[micheal_can]

I don't know if it is the engines themselves that are louder but most heavy commercial vehicle engine now are turbocharged and their automatic transmissions contain high-pressure fluid turbines, plus they have air compressors which are typically noisy. In an urban environment, particularly a drive mode of constant acceleration and deceleration like buses or garbage trucks, all that tech is constantly being worked fairly hard. At idle or steady power, most diesels are fairly quiet.

The electronic fuel injection as apposed to the mechanical fuel injection makes modern engines a lot quieter.

 

[Urban Sky]

I don't know if it is the engines themselves that are louder but most heavy commercial vehicle engine now are turbocharged and their automatic transmissions contain high-pressure fluid turbines, plus they have air compressors which are typically noisy. In an urban environment, particularly a drive mode of constant acceleration and deceleration like buses or garbage trucks, all that tech is constantly being worked fairly hard. At idle or steady power, most diesels are fairly quiet.

Quite possible, but still doesn’t justify any decision to declare such noisy monsters as safe for operating in any residential areas. They are obviously (and unnecessarily) not…

 

[cplchanb]

Dec 12
Lot of trackwork underway with only going into the new extension.

Noticed 2 VIA Rail Siemens SCV-42 sets in the yard with each set having the cab car at different ends. Look like it was 2201 and 2215 for the locomotives.

Unedited shots with the rest on line in January

given that the trend these days is to invest in concrete rail ties im a bit surprised that via is still going bottom barrel cheap with wooden ties in their new building.

 

[robmausser]

I don't know if it is the engines themselves that are louder but most heavy commercial vehicle engine now are turbocharged and their automatic transmissions contain high-pressure fluid turbines, plus they have air compressors which are typically noisy. In an urban environment, particularly a drive mode of constant acceleration and deceleration like buses or garbage trucks, all that tech is constantly being worked fairly hard. At idle or steady power, most diesels are fairly quiet.

I believe its also a size thing. As engines became more efficient, we got past the "miniturization" of vehicles that the oil crisis of the 70s caused. Buses were tiny in the 70s, 80s and 90s compared to today. The engine HP of buses has doubled since then. They sip gas but that just means they are more efficient at creating an explosion, the unit of energy needed to move the piston that drives the vehicle needs to still be greater.

Even if an engine is using less gas, if its twice as powerful, it will also be louder than a smaller engine of comparable size.

Also I believe that there is just a general shitification of buses these days. They feel "thrown together" and cheaply made compared to buses of the past. Whenever you go over bumps the whole thing rattles like its made of lego. I wouldnt be surprised if whatever noise abatement materials they used on old buses is simply just omitted for cost and maintenence savings.

 

[nfitz]

Instead buses and trucks are even louder today than they were in the old days.

Trucks maybe - and perhaps the intercity type coaches.

But if anything the typical TTC bus seems quieter and creates less vibrations breaking than the "New Look" buses did in the 1970s and 1980s - to me at least. If we are concerned about noise, we should eliminate the GO and VIA trains. I clearly hear those, even though they are 5 times as far from me as the road that has streetcars and buses on it. (that's a )

There's certainly more vibrations in my house from the streetcars than from the buses - especially when there's a flat spot; though I don't notice that as much since the Flexities took over.

 

[lenaitch]

Quite possible, but still doesn’t justify any decision to declare such noisy monsters as safe for operating in any residential areas. They are obviously (and unnecessarily) not…

Then I suppose we await a reliable commercial-grade fleet of electric buses, garbage trucks and snow removal equipment.

Buses were tiny in the 70s, 80s and 90s compared to today.

Really? You think today's standard urban and single-deck highway buses are significantly larger?

There's certainly more vibrations in my house from the streetcars than from the buses - especially when there's a flat spot; though I don't notice that as much since the Flexities took over.

I remember the complaints about increased vibration when the TTC transitioned from PCC or CLRVs.

 

[micheal_can]

I believe its also a size thing. As engines became more efficient, we got past the "miniturization" of vehicles that the oil crisis of the 70s caused. Buses were tiny in the 70s, 80s and 90s compared to today. The engine HP of buses has doubled since then. They sip gas but that just means they are more efficient at creating an explosion, the unit of energy needed to move the piston that drives the vehicle needs to still be greater.

Even if an engine is using less gas, if its twice as powerful, it will also be louder than a smaller engine of comparable size.

Also I believe that there is just a general shitification of buses these days. They feel "thrown together" and cheaply made compared to buses of the past. Whenever you go over bumps the whole thing rattles like its made of lego. I wouldnt be surprised if whatever noise abatement materials they used on old buses is simply just omitted for cost and maintenence savings.

