# Siemens HSR Train in front of CA State Capitol



## Blackwolf (Feb 23, 2015)

Oh, I'll _TOTALLY_ be checking this out.

http://www.kcra.com/news/bullet-train-mockup-turns-heads-at-capitol/31435338



> SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) —A woman stared for several minutes as a crane hoisted huge jigsaw-like pieces off a flatbed truck and placed them on the west steps of the state Capitol in Sacramento.
> 
> "I give up," the woman told a California Highway Patrol officer standing nearby. "What is it?"
> 
> ...


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## Tokkyu40 (Feb 24, 2015)

That's very cool. I like the colors a lot better than the CAHSR pictures.


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## CHamilton (Feb 25, 2015)

Siemens promotes its Sacramento home base in bullet-train pitch


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## Blackwolf (Feb 25, 2015)

Alright, so I went out after lunch today and took a tour of the Siemens exibit on the West Lawn of the California State Capitol.




I'm sure its just coincidence that the placement is photogenic!




Nice bit of signage for the entry que to tour the exhibit. Inside a small tent was a few Siemens employees and posters with information on the various products the company's Sacramento plant produces. There was a television monitor showing the building process for the Amtrak ACS-64 locomotives, and touting their 125mph speed capability.




There is a dedicated press filiming location, and it was in use by one of the local news agencies interviewing a Siemens executive when I stopped by.


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## Blackwolf (Feb 25, 2015)

At the back side of the tent was a poster outlining the Velaro family of trains that Siemens produces, and according to the company representative I spoke with just before snapping this photo, he said that the Velaro 26 was the specific model being used for California's bid.




The "cockpit" of the mock-up. You could sit in the engineer's seat and pretent to open the throttles if you wanted!




Another view of the engineer's control cab.




View looking back into the mock-up cafe and First Class seating area.


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## Blackwolf (Feb 25, 2015)

Mock-up of a 'self-serve' Cafe, complete with menu and a few items to grab.




Another information board talking about Siemens products, this time inside the train.




Lounge area of the Cafe, with the LSA station in the background.




Table seating showing the First Class accomodations available (2x1 leather reclining seats that actually are pretty comfortable to sit in!)


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## Blackwolf (Feb 25, 2015)

Last shot of the interior: First Class seating does not seem to have very good seat pitch when configured for normal rows. I'm 5'8" and felt I was in United Economy, save for the wider leather seat! (Hopefully the real thing has better spacing!)




Looking at the other side of the mock-up. This was the side lawmakers inside the Capitol saw, complete with a little slogan.




Train's a-comin'!


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## Paulus (Feb 25, 2015)

Just a note: The numbers aren't model numbers, they're the number built of each model.


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## Bob Dylan (Feb 25, 2015)

Nice pics and this looks like very nice equipment! Probably the classiest thing that has ever on the Capitol Grounds in Old Sacramento! LOL


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## Blackwolf (Feb 25, 2015)

Paulus said:


> Just a note: The numbers aren't model numbers, they're the number built of each model.


Somebody better educate Siemens on that!


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## cirdan (Feb 26, 2015)

Things like seat pitch, spacing and choice of colors are not decided by Siemens but by the customer.

Siemens will make the train to whatever specification is required.


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## Tokkyu40 (Feb 26, 2015)

Very nice! I like the setting, which by odd coincidence lets the lawmakers read the advertising.
The do understand marketing.


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## PerRock (Feb 26, 2015)

Interesting that they're using the Velaro E (the Spanish one) as the base model for the US market instead of one of the more newer models such as the D or E320.

peter


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## SarahZ (Feb 26, 2015)

Gorgeous photos.


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## spacecadet (Feb 26, 2015)

cirdan said:


> Things like seat pitch, spacing and choice of colors are not decided by Siemens but by the customer.


You would think that they would then want to show a best-case scenario to try to wow the crowds. Is anyone going to be impressed by a train that looks like economy class on an airplane?


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## jis (Feb 27, 2015)

But the real train when deployed will look more or less like this. It certainly won't look like the Maharajah Express. So why display things that won't be?

Specifically in this case the real selling point is the short running time, i.e. a characteristic shared with planes, and not extreme luxury anyway. There really is no reason to believe that the accommodation will be any more spacious than on Acelas or California Cars.


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## Tokkyu40 (Feb 27, 2015)

PerRock said:


> Interesting that they're using the Velaro E (the Spanish one) as the base model for the US market instead of one of the more newer models such as the D or E320.
> 
> peter


CAHSR is looking for a proven model with a good track record. Seimens might feel that the Spanish Velaro fits our requirements best.

Or it was the easiest model to build as a wooden mockup.


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## PerRock (Feb 28, 2015)

Tokkyu40 said:


> PerRock said:
> 
> 
> > Interesting that they're using the Velaro E (the Spanish one) as the base model for the US market instead of one of the more newer models such as the D or E320.
> ...


Based off from the paint scheme, which admittedly is just the Siemens house colors, it would most closely represent the newest Velaro TR.

But when it all comes down to it, CAHSR isn't going to be buying Velaro Es, TRs, or e320s, They're going to be be buying Velaros made for the US. Which is how the Velaro thing works. They're all basically the same, Siemens just tweaks the interior, paint scheme, and a few mechanical bits to meet the operating companies requirements.

If I had to guess we will end up with the Velaro US.

peter


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## seat38a (Mar 1, 2015)

Looks Nice! Can't wait for this and the dedicated HSR infrastructure to put the NEC and Acela to shame! 200MPH+ vs In Theory 150MPH. This fall when I'm in Europe, hope I can ride the new Eurostar based on the similar train as the mockup instead of the current TGV based one.


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## Tokkyu40 (Mar 1, 2015)

PerRock said:


> Tokkyu40 said:
> 
> 
> > PerRock said:
> ...


Calaro!


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