The C car design allowed for these cars to be used as lead, trailing, or mid cars. This was contrasted to the original Rohr built fleet of A and B cars, of which were only to be used in lead/trailing and midtrain position respectively.
C cars allowed for train resizing (makes/breaks) outside of yards. Traditionally, long trains ran in the commute periods and short trains ran during off peak periods. Before C cars, trains had to return to the yard to add or remove B cars, resulting in additional time and operator requirements. With C cars, trains can be lengthened (a procedure called a "make") while at the station platform, and can be shortened by uncoupling 2 C cars, splitting a train into two pieces (a procedure called a "break"). This type of operation allowed for greater flexibility in train sizes. To note, unlike the original A cars, the cab of the C cars is integral to the carbody (made of aluminum), and the Y end is painted white as a nod to the A car design. |
The contract in October 1982 was originally at $180 Million (44 million less than the only US Bidder, Budd), however it was increased to $228-241.5 million by 1985-1987. At the time, they were the world's most expensive transit units.
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With their chopper control, it was hard to mistake the sound of a C car propelling itself out of the station (the steady buzz/hum of the chopper control system and brushing sound of the traction motors).
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