If we use a regular vehicle as an example, A pickup truck with a 5.0L engine is twice as powerful now as during the 70s. They aren't much louder or quieter though.

 

[Urban Sky]

Then I suppose we await a reliable commercial-grade fleet of electric buses, garbage trucks and snow removal equipment.

All I‘m saying is that one thing which really shocks me whenever I return from Europe is how much louder any kind of commercial vehicles are on this side of the Ocean, despite all runnding on internal combustion engines. In many cases (honorary mention to fire trucks), it is directly related to the fact how ridiculously oversized some of these commercial vehicles are…

 

[micheal_can]

All I‘m saying is that one thing which really shocks me whenever I return from Europe is how much louder any kind of commercial vehicles are on this side of the Ocean, despite all runnding on internal combustion engines. In many cases (honorary mention to fire trucks), it is directly related to the fact how ridiculously oversized some of these commercial vehicles are…

That is no different than the size of our passenger trains. NA crash worthiness is much different than most of the world. Emission standards are also very different.Remember 'Dieselgate'? It was a big deal here, but not in Europe. These things are also why we do not see many of the vehicles found world wide.

 

[lenaitch]

All I‘m saying is that one thing which really shocks me whenever I return from Europe is how much louder any kind of commercial vehicles are on this side of the Ocean, despite all runnding on internal combustion engines. In many cases (honorary mention to fire trucks), it is directly related to the fact how ridiculously oversized some of these commercial vehicles are…

Fair. I can't argue EU vs NA vehicle design and standards.

In terms of size, part of it could probably the 'goldfish effect'. Our commercial/emergency/etc. vehicles are larger simply because they can be. Fire vehicle, garbage trucks, etc. that have to be able to navigate narrow, windy streets in Europe have to be smaller of necessity. For that matter, that is likely one of the main criteria of European vehicles in general. There's no way the North American land yachts of the '60s and '70s could navigate much of any European city.

In terms of emergency services, smaller often means you need 'more of' for a given incident. Even in North America, I know NYFD has specific width standards that require things like recessed grab handles, narrow mirrors, etc., to allow them to get down inner-city streets. Many US jurisdictions use 'tiller' type ladder trucks simply to allow longer (therefore higher) vehicles to navigate narrow streets in older neighbourhoods.

 

[micheal_can]

Fair. I can't argue EU vs NA vehicle design and standards.

In terms of size, part of it could probably the 'goldfish effect'. Our commercial/emergency/etc. vehicles are larger simply because they can be. Fire vehicle, garbage trucks, etc. that have to be able to navigate narrow, windy streets in Europe have to be smaller of necessity. For that matter, that is likely one of the main criteria of European vehicles in general. There's no way the North American land yachts of the '60s and '70s could navigate much of any European city.

In terms of emergency services, smaller often means you need 'more of' for a given incident. Even in North America, I know NYFD has specific width standards that require things like recessed grab handles, narrow mirrors, etc., to allow them to get down inner-city streets. Many US jurisdictions use 'tiller' type ladder trucks simply to allow longer (therefore higher) vehicles to navigate narrow streets in older neighbourhoods.

A good example of that is that cab over trucks are more popular as the maximum length includes cabs. That is also why many don't have sleeper cabs.

 

[drum118]

What this truck, sleeper cab and noise got to do with VIA when they don't use them to carry riders??? Too many clicks for no news on VIA and wasting time doing so.

 

[micheal_can]

What this truck, sleeper cab and noise got to do with VIA when they don't use them to carry riders??? Too many clicks for no news on VIA and wasting time doing so.

This has been off the rails for at least a page, however, everyone can just do their normal finger pointing. I'm used to it.

This is where it went off the rails.. But I digress.

From sweepers over garbage trucks to fire trucks - even virtually all (road) work vehicles are so loud here in North America, that the only work environment you could possibly get them certified for in Europe would be airports…

 

[nfitz]

I remember the complaints about increased vibration when the TTC transitioned from PCC or CLRVs.

I wasn't living near the tracks when the PCCs were frequent. But what made the most difference, on Gerrard at least, was when they rebuilt the tracks to the newer standards about 2006 with ... (dampeners?) under(?) the rail. Before that, I could clearly feel every streetcar pass, in the shower, because of the feet on the bathtub. Much less so as soon as it reopened. I'm slightly further away now, and only feel the vibration occasionally in the basement.

 

[Bojaxs]

I'm currently in a legacy VIA train heading for Montreal, and the Ottawa bound train tied behind us is a Venture set. We've experienced no slow downs.

Is this how VIA is working around the supposed at-grade crossing issues with the Venture trains?