Frank

How many amps did the 5 car North Shore train draw? Were any motors cut out? When I heard about the train, I must admit I had visions of a melted substation. I assume that you notched up the controller very slowly and carefully.

We recorded a peak of 1700 amps, starting the train. Real close to just over one million watts draw.

All five car had all motors cut in and were run in full MU fashion. Yes the lights dimmed!!

Bob Kutella

I can't speak officially for IRM, but as a visitor/member for the weekend, I was lucky enough to ride this train. Seeing the five cars at night was an impressive sight, especialy when going around the s-shaped curve on the streetcar loop prior to entering the IRM mainline. After we got out on the mainline, I belive the substation breaker dropped only once, on the retun trip to East Union.


As the motorman drew power, the lights would get dimmer and dimmer, and when he shut off power, they would become very bright. This cycle continued during the entier trip.

At the end of the line, starting the train took a bit longer than normal, with the 5 cars, 20 motors and the usual voltage drop at the end of the 5 mile line.

All and all, it was an enjoyable experience. I believe the head of IRM's DC line department had his test equipment hooked up to the substation the entire time, as he is working on ways to improve the IRM power capacity.

All in all, IRM's Museum Showcase/Member's weekend is a great chance to see and ride equipment that normally doesn't operate. A big thanks to everyone at IRM who made the weekend possible!