 Single-level DMU demonstrator | |
| Industry | Railcar manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Columbus, OH, USA |
Key people | Barry Fromm, president/CEO [1] |
| Products | Passenger cars, diesel multiple units |
| Website | www.usrailcar.com |
US Railcar is a manufacturer of railroad rolling stock, including passenger cars, and diesel multiple units. It was formed in 2009, and is the successor company to Colorado Railcar after that company shut down in December 2008.
US Railcar's predecessor, Colorado Railcar, ceased operations on 23 December 2008 because of a "major liquidity problem". [2] The business remained closed until July 2009 when a group of investors, part of the Value Recovery Group (VRG), purchased the assets of Colorado Railcar and renamed the company US Railcar. [3] The new company operated as a subsidiary of VRG, with the headquarters of both companies located in Columbus, Ohio. [1]
On 18 February 2010, US Railcar announced that it had formed a joint venture with American Railcar Industries, dubbed US Railcar Company LLC, to better "design, manufacture, and sell Diesel Multiple Units." [1] On 19 November 2010, however, the two companies announced the dissolution of the venture, citing "current market conditions" [4] as the reason. The National Association of Railroad Passengers speculated that the cause of the failure of the joint venture was the cancellation of the proposed 3-C passenger corridor in Ohio. [5]
 | This section needs to be updated.(November 2023) |
US Railcar currently[ when? ] operates no construction facilities; any products ordered from the company would be built by American Railcar under contract. [4] The company plans to construct a facility in Gahanna, Ohio, near the John Glenn Columbus International Airport, which would be built with a mix of public and private funds. [6] US Railcar applied for an $8.7 million grant from the federal government, but the application was denied. [6] The state of Ohio has offered the company $3.6 million in financial assistance, and private investment would provide the remainder of the necessary money to build the factory, estimated to cost around $14 million. [7] If constructed, the proposed facility would be around 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) in size and would be located on thirteen acres (5.3 ha) of land. [8] It would employ up to 200 people. [8]
US Railcar offers diesel multiple units in both single- and bi-level versions, as well as unpowered railcars in single- and bi-level versions. [9] The single-level DMUs have a passenger capacity of 94, while the bi-level models can carry 188 passengers. [9] Both types are equipped with two 600-horsepower (0.45 MW) Detroit Diesel engines for propulsion. [9] The single-level railcars have a capacity of 102 people, while the bi-level cars can seat 218. [9] The company also offers unpowered luxury railcars, dubbed the "Ultradome." [10]
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also generally classed as DMUs. Diesel-powered units may be further classified by their transmission type: diesel–mechanical DMMU, diesel–hydraulic DHMU, or diesel–electric DEMU.
A multiple-unit train or simply multiple unit (MU) is a self-propelled train composed of one or more carriages joined, which when coupled to another multiple unit can be controlled by a single driver, with multiple-unit train control.
The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars, and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can be un-powered, or self-propelled, single or multiple units. A connected series of railway vehicles is a train.
A railcar is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach, with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railway companies, such as the Great Western, termed such vehicles "railmotors".
A bilevel car or double-decker coach is a type of rail car that has two levels of passenger accommodation as opposed to one, increasing passenger capacity.
Tri-Rail is a commuter rail line linking Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach in Florida, United States. The Tri prefix in the name refers to the three counties served by the railroad: Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade. Tri-Rail is managed by the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) along CSX Transportation's former Miami Subdivision; the line is now wholly owned by the Florida DOT. The 70.9-mile-long (114.1 km) system has 18 stations along the Southeast Florida coast, and connects directly to Amtrak at numerous stations, and to Metrorail at the Tri-Rail and Metrorail Transfer station and at Miami Intermodal Center.
A railbus is a lightweight passenger railcar that shares many aspects of its construction with a bus, typically having a bus body and four wheels on a fixed base, instead of on bogies. Originally designed and developed during the 1930s, railbuses have evolved into larger dimensions, with characteristics similar in appearance to a light railcar, with the terms railcar and railbus often used interchangeably. Railbuses designed for use specifically on little-used railway lines were commonly employed in countries such as Germany, Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Sweden.
The Vermonter is a passenger train operated by Amtrak between St. Albans, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., via New York City. It replaced the overnight Montrealer, which terminated in Montreal until 1995. Amtrak receives funding from the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont for Vermonter operations north of New Haven.
The Budd Rail Diesel Car (RDC), also known as the Budd car or Buddliner, is a self-propelled diesel multiple unit (DMU) railcar. Between 1949 and 1962, 398 RDCs were built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The cars were primarily adopted for passenger service in rural areas with low traffic density or in short-haul commuter service, and were less expensive to operate in this context than a traditional diesel locomotive-drawn train with coaches. The cars could be used singly or coupled together in train sets and controlled from the cab of the front unit. The RDC was one of the few DMU trains to achieve commercial success in North America. RDC trains were an early example of self-contained diesel multiple unit trains, an arrangement now in common use by railways all over the world.
Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian-German rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, with headquarters in Berlin, Germany. It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Bombardier Transportation had many regional offices, production and development facilities worldwide. It produced a wide range of products including passenger rail vehicles, locomotives, bogies, propulsion and controls. In February 2020, the company had 36,000 employees, and 63 manufacturing and engineering locations around the world. Formerly a division of Bombardier Inc., the company was acquired by French manufacturer Alstom on 29 January 2021.
Doodlebug or hoodlebug is a nickname in the United States for a type of self-propelled railcar most commonly configured to carry both passengers and freight, often dedicated baggage, mail or express, as in a combine. The name is said to have derived from the insect-like appearance of the units, as well as the slow speeds at which they would doddle or "doodle" down the tracks. Early models were usually powered by a gasoline engine, with either a mechanical drive train or a generator providing electricity to traction motors ("gas-electrics"). In later years, it was common for doodlebugs to be repowered with a diesel engine.
The Westside Express Service (WES) is a commuter rail line serving parts of Washington and Clackamas counties in the U.S. state of Oregon's Portland metropolitan area. Owned by TriMet and operated by Portland & Western Railroad (P&W), the line is 14.7 miles (23.7 km) long and travels north–south from Beaverton to Wilsonville via Tigard and Tualatin, along a route just west of Oregon Highway 217 and Interstate 5 (I-5). It consists of five stations and connects with MAX Light Rail at Beaverton Transit Center. Service operates on a 45-minute headway on weekdays during the morning and evening rush hours. In Spring 2022, the service saw daily ridership of 420 passengers, about 109,000 rides annually.
Colorado Railcar was a manufacturer of railroad rolling stock—railcars and diesel multiple unit commuter vehicles. Both products came in single- and double-level versions. It shut down in 2008, with its assets being purchased by US Railcar.
Progress Rail Services Corporation, a fully owned subsidiary of Caterpillar since 2006, is a supplier of railroad and transit system products and services headquartered in Albertville, Alabama. Founded as a recycling company in 1982, Progress Rail has increased the number of its product and service offerings over time to become one of the largest integrated and diversified suppliers of railroad and transit system products and services in North America. Progress Rail markets products and services worldwide and maintains 110 facilities in the United States, 34 in Mexico, 4 in Canada, 2 in Brazil, 5 in UK, 1 in Italy, and 1 in Germany. Progress Rail is organized into two divisions: Infrastructure and Rolling Stock.
The Nippon Sharyo DMU is a model of diesel multiple unit passenger train designed and manufactured by Nippon Sharyo for the North American market, and compliant with FRA Tier 1 crashworthiness standards. It has been ordered by Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) in Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, and by Metrolinx for the Union Pearson Express airport link in Toronto, Ontario.
Barry H. Fromm was the Chairman of three major firms, Value Recovery Group LLC (VRG), Ohio Railcar Group, LLC, and Value Recovery Holding, LLC. His firms perform a number of consulting and collection services including international banking, debt workout, management of distressed asset portfolios, recreation, debt collections and site development. His firm serve as the prime contractor for the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) support services contract.
The Next Generation Bi-Level Passenger Rail Car was a failed design of bilevel intercity railroad passenger cars that was to be built by Sumitomo, with construction subcontracted to Nippon Sharyo. The contract was awarded in 2012 with delivery scheduled between 2015 and 2018. After delays in production, a prototype car failed buff strength testing in August 2015, leading to the cancellation of the contract with Nippon Sharyo. Siemens replaced Nippon Sharyo as the construction subcontractor in late 2017 and under the new contract, Siemens Venture railcars will be delivered between 2020 and 2023 instead of the bilevel design.
Public transit has taken numerous forms in Columbus, the largest city and capital of Ohio. Transit has variously used passenger trains, horsecars, streetcars, interurbans, trolley coaches, and buses. Current service is through the Central Ohio Transit Authority's bus system, numerous intercity bus companies, and through bikeshare, rideshare, and electric scooter services.
Siemens Venture is a type of locomotive-hauled passenger railroad car built by Siemens Mobility for the North American market. The cars are derived from the Siemens Viaggio Comfort cars used in Europe, with adaptations for North American operations. The cars entered service with Brightline in 2018 and with Amtrak Midwest in 2022. They have also been ordered by Amtrak for national and other state-supported routes, Canada's Via Rail, and Ontario Northland. The Venture cars will also be used on Amtrak’s Airo trainsets.
The Colorado Railcar DMU is a diesel multiple unit train that was manufactured by Colorado Railcar from 2002 to 2008. The DMU was offered in single-level and bi-level versions. The DMU was discontinued after Colorado Railcar shut down in 2008.