After a couple of hours at South Bend Station, Indiana, I took the local bus to South Bend Airport, where the electric train from Chicago terminates. I still hope to ride that train within the next couple of weeks and will post more photos if I do.
Photos by John Ashworth, 5th April 2013
South Shore Line 1: South Bend Airport Station
- John Ashworth
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South Shore Line 1: South Bend Airport Station
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- Steve Appleton
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Re: South Bend electric
Interesting. Certainly a large number of pantographs (1 per vehicle it seems), I wonder how often they have to replace the contact wire because of wear?
"To train or not to train, that is the question"
- John Ashworth
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Re: South Bend electric
As far as I can recall it is two per vehicle, with only one per vehicle actually in use. That does seem like a high number.
- Steve Appleton
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Re: South Bend electric
The picture appears to show two pantographs per vehicle, with one raised and active upon each. That implies that each vehicle is motorised and that no trailer coaches (cars) are present in the consist. Either each vehicle only has small, low-power traction motors or the train's acceleration is in the Ferrari league. Replicating motors and control equipment into each vehicle must also be expensive, not to mention the on-going operating costs, including pantograph maintenance. Modern EMUs generally have only a few motor-coaches (two or three) per set interposed between a number of unmotored trailer coaches. And, each of those motor coaches often only possesses just a single pantograph.
"To train or not to train, that is the question"
- John Ashworth
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Re: South Bend electric
I seem to remember that on many high-speed trains in Europe they only use one pantograph per train because at high speed the panty sets up a wave or ripple effect in the overhead wire and this can cause problems for a second panty. I suspect that this local service in the USA is not anything like high speed (it's a local stopping service) so that is not a problem in this case. The train does cross a level crossing which has a warning sign on it about "high speed electric trains" but I think that's wishful (or relative) thinking rather than reality!