M8 barcars

Heard this past Friday 8/8/14 from a conductor and this week from 2 separate bartenders that barcars are in fact returning to the New Haven Line.

We know CDOT had engaged with LTK Engineering (https://www.ltk.com/news.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) to come up with new designs which was also reported in the press - http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/a ... 458118.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Any more insights - rumors I heard was that there are 7 planned and that they are planning to start trials soon

seeing is believing, but don't hold your breath..

Can't imagine CDOT coming up with the money for what clearly is a luxury for a few passengers.

Plus nearly all M-8's are in service minus the 25 singles, yet MN is still short cars.
So why convert cars currently able to hold 100 people and cut them back to 40 seats ?

Seems hard to justify given as Dutch said the M8 fleet is fully committed. Was there a flaw in the M6 series which caused them to be retired now after 20 years when they could have perhaps gotten a life extension and include a bar car in the refit?

DutchRailnut wrote:Plus nearly all M-8's are in service minus the 25 singles, yet MN is still short cars.
So why convert cars currently able to hold 100 people and cut them back to 40 seats ?

Ask those few people who act as if they can't live without the bar car. Someone needs to say to them "Deal with it. There are worse things to not have.."

its not like they can't have booze, its sold before they get on train.

DutchRailnut wrote:its not like they can't have booze, its sold before they get on train.

Exactly!!!

I've read through the retirement thread and have a sense of why the M6 are for the chop

and what does that have to do with M-8's or barcars ?

Because being able to life ex some M6s would have avoided monkeying around with M8s. But that seems like an unwise call, having gotten some background on their reliability issues.

Clean Cab wrote:Can't imagine CDOT coming up with the money for what clearly is a luxury for a few passengers.

It isn't.

It is an investment in "customer sat" ---- something that CDOT hasn't always been the best at, and now they have a chance to do something positive.

This is an example of something teachers of strategy in business schools (I was one) call "engineering the customer experience." An investment like this sends out a message to the ridership in general that "we care about keeping you happy." And by the way, from what I've seen of bar car patronage, the "few passengers" comment is way off the mark. I would bet that many a bar car holds more passengers than the same car with seats would!!!

Well, I can go on talking myself blue in the face over this. and no matter what i say the anti-bar car sentiment on this forum will no doubt go on.

your assumptions have been proven wrong by passenger counters Tom.

Having owned a job in the past for awhile that had a bar car and getting to know the crowd that congregated there for the afternoon rush, if the bar car lives on it will be thanks to the 1%. Earlier on when the consensus was that the bar car were to be retired with the inception of the M8, my regular bar tender told me that the old regime of 1%'ers had more clout than the current generation. Regular ambassadors of the bar car were those that resided in wealthy areas along the New Haven line such as Greenich, Stamford, the entire New Canaan branch, Darien, Westport and Fairfield. These people have connections in the right places to make things happen, even if it's a decision as ludicrous as the bar car living. While sporadic, the bar car has served more than one purpose most notably when there are big bike events or when Rye Playland is in season.

It's not about the number of seats, or revenue, or operational efficiency - it's about investing in positive service experiences that tranlsate as the railroad gives a damn about making customers happy. It's the kind of thing that keeps you going when the bad publicity hits about other incidents. It's why the plane I just got off from Hawaii provided good meals, free wine and pleasant service. It didn't have to - some don't - but it justifies my decision to support them with my business.

It's not just about cattle car transportation when you're fighting for every dollar. The railroad had to learn the hard way recently that public sentiment does matter when meeting performance standards. It's all part of the mix.