My earlier days working out of Grand Central were on the M-2's and not
the M-1's but my comments should be applied to both in this case. I did
not work the M-1's until I qualified on the Harlem in 1982.
I felt that there were too many gadgets and the cars were much too
sophisticated for railroad use, too many relays, too many breakers and
too much stuff that could go wrong.
At least from a mechanical standpoint, all of this equipment has stood the
test of time much better than I ever thought it would.
The M-1's in the later Conrail years had a lot of things wrong with them
and they weren't getting any better. Metro-North took over and spent
some money on them and worked them over real well.
Suddenly we would get a train of them and the radio and PA systems
would work as intended, the speed indicators worked again, we could cut
cars from the cab again and not have to call for the wrench, the toilets
were in working order and the sinks actually had water in them and most
importantly the heat in the winter and the AC in the summer were working
again.
Even today, I would think that maybe the Budd built car bodies might still
be fairly decent but the mechanical and electrical systems are probably
pretty well beat up by now.
It was a given that after Metro-North took over direct control in 1983,
all of the equipment was improved and more dependable, even the oldest
stuff still around.
The worst equipment was probably the SPV's which should never have
been designed and built the way they were. So much promise and such a
big failure.
The other cars and there were only four of them on Metro-North were the
GTE cars from the LIRR. The LIRR could not make the things go so they
sent them over to the Harlem and we ran them as best we could. They
seemed to follow me around, I had a job which ran a morning express out
of NWP and we got the four of them every trip. I got off that job for
another job and had them on an evening trip to Mt. Vernon and Fleetwood
most every trip. We could always figure on trouble with them at least
once a week maybe oftener and sometimes it involved a delay as well.
There was not a working radio on any of them, I finally talked the road
foreman at North White to get me a portable. Meantime the 1100's went
through a rebuilding (some of them did anyway) and they got more of
them and more M-1's on the road on a daily basis and after they got this
accomplished, they put those LIRR junkers out of their misery. I was not
sorry to see them go.
As far as working on the cars was concerned, my biggest fault was the
cab, too small and too much glass.
I can't judge the M-7's as I have not even seen one much less ride in one.
I plan to ride the LIRR next month and might catch one on that operation.
Noel Weaver
