Scrapping has begun

[Sand Box John]

"srepetsk"
Hey Sand Box John, have you happened to head up to the scrapyard recently? I've lost count of how many 1000-series cars actually still exist :-D
My last count is 246, but that's likely a month or two old by now.

Read my post above.

By my count 82 will have been ship to Baltimore by today.

Don't know their number as the cars are not always visible from the street.

EDIT

As most of you know Silk Road Transport is handling the duties of shipping the 7k cars from Lincoln Nebraska to Greenbelt and shipping the 1k cars from Greenbelt to Baltimore. Both are being shipped at a rate of 4 a week. Me think, but I could be wrong, the driver teams are doing double duty. Meaning when they unload a 7k car they load a 1k car, after dropping the 1k car they take their mandatory daily rest period then deadhead back to Nebraska to pickup another 7k car. They leave the empty trailer at the scrap yard overnight so they don't have to find place to park it with the tractor at location where they are sleeping.

[Chris Brown]

Anyone know why they don't transport the 7k cars by freight rail? You could load a lot more of them on a freight train. Baltimore is a short trip from DC so the trailer makes more sense there.

[Sand Box John]

"Chris Brown"
Anyone know why they don't transport the 7k cars by freight rail? You could load a lot more of them on a freight train. Baltimore is a short trip from DC so the trailer makes more sense there.

Likely cheaper and faster by truck. The cost of special handling by rail ain't cheap.

The 1k cars were the only cars shipped from the manufacture by rail. They required special handling, as in do not hump. The cars were loaded aboard 85' TOFC cars and were switched from one train to the next in a flat yard. TTX provided 4 specially fitted TOFC cars for the shipment of the cars. WMATA set up a temporary ramp on track 6 in Brentwood Yard to unload the cars. As soon as one car was unloaded the empty flat was shipped back to Winder Georgia for loading of the next car.

I had the privilege of seeing one of the 1k car loaded aboard a TOFC car outside the gate where the interchange track use to be under the track B1 elevated at the north end of Brentwood Yard. The car was on rails welded to the deck of the TOFC car and were secured in a way similar to the way an automobile is secured to the deck of Jerr-Dan rollback.

[JDC]

I saw good old cars 1000 and 1001 on the Red line today at Gallery Place on a train heading to Glenmont. I snapped a photo as a memento.

As an aside, I also was at Navy Yard station this morning when an out of service 6-car train passed through that consisted of cars 8001 and 8002 (or maybe 8000 and 8001) followed by 4 cars designed as a Blue line to F-S. The trailing cars were either 2/3 or 5k series, if I remember correctly. It was very bizarre.

[srepetsk]

8000/8001 is one of the money trains - http://greatergreaterwashington.org/pos ... -of-money/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - two cars secured for currency transport, and a random other deuce.

[Chris Brown]

I really hope WMATA or someone else finds a way to save cars 1000-1001. Those cars should not get scrapped. They should be saved or put in a Museum.

[Sand Box John]

"Chris Brown"
I really hope WMATA or someone else finds a way to save cars 1000-1001. Those cars should not get scrapped. They should be saved or put in a Museum.

Me thinks WMATA is going to do just that. They just haven't closed the deal yet, and when they do they will make a big deal about it.

The thing I am curious about is what the disposition of cars 1298 and 1299 is.

I think they should save at least 8 of them until the opening of the Phase II of the Silver line and run them as the first passenger carrying train westbound. After all the cars were shipped from Rohr's Winder Georgia assembly plant with a Dulles Airport on the destination sign rolls.

[schmod]

"Chris Brown"
WMATA set up a temporary ramp on track 6 in Brentwood Yard to unload the cars. As soon as one car was unloaded the empty flat was shipped back to Winder Georgia for loading of the next car.

Tangentially related: Do you know why there's a track that dead-ends in a pit at the northern end of the Brentwood yard? I always assumed that it was there for something like this.

[Sand Box John]

"schmod"
Tangentially related: Do you know why there's a track that dead-ends in a pit at the northern end of the Brentwood yard? I always assumed that it was there for something like this.

Track 16 connected to the B&O Railroad at the point where it curves to the east. The turnout is still there today. Said track was and still is used to do brake tests. It also slopes down to keep equipment from rolling out onto the mainline.

[Chris Brown]

Now that the 1k cars offically have one foot in the grave... does WMATA have an official date planned for when the very last 1k car will leave service?

It will be a historic moment for Metro.

[farecard]

Anyone know why they don't transport the 7k cars by freight rail? You could load a lot more of them on a freight train. Baltimore is a short trip from DC so the trailer makes more sense there.

Because the US railroads are as legends in their own mind, just as they have been for the last 100 years.

I've seen imagery from Europe where commuter rolling stock is routinely pulled over rails. Saw a power-converter/coupler converter flatcar that provided power to the cars and made the brakes functional

In the US, the first answer rail fans always offer is "Non-standard couplers; they can't be embedded in a consist...." when that's not the question at hand.

[Backshophoss]

It would be the air brake system that makes them unable to roll on their own wheels to the scrapper.
In the case of LIRR M series cars,that means they are put on flat cars to scrapper,as when towed on their wheels
can only brake in Emergency.
Since the 1K's arrived on Flat cars from the factory,the air brake setup will not work with regular air brakes used on
the freight RR's

[farecard]

Since the 1K's arrived on Flat cars from the factory,the air brake setup will not work with regular air brakes used on
the freight RR's

I suspect the EU cars are equally incompatible, hence the interface car. It had a generator to provide power to the transit cars, and some system to activate the brakes in concert with the prime mover's.

My point is the impediment here is more political than technical.

[srepetsk]

Not sure where this is, but another photo from Twitter of a 1K heading up to be scrapped: https://twitter.com/PMBelli/status/790903982059360256" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[JDC]

According to a presentation to the board last week, only 144 1000 series cars remain. Personally it seems I get stuck riding in them every time.