Double Deck Passenger Cars

I got to ride in 903 last Friday afternoon on the 4:05 Needham train... I figure maybe the snowstorm screwed stuff up because that train is usually all single levels... but it was a pleasant suprise to see an old colony set on the Needham Line

also.. on Tuesday night (12/13), #623 (5:20 OB to Needham Heights) was operated with an unusual consist. There were three control cabs in the set, and a 700 was the lead car against the engine. I rode the same trainset back to Boston yesterday morning on #604.

It was set up like this:

1523-17xx-1714-749-7xx-7xx-10xx.

I've seen control units used as regular cars before, but three in a six car set?

Last evening's 5:20 to Needham was three bi-levels and two flats. The crew kept making PA announcements apologizing for the short train -- and urging passengers to keep their packages (and feet!) off the seats.

You'd think with 12 new bilevels in service, there wouldn't be a car shortage.

Diverging Route wrote:Last evening's 5:20 to Needham was three bi-levels and two flats. The crew kept making PA announcements apologizing for the short train -- and urging passengers to keep their packages (and feet!) off the seats.

You'd think with 12 new bilevels in service, there wouldn't be a car shortage.

At least you get the bi levels down there. I have a feeling we will never see them up here on the northside where myself and all of the other red headed step children live.

This afternoon I saw four of the new Kawasaki bi-level cars at the Kingston Station on train #1038. They were numbers 900, 912, 914 and 915 and they looked great!

I did notice the new position of the fresh air "scoop" (?) on the end of the car and it extended down to about window height. This really makes sense when running right behind an engine.

BTW, has the new rehab program for the single level coaches started yet? The windows on many cars are so "etched" with acid from car washing that one, literally, cannot see through the glass! Yuk!

I sure hope that this situation is being rectified at the present time.

I take it that a lot of the single level cars have windows that you can't see out of. In two weeks, I will be in Boston and plan to ride out to Rockport. I hope I get a car that I can see out of. Who knows, I might ride the southside and look for the 900 series bilevels.

paulrail wrote:BTW, has the new rehab program for the single level coaches started yet? The windows on many cars are so "etched" with acid from car washing that one, literally, cannot see through the glass!

Glass? I thought they were simply made of clear plastic......especially the way they are so scuffed-up, lol.

For our comrades on MBTA commuter rail Train 508, the 7:07 a.m. run that makes daily and often crowded trips from Worcester to Boston, good news. The T is about to hook up four new bilevel commuter rail coaches, and you and the 1,199 people who ride the train daily are getting one starting probably Tuesday morning, according to MBTA general manager Daniel Grabauskas.

The move benefits more than one trip. Trains 517, 526, and 523 will also use the new coach, which seats 180.

Tomorrow, the T will a replace a ''flat" or single-level car with a double-decker on Train 800 from Providence, which becomes the 505 to Worcester outbound, the 510 inbound to Boston, and 821 back to Providence.

Around midweek, trains on the Franklin and Needham lines get double-deckers. Details to come.

Well, that's nice (I ride #800 sometimes). But let's hope they send a few of the displaced "flatties" over to the North Side, to make a few 7-car sets! Lowell Line #308 and #333 sure could use 'em!

Diverging Route wrote:

For our comrades on MBTA commuter rail Train 508, the 7:07 a.m. run that makes daily and often crowded trips from Worcester to Boston, good news. The T is about to hook up four new bilevel commuter rail coaches, and you and the 1,199 people who ride the train daily are getting one starting probably Tuesday morning, according to MBTA general manager Daniel Grabauskas.

The move benefits more than one trip. Trains 517, 526, and 523 will also use the new coach, which seats 180.

Tomorrow, the T will a replace a ''flat" or single-level car with a double-decker on Train 800 from Providence, which becomes the 505 to Worcester outbound, the 510 inbound to Boston, and 821 back to Providence.

Around midweek, trains on the Franklin and Needham lines get double-deckers. Details to come.

Well, that's nice (I ride #800 sometimes). But let's hope they send a few of the displaced "flatties" over to the North Side, to make a few 7-car sets! Lowell Line #308 and #333 sure could use 'em!

This may be happening. I have noticed more and more trains with more #200's. It could just be my luck, but it seems like there are more on the northside.

railfan101 wrote: This may be happening. I have noticed more and more trains with more #200's. It could just be my luck, but it seems like there are more on the northside.

As of 12/16, NETransit still has the same quota on the North Side. So we hope with the changes this week, the quota will increase!

Announcing that four more new, double-decked coaches are going into service this week, MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas says passenger capacity throughout the Commuter Rail system continues to increase. By the end of this week, the MBTA will have deployed 19 of the new coaches, each of which has seating for 180 customers and a bathroom. Grabauskas says 14 more bi-level coaches will be put into service between next month and March.

On the Worcester/Framingham Commuter Rail Line, customers who use Trains #508, #517, #526, and #523 will benefit from the addition of a double-decked coach.

Capacity for many other trains on various lines will also increase this week when single-level passenger coaches are replaced with new, bi-level cars. The single-level coaches are re-deployed to other train sets, lengthening them and increasing capacity.

The trains on which customers will find more space are:

Train Number/ Commuter Rail Line

502 Worcester/Framingham
505
506
510
515
522
531
534

800 Providence/Attleboro
805
812
821

737 Franklin/Forge Park
792
796
797



Train Number / Commuter Rail Line

617 Needham
618

919 Stoughton
922
926
929
930
932
975
976

Of course, most of these trains are off-peak, when many of the cars are closed off anyway! SO NOW MOVE SOME FLATTIES NORTH!

Aren't the bilevels fordidden to be based out of North Station. I know the only time they are by North Station is at BET. If I ever ride a double decker, what should I expect.

They were used on the northside for a while, when Big Dig construction shortened the length of the platforms. They operated on every line, from what I've read, including the Fitchburg, which has been long rumored to have a restriction on them:

http://naphotos.nerail.org/showpic/?pho ... %3AMBTA/BM

They then went south to increase capacity on those lines.

I rode in 916 today on train 623 (5:20pm Needham). This was my second ride in a 900. One thing I've noticed right away abou the 900s is that their lighting seemed to be brighter than in 700 series Kawasakis (Is this only because they're new, or some actual difference?). The ride in them is also noticeably quieter and smoother. I'm definately looking forward to seeing more 900s in service in '06, they're very nice.

They operated on every line, from what I've read, including the Fitchburg, which has been long rumored to have a restriction on them:

Back when I lived in Waltham, I clearly remember seeing a few bilevels on the Fitchburg during a short period in 1998, I believe. This was during the time when some of the platforms were shortened.

GrahamP117 wrote:The ride in them is also noticeably quieter and smoother.

They ride smoother and quieter because they are new. Give them six months to a year and they will start to get flat spots, unfortunately.

GrahamP117 wrote:Back when I lived in Waltham, I clearly remember seeing a few bilevels on the Fitchburg during a short period in 1998, I believe. This was during the time when some of the platforms were shortened.

We had them on the Lowell Line as well. I recall legendary Conductor Jay Marsden complaining that his knees couldn't take all the steps! Fortunately since then Jay has had his knees replaced.... now he's enjoying his "cigahs" by the lake in New Hampshire.