Car Shortage?

Irish Chieftain wrote:Hah. We've already been through that with the Comet IIIs in Metro-North colors. Did those ever do PJ runs before they were repainted as NJT, or did they stay on the NEC and Midtown Direct?

How many years ago did this occur? I wasn't a railfan yet at the time. I know 5009 and 5010 are repainted cabs (formely MN) but did NJT also acquire former MN C3 trailers and repaint them too? Or did MN keep the Comet III trailers for themselves?

EDIT: And I know MN was also supposed to get two Comet IV cabs but NJT got them too. Was MN supposed to get any Comet IV trailers originally?

All of this trading and renumbering is confusing! 5009 and 5010 were originally Comet IVs for MTA but then were renumbered as 5030 and 5031 for NJT so that the former MN Comet III cabs could be slotted in the 5009 and 5010 slots. Whew!

For the past 2 weeks (on Saturdays at least), the Pony Express to Monmouth Park has been a solid set of MN Comet 5's

Jtgshu wrote:For the past 2 weeks (on Saturdays at least), the Pony Express to Monmouth Park has been a solid set of MN Comet 5's

Really. Interesting.... Camera time!

I've seen MN cars in Penn a few times in years past. Must creep out Amtrak crews.

"Oh no!!! Those guys are HERE now too!!!!"

MTA had Comet III Cabs 5179 and 5180. In 1998, NJT traded MTA 5179 and 5180 for Comet II Cabs 5135 and 5136. MTA 5179 became NJT 5009 to fit in NJT's Comet III slots. NJT 5009 became NJT 5030. MTA 5180 became NJT 5010. The original Comet IV 5010 became NJT 5031. 5135 and 5136 did not receive any number changes and became MTA 5135-5136.

Metro North did not have any Comet III trailers west of the Hudson, which was probably the reason that their C3 cabs were never run on the their lines. I think that if MTA had ordered a few C3 trailers, we would have seen a solid MTA C3 set.

transit383 wrote:Metro North did not have any Comet III trailers west of the Hudson, which was probably the reason that their C3 cabs were never run on the their lines. I think that if MTA had ordered a few C3 trailers, we would have seen a solid MTA C3 set.

Thanks. That makes sense now too me. Wasn't quite sure of the whole story. So why did the MTA purchase two Comet IIIs and one Comet IV if they didn't have trailers they could use it with?

The Pony Express today was a C3's and a C2, (I could only see 2 cars though) but the interesting thing today was the engine....It was either 4105 or 4106, I don't remember which, but it was definately an ex-CNJ geep. I saw it this afternoon driving down Port-au-peck Ave in Oceanport, and it was backed down on the Running track.

Jtgshu wrote:The Pony Express today was a C3's and a C2, (I could only see 2 cars though) but the interesting thing today was the engine....It was either 4105 or 4106, I don't remember which, but it was definately an ex-CNJ geep. I saw it this afternoon driving down Port-au-peck Ave in Oceanport, and it was backed down on the Running track.

Really interesting about the ex-CNJ engine. Might be 4106 being that I saw it yesterday in Denville with a mixed Comet 3/2 (and maybe C4) set with MTA cab 7606.

Metro North answered my query and said that they would end up with more cars than they have now when their 65-car order is completed. They did not give numbers. No reply yet from NJT.

There has been a general shortage of equipment lately, as the older cars are being released, and the new cars are not being placed in service in a timely fashion. This is due to all of the extra work that must be done in Port Morris, and then the MMC, to the CV's once they arrive on the property. Why such modifications are not done in Hornell is beyond me.

Regardless, this, in addition to a higher than usual amount of equipment OOS for various defects, has resulted in a shortage of equipment. NJT has responded, as always, by ordering that no trains be run short. To do this, cars that should be shopped are left in serivce in trains. This is why you see cab cars in the middle of trains. It usually has a condemable defect that prevents it from acting as a locomotive. Therefore, it is burried in a train so as to allow it to remain in service, and keep the equipment availablity numbers looking good. Problem is, your still short a cab car.

Come to think of it now, I have been noticing more mid-train cab cars recently.

Seeing more cabcars mid train does not always mean the cabcar is no good. Since the Comet V's so far deliverd have no bathrooms the placement of extra cab cars were bathrooms are required is very bright decision.
.

NJT answered my query. Their answer was not too responsive. Sometimes I wonder if they are being evasive or if the person answering just has dyslexia.
Here is what I sent:
Twice in the last week or so, I got on Train 53 (Port Jervis
Express) to find it short a car, and standing room only. Considering all the
new cars that have arrived, why are you still having car shortages? Are you
retiring one old car for each new one that arrives? I thought that the new
cars would result in a net increase of available cars, but so far that
doesn't seem to have happened, at least on the Main/Bergen/PJ line.

They answered:
> NJ TRANSIT thanks you for taking the time to share your experience with
our service. We try our best to make each trip on our service safe,
convenient and comfortable for you. Unfortunately, we do not have a surplus
of equipment, so sometimes it will be necessary to take a car out of a
consist for repair. We regret the discomfort that this situation may cause
you and our other passengers. Please be assured that we do what we can to
make sure that the equipment meets the need of the ridership.
>
> We have forwarded your e-mail to the appropriate supervisory personnel to
advise them of your comments.
>
> Sincerely,
>

That seems more like a generic answer NJT must use for any overcrowding/car short question.

NJT may not have a surplus of equipment, but Metro North should have a lot of Comet Vs in the pool now, and being that you are on a Port Jervis Express, there is no excuse for that train being short cars. It should be run with MTA equipment.

That problem can be fixed by NJT creating solid MTA sets instead of mixing up the cars. I think when NJT's cars need to go in for servicing, they replace it with whatever is avaliable, whether it be an NJT or an MTA car, and the result is a net loss in cars for the MTA lines.