Center door on some push-pull coaches?

Noticed some of the push-pull coaches have a center door. Sometimes is it just one in a train, occasionally 2 and one train yesterday had none. I have yet to ride the push-pull coaches. What was the reasoning for this design and the lack of many of them having this feature?

Were these second hand cars bought cheap? Did it make the train ADA? At first I thought they might have been an additional cab car buried in the consist, but that is not the case.

The Comet III cars have the center doors, as they were a seperate order from the original set of Comet II cars orders. The C III's were tacked on to a Metro North order.

Check out:
viewtopic.php?f=72&t=18092
viewtopic.php?f=72&t=15581

As nomis said, SEPTA owns 3 types of Comet cars
They bought a set of Comet Is from NJT, Ex EL
They own about 35 Comet IIs that we’re ordered in the 80s.
They recently purchased some Comet IIIs, which are your center door culprit. They are also called SEPTA IIs, as they lack a bathroom.

The purchase of centerdoors is because Bombardiers stopped making cars with end doors only .

Ex NJT/EL Comets were scrapped a few months ago. Didn't look in too bad condition, but their trucks had been borrowed for use as shop trucks during the equalizer fiasco. Bet NJT could have put them to good use now...

And given the fact, NJT is also suffering a cab car shortage as they retrofit the fleet with PTC, I bet SEPTA could easily hash out a lease agreement with NJT for PTC equipped cab cars, and electric locos in the short term. I doubt NJT is interested in leasing any PTC equipped SEPTA diesels due to their low horsepower.

NorthPennLimited wrote:And given the fact, NJT is also suffering a cab car shortage as they retrofit the fleet with PTC, I bet SEPTA could easily hash out a lease agreement with NJT for PTC equipped cab cars, and electric locos in the short term. I doubt NJT is interested in leasing any PTC equipped SEPTA diesels due to their low horsepower.

Our two RL1000s aren't bad on the HP rating. I forget exact numbers, but aren't they rebuilt Geeps?

DutchRailnut wrote:The purchase of centerdoors is because Bombardiers stopped making cars with end doors only .

In fact since 1990 when the Comet III was introduced.

SEPTA's center door coaches are from 1999, MNCR also had a Shoreliner order delivered then.

mcgrath618 wrote: Our two RL1000s aren't bad on the HP rating. I forget exact numbers, but aren't they rebuilt Geeps?

New build from Republic Locomotive. 1,000 horsepower. GROSSLY underpowered.

CNJGeep wrote:

mcgrath618 wrote: Our two RL1000s aren't bad on the HP rating. I forget exact numbers, but aren't they rebuilt Geeps?

New build from Republic Locomotive. 1,000 horsepower. GROSSLY underpowered.

Think of them as switchers, because, that's really what they are.

Septa never intended for the RL1000's to pull revenue trains, except, maybe to rescue one if the pans fly off

Everyone: The only time that SEPTA used the RL1s in passenger service was during Railworks back
in 1993 (May-August) to run one train from Doylestown AM, Lansdale PM peak hour through to 30th
Street. I posted a topic about Railworks 1993 that included how those through trains ran and about
some of the problems encountered thanks to Philadelphia Chapter-NRHS "Cinders" coverage...
(Page 7 of SEPTA Forum archives - September/October 2013)

There are 10 2550 series cars that are the group of cars equipped with center doors. They were a
add on order from MNCR as mentioned and have features their Comet cars have such as cushion
seatbacks and strobe light warnings around the door areas. They were funded in part by PennDot
during the I-95 reconstruction that would include added Trenton Line service along with the CWH
park and ride facility...MACTRAXX

Septa used one of the RLs on a late night Malvern train a few years ago when Amtrak demolished a bridge between Merion and Narbeth which required the power to be cut, it was the RL a coach and a cab car.

One was also used to rescue Amtrak 42 when it failed near Exton, the Septa RL was at Frazer and sent to help the ailing Amtrak train, it took it all the way to 30th St, albeit very slowly.

As for the center door cars they try to have at least one in each consist, they have additional ADA space which is helpful in that Wheelchair passengers are forced into the last car or the quiet ride car, depending which way the train is going.