Project Profile

In 1974 Mr. Lewalski, presently Transit Performance Engineering's associate, took charge of the engineering and program management responsibility on the delivery of commuter coaches for the Government of Ontario, Canada. For this project Mr. Lewalski developed a technique of carbody modularization. A traditional design employs a sequence of assembly where erection of the car structure is followed by the installation of components of equipment and the interior. In a modularized design, the entire car is divided into logical packages such as an underframe, walls, roof, etc., each of them consisting of appropriate components of structure, equipment, and interior. Such modules are fabricated separately, then spliced together near the end of the assembly line. After splice finishing, operations are kept to a minimum. Modularized design provides for a better access to work areas, higher automation of production, better distribution of the work force, and more reliable quality-control inspection. The end effect is a higher quality product and 10-30% savings on assembly time. A "sausage" technique was developed, where side wall structures were built in sections from one end, and continually fed into an 80 ft. long holding fixture.

Return To Experience Page