Found a photo in a 1:1 magazine (not sure if I can name names here !!!) of something called a "DMU Cab Car". Has anyone seen one of these before ??? It has to be the ugliest/coolest passenger car I've ever seen !!! :wideeyes:
Googled it and agree.. It has to be the ugliest/coolest passenger car I've ever seen !!! Looks like a double decker city bus...on rails...LOL. At least the one I checked out does... http://www.transitmiami.com/transit/pic-o-the-day-spotted-tri-rails-new-dmu
Interesting, as they're more commonly (at least currently) associated with European railroading. For what it's worth, they also come in two "flavors": DMU for Diesel Multiple Unit and EMU for Electric Multiple Unit.
I also Googled it after making the post. I was mainly looking at the ARR car. Turns out the Damn thing is self-propelled, too !!! I was also reminded of the "London Bus". Looking closer, it's like pieces of AMTK Superliner, CRI&P single level commuter car, RDC, and even a bit of the old CRI&P AB-6 !!! It's crazy !!! I think I want one !!!
Ahhhh geeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... The old 'Frankenstein Kitbash Lightbulb' just flickered...hmmmmmm Lets see...I have a Bachmann DD40AX and a few old 'Superliner' shells...and I could.............lol
Eagle2, since I was mainly looking at the ARR car, I didn't realize there was also an electric version. Lots of the other photos did look European, though. Were the Electric Multiple Units covered in feathers ??? SORRY !!! SORRY !!! I apologize to anyone who just read that question !!! It was a very poor attempt at a really bad joke, and I promise not to do that again. At least, on this thread !!! :teeth:
r_i_straw, thanks for posting the photo. I haven't figured out how to do that yet. At least now everyone knows what I'm yapping about !!!
This car is mainly used on the Glacier Discovery route. http://www.alaskarailroad.com/travel/OurTrains/GlacierDiscovery/tabid/101/Default.aspx You can do a nice day trip with hiking or rafting. Rafts travel in style! In my opinion, the best train ride is Seward to Anchorage. Nice afternoon and evening light for photos and a chance for dinner in the diner. Best wishes, Dave
The Alaska RR 751 was mfg by Colorado Railcar as well as some for Tri Rail. I am not sure who mfg Tri Rail 512 in that photo. Colorado Railcar filed for bankruptcy in 2008, and the remaining assets purchased by USRailcar. Only reason I know this is there was talk of production being moved here to Columbus back then. So I did a little research into what they were making being that is was railroad related and had never heard of either Colorado Railcar nor USRailcar. That didn't materialize and I am not sure where production wound up. They offer other options for DMU's as well if you check out their site.
DMU is just a fancy, new fangled name for a gas - electric, oil (diesel) - electric, doodlebug, motor car... Good reason... USRailcar is nothing more than an assets manager. Worse still is the fact that, while they have all of the blueprints and all related to the original designs of the single and bi-level cars none of the modifications that were made during production were ever documented and if someone would want to build more of these cars they would have to basically tear down one of the units/cars just to figure out what was changed, especially so in regards to the new collision standards instituted after the crash of the Metrolink train that hit a UP freight. This info straight from a friend who use to work for CRM. In reality the CRM DMUs were very similar to the Budd RDC's mechanically, with two motors powering the trucks (one motor for each truck), though greatly updated. Honestly it would have been a good move to have had the remaining Budd SPV2000s rebuilt using the equipment used on these DMUs, though, sadly, such was never considered. Aside from the bi-level DMUs they also manufactured single level cars which were quite nice. The state of Vermont considered ordering some of the single level cars but backed away from the idea when word got out that CRM was taking the fronted money for the cars that were to be built for the state's service and putting it towards some of the deep debt that the company was bleeding. A lawsuit by the State of Vermont was part of the reason that CRM filed for bankruptcy (and, yes, the drawing below does represent how the Vermont cars would have looked had they been built and delivered). The last single level cars had to be finished by an outside contractor since they were only partially built when CRM shuttered the plant. Those cars were for Portland, Or., TriMet. Its worth noting that the cars were bi-directional with a flat cab on the opposite end of the car and WES 2001 is only a control - trailer and not a DMU. The following links are to shots of those cars... https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomasngo/3087956531/ http://www.railroadforums.com/photos/showphoto.php/photo/58819 https://www.flickr.com/photos/33031095@N03/3516411055/ http://railpictures.net/showphotos.php?road_number=TriMet 2001
These are the units that they are using to replace the RDC (Rail Diesel Cars) on the Hurricane Gulch run. I believe they went into service about 4 or 5 years ago.
Just guessing at a maybe starting point - take a bilevel cab car, splice in the windows from a Viewliner, probably scratchbuild the housing on the roof and skirts?
I'm closer to the entire thing than I'd like to be, was a very interesting ride... CRC was an interesting mix of some of the neatest interior designs you'll ever see, mixed in with some of the most questionable mechanical and management decisions. You could absolutely fall madly in love with the cars, and then get a serious hangover, just like proposing to that beautiful and intelligent blonde that suddenly turns out to have $50,000 credit card debt and her red Corvette convertible with a blown transmission in the shop and she asks you for $1000... CRC was also 'king of the renderings', if you were interested in their cars there would suddenly appear a photo-accurate rendering of your car, on your railroad. While there aren't necessarily drawings out there, the many, many renderings are all dimensionally accurate if you're trying to build a model and you'd almost believe that the cars were all over the US. Remember that the raw frames and trucks of many of their cars started life as Pullman-Standard ex-SP commuter cars, dimensions and trucks are not a coincidence. The red single-level DMU barnstormed the entire country prior to the APTA convention in Jacksonville, you'll see photos everywhere, but if you look close there's almost always a locomotive pushing or pulling it. It then returned to the Pueblo DOT track and caught fire in a fueling accident and was completely destroyed. That's the demo car I rode a lot of miles. One of my co-workers was very involved with the double-decker and was 'embedded' in the plant to make sure it actually got finished. The unpowered coaches CRC were generally pretty successful; the DMU's turned out to be another animal entirely. I'll give them this though, the interiors, layout, feel of the cars could take your breath away. The demo was chopped up to show first-class, commuter, and lounge seating with tables, as well as a mini-buffet, and full ADA restroom. Some good shots here, May 2005: http://trainweb.org/ultradomes/crm/2002.html
Re: r_l_straw's pic That is truly an ugly/homely/utilitarian vehicle..... and yet oddly enough it appeals.
Jerry and Randgust, I didn't know much of the particulars from the Colorado side. Thanks for the info. Very interesting. There was a plan to start running passenger operations connecting Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Datyon called the 3-C Corridor and using equipment from USRailcar. But the governor-elect at the time didn't back the plan and the Feds pulled the $400M awarded to the state. A very brief and short version of a long and complicated story for sure. Funny thing is, I don't live very far away from the offices for USRailcar. Wonder if they could have a scaled down model built for me?
