Budd M3 Odds and Ends

Although there are few that will miss these cars considering how little gets put into them anymore, there are so many peculiar things that I've kind of jotted down, mainly about the cosmetic variations.

Why are they all so different? All the cars have the "Metropolitan Transportation Authority" text, but why is there a split between the thin and BOLD text? It seems that most of the lower numbered cars have the thin text, while the higher cars have the BOLD, but there doesn't seem to be much more of a rhyme or reason. All the cars have received some decal modifications at some point or another, so why wasn't it ever uniformed (Cost?)?

When the railroad takes "the option" in a contract with a manufacturer to aquire more cars, the next batch usually comes different from the first after issues are raised about what went unnoticed that was built and needed to be changed or modified. In addition, the funding for these "additional units" may come from a different source (again a contractual spec) causing certain naming/lettering/ownership titles to be displayed on the carbody. Its a tangled web because of the MTA funding and contractual spending supposedly being done efficiently. Please don't attack me about that statement> don't kill the messenger!

The old 600 series powerpacks were also a diverse bunch.pretty much each one was unique as to paint, switches.brakes,etc.I remember one where they took the ASC ackwoledging foot pedal out and put a pushbutton on the console stand.found that out entering Babylon interlocking once

The odd decals are a result of a mishmash of rebranding.

As delivered, the cars had the thin Roman serif font for "Metropolitan Transportation Authority" and the two-tone "M" LONG ISLAND logos.

In the early 90s, the LIRR started putting the "M" circle logo, with Long Island Rail Road text beneath, on the M-series cars. The METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY text was also updated in a hideous bold font (over the center windows). This was only done on certain cars, and then shortly after, the MTA introduced its new logo and style guides for nomenclature, and the cars were further updated. The MTA moved away from spelling-out its abbreviation. So you had some cars with the interim update, most eventually got the new MTA logo, and some still hung on to the old graphics for a while.

Note all the new M7 cars were delivered with the wrong font for "LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD". Someone substituted Arial for Helvetica, and thus, the whole fleet doesn't conform to MTA style guidelines.

Also to note is that the M-3s were factory delivered with blue striping, when the M-1 fleet was in the process of having the side striping removed with yellow ends added.

SwingMan, I am one who will miss the M3 cars. Although they're in terrible shape/falling apart, etc. they are the last bastion of front-window railfanning left on the LIRR. We once had a fleet of 944 electric MU cars where you could do that for over 30 years. Today we're down to whatever number of M3 cars remain in-service with storm-door windows that have not fogged up to the point of being almost opaque. I for one will wish a very sad farewell to the M3 cars because their final demise will be the end of interested passengers ever being able to watch the track/signals, etc. while riding the LIRR. A very sad occasion it will be........

JamesRR wrote:The odd decals are a result of a mishmash of rebranding.

As delivered, the cars had the thin Roman serif font for "Metropolitan Transportation Authority" and the two-tone "M" LONG ISLAND logos.

In the early 90s, the LIRR started putting the "M" circle logo, with Long Island Rail Road text beneath, on the M-series cars. The METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY text was also updated in a hideous bold font (over the center windows). This was only done on certain cars, and then shortly after, the MTA introduced its new logo and style guides for nomenclature, and the cars were further updated. The MTA moved away from spelling-out its abbreviation. So you had some cars with the interim update, most eventually got the new MTA logo, and some still hung on to the old graphics for a while.

Note all the new M7 cars were delivered with the wrong font for "LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD". Someone substituted Arial for Helvetica, and thus, the whole fleet doesn't conform to MTA style guidelines.

Nice info, thank you. Anyone with examples of JamesRR logo info?

R36 Combine Coach wrote:Also to note is that the M-3s were factory delivered with blue striping, when the M-1 fleet was in the process of having the side striping removed with yellow ends added.

R36: Yes-I remember that well - it actually surprised me to see that painted blue stripe on the new M3's.

What was even more interesting to me is how both the MNCR and LIRR M3 fleets were delivered with features for both railroads then...

The MNCR cars - which came first and were tested on the LIRR out of the Shea Stadium facility - had rectangular windows with openable top
sections with the large round beach-ball M logo used with the helvetica italic MNCR name. These cars had blue and burgundy seats from the
beginning-the LIRR fleet seats had similar seat colors to the older M1 cars - the blue and burgundy seats came later...

The LIRR cars used the two-tone blue M with futura LONG ISLAND below - since it is my initial and favorite color I always liked that logo.
LIRR M3s can be dated by stenciling on the handbrake housing between the married pairs dating from 1985-86 when they were new at the
Budd plant in Philadelphia - in many cases this is still visible and/or readable...

MACTRAXX