Hong Kong MTR

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

My son has just sent a couple of snapshots of the seating on this super-efficient transport system:

 

[ I will try to upload them later, the forum is refusing ]

 

Does anyone here know how they are made ?

Traditional press-tooling would be awesomely difficult, so I guess they might be hydro-formed.

Just to add to the envy … here’s a ‘legal’ note from 1985

https://vlex.co.uk/vid/safety-from-crime-down-896693296

MichaelG.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

If you mean the standard MTR seats, about six in a row with a moulded “bum bucket” for each passenger, it would be a pretty simple piece of press work, speaking as an ex-apprentice from the car body stamping die toolroom.  Might be a multi-stage pressing with the basic shape done first, then a trim die to cut the edges to size then a third to roll that front edge over. Quite simple compared with say the floor pan of a large car, or a station wagon roof etc.

I rode the HK MTR to and from work every day for a couple of years. It really is as clean as this pic shows. And very efficient. A train every two or three minutes. But crowded, wow. One particular line, you had to start fighting your way towards the door two stops before you wanted to get off. And personal space is non-existent. It was a total crush. Took some getting used to after living on a five-acre block in rural Australia immediately before.

It gets a lot more crowded even than this example:

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Thanks, Hopper … Yes, those are the seats in question

My curiosity was aroused by their use of Stainless Steel … which I presume would add some level of difficulty to the process.

Perhaps I have simply not kept pace with modern materials.

MichaelG.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

As an aside … It does appear to be exemplary at every level:

https://www.mtr.com.hk/archive/corporate/en/publications/images/safetybooklet.pdf

MichaelG.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

I dont remember if they are stainless or aluminium for light weight? But could be a ductile grade of stainless made for that purpose. They probably use the same sort of stainless that kitchen sinks and the like are made from. Those would acutally be a more difficult pressing with the sink cavity being a fairly deep draw with straight sides, very prone to tearing the sheet metal during pressing if not set up just so. The MTR seats could probably done in a more standard form die, probably with the seats rotated 45 degrees from the way they are used so the pressing is a long V profile with the bum and back shapes formed either side. Could even be pressed as individual one seaters and then six are welded together and the welds ground down. That would keep tooling and press size to a minimum.

I have just been machining some stainless steel rods out of a computer printer to make Stirling engine parts and I have to say it is beautiful to machine. Very magnetic so obviously not a lot of chromium or nickel or whatever in it but enough that it maintains a brilliant shine and does not rust. Pleasantly surprising.

How they make your kitchen sink:

https://youtu.be/5TfiMCgLcOQ?si=vIRe6iBpk4rAYqyA

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

And I bet they run on time too !

[alan ord 2Participant @alanord2]

I lived in Hong Kong for 6 years and used the MTR every work day upto the border crossing at Lok Ma Chau(was originally KCR, Kowloon and Canton Railway, built by the British, until bought out by MTR) The KCR ran the east line up to the border and the MTR ran the west line. They were always on time and very clean. I new if I arrived at Tai Po station 30 secs late I missed the train. Not a big deal as there was always another a few minutes later. Crowding was a problem but first class was so cheap I preferred it to being crammed into the other carriages. I also believe that MTR run London Underground, no comparison!!!!

Alan.

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

I traveled on the MTR in 1987 when doing a job at Castle peak B power station. At that time the rolling stock was the Metro Cammel M-Train, built at Washwood heath in Birmingham.

Sadly, in a later role in the IT department, I had a small hand in the dismantling of that site when Alstom closed it down. The laserjet printer sat beside me was abandoned there in 2005…

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