Florida Dept. of Transportation double decker DMU

Fresh Tri-Rail paint at Ft. Lupton, CO. Nov., 2004. Photo courtesy of Colorado Railcar.

Florida Dept. of Transportation's first set of DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) vehicles is bound to be historic. The first car, purchased in early April, 2004, was already steeped in history when the ink dried on the contract. And now comes this: the first double Decker DMU ever to meet the FRA 49 CFR Part 238 compression load requirements. The frame was subjected to the stress tests on August 27, 2004 and passed with flying colors.

For those interested, by the way, Colorado Railcar VP of Sales Tom Janaky explained to me that the test is performed by fitting the car's structure into a steel harness, then applying a pair of hydraulic rams, one to each end, and firing them up. From there, it's a simple matter of waiting for the force to be applied. Janaky said it takes about seven hours for the rams to build up to the 800,000 lb pressure.

Operationally, the new car contains several industry firsts, most significant among them the title of being the first double Decker to meet the FRA requirements, which is key to the cars being able to operate on regular freight railroad tracks without significant restrictions. To date, Colorado Railcar's DMUs are the only DMUs able to do so.

It also contains several firsts for the manufacturer, including being the first car constructed with dual entries, the first car with straight stairways, and the tallest car ever built by the company. That last fact required that several other things be addressed, like the height of the paint booth, which was a few inches too short to accommodate the car. (Fortunately those items were taken care of early in the construction process..)

The DMU was envisioned as an affordable, practical commuter option for agencies across the country. Far more economical than electrified systems, far more efficient than locomotive-hauled trains, the DMU has been well received thus far. More detailed information about DMU's advantages can be found over on Colorado Railcar's website.

This car and its accompanying double Decker coach are expected to be completed and put into service in 2005.

Under construction in Ft. Lupton, CO. August 18, 2004. Photo by Jody Moore.

Click here to take a photo tour of the new DMUs under construction at the Ft. Lupton plant in August, 2004.