M-8 Cars - Delivery and Acceptance

Saw 9334/9335, 9344/9345 and a few other 9300 series cars today while trainspotting at Mamaroneck. :D

9354/55 & 9356/57 made up the test train Tuesday night (sorry for posting two days late). The train pulled into Stamford around 22:00 and did a lot of sitting around due to signal problems down the way at CP 215 (Pelham).

A friend of mine spotted 9380/81 & 9382/83 in New Haven last Saturday.

MrWill1985 wrote:I noticed on Wikipedia that there were M2, M4 and M6 cars on the New Haven Line. Wikipedia even shows the M6 being built in 1993. Are there M4 or M6 railcars or is it only M2s? It even shows that the M2/M4/M6 are suppose to be replaced with M8s but Wikipedia isnt always accurate. And I remember watching a Youtube video about the demo of the M8 at New Haven Union Station and how New Haven Line commuters had to suffer the worst car conditions throughout the Metro North System. Smelly restrooms. Run down interiors and over crowding due to many of the old cars constantly being out for repair.

Yes, M4s and M6s do exist, and yes, all M2s, 4s, and 6s will be replaced by M8s (Wikipedia was actually correct for once ).

Not sure if this belongs here but one set of m8's didn't appear to have its destination signs along and and rear and front of train 1552
Lead car was 9201 rear was 9254

Ohh dear.a Blatant violation of rail buff code of conduct.

fl9m2004 wrote:Not sure if this belongs here but one set of m8's didn't appear to have its destination signs along and and rear and front of train 1552
Lead car was 9201 rear was 9254

As long as it has to do with M8s, then yes, it does belong in this topic . That happens more often than you think. Since the announcements have to be programmed manually train crews don't always have time to do it.

"Attention at Stratford, the 6:27pm train to New Haven is 10 minutes late because the crew needed to program the M8 signs"

Not to introduce another New London related question regarding the M-8s, but could a bridge plate of some sort (like the ones used for passengers embarking and detraining in wheelchairs, etc.) be used for the mini-highs at New London until a straighter platform is installed? (Whenever that may be, of course.) With the current SLE fleet marked for NHHS in 3-4 years any replacement equipment (presumably the M-8s) must be in service before then to cover SLE operations -unless some diesel sets are kept on hand for NLC trains- and something will have to be done to make the M-8s work with the platforms until a permanent fix (i.e. relocated platform) is made.

NH2060 wrote:Not to introduce another New London related question regarding the M-8s, but could a bridge plate of some sort (like the ones used for passengers embarking and detraining in wheelchairs, etc.) be used for the mini-highs at New London until a straighter platform is installed? (Whenever that may be, of course.) With the current SLE fleet marked for NHHS in 3-4 years any replacement equipment (presumably the M-8s) must be in service before then to cover SLE operations -unless some diesel sets are kept on hand for NLC trains- and something will have to be done to make the M-8s work with the platforms until a permanent fix (i.e. relocated platform) is made.

New London's going to take coordination between multiple parties--CDOT, Amtrak, the private station owners, input from P&W and NECR about clearances--to come up with a plan for a station renovation that complex and expensive. It's a high enough priority that they can't wait forever. But I would expect that at least at the start the 8's are only going to Old Saybrook with a couple diesel sets reserved for NLN. They can't substantially expand the schedule anyway until the Connecticut River Bridge is replaced. The construction disruptions alone would make any schedule expansion done sooner have to revert right back to previous levels during construction. So equipment and equipment/platform compatibility isn't the only dependency that has to be resolved, or the only dependency that needs 2-4 years to reach resolution.


If the GP40-2H's are going through rebuild before NHHS and the MNRR M8 order is running way late, something is going to have to give before then. SLE will need some reinforcements for a depleted fleet, but can't reasonably get a full EMU fleet until MNRR's needs are settled. That would seem to indicate Old Saybrook only for the first M8's when the deliveries are well into the option orders on the contract, and some diesels staying on as a partial fleet. If they're not going to rebuild the P40's for NHHS and the Mafersa coaches are going over to NHHS as-is they'll need an excuse to stay in running shape during the wait...even if it's on a much lighter rotation than now.

As of 9/19 the MTAs page on the M8s has been updated:

http://www.mta.info/mnr/html/newM8.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Total of 276 delivered and 256 in service.

I spotted an M-8 train on the Hudson Line for the first time today.

I was waiting at Tarrytown for the 7:47 to GCT, and an M-8 train pulled up to the platform on track 4. I'm guessing it was the 8:01 Irvington -> GCT train.

I hadn't thought there were so many M-8's that they'd use them on other lines. However, when I found out that the NH line was shut down from Stamford to GCT, I started speculating that this was a train that was originally going to run on the NH line and was just sitting around doing nothing, so they gave it something to do. (Idle hands and all that )

amm in ny wrote:I spotted an M-8 train on the Hudson Line for the first time today.

I was waiting at Tarrytown for the 7:47 to GCT, and an M-8 train pulled up to the platform on track 4. I'm guessing it was the 8:01 Irvington -> GCT train.

I hadn't thought there were so many M-8's that they'd use them on other lines. However, when I found out that the NH line was shut down from Stamford to GCT, I started speculating that this was a train that was originally going to run on the NH line and was just sitting around doing nothing, so they gave it something to do. (Idle hands and all that )

Chances are it was in Harmon Yard for something and ran it revenue to get it back to GCT where it will eventually go back to where it belongs.

truck6018 wrote:

amm in ny wrote:I was waiting at Tarrytown for the 7:47 to GCT, and an M-8 train pulled up to the platform on track 4.

Chances are it was in Harmon Yard for something and ran it revenue to get it back to GCT where it will eventually go back to where it belongs.

Except that the train came in from the South, not from the North.

amm in ny wrote:

truck6018 wrote:

amm in ny wrote:I was waiting at Tarrytown for the 7:47 to GCT, and an M-8 train pulled up to the platform on track 4.

Chances are it was in Harmon Yard for something and ran it revenue to get it back to GCT where it will eventually go back to where it belongs.

Except that the train came in from the South, not from the North.

The other disruptions this morning may have been why this happened.