New Haven Line MUs at North White Plains - 4/30

The M-3's are relativly modern cars, The M-6's were built with same technology as the M2's
The Circuit boards are massive and still use transistors, they were always poor riding and have a conciderable high failure rate.
as for mixing after the M2's and M4's head for scrapper there won't be anything to mix with.

Would Metro-North scrap 16-year old M6 cars just to have an NH Line fleet made up of one type?

Age doesn't matter...reliability is what makes or breaks equipment...for example, the six FL-9AC-DM units MNCR had ABB rebuilt were only about ten years old when they were sidelined and eventually scrapped.

PATH is currently planning for a retirement of all current cars-including the 1987 PA4s which are only two decades old to have a uniform PA5 fleet. The LIRR did the same in 1973 when all electric service was provided by 770 M-1s, replacing even the newer 1955/63 MP72/75 cars (which later became diesel coaches). Uniform fleets are now perferred by many agencies.

We seem to be getting way off the original topic.

I'm glad to hear that some NH Line cars are showing up in NWP for painting. The last 7 pairs of cars released by CSR have yet to be repainted and some of them look terrible on the outside. Keep in mind that most M2s were last painted when they were rotated through the Morrison-Knudeson plant in Hornell NY between 1984 and 1989. 33 other pairs (Phase 2 rebulids) were rotated through M-K bewtween 1993 and 1998.

R36 Combine Coach wrote:PATH is currently planning for a retirement of all current cars-including the 1987 PA4s...The LIRR did the same in 1973 when all electric service was provided by 770 M-1s, replacing even the newer 1955/63 MP72/75 cars.

There are a couple differences though.

First, many people have criticized PATH for this decision. (Especially because the PA5s are having a lot of teething problems, so who knows what's going to happen?) But with the exception of PATH, the Port Authority is an incredibly profitable operation.They're paying for this equipment with their funds. They can do what they want, it's their money.

Didn't the LIRR opt to go all-M1 in large part because they wanted to have all automatic doors on high-level platforms in order to reduce crew size?

But the LIRR isn't scrapping all the M3s in order to have an all-M7 fleet, right?

The Metro-North ABB rebuilds were the Star Wars FL9s, right? Hey they were almost 30-years-old when the decision was made to rebuild them. But I used to ride behind them on the Hudson Line on weekend Poughkeepsie trains and they ran fine as far as I can recall. (Riders I know personally who rode behind them on LIRR Port Jeff trains hated them because they were so unreliable.) They were 40-years-old when they were taken out of service.

capecodlocoguy wrote:I'm glad to hear that some NH Line cars are showing up in NWP for painting. The last 7 pairs of cars released by CSR have yet to be repainted and some of them look terrible on the outside.

Yes you're right. I saw one at a bumper post at GCT on Friday and I did a double-take, literally. I thought for a second it was OOS. Wondered why it was parked on an active track. It looked terrible. The front end had splotches of paint missing and was all scarred up.

Were the cars at NWP the other day repainted though?

The Metro-North ABB rebuilds were the Star Wars FL9s, right? Hey they were almost 30-years-old when the decision was made to rebuild them. But I used to ride behind them on the Hudson Line on weekend Poughkeepsie trains and they ran fine as far as I can recall. (Riders I know personally who rode behind them on LIRR Port Jeff trains hated them because they were so unreliable.) They were 40-years-old when they were taken out of service.

Yes, the ABB FL-9AC-DM's were also nicknamed the "Starships". They were basically test locomotives, but overall they were very maintenance intensive. Technically I wouldn't call them 40 years old when they were sidelines, as these units were rebuilt 100% from the ground up and were brand new units. .


Anyways, This forum is about the N.H MU's in North White, and I made the mistake of going off topic...back on track!

M2 pair #8702/8703 was recently repainted at NWP and is now back in service.

I have had the honor of working a revenue set of Reds on the Harlem Line, as Train #531, 1125 GCT to NWP, 7 cars, 4 M-2s (2 M-2 pairs) and 3 M-4s (1 single M-4 triplet), and it was during the time M-7As were sidelined big time due to the Fall season, and the wheels flats resulting from the slip-slides. It was needed on the fly to cover this local, so the boys at GCT sprung it into service on my train (when 535 used to be covered by a GCT conductor job). I definitely had to step up the announcement routine of mine (those who know me know my routine!! lol).....we received a hell of a lot of puzzled looks at all stations we arrived at. I even had someone come up to me at White Plains and ask if I and my train were lost (she was obviously a NH regular visiting the Harlem). It was funny, and the best part is that I got to take it back down to GCT when we turned for Train 560.

Late this afternoon I saw the New Haven line Mus outside the North White Plains Yard.

Yeah they've been sitting there for the last few days. Pretty sure it's an M4 triplet with one of the cars in the paint shop so just the other two sitting outside.

How did it came up to NWP via Woodlawn JCT?

yup they would not let them down Mamaroneck Avenue.
sorry could not resist, there is no other way other than Beacon brach, which is still out of service.

When will it move back to New Haven line?

After its painted.