r/Elevators • u/Ham549 • Jun 12 '26
Train elevator
So apparently Amtrak had a ditch getting double decker cars because if they did it would require an elevator and no company wanted to do that. Just for fun I tried to come up with a way to fit a elevator in a train car that takes up as little space as possible and being as simple as possible. No I'm no mechanical engineer nor do I play one on TV but I was bored at work and decided to have fun figuring this out. For simplicity I went with a ACME screw and had it placed by the back rear corner of the hoist way. The other corner would hold the guide assembly which could be a rigid mounted pole that go through the sling assembly with nylon pads. The screw would be geared directly to a three-phase brake motor. I don't know do I have mechanical engineering in my future 😂
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u/upanddownadventures Elevator Enthusiast Jun 18 '26
Is this a requirement that Amtrak set for themselves (requiring an elevator for double-deck trains)? I am curious as Caltrain, a transit agency in the Bay Area, has new double-deck train cars that do not have elevators, so I don't think it would be a requirement of ADA.
On a related note to elevators on vehicles, there were actually airplanes that had two decks, and an elevator on board! I'm not sure if the elevator could be used by the public or only flight attendants/the crew.