LIRR M-7 deliveries reach halfway point

For those keeping track:

I saw 7340 at Jamaica the other day. That means the LIRR has received roughly half its 678 car M-7 order.

Current LIRR EMU roster counts (12/11/04):

M-1 = 456
M-3 = 172
M-7 = 336

Bombardier and it's subs continue to hammer out M-7 issues.
Arch Street Shop is still not open. It was supposed to open in Sept. or Oct. Lots of rumors flying as to why it's not open yet. None of which I want to post, as they are from proven unreliable sources.

Tom

How many M7s do they deliver to the LIRR a month?

Frank,

Numbers delivered per month have varied, based on other things BBD has going. Not the least of which was delivery of MNRR M-7 cars.
LIRR M-7 order is supposed to have all deliveries completed by April, 2006.
Circa 340 cars left to deliver divided by 16 - 17 months = average 20 cars a month.

Tom

Well. the inevitable is about to happen. 9001 and 9002 are up for decommissioning. The "flagship" pair, if you will, of the LIRR "M" series cars is done.

N340SG wrote:Well. the inevitable is about to happen. 9001 and 9002 are up for decommissioning. The "flagship" pair, if you will, of the LIRR "M" series cars is done.

It would be nice if they preserved 9001 and 9002 at least.

Tom,

Funny you mention 9001/2. I just saw 7001/2 yesterday on my way to work in the morning.

More importantly, is there a way to find out the exact withdrawn from service dates for the M1s? Yes, it's for the good ol' "Bob Emery" roster update.

BTW, which two M3s are no longer with us? When and why?

Does the LIRR have any plans to save or donate 9001/02? If you judge by past actions, the pair will be reincarnated as toasters!

Well, it's the end of the road of 9001-2, after over 36 years in service (1968).

Quoting The Doors:

This is the end, beautiful friend
This is the end, my only friend
The end of our elaborate plans
The end of everything that stands
The end

thoes 2 should of bee the units perserved. as they were the 1st M1's
its a shame that we have to loose them. but oh well i guse there is not enough railfan pressureon LI and were dealing w/ a bunch of thick heads.

oh well. maby well get somthing when the onslought of the M1's is done with.

Jeff,

As far as I can discern from past records, 9795 and 9796 each had their "B" end trucks derail on 11/02/89.

There are no further entries until 1/25/94 when it says "Heavy collision damage". That entry is closed out on 11/24/97 by stating that both cars were scrapped.

Interpolating and guessing from those entries, it would seem that the derailment caused extensive damage to the cars themselves, in addition to the trucks. The pair seems to have laid around for several years, while the LIRR decided whether it could be repaired, and at what cost.
Eventually, someone made an executive decision to scrap the pair.

Tom

P.S. The fella's name on the last entry just retired a couple months ago. Had I known, I could have asked him about it. He retired out of Babylon Yard, where I pass through 5 days a week. (Murphy's Law?)

To all,

I have not heard a peep about saving 9001/9002 for anyone. Of course, that doesn't mean a thing. As I have said, we don't get much information in West Side Shop, except when they're pissed at us for something.

I will certainly let you guys know if I hear anything positive.

Tom

Saw that pair still in active service in KO 2 weeks ago. As a matter of fact I saw 7001-02 on a set that would become train 140 to Babylon yesterday (the 4:04).

9001 and 9002 had a couple of electrical problems crop up that would normally be repairable. But, the pair of cars is also due for 3 year air brake in 42 days. So, we were informed that they would be sent to HMC for decommissioning instead of being repaired.

The LIRR M-7 fleet had 94 % in service on Tuesday. 322 out of 344 on the roster were available. And the OOS includes a pair that was sent back to BBD for repair from the Hempstead derailment, a pair in Babylon Yard used for training (also damaged in the derailment..to be fixed at a later date), and pairs out for modifications. That's an excellent percentage. Remains to be seen over time whether this continues to hold. Realize that PI cycles factor in. 94% is not likely to always be sustainable. But that's pretty darn good at any time. (Yes, the weather has also been largely favorable since Jan. 1 I guess has to be pointed out.)
The M-1 and M-3 fleet did not fare nearly as well on Tuesday. Overall EMU fleet availability was below requirement. My train was short 2 cars Tuesday morning.
The M-3s need to continue the overhauls, notably propulsion, but the budget picture looks bleak. Next phase of overhauls (includes propulsion) may be put on hiatus or cancelled entirely, from what I'm hearing.

BTW 7003 and 7004 are back and now on the roster. I saw them last week in Babylon.