PetalumaLoco
Conductor
Last edited by a moderator:
The Train Cars Act
- Thread starter PetalumaLoco
- Start date
Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:
- Status
wayman
Engineer
Given that SEPTA's new Silverliner Vs are being built largely in South Korea (with finishing done in a factory built for that purpose in Philadelphia) I'd say yes.
G
Guest
Guest
h34r:
G
Guest
Guest
...how about Finnemechanica (sp)...Italian, I believe?
...Kawasaki (sp) Heavy Industries?
...Kawasaki (sp) Heavy Industries?
transit54
Conductor
G
Guest
Guest
You'd mean no. Although you may think otherwise, a plant in Philadelphia is, in fact, in the United States.
At last check, Talgo had a facility in Washington where they assembled and now do maintenance on the trainsets in the Northwest. It's still surprising to see a Talgo engineer riding the trains.
I guess these guys own Breda, which made the cars used in San Francisco's Metro system. They have a plant in Pittsburg, California.
wayman
Engineer
No, I meant what I wrote. The cars are almost entirely built overseas, then are being shipped here as "completed car bodies" (including paint) and "completed chassis and motors", with only final assembly of the two halves and testing happening in Philadelphia. There will be a factory built here, but it won't be a factory capable of building much by itself.
Basically, even after the Silverliners are done, any rail car order placed with Rotel (I think?) will still be largely built in South Korea because they will still not have a full factory here.
Joel N. Weber II
Engineer
I think you mean Rotem, which I believe is building the 75 new bi-level cars the MBTA ordered for the commuter rail system.
Breda made some of the MBTA Green Line cars; I think the Breda cars are the newest Green Line cars.
Breda made some of the MBTA Green Line cars; I think the Breda cars are the newest Green Line cars.
I have to disagree. You obviously didn't write what you meant, as you've implied that having an assembly plant here is not the same as having a plant here.
If you *really* think that there's no problem with that statement, then it might be time for a review of basic logic.
wayman
Engineer
Rotem is incapable of building railroad cars in the United States, and will essentially remain so even with the final-assembly plant in Philadelphia. Here are pictures of the nearly-completed Silverliner Vs in South Korea. The Philadelphia plant will be capable of putting South Korean-built completed car bodies on South Korean-built completed car chassis. I don't think it will be capable of much else. There is no way to claim the Silverliner Vs are "made in America". Even an "assembled in USA" claim is dubious. Legally,
The Federal Trade Commission defines "Made in USA" and "Assembled in USA" quite clearly:
What is the standard for a product to be called Made in USA without qualification?
For a product to be called Made in USA, or claimed to be of domestic origin without qualifications or limits on the claim, the product must be "all or virtually all" made in the U.S. The term "United States," as referred to in the Enforcement Policy Statement, includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories and possessions.
What does "all or virtually all" mean?
"All or virtually all" means that all significant parts and processing that go into the product must be of U.S. origin. That is, the product should contain no — or negligible — foreign content.
Assembled in USA Claims
A product that includes foreign components may be called "Assembled in USA" without qualification when its principal assembly takes place in the U.S. and the assembly is substantial. For the "assembly" claim to be valid, the product’s last "substantial transformation" also should have occurred in the U.S. That’s why a "screwdriver" assembly in the U.S. of foreign components into a final product at the end of the manufacturing process doesn’t usually qualify for the "Assembled in USA" claim.
Example: A lawn mower, composed of all domestic parts except for the cable sheathing, flywheel, wheel rims and air filter (15 to 20 percent foreign content) is assembled in the U.S. An "Assembled in USA" claim is appropriate.
Example: All the major components of a computer, including the motherboard and hard drive, are imported. The computer’s components then are put together in a simple "screwdriver" operation in the U.S., are not substantially transformed under the Customs Standard, and must be marked with a foreign country of origin. An "Assembled in U.S." claim without further qualification is deceptive.
Umm, aren't you taking this a bit personally? I'm not so sure wayman's the one looking foolish...
I can't read Italian and can't figure if they build anything in the US. Kawasaki, on the other hand, does boast it's ability to build cars from scratch in their Lincoln plant. Claims they have business for only a couple more years. They claim to build "light rail," but I think they build their bi-levels, too. Wouldn't those fall under the same FRRs as Amtrak coaches & Superliners?
Oooo - They are also the only ones that have Bi-Level coaches certified to operate at 125 MPH. It's no 500-series Nozomi, but it ain't something to sneeze at, either.
Last edited by a moderator:
Green Maned Lion
Engineer
I'm pretty sure NJT is well on their way to getting the Bombardier MultiLevels certified for 125 mph service with the ALP-46a locos.
Frankly I'm not sure why NJT would bother to get them certified for 125, if they are even capable. With few exceptions they'll never be able to hit that speed as the stations are just too close.
Hopefully Jishnu (JIS) will see this thread and comment on that for sure though, as he'd be the guy that knows for sure.
Green Maned Lion
Engineer
They run quite a few Trenton-to-Newark express runs. I'm sure they'd benefit from the extra speed.
No, actually. But since you brought it up, aren't you taking this a bit personally? I'm not so sure that I'm the one looking foolish....
Having read through the thread, I don't see that the current undercurrent of argument contributes at all to the thread. You can argue semantics till the cows come home without contributing anything of value to the thread. I'm not sure just why y'all seem to have pushed each other's "argue" buttons, but I don't think the rest of us have much interest in reading the ensuing arguments.
- Status
