MN equipment on LIRR

Today while cruising past Hillside yard I noticed MN M7's 4000-4001 layed up in there. No third rail shoes on. Are they sent over to Lirr for some testing or modification?

nope those two cars have been there for a few months now, nobody knows why ?

I really tried to find out what was up with 4000/4001 on LIRR property. If I asked 4 guys, I got 4 different sets of "facts" and opinions. We are kind of the orphans of the LIRR in the West Side Shop...nobody tells us anything!

Mark777 posted on LIRR forum that he saw those 2 cars running between Jamaica and Harold with a door open, and wires running from inside the car through the open door to one of the trucks. Why this testing could not be done on MNRR property is the elusive piece of missing information. I was thinking maybe info was needed on the performance of the cars with the truck modifications over concrete ties at speeds up to MAS. But, LIRR cars could have been used for that. So, we still have nothing good to go on.

If I am ever able to find out, and it's not something totally stupid or embarrassing to the Railroads, I'll post the info.
I am sure Dutch will keep trying to find out from the MN end.

Tom

These two cars went to the LIRR for truck modifications. Two torsion bars had to be laterally pressed into each truck. These torsion bars connect to lateral dampers (shock absorbers) to control the "hunting" (lateral motion) of the trucks.

wrong , every MNCR car and last 30 or so LIRR cars were factory equipped with all truck modifications. only earlier LIRR cars need to be modified.

Dont' be so quick to say WRONG! This pair came through without all the truck mods. so they could have a benchmark to compare the rest of the fleet with. You may think you know a lot .....but you don't know it all!

Correct on the not know it all Jay, but I got 4000-4001 as complete with mods, only thing outstanding was the coupler heater mods.
MNCR benchmarking was done with the Bombardier/LIRR test train we had on loan. yes o we did do 3 mods on yaw dampers. but you never know in Harmon , they can't even put in headlight bulbs the right way or get brakes set up on SPV's and as far as fleet not knowing were stuiff is ask them about the 3 year missing FL9

I thought it was CDOT that lost their FL-9 for a while?

MN loses them too? I mean, it's not like an FL-9 is exactly a common thing.

Then again, I could imagine if one got left unattended in the South Bronx long enough (i.e., more than 30 seconds ) that it'd be up on cinderblocks with it's axles gone...

it was CDOT's engine that MNCR lost

Metro-North numbers the cars starting with 4000, not 4001? Were MN's M-1's numbered this way too? Contrary to LIRR practice where the first pair of M-1's was 9001-9002 and I believe the first M-7's are 7001-7002. Please correct me if I'm mistaken.

I don't know aboot the LIRR but MNCR numberig was 8200 for M1's and 8000 for M3's

And oh yeah, LIRR M-3's started with 9771. Well it's been said before that they are separate railroads with different ways of doing things......

Thanks Dutch; also you say the M-3's began with 8000 and the M-1's with 8200? Surprising that the newer cars have the lower numbers.

only thing outstanding was the coupler heater mods.

Dutch, I guess you're speaking about the coupler heaters that were designed for the wrong voltage? As were the cab gimbal lights and, apparently, the duplex air gauge lights? These light bulbs are burning out like crazy on the LIRR M-7s. Modifications are on tap. MN undoubtedly got some benefit from having the LIRR get some of their cars first, enabling shakeout of some of the design problems. Such minor details as BBD telling their light designers that it is a 74 volt battery system in the M-7, perhaps?

Hey, at least NASA wasn't involved. Then you'd have all sorts of Metric conversion errors in it....

How on earth do you design something for the wrong voltage? It's not like 'voltage' is some unimportant spec for something electrical....

Headend view,

You are right on about LIRR car numbering. First M-1 pair numbers 9001/002. First M-3 pair numbers 9771/772. First M-7 pair numbers 7001/002. Odd number cars are all "B" cars [with bathrooms] on all LIRR EMU equip't.
I'll let you in on a secret. I had posted the MN pair on LIRR property as 4001/002. Had to go back and change it so Dutch wouldn't yell at me.

Tom