The Bombardier Bi-levels are coming to a station near you, but not right away.
While the first meeting between the Ergonomics Committee representatives and Bombardier occurred in August of 2003 the first pilot cars destined for testing in Pueblo, Colorado will not be completed until August of 2005. That's more than a two year time frame from first conception to assembly of the first six cars; perhaps the longest development timeframe in the history of transit equipment construction.
The picture and schematic drawing below show an interior shot and an interior/cross
section of the car. The Bi-level cab car is a behemoth. It is 85 feet long,
14 feet, 6 inches in height, and 10 feet, 6 inches in width. The cab
car weighs in at 139,000 pounds or 32,000 pounds more than a Comet V cab
car.
The 100 car order will include:
15 cab cars with 128 passenger seats.
37 toilet trailers with 132 passenger seats.
48 trailer with 142 seats.
All cars will have room for standees and their luggage.
This is a $243 million dollar order that was awarded in March of 2003.
Entry into service is scheduled to start in early 2006.
For more information on the development
of the Bi-level cab and the input we have had please go to the following
pages:
1.
A first look at
the schematics for the new Bi-level cabs.
2. BLE Ergo
Committee flies to Montreal.
What are our concerns as engineers?
Some of the items of interest to engineers are the seats (height and forward and back adjustment), visibility out of the windshield, Switchology or placement and type of control switches, heat and air or Hotel Amenities, Radio/PA/IC configuration, and the arrangement of controls on the desk top.
Since Bob Daniels and I attended the first meeting between the engineers
and Bombardier in August of 2003 the Ergonomics Committee has not been
contacted once for advice, informed of changes in the cab design, or asked for
input to these changes until our latest meeting with Bombardier on July 15,
2004. As a result of this, less than adequate consideration has been given
to alternatives and changes that will affect our engineers for generations
to come. For this we are disappointed.
The project people assure us that there is still time to go over all the
changes we would like to discuss and implement the ones we can agree on.
The members of the Ergonomics Committee are committed to finding ways to
improve the cab environment and can provide a valuable resource if
consulted when changes are contemplated.
Below are some of the pictures taken during the Committee's second venture into Bombardier Land at their La Pocatiere Plant in Quebec, Canada. My comments after the visit are included below (Responses by the company, Bombardier, and thoughts of the Ergo Committee are included also):
During the Hard Mockup review Nancy Lessard, Ed Prawdzik,
and I went over some 46 points that had been brought up during our last
visit on August 13, 2003. A few of these are still unresolved.
1. Seat height adjustment:
Regarding seat height travel. It was mentioned that APTA standards
specify a seat height deviation of from 16" to 19" for a travel distance of
3". Practical experience in Comet IV and V cabs shows that these parameters
are insufficient to provide comfort for medium to tall engineers. Longer
travel is needed. APTA standards are inadequate for the needs of New Jersey
Transit engineers and are unacceptable. Since the seat installed in the
hard mockup is not the one that will be used in the actual car it is
impossible to tell if the actual seat will have enough seat back, seat pan,
height, and other adjustments to satisfy the needs of locomotive engineers.
It is imperative that a proper seat is approved by the Ergonomics Committee
before purchase of enough seats, plus spares, for the fleet. Meetings with
APTA representatives may be necessary to resolve this issue if APTA
standards are to be adhered to, otherwise seats with adequate height travel
need to be found as soon as possible. A proper seat with adequate
adjustment parameters can become the standard NJ Transit cab car seat. This
would resolve issues ongoing with other series of cab cars.
Update:
As mentioned above, the cab seat we saw was not the cab seat that will be
installed in the production Bi-level cars. The schematic above represents the seat which is intended to be
installed in the Bi-level cab. This seat is a modified seat based on the
ALP-46 and PL42AC cab seats. The Bi-level seat will be narrower to
accommodate the narrower confines of the Bi-level cab. The Ergo
Committee will again venture to Bombardier Land in November will two
engineers who will push the seat to it's limits. If you look closely at the
schematic you will notice the air line coming out of the back of the seat.
The seat that will be installed in the Bi-level cab
will not be an air ride seat. It will be 100%
mechanical to reduce maintenance and increase reliability.
If this seat can
be adapted to cab cars now in service it may become the "Agreement Seat" we
have been trying for years to find.
2. Switchology:
It was noted that the switch for the windshield heat needs to be
changed. Quite frankly, I was surprised to find a toggle switch being used
for this function at this time in passenger car design. While a simple
on/off switch is adequate for turning an electrical device on and off it
doesn't address a number of concerns. Practical experience in Comet V
cab cars indicates that cab heaters will be left on unnecessarily if some
indicator and/or timer is not part of the system. This can result in
premature failure of the windshield heater. A rocker or push button switch
with an indicator light is necessary to help alleviate this problem.
The indicator light should be extinguished when the timer turns off the
windshield heater so the engineer knows whether the heater is on or off. It
was not discussed but I will assume that the windshield heater, radio, and
windshield wipers can all be used without activating the cab for adequate
vision and safety during backup moves. If this is not the case please let
me know so this issue can be resolved.
