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New Orange Line trains back in service; T says somebody didn't install a bolt correctly at the factory

The MBTA announced this morning it's returning the new Orange Line trains to service after finding that a braking problem on one train last week was because a bolt on one of the eight braking units on one car had been improperly installed at the factory.

Preliminary findings indicate that one bolt in one of the car’s eight (8) braking units had not been properly installed at the manufacturing plant. With safety as the number one priority, MBTA vehicle maintenance personnel started a fleet-wide process to verify that each bolt (24 per car, 144 per train) was properly installed. As each bolt on a six-car train passes inspection, the train is being returned to passenger service. To this point in the inspection process, the issue has not been found in any other braking units.

The one new Red Line train that had been in service remains out of service pending an inspection for the same issue, the MBTA says, adding it will return to the tracks as soon as it either checks out OK or is fixed, should the same problem appear. The T has said that one advantage of buying Orange Line and Red Line cars from the same company is that they are very similar mechanically - the Red Line cars are a bit larger - which should make maintenance similar.

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Comments

**inserts gif of guy from Airplane! plugging a plug back in**

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">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_rWja1Xiu8[/youtube]

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Yeah I knew what I wanted to post.

Adam a while back said something about inserting gifs and frowned upon it ... we dont want Uhub to become twitter.. Gif-O-Minute (and I can totally respect that).

So i tend NOT to post GIFs because of that. I suppose I could have linked to it...

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The only good .gif is a dancing baby .gif.

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n/t [sigh]

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...before their shift was over.

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Before they put them in service?

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But do you inspect every single nut, bolt and screw on everything you purchase?

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My mother when I was a wee lad told me to always check for the mark of Underwriters Laboratory on "anything you might put batteries in or plug in!"

I do it still to this day!

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You'd think so wouldn't you? This pe-inspection could affect thousands of lives after all.

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Why is the MBTA buying equipment from China?

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If we didn't tie this project to creating a new production facility out of nothing, the MBTA likely could have already sourced good stock from existing production facilities. But they didn't so they are being made in Springfield but by a Chinese company.

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This is correct. The alternatives were a Kawasaki Heavy plant in upstate New York or a Bombardier plant in Ontario, I believe. Had to be in Massachusetts, and specifically in Western Mass. MBTA operating funds are part of the financial games related to paying for the Big Dig. If the MBTA was funded off ticket revenue, Springfield wouldn't have any say in how funding is spent.

And the politicos are going to be shocked when the plant closes up once they finish the order. Every other state will make the same sort of demand.

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The CRRC plant still has contracts to fulfill - one for double-decker coaches in Philadelphia and another for rail cars for Los Angeles.

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Assembled in Massachusetts and sounds like it was an assembly issue. Humans anywhere are capable of substandard work.

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Added a paragraph to the story about the new Red Line train, which remains out of service pending an investigation.

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Must be a pretty important bolt.

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Bolts on brakes? Yes, pretty important.

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So why is a single missing bolt causing the braking system to not operate correctly?

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Or a mechanic? The short answer is that the bolts are all needed, and if they are not all installed properly, stuff won't work right. If you have a car, you could take a bolt out of its brakes and see how that goes.

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Given the T has a tendency to underreport failures, I'm wondering if it was more than a single missing bolt.

I am an engineer but not do not design subway cars.

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so that a single broken bolt *doesn't* prevent the brakes from working.

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My understanding is that the brakes worked, but that there was some sort of issue indicated that led them to pull the cars out of service. Might say that the system did work as intended, since the problem was identified before it could cause a crash or injury. one loose bolt out of 144 is probably not a safety issue in and of itself, but if one is loose, might be worth checking the others.

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Loose nut behind the wheel...

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(1). If Andrew's train has eight braking units per car, and there are 24 bolts per car, how many bolts are there in each braking unit?

(2). If Andrew installs 144 bolts per train, how does Andrew ever forget which way the bolt is installed?

(3). Who designs a braking system on a train intended for passenger service, where it is even possible to make that mistake?

(4). Which nuclear plant did the inspector in Andrew's plant work before getting the current job?

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