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It's wood, I'm sure the MBTA has a workshop that can build replacement parts. Odds are the replacement is going to be some custom metal machined overseas and w

It's wood, I'm sure the MBTA has a workshop that can build replacement parts. Odds are the replacement is going to be some custom metal machined overseas and will be basically irreplaceable due to cost and skill issues.

clickety_clack 10mo ago
And being the MBTA, it will be installed in the wrong size and have to be replaced in a couple of months.
- hopelite 10mo ago
  My bet is on that there will be some kind of interaction of the metal catenary in the environment and maybe causing friction in the cables and shorts, which no one thought of since 1890 when they chose wood due for its insulating properties. Then they will have to replace the metal with some fancy plastic one, because you can’t just admit the wood was better after all, but the plastic will also be unsuitable and degrade quickly which will ultimately end up with going back to wood in another 10 years. But that wood will then only last a fraction of the original wood, because we do not have old growth wood anymore and all the pine plantation wood won’t last a similar 130+ years. So after about $3 billion dollars in costs and another $5 billion in economic and lifestyle impact after 20 years, they’ll declare it all a wonderful success, even though the wooden catenaries will live on as art or interior decor for another 200 years. If we’re lucky, the death toll will even be low.
  - potato3732842 10mo ago
    I foresee a "oh we can't replace the plastic one it with wood now because that would be a new material and we don't have data to prove it conforms with some rule we made up so the only solution is to pay some engineering firm who knows people on beacon hill a ton of money to say that pine is fine" situation before they go back to wood. And as bad as the MBTA is... Keolis is worse (arguably).
wffurr 10mo ago
The MBTA has a quite capable metal shop that's been making replacement parts for the 1960s vintage subway cars for quite a while.
- paleotrope 10mo ago
  Right but it will be something they can't work with. Like some custom magnesium-aluminum metal that has to be cast and can't be machined with normal tools.
IAmBroom 10mo ago
Har, har, har, Buy Murican, amirite?

clickety_clack 10mo ago

And being the MBTA, it will be installed in the wrong size and have to be replaced in a couple of months.

hopelite 10mo ago
My bet is on that there will be some kind of interaction of the metal catenary in the environment and maybe causing friction in the cables and shorts, which no one thought of since 1890 when they chose wood due for its insulating properties. Then they will have to replace the metal with some fancy plastic one, because you can’t just admit the wood was better after all, but the plastic will also be unsuitable and degrade quickly which will ultimately end up with going back to wood in another 10 years. But that wood will then only last a fraction of the original wood, because we do not have old growth wood anymore and all the pine plantation wood won’t last a similar 130+ years. So after about $3 billion dollars in costs and another $5 billion in economic and lifestyle impact after 20 years, they’ll declare it all a wonderful success, even though the wooden catenaries will live on as art or interior decor for another 200 years. If we’re lucky, the death toll will even be low.
- potato3732842 10mo ago
  I foresee a "oh we can't replace the plastic one it with wood now because that would be a new material and we don't have data to prove it conforms with some rule we made up so the only solution is to pay some engineering firm who knows people on beacon hill a ton of money to say that pine is fine" situation before they go back to wood. And as bad as the MBTA is... Keolis is worse (arguably).

wffurr 10mo ago

The MBTA has a quite capable metal shop that's been making replacement parts for the 1960s vintage subway cars for quite a while.

paleotrope 10mo ago
Right but it will be something they can't work with. Like some custom magnesium-aluminum metal that has to be cast and can't be machined with normal tools.

IAmBroom 10mo ago

Har, har, har, Buy Murican, amirite?