Additional Comets to Septa?

Silverliner II wrote: In 1993, SEPTA borrowed three soon-to-be-retired U34CH diesels from NJ Transit. Two units handled a diesel train from West Trenton to 30th Street and the other ran a Lansdale-30th Street diesel train.

Okay, another annoying question... Last Thursay, I saw a big diesel, not one of those little switchers that they usually use to move the trains, sitting at Wayne Junction next to the big building that's next to the tracks and south of that rusted out Blueliner. It looked like it was either just washed or freshly painted. I was sitting on the opposite side of the car so I wasn't able to get a really good look at it. Is that one of the U34CH's?

You mean, this? http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottyd269 ... 6762004017

Read up on it @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NRE_2GS14B or search for SEPTA Genset in this forum.

Silverliner II wrote:I got to ride the Fox Chase diesel train during the 1992 Railworks season and the West Trenton and Lansdale diesel trains several times during the 1993 Railworks season, and those were only slightly better. Didn't make it to 70 between stops on the West Trenton, but that's to be expected with diesel acceleration...

Especially with the diesels SEPTA was using: the RL1s (shop queens) and later hand-me-down U34s from NJ Transit. I wouldn't take either of those as representative of what a decent passenger diesel could do, though just about any diesel will be unable to perform as well as an MU.

BuddCarToBethlehem wrote:Okay, another annoying question... Last Thursay, I saw a big diesel, not one of those little switchers that they usually use to move the trains, sitting at Wayne Junction next to the big building that's next to the tracks and south of that rusted out Blueliner. It looked like it was either just washed or freshly painted. I was sitting on the opposite side of the car so I wasn't able to get a really good look at it. Is that one of the U34CH's?

I'm thinking that was 70 you're talking about. It did look pretty sparkly this morning--I noticed it too.

BuddCarToBethlehem wrote:Okay, another annoying question... Last Thursay, I saw a big diesel, not one of those little switchers that they usually use to move the trains, sitting at Wayne Junction next to the big building that's next to the tracks and south of that rusted out Blueliner. It looked like it was either just washed or freshly painted. I was sitting on the opposite side of the car so I wasn't able to get a really good look at it. Is that one of the U34CH's?

Likely it was genset diesel #70. I saw it parked at Wayne Electric this morning, and indeed looking quite shiny. After Railworks, SEPTA returned the U-boats to NJ Transit, which I think retired them immediately. In fact, one of the units SEPTA had suffered a prime mover failure near the end of Railworks and never ran again.

So, anybody up for a quick trip down Memory Lane to 1993?

And one more for the road.... side by side.....

The bottom shot could have very well looked like Newark Penn Station (oh wait, the U34s were Hoboken units).

Matthew Mitchell wrote:

Silverliner II wrote:I got to ride the Fox Chase diesel train during the 1992 Railworks season and the West Trenton and Lansdale diesel trains several times during the 1993 Railworks season, and those were only slightly better. Didn't make it to 70 between stops on the West Trenton, but that's to be expected with diesel acceleration...

Especially with the diesels SEPTA was using: the RL1s (shop queens) and later hand-me-down U34s from NJ Transit. I wouldn't take either of those as representative of what a decent passenger diesel could do, though just about any diesel will be unable to perform as well as an MU.

You have to give credit where credit is due: while our RL1A locomotives are... wellll..... crap..... those old U34CH's was running strong right up to the bitter end by all those Jersey drivers: Erie-Lackawanna, the CNJ, Conrail, NJDOT, and NJ Transit shoving around the Pullman Comet I Push-Pull coaches (first equipment to use a MU control in a remote operation). They did what they was built to do: get commuters from Point A to Point B and nothing more.

Pics of 4154 would have been nicer IMO.

Ken S. wrote:Pics of 4154 would have been nicer IMO.

I actually have a couple with 4154, but they aren't the best. One was at Forest Hills on the morning train. The others were of it pushing its train across the Schuylkill on the Conrail Trenton line, but it's not the clearest as far as details go, so I never scanned those two....

redarrow5591 wrote:... and NJ Transit shoving around the Pullman Comet I Push-Pull coaches (first equipment to use a MU control in a remote operation).

Not quite. Push-pull operation had been in use in Chicago commuter services by the C&NW with bilevel coaches and cab cars since the late 1950's. But the Comet I coaches were the first of their design (while SEPTA 2550-2559 are the last) and were the first to have what we now call HEP...

Silverliner II wrote:But the Comet I coaches were the first of their design (while SEPTA 2550-2559 are the last) and were the first to have what we now call HEP...

I see design influences in the Comets with the LIRR MP72/75 cars (also built by Pullman) dating back to 1955 & 1963.

Silverliner II wrote:

Ken S. wrote:Pics of 4154 would have been nicer IMO.

I actually have a couple with 4154, but they aren't the best. One was at Forest Hills on the morning train. The others were of it pushing its train across the Schuylkill on the Conrail Trenton line, but it's not the clearest as far as details go, so I never scanned those two....
.

Post it anyway! Would still love to see it! Those U34's in Septa territory is rare enough!!

Wow, I didn't know Bombardier no longer makes Comets. I guess the demand out there is for the bi-level railcars now...

Tritransit Area wrote:Wow, I didn't know Bombardier no longer makes Comets. I guess the demand out there is for the bi-level railcars now...

They wouldn't have been able to now anyway without modifying the design slightly to accommodate larger windows for FRA compliance with emergency exits. But yep, the last Metro-North order, which was followed by SEPTA 2550-2559 was the last.

blockline4180 wrote:

Silverliner II wrote:

Ken S. wrote:Pics of 4154 would have been nicer IMO.

I actually have a couple with 4154, but they aren't the best. One was at Forest Hills on the morning train. The others were of it pushing its train across the Schuylkill on the Conrail Trenton line, but it's not the clearest as far as details go, so I never scanned those two....
.

Post it anyway! Would still love to see it! Those U34's in Septa territory is rare enough!!

Well, ya talked me into it. I'll dig them out and scan them tonight...