ACMU1100 Farewell Meet?

Hey all,
Before the retirement of all of the 1100 cars, I would like to film and hop a ride on these cars. If anyone is interested meeting up, post what day you would be available. I believe the cars will be gone by early June? So we have a couple of months to enjoy them.
Here's a list that Dutchrailnut posted on the railfan.net forum about a month ago. Should be close pretty accurate.

All trains have GCT as there southern terminal.

HUDSON LINE Southbound

# 720 Lv Scraborough 716AM
# 722 Lv Croton-Harmon 719AM
# 726 Lv Irvington 741AM

HARLEM LINE Southbound

# 512 Lv North White Plains 648AM
# 516 Lv North White Plains 705AM
# 522 Lv North White Plains 733AM
# 528 Lv North Withe Plains 757AM\\

HUDSON LINE Northbound

# 755 Lv GCT 517PM to Croton Harmon
# 763 Lv GCT 554PM to Croton-Harmon

HARLEM LINE Northbound

# 515 Lv GCT 744AM to North White Plains

# 359 Lv GCT 504PM to Crestwood
# 569 Lv GCT 610PM to North White Plains
# 573 Lv GCT 635PM to North White Plains
# 577 Lv GCT 702PM to North White Plains

-Tom

KFRG wrote:If anyone is interested meeting up...

I will be in the NYC area during and around the weekend of June 13 with the intention of riding the 1100s for the last time and hopefully catching a ride on the new M7s as well.

I imagine that I'll do my railfanning during the weekend and riding on Monday, June 14th.

Is anyone interested in getting together during that timeframe?

Early June sounds good, but it looks like week by week the number of 1100's in service is dropping fast. There still should be a couple sets in service though.

-Tom

Just remember - no 1100s in service on weekends

Is the information regarding which trains run with 1100's as seen above still current? I would like to ride one of these trains this week before these cars disapear. Thanks.

Why don't you all get together, chip in and sponsor a farwell trip some
time soon on a Saturday or Sunday so that everybody gets a chance to
ride these fine cars.
Split the cost among enough people and it should work.
Insurance should not be an issue and it would seem to me that there
would be ample track capacity on a Saturday or Sunday.
If I was still in the northeast, I would be interested in such an outing.
I am somewhat surprised that a farewell trip hasn't already been set up.
Noel Weaver

two official goodbye trips were already done Noel, one by E.R.A other by some other organisation. after the goodbye trip MTA decided to keep ACMU's longer again. but this year its realy over for them, and the cars are already sold to a equipment dealer in PA.

Do you mean the farewell trip done by ERA in 1997?

How can the equipment be sold if its still in active service? Or is it assumed that this equipment dealer will be the only one to bid on the cars once they are taken out of service? (I just want to make sure we're talking about the same thing)

-otto-

Otto same deal with the Long Island Railroad. Ken Bitten purchased all the equipment for a specified amount. Then as the equipment was retired they were sent out to the buyers. I guess the railroad felt it was easier then selling the fleet piecemeal. In hindsight the LIRR should have kept the parlor cars for the Montauk runs in the summer. Lots of MP15AC's still in service.

I wrote Ken Bitten at Classic Railcars- the same fellow who purchased all the P-72's from LIRR a few years back, and rumored to have purchased the ACMU's from Metro-North. Here is his response to my inquiry:

Otto,
No, Classic Rail Cars (or any other company that I am affiliated with) did
not buy these cars. Sorry, but I also don't know who did.
Hope you solve the mystery!
Ken Bitten

-otto-

Are these cars going to the scrapper, the Third World, or China?

Hopefully, a string of them are headed for Danbury for a New York Central facelift? After the horrible winter, you would think someone at MN would have enough gray-matter to keep these functioning cars in a backlot until they know the M-7's can get through a winter without fault.

Are any tourist roads trying to get some to use merely as coaches? When was the last time these cars were overhauled? As I recall, it wasn't within the past ten years.

Dieter

Dieter the M7's have proven themselfs in LI over winter.
To keep cars like the ACMU's spare the maintenance including cab signal certificates need to be updated, and the cars need to be inspected before they can be in use again. since the ACMU's have been running under a FRA waiver for Ditchlights and cab amenities they would not pass a inspection again.. although Danbury would probably don't mind having a few they don't have money to upkeep or restore these cars.

Having ACMU's at Danbury would be great- but restoration (even cosmetic) costs money that the museum simply doesnt have- they are committed to other projects already that need to be completed before they can contemplate taking in more equipment.

Well,they're were still on as of Mon.6/14.Was at Mt.Vernon to see 6:35
from GCT come through.The exteriors on these cars actually looked
pretty good.The early models were the very first trains I ever rode on.
Very Sorry to see 'em go.

Thankfully, I did get a chance to ride them before they disappear.

Jessy and I decided to go to Ellis Island for the day, so we rode MN down to GCT, took the subway to South Ferry, and took the ferries to the various islands.

On our way back, we were fortunate to catch a Hudson express. First stop: Tarrytown. It was great flying along the Hudson looking out the head end!