Surplus Passenger Cars

Is Metra still selling off the surplus passenger cars? Have they sold off any of the older Budd cars, or even retired the older Budd cars?

I'm not aware of any Budds being retired, other than Budd cabs being reduced to standard coaches. But Budds are built to last, and if they were maintained by an affluent road such as BN, they last. I would assume RI and MILW Budds were maintained by the government, so they are likely in good shape too. Amtrak's single-level Budds are a different story - some came from owners like PC, which didn't care, and others just had the wheels run off them by Amtrak. Although Amfleets have lasted pretty well.

There's what, four old Pullmans that haven't been retired? They're not Budds, but you can be sure Metra will be selling them when they're withdrawn from service in the future.

Thanks guys...I know what the Metra Budds are like, regardless of maintenance. Years ago we opened one up from the inside for an issue or problem and I was flabbergasted to see that the stainlesss steel "guts" looked brand new!

I hope for the sake of future generations that the stainless steel used on the cars made in Japan is of the same quality and alloy content.

As for the BNSF cars, what happened to them? I heard they are stored on the WSOR, but did they ever get sold to anyone?

As information, the BNSF cars that were steam heated under the CB&Q have some interior surprises-specifically, when they were converted to full HEP cars, the stam heating popes were left intact, including the asbestos wrapping. This is allowed as long as the asbestos is not friable, meaning flaking and powedering.

As-best-as (<----Asbestos!) I can figure it, who ever bought them is stuck with them!

There's three or four un-retired pullmans currently running the C&NW.

We have a rule here at the Chicago-oriented RR.net forums - those who make crummy puns have to lay in the mud at Burnham Yard while I stand on top and photograph CSS trains - that way I don't get my Bruno Magli's scuffed...

Or you can have an 8-hour accounting seminar from Gil Norman.

(that'll learn ya)

Tadman wrote:Or you can have an 8-hour accounting seminar from Gil Norman.(that'll learn ya)

I think that would qualify as cruel and unusual punishment. Man, that's just wrong...

I saw a SWS train crossing cicero the other day with two CB&Q/BNSF coaches - is this normal? I've never seen this before.

Tadman wrote:I saw a SWS train crossing cicero the other day with two CB&Q/BNSF coaches - is this normal? I've never seen this before.

I get stopped at the Oak Lawn crossing by SWS trains at least once a week, and I noticed that too. Based on the amount of times I've seen them with the BNSF cars, I'd say a set without at least one would be the exception.

Edit: I should add that I've never seen any of the older CB&Q ordered cars on the SWS, just the newer cars normally assigned to it with the logos.

Two SWS sets had old CB&Q cars in the mix, 700 Series. 7100 series are a normal site on almost every SWS set. 6100's have also spread out to several sets, all being lead by 8400's. I wish BNSF would put better use to the 8500's being used as "back-up" right behind another 8500. One BNSF set had 3 8500's in a row.

Speaking of inefficient use of the 8500 cabs, there are still a couple of trains on either the Milwaukee or NCS lines that have at least three 8500's on a five-car set. I thought this practice would stop once the NCS service expansion came online since the additional trains would enable better equipment utilization, but it's still happening as of last week. If there's that much of a surplus, send 'em over to UP, they could use some extras...