Train of the Week

This is one of the other trains I've had a chance to ride during my trip in Montréal. I have to say the experience has been quite unique. This EMU looks somewhat North American from the outside but definitely feels (sounds) very European from the inside. If you ever get a chance to take a look at her trucks, they are indeed very European. The MR-90 is a purpose built EMU for commuter rail service in Montréal on the Deux-Montagnes Line by Bombardier Transportation. The Deux-Montagnes Line is a one of a kind railroad in Canada. It is the only electrified heavy-rail mainline left in the country. Originally built by Canadian Northern Railways in 1918, the line was completely refurbished and modernized by the Québec Government in the 1990s. The MR-90 zips back and forth every day on this electric railroad, and the busiest commuter railroad in Montréal through the Mount Royal Tunnel between Deux-Montagnes and Gare Centrale (Central Station). Okay back to the EMU. 58 sets wer...

I wanna talk about some rolling stock I got to know a little during my trip to Montréal. They are the MultiLevel cars built by Bombardier Transportation (not the standard BiLevel cars with tapered ends used by most commuter railroads). The MultiLevel car is of stainless steel construction and have a low profile design (with a height of only 14' 5'') in order to clear the tight clearances on the Northeast Corridor and Mount Royal Tunnel (right, they are first designed for the New Jersey Transit ). Almost 500 of these cars have been built in La Pocatière, QC and Plattsburgh, NY since 2006. I rode on these cars on the AMT (Agence Metropolitaine de Transport) Vaudreuil-Hudson Line between Cedar Park in Pointe-Claire and Lucien L’Allier (outside of Windsor Station) in downtown Montréal. They had really nice seats in 2+2 configuration but I couldn’t find any electrical outlets, but maybe this was a configuration specified by AMT. These cars currently do not go through t...

Well, I say near Montreal because the museum is really in St. Constant, on the south shore of River St Laurence. If you did not know, the Exporail (or Canadian Railway Museum/Musée Ferroviaire Canadien) is to Canada as National Railway Museum in York is to the UK, well, except that admission to the NRM is free. The museum is operated by the Canadian Railroad Historical Association. Like the NRM, the existence and success of this museum would have not been if it didn't have the support of dedicated volunteers. Anyway, picture time.

Let me introduce you to a new face in the world of locomotives (or new enough that at least most of us North Americans have not heard much about), the ZNLE Griffin from Poland. I found her from online InnoTrans 2012 coverage from the internet and thought I'd mention this upcoming locomotive on this blog. There isn't much on the Griffin yet but she does look promising from what's known. The Griffin supposedly comes in different flavors and support multiple electrical systems that will suit both the need freight and passenger operators across Europe. There are also both diesel and electric versions of the locomotive. The diesel version is packing 2.3 MW or 3,100 hp and the electric version packs 5.6 MW or 7,500 hp. Depending on configuration, the Griffin will have a top speed in service of 85 or 125 mph. We'll stay tuned for more information on this sharp looking thing.