When I took this picture of Colorado Railcar's DMU in April, I wondered if and when I would have the opportunity to ride this unique rail vehicle. Fast-forward to the present and the DMU was going to be on display at Fullerton over the weekend of June 28th and 29th. I was going to ride Metrolink and stopped at Trainweb's offices on the second floor of the Fullerton station and learned that the company had been invited to ride the DMU demonstration trip from Fullerton to Irvine. I asked if I could ride and Ray Burns, the co-owner, responded in the affirmative. He and I went to get lunch for us and Shivam Surve, then waited for the train.
About 12:15 the DMU, Metrolink coach 199 and Metrolink F40PH 800, newly acquired from Amtrak, arrived on Track 1 closest to the station. Steve Grande, the other co-owner, joined us and after a few pictures and receiving our name tags, we boarded the Colorado Rail Car DMU.
This is a self-propelled commuter rail car which has an operator control cab at one end, designed for driver comfort and ready access to controls. There are closed circuit television monitor displays of entry stairwells. The view is excellent and is centered over the tracks.
The first sets of seats were examples of first class seating, with reclining abilities, adjustable headrests and armrests and plush leather. They were very comfortable and wide.
The next seating area was an example of standard transit seating and is where we were seated. These were also comfortable, durable and feature cantilevered mounting from the side wall. The windows wrap over the top of the car for excellent viewing.
The center has the entryway features with high or low boarding with the first step 18 inches above the rail. The doors are pneumatically-operated and there are two-leaf sliding pocket doors per side. There is also an optional ADA wall-mounted lift available. On the left hand side going back is an ADA-complaint restroom which I used at Irvine and found it easy to use and liked the water control which you can turn on with your elbow, freeing your hands to just washing. Across from this is a wheelchair tie-down area then next on the left is a service bar with a microwave, stainless steel sink and lockable storage lockers. The seating here is business class with tables, laptop plug-ins and comfortable executive seating. On the end walls in each section are message boards and the headroom is excellent.
The DMU is powered by two 600 horsepower Detroit Diesel engines, an electronic DDEC engine management system with an overhead cam fuel injected engine. Parts for the engine are available nationwide and the engine is EPA complaint for 2005. The generator is a 175 w 480 volt three-phase, which provides the power for the DMU and up to two coaches. It is a Deutz water-cooled diesel and is easy to maintain. The DMU's transmission is a Voith T212 BRE Turbo hydrodynamic transmission. It has hydrodynamic braking and an electronic control management system. It can travel 760,000 miles before its first major overhaul. The GSI Trucks are low clearance inside swing hanger with primary and secondary springs.
It has inside disk brakes with a Voith KE553 final-drive used in each truck. The DMU was the first to pass the FRA's 49 CFR Part 238 Test, meaning it could withstand a full frontal hit by a freight locomotive. The DMU is built to withstand the FRA 800,000 lb. structural buff load. It is really a very well built rail vehicle. Colorado Rail Car can build the DMU any way the customer wishes.
Our JourneyWe were shown to our transit seats and once seated, we had an appreciation for the excellent view. Passing freight trains are seen to the roof of the cars and once we were on the move, the wide panorama was very noticeable. We met many Orange County Transportation Authority representative, as well as city leaders and the Colorado Rail Car representatives who were on board. A wheelchair needed to board, so the old-style Amtrak lift was used. Once he was boarded, we departed to Fullerton Junction, where a BNSF freight train was waiting for us to clear, then departed on a yellow so made our way south onto the Metrolink San Diego Subdivision with the DMU providing all the power as we passed a BNSF local on an industrial lead waiting to get on the mainline.
We ducked under California Highway 91 and travelled to CP La Palma, where we crossed over to the number 2 track as Amtrak Pacific Surfliner 573 waited for us to clear. Now with a green signal, the DMU finally reached track speed and rode really well. At the grade crossings, our train was naturally receiving strange looks from people in cars. The test I was waiting for was how it would ride over the Union Pacific crossing at CP College, where Pacific Surfliner trains really bounce. This train glided across it and if I would not have know that crossing was there, I would have never noticed it. We blew by Anaheim station under the California Highway 57 and across the Santa Ana River then made the big curve at CP Maple before zipping through Metrolink's Orange station. Reaching the end of double track at CP La Veta, we ducked under California Highway 22, then across Santiago Creek before racing down Lincoln Street through my neighbourhood in northeast Santa Ana. At CP Lincoln, we reached the double track again after passing through Metrolink's and Amtrak's biggest bottleneck in Southern California.
We ran on the number one track through the Santa Ana depot before turning by the former location of the Santa Ana Santa Fe station, now a lumber yard, before rounding the curve to go straight southeast toward Irvine. We went under California Highway 55 and at Red Hill Avenue, passed the location of the old Barn Restaurant. The old helicopter base's unused housing came into view followed by the two blimp hangars, which are the world's largest wooden structures. We continued through CP Alviso before racing through Metrolink's Tustin station, passed the residential section of Irvine at track speed then through the golf course after Jeffrey Road. Right after Sand Canyon Road, we passed the unique La Quinta Inn then travelled beneath Interstate 5 and the toll road then ran along the south edge of the former El Toro Marine Base and arrived at Irvine.
Here we dropped off five passengers before pulled south into Bake Siding, a new track for me to be on, stopping at MP 185.5. Here we sat to change ends as our engineer went from the DMU to Metrolink 800, which would power the train back to Fullerton. We also waited for the passage of Amtrak's Pacific Surfliners 774 and 775 then followed 775 back to Fullerton, but caught up to near him and ran on his yellow signals as far as Santa Ana. I chatted with the other passengers and showed them the location of Metrolink's double-tracking through northeast Santa Ana and what would be done to make it happen.
It was an enjoyable ride back to Fullerton, but came to an end all too quickly as we arrived.
Metrolink F40PH 800 after I detrained, then returned to the Trainweb offices. Since 578 was due in about ten minutes, I went to the south platform to wait and it arrived on the north track, so I directed the passengers over the pedestrian bridge and onto the train. It was a quick journey back to Santa Ana, ending a very interesting day of train-riding.
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