rejected this option as a site. Milwaukee Mayor Barrett and Talgo support support this site.

WisDOT prefers the maintenance base be located closer to the Downtown station, where the logistical disadvantages of the North Side site would be lessened. One option they looked at is was a site immediately west of the Intermodal Station...though WisDOT admits is it pretty cramped and lacks room for expansion. It is also hemmed in by adjacent bridges and pylons supporting the Marquette Interchange ramps. A second potential site is a large vacant property about a mile west of the Intermodal Station. Plenty of room to accommodate the maintenance building, and with room to expand should the trains get longer.

In general, Gov. Walker is in favor of the Hiawatha service, and wanted a maintenance base of some kind somewhere to be built to service the new trains. Unfortunately, several other politicians in Madison have not suppoted any site, or the trains, which is why we're in this situation now.
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  #852  
Old Posted Mar 17, 2012, 12:57 AM
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With all this talk of Wisconsin and the new Talgo trainsets, I did another search for any images other than the tiny one of the ugly cab we've seen. This is the first photo I've seen of the completed train set...

From Flickr user IndustRail:


Flickr Link
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  #853  
Old Posted Mar 17, 2012, 1:26 AM
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Facepalm...
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  #854  
Old Posted Mar 17, 2012, 3:56 AM
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Only in America as they say
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  #855  
Old Posted Mar 17, 2012, 6:02 AM
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WTF? I was looking on my iPhone earlier. Now I notice the pieces of cardboard that are duct-taped to the side.

Seriously, though, how is this design remotely aerodynamic? It's supposed to operate for sustained periods at 110mph.

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  #856  
Old Posted Mar 17, 2012, 2:46 PM
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Yeah the freaking windshield is completely vertical. Even the EMD F59 has a more aerodynamic appearance, albeit still pretty ugly. The cars look good, not much FRA could screw up there - they look like standard Talgo shared bogey cars. That locomotive though is just downright embarrassing. I don't think the Bulgarian state railway would let that slug be seen in public.
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  #857  
Old Posted Mar 17, 2012, 4:16 PM
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Yeah the freaking windshield is completely vertical. Even the EMD F59 has a more aerodynamic appearance, albeit still pretty ugly. The cars look good, not much FRA could screw up there - they look like standard Talgo shared bogey cars. That locomotive though is just downright embarrassing. I don't think the Bulgarian state railway would let that slug be seen in public.
It's not a locomotive, it's a cab car. What else would you expect when existing American train engineers tell designers they want cab layouts as identical as possible to the real locomotives on the opposite end of the train? Yes, a miniature F40 cab would do. Golly, the exiting Cascades Talgo trains actually use a full scale F40 cabbages. What a shame Amtrak wasn't using streamlined F9s as cabbage cars which the Talgo designers could copy.
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  #858  
Old Posted Mar 17, 2012, 5:13 PM
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They actually use sleek locos on NJT , the MBTA just order sleek new locos...they fit with the rolling stock....so they don't look out of place. Top speed 110mph , could have a future option of 125mph.

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  #859  
Old Posted Mar 17, 2012, 8:23 PM
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No mention of the 25mph slow zone extending from Kalamazoo to Ann Arbor that Norfolk Southern just imposed, adding at least an hour to travel times on the Wolverine and Blue Water routes?
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  #860  
Old Posted Mar 17, 2012, 11:59 PM
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Over what concern was such a slow speed limit imposed?
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