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- Thread starter drum118
- Start date
smallspy
Senior Member
DSC
Superstar
I had always assumed that each track-work project was handled by a separate contract and even if there is one 'master contract' for track-work (or only special track-work?), it seems odd it cannot be amended to get better (more appropriate) switches. I though that track was supposed to last ca 20 years so track laid today should still be functional in 2041, when we will (hopefully) be on the NEXT generation of streetcar.
rbt
Senior Member
TTC major maintenance is planned many years (sometimes a decade) in advance. They also like to bundle small-jobs into larger contracts for economies of scale. For streetcars, this tends to be 5 year periods. It seems rare for them to do a single piece tender; or if they do perhaps the price is low enough it doesn't need to go to the board for approval.
Here's an example from 2012:
SUPPLY OF SPECIAL TRACKWORK FOR UP TO A 5 YEAR TERM
The Toronto Transit Commission is the quick, convenient and safe way to get around Toronto. The subway system is linked with buses and streetcars to get you around Toronto on one fare, provided it's a one-way trip with no stopovers. You can travel on the TTC every day.
Bordercollie
Senior Member
Why does it look like the track goes to a dead end?May 30
So much shooting the area weekly and what happen to the Sewer Lines that was to be built before the tracks being install??
All the concrete will be pour for the intersection as well on Queen St.
I see everyone has miss the off setting of tracks for King and Roncesvalles. Walking Roncesvalles to the site, the tracks look off set to the existing ones and must be seeing things. The southbound tracks for the intersection is about 1+ foot off set to the west and the northbound about 6 inches.
The king tracks are totally off set to the point you would think TTC is going to put the tracks in the south curb lane and then move it back to the centre at the bend to the east. Most likely a S connection for the new area to get back to the centre to match the current tracks.
Not much happening from Sunnyside Loop to Park Land other than traffic switching back and forth. All traffic is mostly in the eastbound lanes now..
I guess the next section to be done is connections to the yard and building the ROW up to Sunnyside Loop.
More up on site.
DSC
Superstar
Because it's not finished yet and in this project the tracks are moved a bit so you cannot see the old track. Don't worry!
DopeyFish
Active Member
i think it just looks that way because they're changing the angle of the curve
look at the one photo with the tracks pointed right at the manhole cover... before that was in-between the tracks... so the tracks are like 5ft off their original point so a certain POV would lead you to believe it's going nowhere
they're just making the turn from queensway into king sharper at 2 points instead of 1 continuous curve so it won't look normal until they build the rest of the track.
drum118
Superstar
Because its on a new angle and cannot be extended at this time until the traffic is removed off the current off ramp. The ramp area is being remove so a new intersection with a standard corner can be built with wider sidewalk. Once traffic is moved to Queen St, the existing King St road and tracks will be torn up to create an S type connection from the current stub tracks to the King track to the east. It most likely be the fall before the changes can take place.
You also got the New ROW on the Queensway to be built that will become mix traffic at the yard switches area that will have impact on the new King S construction.
drum118
Superstar
Timeline change from time to time with COVID -19 calling the shots these days. Last year timeline is not meeting this year timeline.
smallspy
Senior Member
The last 20 years or so, the TTC has instead been signing 3-to-5 year trackwork contracts to a single supplier. It seems that its been working out better this way than the previous ad-hoc basis, as now there isn't a situation where you have a single, different supplier for a very limited amount of equipment (Erikson trainstops, anyone?), but rather a critical mass of maintainable stuff. And keep in mind that they have changed the supplier at least once in that timeframe.
There is absolutely a clause where by they can order specialty trackwork components on a one-by-one basis as needed - the special switches that they've installed on a test basis at College/Lansdowne and the Ex both fall under this category. But these new designs also need to be tested thoroughly to ensure that they will meet the rigors of the service that the TTC places on them.
And since it seems that it needs to be repeated.....there is nothing inherently wrong with the current switch design. It's used in lots of other places around the world. They are simple, robust and reliable. What does need to be fixed - no, replaced - is the control system that powers them.
Dan
max
Active Member
If there is nothing wrong with the current switch design, why are there slow orders at every intersection? Also, why is it that more than one streetcar at a time is not permitted to cross special work?
Bordercollie
Senior Member
In this photo the tracks go to the road where there are no tracks. So where do those tracks go?
Bordercollie
Senior Member
Thanks
EastYorkTTCFan
Senior Member
The reason that has been stated multiple times on her is that there is no signalling sytem in place to tell, the driver waht diretction a switch is set so they have to stop and check that it is in the right direction for travel before porceding through. The reason for not wanting to have two cars go through an intesection with switches atside by side is incase one car derails it won't damage the other one.
There are two types of switches in the network powered and unpowered most of the unpowered ones are either trailing switches or are ones that aren't used often service. The power ones are not controlled from a central location like the ones on the subweay netrok and on the LRT newteok will be they are instead controlled by the driver. The overhead for a power switch has a sign that says and an arrow indicating the direction that the switch can be set to NA stands for necessary action and tell thy driver that they need to use an onboard device to indicate to the controller under the street that they need the switch changed. If it doesn't work or didn't return to the normal direction after a stretcar has used it then the driver needs to change it manually.