SLE/CtDOT VRE Virginia Railway Express Mafersa Coaches

a few pics with a camera phone lol. Beautifully done rebuilds!

Thank you for the pics! These are the first I've seen.

Not bad for a camera phone! I didn't realize these cars were in service- thought they were waiting for a cab car to enter service so they could have a "matched set."

The cars look good and it's nice to see the NH logo and the nod to history.

-otto-

Nice catch! 2 Fridays ago I watched every SLE train come and go at New Haven and nary a sighting. Bitter? No. Obsessed? Probably.

NH always put a steel plate below the windows, about 3-4' inboard of the doors, on all their fluted stainless choaches, that had either the big "NH" or the name in script - that would be a classy touch, if we're really going for originality (which we aren't).

Are these the first fluted stainless coaches since PC murdered the washboards?

these are the first fluted cars system-wide since Metro-North picked up the Boise Budds. Very classy looking paint, and as for the matching cab car, it would be nice, but they don't care as long as the cars are out in revenue service...matching or not. Hopefully the cabs will go in fairly soon, but it seems like these cars are getting rebuilt real quick.

They're being done "so quick" because not much is being done to them above the floor. The interiors are the same as when they arrived from Virginia and the exterior only receives an acid wash, a new paint job (a single black band!!) and new decals. Aside from that, most of the time and money is spent on what Dutch Rail Nut described above.

In retrospect, I'd say that's great.

1. The trains are in shape and clean.
2. It's probably a bargain compared to new cars.
3. They keep us goofy railfans happy.

That's three things going for us that no commuter operation had twenty years ago.

Will the VRE cars ever see service on the MNRR mainline or are the for SLE only?

I believe that they were purchased by ConnDOT and are strictly for SLE service only, though one SLE set makes a branch line run to Danbury durring the mid-day. I guess that would be the best chance of seeing them in "MNRR only" territory.

No SLE sets travel on the Danbury branch, though I do believe this happens on the Waterbury branch. But you will see them on the New Haven main line as SLE runs all the way to Stamford. It's looks as if those pictures are taken from the Stamford yard.

I was a little confused, it is the Waterbury branch, thanks for clearing that up

those pics are from Stamford yard, right off the mainline

I saw them today in New Haven.



I have a few more photos here Not the best photos, but you get the idea.

Wow, those are really sharp looking cars.

It makes the Bombardier car look:

A)Like crap
B)Small

I guess I'll just have to keep riding in the same boring stuff