by ljeppson
Can anyone make a general statement about the condition of the used METRA cars now at UTA Frontrunner?
Railroad Forums
Moderators: metraRI, JamesT4
metrarider wrote:Overall the cars were in good shape, although some rust was visible on some car sides. However, I'd say they have a few good years left, particularly on a line which won't use them as much as Metra didThey weren't just used, they were abused! Frankly, I'm surprised so many of them held up as well as they did; CNW and Metra certainly got their money's worth out of those soldiers...
ljeppson wrote:The NJT cars have top priority. The use of the Metra cars remains uncertain according to my latest information.Just out of curiosity, I don't suppose you might have some current images of the NJTransit Comet I's as they are now out there in Utah? The guys over in the NJT forum would much appreciate it. Some of them are kind of going into Comet I "Slider" withdrawal.
ljeppson wrote:There's a couple on my website. I'll see if I can get some better ones.I looked at your website and it looks like Frontrunner is getting Bombardier "pillbox" bilevels. If they wind up fixing up the Metra cars and run each type intermixed with eachother, the commuters will LOVE that (end sarcasm). Apparently the Bomb cars have a different braking system than the Metra cars, and a similar arrangement was used a few years ago on Metrolink (their own cars were up for rehabs, so as cars were individually sent out they were substituted by an ex-Metra smooth-side bilevel). The commuters hated them, because they always reeked of brake smoke.
byte wrote:Not to cause a serious case of "topic drift" here, but what are everyone's personal opinions on the two types of commuter bilevels available (Gallery vs. Bombardier). The Bombardier cars are of the newer design and it would seemingly be a clear-cut decision to buy those cars, however Metra and CalTrain have bought gallery cars for years, and evidently VRE liked its used cars enough to place an order for new cars from Nippon-Sharyo.The only time to date I've ever rode in a Bombardier-built car was on an Amtrak trip a few years ago. It was a pleasant, smooth ride with comfortable seats, although legroom was an issue. But in commuter service, each has its strengths and weaknesses. For instance, Bombardier are lighter than gallery cars, and as such, are better suited for high-speed commuter service, and have performed well in that role on Caltrain's "baby bullet" expresses. While gallery cars are heavier and slower by comparison, they do tend to hold up pretty well in most grade crossing accidents. From what I've read, seating capacity is about the same, about 140 per car on average, +/- a few, depending on the configuration, and each type can comfortably hold approx. 200 people with standees. Also, gallery cars have slightly more bike capacity than bomb equipment, despite the fact that Metra usually doesn't accept more than 9 bikes per train (and just 6 on the busier routes, i.e., BNSF).