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GO Transit Fleet Equipment and other

crs1026 said:
If the entire world worked in lockstep, maybe. Different jurisdictions advance at different rates. We will catch up one day.

Besides, adding additional dirty diesels to the GO fleet (if that's where these are headed) is a step in the right direction, provided the added diesels lead to more trains hauling more passengers who would otherwise have driven their autos. A dirty diesel is a lot cleaner than 1,000 automobiles.

- Paul
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Oh 100% I'm not arguing that. It's stupid for them to try to stop them from being used elsewhere.

Japan sells a lot of their 40 year old passenger trains to Indonesia and Mirranmar which are a lot more modern than what the previously had.
 
Bordercollie said:
So then destroying the prime motors to prevent "dirty" locomotives polluting the air in other places is pointless. It would be smarter to just scrap them.
Click to expand...
When you are supplying the funds, you get to call the shots.

Sometimes, those shots only make sense to you and no one else.

Dan
 
SaugeenJunction said:
Metrolink sold some F59s back in 2023, link to site here. It confirms that the locomotives had their engines disabled, and if any purchaser brings them back to life, they must be Tier 4 compliant. NCDOT did exactly this.

The rule comes from the State of California, and logic here is that they funded new T4 locomotives for Metrolink to reduce emissions, and don’t want older more polluting locos sold and existing on other railways.

So according to these rules, the F59s GO allegedly bought will have to be made Tier 4 complaint. Lots of work ahead for Ontario Northland’s shops.
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This is a very strange stipulation, and it brings up an interesting discussion of government jurisdiction and overreach.

Economics aside: what if GO did NOT make the locomotives T4 compliant? Would Metrolink be fined? What possible mechanism exists for Metrolink to enforce a condition of sale in another country? Every single part of this kerfuffle seems incredibly illogical.
 
T3G said:
This is a very strange stipulation, and it brings up an interesting discussion of government jurisdiction and overreach.

Economics aside: what if GO did NOT make the locomotives T4 compliant? Would Metrolink be fined? What possible mechanism exists for Metrolink to enforce a condition of sale in another country? Every single part of this kerfuffle seems incredibly illogical.
Click to expand...

It is entirely logical if you are sitting in California and attempting to enforce (and upgrade) standards within that state. California has always been at the leading edge with emissions restrictions.

How much you care about saving the rest of the planet - or have the levers to do so - is debatable, and even at that is more good intentions than actionable strategy.

I have no idea what the legal limits or implications were. Suffice it to say that this is a pretty remote outcome. I doubt anyone really cared enough to try and block this transaction.

It is what it is, and Ontario is not complaining.

- Paul
 
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T3G said:
This is a very strange stipulation, and it brings up an interesting discussion of government jurisdiction and overreach.

Economics aside: what if GO did NOT make the locomotives T4 compliant? Would Metrolink be fined? What possible mechanism exists for Metrolink to enforce a condition of sale in another country? Every single part of this kerfuffle seems incredibly illogical.
Click to expand...
Ironically enough, California legislators were not happy with Caltrain selling diesel locomotives to Peru and want to pass legislation preventing similar deals from happening in the future.

www.trains.com

Caltrain equipment sale to Peru sparks legislation to prevent similar deals - Trains

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A California state legislator is seeking to bar resale of diesel-powered trains for reuse following Caltrain’s sale of equipment for use to launch a commuter rail service in Lima, Peru. The San Jose Mercury News reports that state Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) introduced the...
www.trains.com www.trains.com
 
Last edited:
crs1026 said:
If the entire world worked in lockstep, maybe. Different jurisdictions advance at different rates. We will catch up one day.

Besides, adding additional dirty diesels to the GO fleet (if that's where these are headed) is a step in the right direction, provided the added diesels lead to more trains hauling more passengers who would otherwise have driven their autos. A dirty diesel is a lot cleaner than 1,000 automobiles.

- Paul
Click to expand...
I know it's they're a necessary evil but the seemingly permanent GO or TTC closures every weekend have forced me to drive when I would have taken transit.

How they will shed that image to the weekend riders, who know?
 
Bojaxs said:
Ironically enough, California legislators were not happy with Caltrain selling diesel locomotives to Peru and want to pass legislation preventing similar deals from happening in the future.

www.trains.com

Caltrain equipment sale to Peru sparks legislation to prevent similar deals - Trains

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A California state legislator is seeking to bar resale of diesel-powered trains for reuse following Caltrain’s sale of equipment for use to launch a commuter rail service in Lima, Peru. The San Jose Mercury News reports that state Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) introduced the...
www.trains.com www.trains.com
Click to expand...
While the idea of decarbonization might be sound on paper, this is exactly one of those feel good populist motions that is completely disconnected from reality. If California blocks sales of used equipment to economically disadvantaged states, what exactly do they think is going to happen - that those countries will magically be able to afford the cleanest and freshest equipment that exists on the market? They'll just seek used rolling stock from other sources, and there is no guarantee that those other sources will have environmental standards as stringent as the USA. Cutting off your nose to spite your face, par excellence.
 
T3G said:
What's the current status of the refurbished cab cars? I believe there was one that was running quasi regularly later in the summer. Is it still in service or has it vanished into the aether again?
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Refurbished cab car 256 heading into Union Station today:

20241216_123944.jpg
 
That car isn't refurbished, it's one of the 7 or so units that were retained for use as cab cars after the rest were converted to mid-train coaches. The car is only around 11 years old.
 
251-257 are in service right now but are unrefurbished.

200-214 are refurbished but current service levels don't require them for the time being (which has made some people here very angry for some reason).

242-250 are currently under refurbishment, when these return there will be a total of 112 in service cab cars in the fleet.
 
RU479 said:
I'm curious on the status of the Series VII cars such as them, the press conference back in 2021 suggested they might return to GO starting in 2023, yet as far as known it seems they are still at Thunder Bay
Click to expand...
image0.jpeg

Taken earlier this week, there’s no rush to bring them back, there are plenty of spares available right now.
 
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