Hello all!
While driving north on the I-5, I was passing NCTD’s Stuart Mesa Yard in Camp Pendleton and outside the shop was a brand new Bombardier Series X BiLevel cab. This is big for us here in San Diego because NCTD hasn’t expanded its passenger car fleet since 2003!
A little backstory: In 2020 NCTD published an article describing an order for new cars was on the horizon. It had concept art showing a Series X cab in Phase I paint, but there wasn’t much information. NCTD made the first big upgrade in 2020, putting five Siemens SC-44 Chargers into service. They debuted the Phase II paint, but there was no sign of new cars to go with them. In 2023 four more Chargers arrived, and NCTD was planning to add more services. With many of the old cars undergoing overhauls and repaints, trainsets have been reduced to four cars rather than five.
I can confirm seeing two new Series X cabs in the yard, one sitting alone and the other in a train. I couldn’t see the numbers, but knowing NCTD’s system they are likely numbered in the 2300’s.
Here’s a roster to overview:
My thoughts.
EDIT: For some reason the road numbers are showing as phone number links?
EDIT: Roster updated after seeing the cars in a video where the road numbers were clear. It looks like the numbering system is going in another direction than NCTD’s usual.
While driving north on the I-5, I was passing NCTD’s Stuart Mesa Yard in Camp Pendleton and outside the shop was a brand new Bombardier Series X BiLevel cab. This is big for us here in San Diego because NCTD hasn’t expanded its passenger car fleet since 2003!
A little backstory: In 2020 NCTD published an article describing an order for new cars was on the horizon. It had concept art showing a Series X cab in Phase I paint, but there wasn’t much information. NCTD made the first big upgrade in 2020, putting five Siemens SC-44 Chargers into service. They debuted the Phase II paint, but there was no sign of new cars to go with them. In 2023 four more Chargers arrived, and NCTD was planning to add more services. With many of the old cars undergoing overhauls and repaints, trainsets have been reduced to four cars rather than five.
I can confirm seeing two new Series X cabs in the yard, one sitting alone and the other in a train. I couldn’t see the numbers, but knowing NCTD’s system they are likely numbered in the 2300’s.
Here’s a roster to overview:
Car Type | Series | Number Built | Road Numbers | Date Built |
Coach | II | 8 | 2201-2208 | 1994 |
Cab | II | 8 | 2301-2308 | 1994 |
Coach | III | 6 | 2401-2406 | 1997 |
Coach | IV | 4 | 2501-2504 | 2003 |
Cab | IV | 2 | 2309-2310 | 2003 |
Coach | X | 8 | 42101-42108 | 2024 |
Cab | X | 3 | 421-423 | 2024 |
My thoughts.
EDIT: For some reason the road numbers are showing as phone number links?
EDIT: Roster updated after seeing the cars in a video where the road numbers were clear. It looks like the numbering system is going in another direction than NCTD’s usual.
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