The Sunday Excursion to Siemens and Folsom

California Rail 2020

November 7 - 9, 2008

Conference Coverage by Carl Morrison, Carl@TrainWeb.com

http://trainweb.org/carl/TRAC2008

The Sunday Excursion to Siemens and Folsom

TRAC always has a rail related excursion on Sunday after their Saturday Conference. At this 2008 Conference, the excursion left by chartered bus from the TRAC Headquarters for the Siemens Light Rail Manufacturing Facility, then we were taken to downtown Folsom for lunch the railroad museum there, and lightrail back to Sacramento.

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Out Sunday Excursion Schedule

9:30    Leave TRAC World Headquarters (Capitol Plaza Halls) via bus
9:50    Arrive Siemens Transportation Systems
10:00    Tour Siemens facility and new solar energy installation

Our Tour was to Siemens Transportation Systems, 7464 French Road, Sacramento, CA 95828. http://www.mobility.siemens.com/usa/en/pub/home.htm	Sacramento's Light Rail, which we would return to the Amtrak Station on.
Our excellent Siemens Guide: Xanthi Pinkerton	Accompanied by a couple of little Pinkertons.

Siemens Lobby
We got a briefing outside the offices, an opportunity to go to the restroom, and the tour began.	Gena Matern assisted in our tour.

This Siemens light rail manufacturing site consists 75,000 sq. ft. in 4 structures situated on 25 acres of land. Over 500 employees work at the facility in carshell production, finishing, electrical subassembly, vehicle assembly, engineering, project management, quality assurance and commissioning.

By 2010, STS expects to add nearly 150,000 sq. ft. for truck manufacturing and assembly which will also provide greater capacity for carshell manufacturing and final assembly.

Their light rail vehicles are in: Edmonton, Calgary, Portland, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Oceanside, San Diego, Salt Lake City, Denver, Houston, St. Louis, Pittsburg, Boston, Norfolk, Charlotte, and San Juan.

Siemens supplies 1 out of every 3 light rail vehicles in North America. They re-introduced light rail cars to North America with Edmonton in 1975. In 1980, Siemens began to Americanize then European technology with the San Diego order. The first fully U.S. manufactured vehicle was delivered to the city of Pittsburgh in 1983. Recently, Siemens made an additional capital investment to in-source bogie (truck) manufacturing and add a 1MW solar engery system. Planned solar panels on parking covers and building roofs will supply 50% of their everygy needs. Currently, Siemens light rail vehicles are running in 13 out of 30 North American cities..

	"Shirley," remote controlled transporter, above and left.
Car shell welding area. Kits being assembled.	UP passes Siemens during our tour, beyond fended test track.

Siemens produces two light rail vehicle platforms at their manufacturing facility in Sacramento: high-floor SD160 ( right), and low-floor S70 (above). Denver's fleet is SD160, models, and Norfolk,VA, purchased the S70 Type.
	Welding jig.

80% of their suppliers are US parts. This box of parts was from Hayward, CA. "Buy American Standards" say 60% American parts.	1/4-mile test track along UP track left of fence, which was erected to prevent vandalism of new cars from a business across UP tracks.
All-steel car with fiberglass cladding.	SD160 front (left), S70 unit (right). S70 is all-fiberglass car with steel undercarriage.

Look at that bead of weld!	Yours truly in SD160 cab without glass.
	How cars are transported until they get their trucks.

In 2008, they produce about 5 cars a month, by 2010 they plan to produce 8 per month through their expanded facility.

	Cars already 'clad' with finished coating.

Bogie (truck) Hall

Blue, shrink-wrapped S70 Unit below, ready for shipment. Some shipments are by rail, some by truck. Shrink wrap prevents vandalism during transport to purchaser. It takes longer for a delivery by rail. To deliver a Siemens railcar across the country via truck from Sacramento to Charlotte takes about a week.

11:30   Depart Siemens by bus
12:00   Arrive Folsom, My Brother Vinny's Restaurant
12:15   Buffet lunch, cash bar

	Buffet lunch at My Brother Vinny's
	Downtown Folsom, CA.

1:00 pm Tour Folsom Historical District including Folsom, El Dorado and Sacramento Historical Railroad Museum

Downtown Folsom, CA.

Folsom, El Dorado and Sacramento Historical Railroad Museum


Inside Southern Pacific caboose 1197.

	Plans including outside turntable nearby
	Wig-wag signal automatically dings occasionally.

Some may recognize this photo as the exterior of an outhouse, yet some may not know what an 'outhouse' is. Having had many occasions to visit such an establishment in my youth in rural Jennings County, Indiana, this display with attached explanation of the moon design in the door caught my eye. The outhouse my folks had on the farm, until we got 'indoor plumbing' did not have a moon, but rather a small rectangle screen window.

Folsom has a restored turntable near the railroad museum and other new structures are planned in this area.

We took light rail Regional Transit Gold Line back to Sacramento.


	One small interruption in our rail trip downtown was a 20-minute stop while this car was pulled off the right-of-way, which was driven into the rail when the driver turned right down the track.

We were invited back on the train and continued to the Sacramento Station. We walked back to the Vagabond and early the next morning headed back to Southern California on the Coast Starlight. This return trip was special in that we took a detour away from the coast through the Tehachapi Mountains and the famous Tahachapi Loop. Click here to read about that trip.

[ Coast Starlight rare mileage heading south | TRAC Website | Other Reports by Carl | TrainWeb.com ]