M-8 Cars - Delivery and Acceptance

A 6 Car Trainset was on the New Canaan Branch today.

Speaking of web-site updates (see Stamford track 5): http://mta.info/mnr/html/newM8.html

124 Delivered to New Haven Yard
12 Under Inspection and Testing by Kawasaki Rail Car, Inc.
112 Conditionally Accepted by Metro-North Railroad for Service
7/2/12 Information Provided

More M-8's In Service
A total of 112 M8 cars support the 88 M8s (three 10-car train, five 8-car train sets and three 6-car train sets) operating in regularly scheduled train service as of July 2, 2012.

Customers have the opportunity to ride one or more of the 501 weekly trains (386 weekday and 115 weekend) operating in scheduled New Haven Line service with the 10 M8 train sets. The new M8 trains represent 35.1% of the total New Haven Line main line Mon-Thursday weekday service, 33.0% of the total Friday weekday service, 53.8% of the total service on Saturdays and 56.7% on Sundays.

These trains operate during peak and off-peak service between New Haven, Stamford and Grand Central Terminal.

At 23:13 just after P&W CT-2 cleared the track 3 platform at Southport, GP35R 106 went by heading east with fresh out of Nebraska pairs 9227/9226 & 9224/9225.

Train2009 wrote:A 6 Car Trainset was on the New Canaan Branch today.

In Stamford, CT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS6qocUy178
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgN19drR ... el&list=UL

The Car Numbers on the New Canaan Branch was #9174,9175,9118, 9119,9154,9155.

This Afternoon Train #1563 the 12:57 PM Train out of New Haven,CT-Union Station to GCT with the M8s had a problem on the last car #9198, the breaker had been tripped. This happened at CP 248 in Southport.

Train2009 wrote:This Afternoon Train #1563 the 12:57 PM Train out of New Haven,CT-Union Station to GCT with the M8s had a problem on the last car #9198, the breaker had been tripped. This happened at CP 248 in Southport.

1563 sat at 248 for about 40 minutes. The main problem was that the brakes wouldn't release (obviously).

A test train is currently disabled just east of CP 241 on track 3 (East Norwalk). I wonder what happened.

UPDATE: As of 16:00, they are on the move west. They sat for approximately 45 minutes. If all of those M8s are new, maybe the carbon strips on the pantographs are too sensitive.

User Train538 saw # 9227/9226 & 9212/9213 on a test train today as it was headed out of New Haven, CT westbound.

Train2009 wrote:User Train538 saw # 9227/9226 & 9212/9213 on a test train today as it was headed out of New Haven, CT westbound.

They highballed moments before my train (1551) departed at about 10:07.

On Sunday 7/29, saw 6 M8's go through Fostoria OH heading East.

currently there are 122 cars accepted and 4 more in next few days, next four to be accepted are 9224/225 and 9226/227.

So that's roughly 50% of the original M2 fleet car wise (not saying that 50% of the Budd Metropolitan fleet has been retired). I'm sure seat-wise MNRR is not quite at 50% yet. It's also roughly 25-33% of the total order of 405.

Has SLE testing started? Word was this summer, right?

DutchRailnut wrote:currently there are 122 cars accepted and 4 more in next few days, next four to be accepted are 9224/225 and 9226/227.

The 4 cars went on a test run today Wednesday 08/01.

the MTA site has been updated to reflect Dutch's news.

http://mta.info/mnr/html/newM8.html

More M8's In Service
As of July 31, 2012, customers have the opportunity to ride one or more of the 539 M8 weekly trains (416 weekday and 123 weekend) operating in scheduled New Haven Line service. The new M8 trains represent 37.8% of the total New Haven Line main line Mon-Thursday weekday service, 35.7% of the total Friday weekday service, 60.5% of the total service on Saturdays and 56.7% on Sundays.

These trains operate during peak and off-peak service between New Haven, Stamford and Grand Central Terminal.