LIRR P72 coaches... where'd they go?

trainspot wrote:Heart of Dixie museum's 2972:
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=4708270

Very nice paint job! The 2972 appears to be in good condition. I wonder if the interior has been refurbished as nicely as the exterior? If I was in the area, I would have to visit the museum to see that car, but I would also have to see this car, http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=4708279, the former Missouri Pacific 892 "planetarium" dome coach, which appears to be in superb condition.

The Indiana Rail Road Company had three former LIRR P72 coaches. Unfortunately their new car numbers (1, 2 and 3) give no hint of their former LIRR car numbers.

Car # 1: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mark_vogel/7841688414
http://inrd.indianarailroads.org/inrdobs1.jpg
Notice how one end of the car has been modified to serve as a track inspection/observation car.

Car # 2: http://inrd.indianarailroads.org/inrdpass2.jpg
Notice how the lettering is significantly smaller than the lettering on car # 1.

Cars 1 and 2 have been sold; new owner unknown. Car 3 was scrapped.

Recently re-discovered: Former LIRR 2906, owned by the Hill Country Railroad Association, found stored out of service in Llano TX. Apparently the car was purchased for excursion service on a former SP branch in Texas, but it has not operated in several years. Slowly rotting away in the Lone Star State ...

Photo https://www.flickr.com/photos/139006479 ... 947419853/

Video news story https://www.mystatesman.com/news/opinio ... BE9ntzPJP/

The CMRR also has P72 2918 which we will start renovating this year. Our other P72s are 2911, 2949 (originally 2977) and 2940. EH

eehiv wrote: ↑Mon Jan 29, 2024 1:24 am The CMRR also has P72 2918 which we will start renovating this year. Our other P72s are 2911, 2949 (originally 2977) and 2940. EH

Are they in operable condition?

Coaches 2962, 2949, 2949 and 2911 were used in our Polar Espress trains last year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDnzBH2Of5k

They are the 2nd to 5th coaches in the video. We replaced the floor in the 2911 in 2022 and the 2949 in 2023. 2918 will be renovated in 2024 and hopefully put in service for Polar in 2024.

EH

Cool video. Do you have any daytime shots of these cars, as well as the names on them? I think it would be fun to paint these up in HO scale.

This video shows the cars in more detail:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG0bR43au5w

Coach 2 - 2962 - Esopus
Coach 3 - 2940 - Sawkill
Coach 4 - 2949 - Ashokan
Coach 5 - 2911 - Rondout

Coaches have the names stenciled on the north side, not the south sides.

EH

CMRR P72 Coach 2949 (formerly 2977)

In 2023 the CMRR renovated P72 Coach 2949. Work consisted of replacing most of the floor, the heating elements, and windows. Some photos of the renovation are shown below:

http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=278008
http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=278009
http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=278010
http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=278011
http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=278012
http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=278013

EH

Is there any reason besides financial ones why you guys didn’t put linoleum flooring over the plywood?
Is the paint that sufficient such that foot traffic won’t wear it down?

We find it is sufficient and don't have to worry about moisture accumulation between the linoleum and the floor.

We do put a runner down the middle of the floor to avoid wear and tear from foot traffic.

EH

EH - Thanks for the report on your four former LIRR 2900 series cars...
The pictures of the interiors were good showing the renovation project under way...
What were the condition of the concrete floors and underbase at the start of the work?

If you or anyone at CMRR is unaware the 2900 car interiors were installed in a middle 1980s LIRR program
that was designed to add on average 15 more years of service life to the fleet - and were finally retired in
1999-2000 on full deployment of the (current) C3 car fleet...The M1/M3 type seats, carpeting on the walls
to help deaden sound, divider panels between the seats and ceilings to alleviate the "tube" effect, wood
panel graphics on the car ends around the end door area, lavatories with then-new retention toilets were
examples of what was replaced during those overhauls. I recognize the NO SMOKING sticker which dates
from Spring 1988 when smoking was banned systemwide on the LIRR...

Car #2911 has a personal memory for me: Back in 1975 I rode in this car on the rear platform for my first
"observation" ride on the Ronkonkoma Branch as a teenager. The rear brakeman usually was OK with this
provided that the three chains across the back were secure and the side doors were closed up as soon as
station work in low-level platform territory was completed. Another example was that the rear vestibule
was a place for smokers to have a cigarette after the 1988 ban that ended designated smoking cars...

The former LIRR 2900 series P72 cars were bound to have added life after leaving the LIRR...CMRR has
four examples of these solid sturdy cars in preservation which is enlightening...MACTRAXX

What was the P72s ride quality? I only rode them on the Greenport Line a few times and don't recall them having bad ride quality.

Awful through interlockings. And nasty on your ears, if the end doors were open. I lived within walking distance of Glen Head. I took the next Port Washington, or Mineola, even if an Oyster Bay train was earlier.

The C3s ride better, and the few times I rode on the dual modes, they were quite punchy in E mode. Despite claims otherwise, I expect the new DMs to swap to diesel as soon as possible, once they get out of the tunnels…