M-8 Cars - Delivery and Acceptance

Clean Cab wrote:

Steamboat Willie wrote:Also keep in mind that it is cheaper to employ an Amtrak crew verses a crew staffed by Metro North. Another bridge they will have to wait to cross come time for any negotiations.

Only if they go past Old Saybrook.

Amtrak crews run the SLE trains on the New Haven-Old Saybrook segment now, unless that has changed since I was last up there.

Clean Cab wrote:Currently MN is operating about 200 M2's (all to be retired and scrapped) 48 M4's and 40 M6's bringing the total number of cars in service to 466, not counting Bomb trains, more than enough seats for all.

The M-8's have less seating capacity thanks to ADA regs involving the restrooms and wheelchair positions. And originally, there were 244 M-2's total in the fleet. So while there are 340+ M-8's coming, the seat capacity increases will be negligible at best. I concur with Dutch on this one....if M-8's ever go to SLE on a regular basis, it will be on that option order not yet funded by ConnDOT. They're not about to short the Metro-North side any seats.

Time will judge who is correct. Why would MN/CDOT spend so much money on cars that can operate on SLE and in Penn Station if they have no intention of doing so?

I think there is some confusion here. Yes, SOME M8s will be used in SLE service. But only the through trains that will go from New London or Old Saybrook to GCT, which I believe will only be two trains in the AM and PM. There will be no issues in changing schedules or adding trains, it will only be a matter of changing the type of equipment used once Amtrak approves the use of M8s. All other SLE trains will continue to be Genesis/VRE consists.

Silverliner, if you read what I said, it is cheaper for CDOT to pay Amtrak crews for the SLE east of NH verses a MNRR crew. I am fully aware they run east of NH. If they plan on running thru trains to OSB or New London, are they going to qualify MNRR crews east of NH (remember, more costly to employ) or have a crew change in NH where Amtrak crews take over (the cheaper route.)

That has yet to be determined.

Clean Cab wrote:Time will judge who is correct. Why would MN/CDOT spend so much money on cars that can operate on SLE and in Penn Station if they have no intention of doing so?

If I were CDOT, and I were purchasing a multi-hundred-million dollar asset with an expected lifespan of 30+ years, I'd certainly want to make sure the design was at least compatible with all current infrastructure, whether or not I planned to use it on a particular route on Day 1.

My hunch anyway (and it's just an uneducated guess, I may be completely wrong) is that the big expense here is the basic capability to operate off both DC third-rail and AC overhead wire; equipping it to operate off the different AC voltages and over-running 3rd rail should be some fraction of that basic cost.

My feeling is-- could we some day see M8's on SLE, a Penn Station run, even in NH-H-S service? Sure. Are we going to see it in the next year or so? Nope.

Steamboat Willie wrote:Silverliner, if you read what I said, it is cheaper for CDOT to pay Amtrak crews for the SLE east of NH verses a MNRR crew. I am fully aware they run east of NH. If they plan on running thru trains to OSB or New London, are they going to qualify MNRR crews east of NH (remember, more costly to employ) or have a crew change in NH where Amtrak crews take over (the cheaper route.)

That has yet to be determined.

I was just trying to figure why you mentioned it at all, when the current setup has already been established with Amtrak crews running SLE trains from NHV to OSB and New London as they do now, with a crew change to Metro-North at NHV on the Stamford through trains. Thus, no need to qualify MNR crews to OSB or New London at all unless ConnDOT elects to yank Amtrak as operator when the contract period expires. If ConnDOT keeps Amtrak as operator, the only change would be Amtrak crews needing to qualify on the M-8's for operation east of NHV.

Hey im new to this site but I have read up alot on the M8 fourms and I would like to know when they will run a test train.

acela kid wrote:Hey im new to this site but I have read up alot on the M8 fourms and I would like to know when they will run a test train.

Won't be done until the full 8-car test train has arrived on the property. Right now, only 4 cars (2 pairs) are presently in New Haven, a third pair is still in transit to the Port Of Baltimore from Japan, and the last pair is still in Japan if it hasn't set sail already.

Once clearance tests and other modifications have been completed (clearance tests have already begun, using a pair of M-8s and a double-ended set of engines in the wee hours of the night), and the trainset is complete, in the earliest May or June, you might see the train testing, but from what I hear the tests will largely be nocturnal, in the late night hours or the wee hours of the morning and mainly on the Upper NH Line for the time being. But I would expect it to venture further down the line with its tests.

The M8 test train will be on the move again this coming week. Clearance testing will resume on both the NH and Hudson line. I've heard it will be the middle of the week, but it will once again be at night so it will be hard to take any pictures of it.

I see the M8s have disc brakes. I heard they were originally going to go for thread brakes only. Did they change there minds?

Yes tread brakes only was to much of a heatload for the wheels

I took a trip up to New Haven on Friday, here are a few photos I took of the M-8's.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=1944464

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=1944475

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=1944473

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPi ... id=1944470

All I can say is that it sure will feel weird seeing the M8's come around the corner at Milford and riding them for the first time.

Clean Cab wrote:The M8 test train will be on the move again this coming week. Clearance testing will resume on both the NH and Hudson line. I've heard it will be the middle of the week, but it will once again be at night so it will be hard to take any pictures of it.

Has MN operated the M8's under power yet?

Negative, they are awaiting the arrival of another pair to run a complete test train. I believe the time frame is around March, but it is all subject to change.