Remembering the 01400s

Well, it was being moved around the yard around 4:35 PM, I don't know why, but they we moving them, probably just to see how they are rolling.

01491 was scrapped it was not saved.It was an experimental end it shared with its sister car 01490. 90 was destroyed in a fire in the 70's.As for 01450/55 they should be receiving trolley polles for next season.Now that the SMEES are successfully running. The poles will be placed on the B ends of the cars so the front ends will look normal.

Wow, 01490 was another fire Casualty in the pre-1980 days. There went another 01400 fire....

But thanks for the update on 01450/55, that's great news to hear about the poles..

It's too bad it takes an act of God to run a fantrip on the MBTA - it would be great to clean up one of those 01400 deuces and run a trip down the line some Sunday.

JD

That's what I was saying a while back too, they should fix their interiors up a bit and start running them down on Sundays when the system is mostly dead. That sound like a good idea to me.

I tried to get a fantrip a few years ago with the trolley meet in Somerville for the 1st time. I was talking to the asst sup of the Cabot Shops who was quite intrested to run a fan trip with the 01400. However the operations dept didnt want to do it because they are not equipped with ATO (Automatic Train Control or ATp Automatic Train Protection). I said that there would be no big deal running the trip on a Sunday and running manual blocks.Oh well I tried. My friend stepped down from his job as asst supt and went back to repairing cars again.

StevieC48 wrote:I tried to get a fantrip a few years ago with the trolley meet in Somerville for the 1st time. I was talking to the asst sup of the Cabot Shops who was quite intrested to run a fan trip with the 01400. However the operations dept didnt want to do it because they are not equipped with ATO (Automatic Train Control or ATp Automatic Train Protection). I said that there would be no big deal running the trip on a Sunday and running manual blocks.Oh well I tried. My friend stepped down from his job as asst supt and went back to repairing cars again.

Not sure, but are the 01500/01600's equipped w ATO/ATP. If so couldn't you put a 3rd car w the 2 01400's to make it so it could work

I agree, Fantrips and the MBTA never seems to want to work

I still want to get 3295 out of it's hole at Boylston!

Yea you could do that but the train would have to be towed or pushed since the 1400 are not mechanicly compatable and will not trainline with other cars except its own. Ot sure about 3295 at Boylston but it would need some serious looking over by the Riverside shops before they put power to it becuse it sat for Sooooo long.Besides I dont know how many persons there would know what to do to bring them back to running condition. Unless you get someone from Mattapan.

The way the Mattapan cars run, I am not sure they know how to fix it either!

TRANSITman619 wrote:they were just a little bit before my time so i never got a chance to ride them what happened to all of them, ive seen them at seashore and the just the remaining few in Cabot.... are their any left in circulation other than them?

The ones at Cabot (01469/80 and 01470/77) are only used for work service and as school cars for MBTA Transit Police/State Police Training.

Otherwise, beyond the 6 still here, the remainder have been disintegrated and reduced to ashes.

Which branch of the red line used the 01400s in 1994 and how many cars were used in revenue?

They used both the Ashmont and Braintree Branches, but from their introduction in 1963 till 1981 (except for emergencies) they were confined to Ashmont until they were modified with ATO & Headlights from 1979-81 and then they began rolling full-time down the Braintree Route. But that only lasted till 1993, when they were being prepared for retirement, were once agin re-consigned to Ashmont Only service.

There were 92 originally ordered. Then, by 1994, there were 86 left (six were lost during the 70s and early 80s), hence the new 86-car 01800 order that would take over the 01400s.

Before ATO, they were commonly seen on Quincy/Braintree line during snowstorms using radio clearance from dispatch.

It wasn't only during snowstorms - during the late 1970's, it was pretty common to see a single train of 01400's running on the South Shore line. It wasn't an every day occurrence, but it happened pretty regularly.

The first train of ATO-equipped 01400's ran on the Braintree line in January 1981, and cab signal 01400's quickly became regulars on the line. This included both rebuilt and non-rebuilt cars, the latter group including original Redbirds 01442-01443. I also saw a few two-car trains of 01400's (including Bluebirds) running during the evenings in 1981 before the 'guard law' was repealed and four-car trains became standard at all times on the Red Line.

Jim D.

robert, what do you mean they have been reduced to ashes? were they all burned up or sold for scrap?