Train 1169 3/27/09

Hello all,
I read on the EL Dining Car Preservation Society that the last train of Comet Is ran on Train 1169 to Suffern on March 27 2009. Here is what I'd like to know

1. Did anyone railfan or remember this train?
2. What were the road numbers on the Comets

Any info is great

NJT4115 wrote:Hello all,
I read on the EL Dining Car Preservation Society that the last train of Comet Is ran on Train 1169 to Suffern on March 27 2009. Here is what I'd like to know

1. Did anyone railfan or remember this train?
2. What were the road numbers on the Comets

Any info is great

I rode this train, but I don't remember the details as I can't find my photos..... From memory I believe it had F40 4122 6 or 7 cars and the Cab Car 5114.... I think it was scrapped.

NJT4115 wrote:Hello all,
I read on the EL Dining Car Preservation Society that the last train of Comet Is ran on Train 1169 to Suffern on March 27 2009. Here is what I'd like to know

1. Did anyone railfan or remember this train?
2. What were the road numbers on the Comets

Any info is great

1. I rode it from Hoboken to Secaucus, and photographed the entire consist in Hoboken. It was a gray day and I wasn't particularly on my game, but here are a few of my shots.
2. The consist was:
5114 (cab)
5737
5744
5738
5713
5745
4114 (F40)

I honestly don't know how and why I thought the Comet Is were retired in 2004 and 2005. I thought that back in LATE 2008 . That was when the 5114, 5120, and maybe the 5123 were running. When I found out they ran until late March of 2009 around mid 2010, I got pretty dang mad at myself and yet still after almost three years I still feel horrible after missing trains that ran for THIRTY EIGHT years. I know SEPTA runs two sets but for some reason, it just isn't the same.

SEPTA only has one set. It usually runs two round trips a day (although 50% of the trips it makes are X-Trains). The Comet Is have also been Out Of Service for some time down in SPAXland. I was also on the this train, and I thought it was extra-cool standing in the vestibule one last time with the doors open between stations.

Comet 1 consist across 413/durham road.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYxVtWYV ... Q&index=19

I did get a chance to see the SEPTA comet Is before becoming OOS.

NJT4115 wrote:I honestly don't know how and why I thought the Comet Is were retired in 2004 and 2005. I thought that back in LATE 2008. That was when the 5114, 5120, and maybe the 5123 were running.

The low doors were retired in 2005.

Originally the Comet Vs were intended to replace all Comet I and I-B cars by 2003.

R36 Combine Coach wrote:

NJT4115 wrote:I honestly don't know how and why I thought the Comet Is were retired in 2004 and 2005. I thought that back in LATE 2008. That was when the 5114, 5120, and maybe the 5123 were running.

The low doors were retired in 2005.

Originally the Comet Vs were intended to replace all Comet I and I-B cars by 2003.

Now that I think of it, I remember going to the Boonton Open House in 2008 and reading "These cars were retired in 2005" or something like that. I wish they were more clear, then I could of seen them at HHK or somewhere like that.

R36 Combine Coach wrote:

NJT4115 wrote:I honestly don't know how and why I thought the Comet Is were retired in 2004 and 2005. I thought that back in LATE 2008. That was when the 5114, 5120, and maybe the 5123 were running.

The low doors were retired in 2005.

Originally the Comet Vs were intended to replace all Comet I and I-B cars by 2003.

As I recall, the low doors made it all the way until a day or so before New Years. When 2006 was rung in, the low doors usage in revenue service on NJT had passed.

Sorry for a bump but why does transit keep scrapping the Comet Is? It seems like more than half the fleet of cab cars have been scrapped. Soon they will turn into the U34CHs. They will keep getting scrapped and eventually we will be down to two or less. As for the coaches, I don't know what is going on. They are going faster than the cab cars I believe, but correct me if I'm wrong.

NJT4115 wrote:Sorry for a bump but why does transit keep scrapping the Comet Is? It seems like more than half the fleet of cab cars have been scrapped. Soon they will turn into the U34CHs. They will keep getting scrapped and eventually we will be down to two or less. As for the coaches, I don't know what is going on. They are going faster than the cab cars I believe, but correct me if I'm wrong.

Some of the Comet Is are at new homes with other agencies (SEPTA, UTA) or preserved. Last I knew, one Slider is on the Maine Eastern.

NJT4115 wrote:Sorry for a bump but why does transit keep scrapping the Comet Is? It seems like more than half the fleet of cab cars have been scrapped. Soon they will turn into the U34CHs. They will keep getting scrapped and eventually we will be down to two or less. As for the coaches, I don't know what is going on. They are going faster than the cab cars I believe, but correct me if I'm wrong.

The irony is that the high doors have a lower survival rate than the low doors - considering the added versatility in both high and low boarding and ADA access in their benefit.

NJT doesn't actually own any more Comet 1s I don't think - each one I believe has been sold. The only ones left on the property are the 11 or so that were in Raritan for a while that came back from Canada. They were last I knew down in Winslow Junction being held for the SRNJ. On that classified ad, it mentions more cars, I guess they are the ones from LA? I thought they were bought by Metrolink (but I dont' think ever used) and not leased, but maybe they were leased, im not sure and are just being held out there.

http://www.sterlingrail.com/classifieds ... hp?id=3038

All the low level C1s "Sliders" were taken OOS on 12/31/05. The high level C1s lasted a few more years. NJT scrapped probably 20-30 cars at the MMC, and im not sure if any more were scrapped in Port Morris when they were scrapping the old gondolas and other junk.

They lived very long and successful lives, and a good number are in local museums, including cab cars, which is good. But a lot of commuter railroads have been selling off cars in recent years, and the second hand market just isn't really there. But the C1s have found homes lots of places, most notably in Utah with the UTA, and they are the low level Sliders.

As a side note, are those wrecked C1s still parked along the tracks in that station on the NYSW or were they finally scrapped? I don't remember the town name

Jtgshu wrote:NJT doesn't actually own any more Comet 1s I don't think - each one I believe has been sold. The only ones left on the property are the 11 or so that were in Raritan for a while that came back from Canada. They were last I knew down in Winslow Junction being held for the SRNJ. On that classified ad, it mentions more cars, I guess they are the ones from LA? I thought they were bought by Metrolink (but I dont' think ever used) and not leased, but maybe they were leased, im not sure and are just being held out there.

http://www.sterlingrail.com/classifieds ... hp?id=3038

All the low level C1s "Sliders" were taken OOS on 12/31/05. The high level C1s lasted a few more years. NJT scrapped probably 20-30 cars at the MMC, and im not sure if any more were scrapped in Port Morris when they were scrapping the old gondolas and other junk.

They lived very long and successful lives, and a good number are in local museums, including cab cars, which is good. But a lot of commuter railroads have been selling off cars in recent years, and the second hand market just isn't really there. But the C1s have found homes lots of places, most notably in Utah with the UTA, and they are the low level Sliders.

As a side note, are those wrecked C1s still parked along the tracks in that station on the NYSW or were they finally scrapped? I don't remember the town name

I'm surprised that MBTA or MARC haven't considered buying those C1s that are for sale. When I looked at MARC's schedule they really need more trains if they want weekend service.