Metro to retire all 1000- and 4000-series railcars by July 1

YOLO wrote:I don't see a good reason why any other series would be preserved, 1Ks and 7Ks when they retire IMO.

I think maybe the 5k's should be persevered because they were the first to have the new red, white and blue interior design without the orange and brown seats and carpet. They were also the first to have LED destination signs and interior next stop signs. That's historically significant IMO.

And obviously the 7K's should be preserved because they represent a historic turning point for Metro. The first of Metro's new generation of rolling stock and the largest single order of rolling stock Metro has ever made.

The 2k, 3k, 4k and 6k were just fleet expansion. Nothing special about them from a historic standpoint.

From my point of view in the historic field: 1000-1001 should go to the Smithsonian. They are the first of the high-speed transit cars in the US, and the first cars for a fully-ATO system. They represent Federal UMTA planning to resolve congestion, smog, and the oil crisis, and embody part of the last big push of the American passenger rail industry. Historically-significant by any means .

After that, offer some pairs of 1ks to BORM, VMoT, Science Museum of Virginia, IRM, Seashore, etc. Do the same with the 6ks (the last aluminum-bodied cars in service at WMATA, some of the last in America at retirement) whenever they go. As for the 2, 3, 4 and 5ks... if a museum wants a stuffed-and-mounted one, that may be the only way they escape the torch.

mtuandrew wrote:From my point of view in the historic field: 1000-1001 should go to the Smithsonian. They are the first of the high-speed transit cars in the US, and the first cars for a fully-ATO system. They represent Federal UMTA planning to resolve congestion, smog, and the oil crisis, and embody part of the last big push of the American passenger rail industry. Historically-significant by any means .

After that, offer some pairs of 1ks to BORM, VMoT, Science Museum of Virginia, IRM, Seashore, etc. Do the same with the 6ks (the last aluminum-bodied cars in service at WMATA, some of the last in America at retirement) whenever they go. As for the 2, 3, 4 and 5ks... if a museum wants a stuffed-and-mounted one, that may be the only way they escape the torch.

So MARTA and BART don't have aluminum cars?

Chris Brown wrote:So MARTA and BART don't have aluminum cars?

Of course, which is why I qualified my response.

mtuandrew wrote:Do the same with the 6ks (the last aluminum-bodied cars in service at WMATA, some of the last in America at retirement) whenever they go.

There likely will be Comet (Horizon) railcars floating around too, but pickings will be a lot slimmer. I don't see any agencies clamoring for new cars to that pattern - seems to be all stainless all the time now.

mtuandrew wrote: I don't see any agencies clamoring for new cars to that pattern - seems to be all stainless all the time now.

I'm no expert, but I believe the preference for stainless steel has to do with the fact that its a more robust and durable material and it has a higher strength to weight ratio than aluminum. I believe it is also cheaper than aluminum.

I noticed NYC rail cars seem to have a longer lifespan than WMATA rail cars. I don't know if that has to do with their stainless steel construction or if its more related to maintenance and the all around quality of the design and construction.

Obviously there is a reason for the departure from aluminum, but I don't know what it is for sure.

Chris Brown wrote:

mtuandrew wrote:From my point of view in the historic field: 1000-1001 should go to the Smithsonian. They are the first of the high-speed transit cars in the US, and the first cars for a fully-ATO system. They represent Federal UMTA planning to resolve congestion, smog, and the oil crisis, and embody part of the last big push of the American passenger rail industry. Historically-significant by any means .

After that, offer some pairs of 1ks to BORM, VMoT, Science Museum of Virginia, IRM, Seashore, etc. Do the same with the 6ks (the last aluminum-bodied cars in service at WMATA, some of the last in America at retirement) whenever they go. As for the 2, 3, 4 and 5ks... if a museum wants a stuffed-and-mounted one, that may be the only way they escape the torch.

So MARTA and BART don't have aluminum cars?

I think BART does, but MARTA doesn't. I agree, the Smithsonian should get a pair of 1000 series, but they probably would have no place to put it! As far as the first of the high-speed transit cars in the US, and all that, I think BART's would hold most such distinctions...

Everyone:

After following this topic for some time I agree that is is good that the prototype pair 1000-1001
are going into preservation of some sort - and perhaps they can be kept in running order...

A interesting move by Metro could be to keep a pair of each car type for either an historic train
or a display showing the evolution of Metro's equipment. An 8 car train - as SBJ suggests - is a
way of keeping these car types provided that they are totally compatible when they are used.

Jayo and CB:

The original MARTA car fleet (the 100 series pairs and 500 series singles) were built with aluminum
car bodies. All subsequent cars to date beginning with the 200 series pairs have been built using
stainless steel. BART cars - dating from the early 70s - were indeed the first modern design rapid
transit cars built of lightweight aluminum. BART uses wide gauge track (5'6") in their system.

MACTRAXX

I'll cross post there here - as of June 25, all 1000-series cars have been removed from service. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/tr ... 97e69e898b

Heads up;The Washington post has gone the paywall route.

mtuandrew wrote:Do the same with the 6ks (the last aluminum-bodied cars in service at WMATA, some of the last in America at retirement) whenever they go. There likely will be Comet (Horizon) railcars floating around too, but pickings will be a lot slimmer. I don't see any agencies clamoring for new cars to that pattern - seems to be all stainless all the time now.

The MBTA 01500/01600/01700 series are aluminum (painted so hard to tell, could pass for carbon alloy).

And BBD's Bilevels - built at Thunder Bay since the Hawker Siddeley days are aluminum and are abundant across North America. TTC's cars (also from Thunder Bay) are aluminum.

R36: huh, you learn something new every day - you could have fooled me with the Bilevels in particular.

NBC has a news report that the last 4000-series car has left the property for the scrap yard. https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/loca ... 36643.html

YOLO wrote:I don't see a good reason why any other series would be preserved, 1Ks and 7Ks when they retire IMO.

One 1000 series car was preserved and put in a museum to show what trains were like 40 years ago