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frinkprof · 04-24-2013, 01:32 PM

^On an in-service train, all 3 cars do indeed have their motors powered and running/braking. The lead car sends the commands. For around the yard, shuttling units back and forth and a few other oddball situations (getting a broken-down unit off the line or to the end of the line to be dumped) will see the lead car be in tow-mode and have only its motor running.

So far as I'm aware, not having all cars powered for in-service trains would make it so that service would be slower, too much wear is being put on the lead car, or both.

The power being put through the lines is 600DC. The 2 AC U2 units, and all SD160 units draw this and simulate AC power. As I understand it, once all the old DC U2 units are retired, full-time AC will be run through the catenary system from the traction power substations.

The only time you see "mixed" consists in revenue service is when one of the 2 AC U2 units will be run in the middle of 2 SD160s. These 2 units were originally demo units that Edmonton's system didn't elect to keep and they were sold to Calgary in the early 1990s at a discount. Had Calgary actually done any expansion in the 1990s, there would likely have been a larger order or more of these units. As it turned out, when Calgary finally started expanding again in the early 2000s, the SD160 model had been developed. These 2 units (numbered 2101 and 2102) were used only sparingly for several years (training, yard work and being run together as a 2 car consist on Sundays). CT electromechanics rewrote the command logic software such that they could be run with the SD160s in this mixed format. These 2 units are on the list to be scrapped with 18 other U2s when the next order of 50 LRVs arrives and is put into service.

Here is a video showing 2101 in a mixed consist between 2 SD160 units:

Spoiler!

The new series 8 units cannot be run with any other model in revenue service due to the differing number of pins in the coupler. The series 8 units have six (I think) extra pins for communications. They can only be mechanically coupled for towing purposes.

04-24-2013, 01:32 PM	#1608
frinkprof First Line Centre Join Date: Dec 2009 Exp:	^On an in-service train, all 3 cars do indeed have their motors powered and running/braking. The lead car sends the commands. For around the yard, shuttling units back and forth and a few other oddball situations (getting a broken-down unit off the line or to the end of the line to be dumped) will see the lead car be in tow-mode and have only its motor running. So far as I'm aware, not having all cars powered for in-service trains would make it so that service would be slower, too much wear is being put on the lead car, or both. The power being put through the lines is 600DC. The 2 AC U2 units, and all SD160 units draw this and simulate AC power. As I understand it, once all the old DC U2 units are retired, full-time AC will be run through the catenary system from the traction power substations. The only time you see "mixed" consists in revenue service is when one of the 2 AC U2 units will be run in the middle of 2 SD160s. These 2 units were originally demo units that Edmonton's system didn't elect to keep and they were sold to Calgary in the early 1990s at a discount. Had Calgary actually done any expansion in the 1990s, there would likely have been a larger order or more of these units. As it turned out, when Calgary finally started expanding again in the early 2000s, the SD160 model had been developed. These 2 units (numbered 2101 and 2102) were used only sparingly for several years (training, yard work and being run together as a 2 car consist on Sundays). CT electromechanics rewrote the command logic software such that they could be run with the SD160s in this mixed format. These 2 units are on the list to be scrapped with 18 other U2s when the next order of 50 LRVs arrives and is put into service. Here is a video showing 2101 in a mixed consist between 2 SD160 units: Spoiler! YouTube Video The new series 8 units cannot be run with any other model in revenue service due to the differing number of pins in the coupler. The series 8 units have six (I think) extra pins for communications. They can only be mechanically coupled for towing purposes.