The members of the Ergo Committee suggested a touch pad panel for
all the functions that require an on/off selection. It was felt that such a
panel with lighted buttons to indicate when a feature was activated or when
it was off. It was suggested that this would simplify not only the cab but
make maintenance easier. The Mechanical Department
did not agree for reasons of cost, reliability, and potential vandalism and no touch panel will be used.
Update:
The windshield
heat switch will remain a toggle switch over the objections of the
Committee. The Mechanical Department felt that a toggle switch was adequate
for the purpose. Since engineers all know that toggles switches can, and
eventually will be, turned turn to all points of the compass labels for a
toggle switch become meaningless. To prevent the possibility of the
windshield heat being left on when not needed it was suggested y the Ergo
Committee that there be
an indicator light for the windshield heat feature on the indicator panel replacing the "HEP Ground Fault"
light which is useless to the engineer. The Mechanical Department and
Project people are looking into this change.
The sander switch type has been changed as requested but it's position
in the cab is not what we had discussed at our August 13, 2003 meeting. At
that time it was suggested that a sanding switch similar to the one used in
the ALP-46 would be used. The type switch installed in the Comet VI cab is
the correct style but it's placement is in an awkward position being
mounted vertically next to the headlight and ditchlight switches. My
intention at the August 13th meeting was to have the new type sanding
switch installed where the sanding switches were installed in the Comet V
cabs; next to, and to the right of the brake housing. This placement would
be far more ergonomically correct as the engineer's hand could rest on the
desk top in a more natural and relaxed position. The placement of the
sanding switch, in my opinion, is not acceptable and needs to be placed
elsewhere.
Update:
When we visited Bombardier in August of
2003 the control desk we were shown was identical in most respects to the
Comet V desk. This would have allowed Bombardier to replace the headlight,
ditchlight, and sander switches with ones identical to the switches in the
ALP-46 motors. This would have been a huge improvement in the ergonomics of
those controls. Unfortunately, the FRA and their new buff strength
requirements caused the collision posts to intrude further into the Bilevel
cab
requiring that the control desk be narrower than the Comet V desk eliminating
any place for the headlight, ditchlight, and sander switches on the desk. The
Committee asked that some accommodation be made for the sander switch as
the placement of the switch made it awkward to operate, especially during
the approaching leaf season. We asked that either the switch activate for
at least 20 seconds every time the switch is moved and/or add a sander
feature to the door override switch so it can be used as a sander switch
when the car is in motion like the ALP-44 door override switch. This is
being looked into.
The headlight switches can be smaller and less clunky. Similar, but
smaller, switches used in the ALP-46s have been more than adequate for the
purpose and present a more professional looking cab layout.
Doesn't look like a change happening here.
The windshield wiper
control switches have finally been drought down from above the windshield
and are within reach of the engineer.
EP breakers have finally been brought to the front panel where they
should have been since the Comet IIIs were built. In the Comet IV and V cabs one
breaker has been sufficient. If, for some reason, two are necessary, please
connect them so they operate as one. One breaker switch is preferred.
Multi poled switches will have a bar between them.
The cab reading light is back, thank you. Placement of the reading
light, as we discussed, needs to be moved more towards the rear of the cab
as it casts shadows over the switches on the right side panel. While the
on/off switch is adequate for this purpose, a switch more in line with a
Twenty-first Century, $2.4 million cab car can be found.
The location of the cab reading light in the mock-up
was approximate and acted as a place holder. The actual location of
the light will be adjusted to provide the proper illumination.
Cab switch labels continue to be unlit. The labels in the Comet VI
cab will be white and indented into the metal panel. I found better switch
layout and labeling in the trucks I drove in the seventies. It seems
little effort has been incorporated here. I believe we can do much better
with not much effort. Lighted or photoluminescent labels make sense here.
The Mechanical Department is concerned about switch
labels reflecting in the windshield under various conditions. The Committee
is also concerned about this but feel the problems associated with lighted
labels can be surmounted.
Update:
Cab switch labels will be photoluminescent so
they glow in the dark.
3. Radio/PA/IC:
A separate Radio and PA/IC head and speaker was requested and the
request was, apparently, ignored. Practical experience with ALP-46, Comet
IV, and V cabs proves conclusively that separate radio, PA/IC
heads/speakers are the way to go as interference between PA announcements
and radio transmissions will compromise operating safety. The PA speaker in
the Bi-level cab has been positioned in the ceiling in the center of the
cab and has no volume control. This can lead to unheard and/or
misunderstood radio transmissions when both PA and radio are in use at the
same time. The volume of the PA/IC speaker must be controlled by the
engineer since only the engineer can determine volume priorities in the
cab. It was mentioned at an Ergonomics Committee meeting that the PA volume
would be computer controlled
based on ambient noise level in the cab. If this is the plan it is
unacceptable for the reasons just mentioned. A simple volume control knob
is
more than sufficient. This continues to be an issue.
