Multi-Level Cars—Delivery/Status

I have taken some early morning trains that I have known would be empty and dread the MLV's showing up. There is no comfortable way to stretch out and sleep on one of those. Two seats to yourself isn't wide enough to stretch out on and they have that hard plastic bar between them anyway.

Interesting news...I hope some sort of ML EMU is part of the plans, because NJ Transit kinda needs an Arrow III replacement. (Can't see anything but an EMU on the Princeton branch, and the Gladstone line kinda needs 'em too.)

The Comet V seems awfully young to retire, but maybe they'll stick around on the Pascack Valley and Port Jervis lines at least?

Matt Johnson wrote:Interesting news...I hope some sort of ML EMU is part of the plans, because NJ Transit kinda needs an Arrow III replacement. (Can't see anything but an EMU on the Princeton branch, and the Gladstone line kinda needs 'em too.)

The Comet V seems awfully young to retire, but maybe they'll stick around on the Pascack Valley and Port Jervis lines at least?

The Comet 5's would probably go to the ACL and the southern portion of the NJCL. The southern NJCL has a multilevel ban and the ACL will never need the capacity. Some of the Port Jervis Express trains do need the capacity and the line from Suffern to Hoboken already has them on a few trains.

the comets are so much more comfortable then the muilt levels. i wish the multi levels were longer, rather then everyone right on top of each other.

will there be ACL after all casino's close ?

DutchRailnut wrote:will there be ACL after all casino's close ?

I don't foresee ALL casinos closing. The Marina district casinos are the nicest properties in town and making money despite the economy and competitive headwinds. I feel the removal of the remaining Trump property on the boardwalk should be the last of the carnage. With fewer casinos, the market has been rightsized to match the demand. The plans to double track, add more stations, and hourly service are very dead.

Just saw 6 NJT ML on the back of a CSX River Line train heading north.

I assume warranty work. Any other possibilities? Sandy repairs?

Probably not sandy repair: http://www.superstormsandyrecovery.com/ ... stock.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The info there seems skewed. I know NJT did plan to eventually remove some MUs from service, so they show there 160 MU cars with 35 damaged and 35 repaired. What they do not tell you is there was 250 total cars, and that the remaining balance were scrapped either to provide parts for the ones left running or just because they did not to repair them after sandy. Most likely due to lack of spare parts (they were all wiped out in the storm)

The same can be said for the coach cars. None of the Comet 3 cars, which were not used at the time in revenue service during sandy, were repaired at all. They are still on the property damaged and destroyed I am assuming waiting for the leases to be paid off to head to scrap. I also think most of us know that 100% of the diesels damaged etc were never returned to service in favor of being replaced by the dual modes anyways.

Were they ACES cars perhaps then? I just cannot imagine why those cars would be out-shopped so far from home for no obvious reason. Were they in a collision? Vandalized? Used for first responder training?

Warranty work.

Did they forget to put in the porter buzzers? :D

On a more serious note, are all the MLV delivered, or are there still new deliveries pending?

25Hz wrote:Did they forget to put in the porter buzzers? :D

On a more serious note, are all the MLV delivered, or are there still new deliveries pending?

I think theyre all delivered. Except for those out for warranty work. I saw the 7555 and 7559 for example up on the Center street branch for example yesterday

So I guess all locomotives and coaches on order have been delivered.

Ace, when did you become a moderator?

ryanov wrote:I have taken some early morning trains that I have known would be empty and dread the MLV's showing up. There is no comfortable way to stretch out and sleep on one of those. Two seats to yourself isn't wide enough to stretch out on and they have that hard plastic bar between them anyway.

This proves you can't satisfy everybody. Most of us hate the "three and two" configuration of the older coaches, because we seldom take the trains at hours when they are that empty and one is that sleep-deprived. The same goes for reversible seats: somebody has always rearranged the seats so that there is a facing pair which, as the train fills up, means that four (or five or six!) riders are going to have to sit with their knees right up against a facing passenger. These aren't European trains which are designed with enough room (usually at the expense of vertical backs, at least on the newer coaches) for the legs of people to sit facing one another. I like the compartment concept as it works in older European trains (it encourages conversation for one thing—if you want it), but I think it always implies fewer seats per car, which is probably why it is uncommon in newer European coaches.

As an aside, on our empty mid-day trains, it is uncanny how often, with seven or ten rows to choose from, people always reverse one of the seats so that the pillar, rather than the window, is in the middle. Perhaps they are of the same mold as those who leave the end doors open (if they are latched) so that the noise can rise to deafening levels inside; it is amazing how many riders find it beneath their dignity to get up and close an open door right near them.