The Committee is insisting on separate Radios and PA/ICs. Also separate
volume controls are necessary. We believe this to be a safety issue.
Update: The
Mechanical Department is looking into alternatives.
4. Desk Top
What happened to the desk top? At the August 13th meeting the desk
top in the soft mockup was the same width as the current comet V desk top.
Somewhere along the line the desk top was narrowed in width since there is
no longer room to the right of the brake housing for sanding levers nor
room to the left of the throttle assembly for those clunky headlight and
ditchlight switches. There is also inadequate separation between the brake
housing and the horn valve for proper operation of the horn without
interference from the brake handle when it is the LAP/SERVICE portion when
operated by right handed engineers. We talked about moving the brake
assembly further to the right if possible but it could not be determined
on the hard mockup if adequate repositioning was possible. The cramped desk
top also caused the reverser to be too close to the horn valve. It was
suggested that the reverser handle be bent to a ninety degree angle or
shortened to prevent this problem but this should never have been an issue.
Bombardier is looking into ways to create a greater
separation between the components on the desk top. We will see what
develops in November.
5. Leg room:
The Comet VI multi-level car is a beautiful car. It is an 85 foot
long, 139,000 pound behemoth. It appears well thought-out in just about
every
respect except the cab environment. Is it possible that in an 85 foot car
there is no space for a medium to tall engineer to stretch his/her legs
comfortably; that there is no room for the engineer's feet except under the
cab heater? Folks, this is the Twenty-first Century. Sophisticated
chemicals and complex mind games are now the preferred method of torture.
Folding an engineer into the fetal position is passé. While we are told
that this cab is the same size as all the earlier cabs, given the smaller
desk top and inadequate leg room, just sitting in this cab gives the
feeling of claustrophobia. The inadequate seat height adjustment only adds
to the feeling of sitting in a bath tub and provides a less that optimum
view out the windshield. Input from commuter groups, Transit's Mechanical
Department, and many others has been touted in Bombardier's presentation.
Much time was taken to include their input in design as well as comparisons
to other transit cars now running throughout the world. Was any time taken
to see what other configurations of cabs should be studied to improve the
engineer's environment? The Long Island M-7 car has far more leg space than
the Comet VI. The difference is in the placement of the cab and it's
length. The layout of the controls seems much better at first viewing. Was
this type of cab configuration considered for the Comet VI? Were others?
If not, why
not?
Update:
Bombardier has found three inches more behind
the cab. they have done this by eliminating a passenger seat and moving the
electrical bay further into the car body. This, in conjunction with the new
seat, moving the cab heater up nine inches should give us more leg room. We
will see.
6. Ventilation:
There has been a ventilator defusing screen placed on the fireman's
side of the cab. This will help ventilate the cab. Unfortunately there is
only two air nozzles and no nozzle fan above the engineer. This needs to be
reviewed as two nozzles and no fan was found to be inadequate in the Comet
V cab. More vents are in the offing but as of now, no
separate blower fan. The modification of the Comet V cab ventilation system
with three blower nozzles and a separate blower fan is the way to go here. Stay tuned on
this.
7. Cup holder and train order holder:
Cup holder is very sturdy like the ALP-46 but must be checked to
see if it holds a twenty ounce bottle. Train order clip will be stronger
than one in hard mockup. These points will be
discussed during the design review.
8. Cab door hold back:
Since our meeting on August 13, 2003 we have found that the door
holdbacks on the Comet IV and V cab cars have been too flimsy to stand up
to the rigors of everyday use. The cab door hold backs for the Comet VIs
must be stronger and more reliable. A stronger, more reliable door hold
back can be retrofitted to the Comet IV and V cabs as required solving
multiple problems with little effort. Ed Prawdzik suggested a better
alternative at the meeting. Better holdbacks are
being looked into. The Committee will keep on top of this.
9. An adequate coat hook location has not been agreed on but the
Committee is leaning toward installing on the inside of the "coffin"
door. Other places will be looked at. We are open to suggestions on this.
10. Alarms:
The alarms on the Comet Vs were a disaster are lessons
have been learned. At this time there will be no audible handbrake alarm
and the wheel slip alarm will be in the neighborhood of seventy to eighty
DB.
11. Indicator Panel:
Note, if you will, that the red
alertor light is on the bottom of the indicator panel instead of on the
top. This will help those of us who wear our sun visors on our caps.
12. Under car bell:
The bell
valve and the Alertor resets are on the left side below the indicator panel
approximately where they are on the Comet III and IV cab cars. The bell is
electronic with no moving parts. This should solve the problem of bell
cartridges going bad and bells stopping by themselves.
I welcome all comments, additions, and corrections in errors of fact. The
members of the BLE Ergonomics Committee believe a continuing open forum and
cooperation are essential for a quality product that meets the needs of the
engineers, NJ Transit, and the riding public.