Blue Line 0600 Tracker (Hawker-Siddeley) RETIRED

I have to comment on the sights of seeing and being inside the 0600 pair that are preserved at Seashore..
#1) I am glad the set is one the best of the best of the lot. No rot, and very very very clean..

#2) Those 0600's look too modern to be there compared to the relics in their inventory

Merry Christmas.

Well let us not forget that this set 0622/23 were sent to NY to be evaluated and rebuilt for the possiablity of going to the Orange Line as a B-unit to be placed in-between the 012/1300's. But I believe they said it was too costly and that they had clearance issues with the tunnels hitting the cable runs for the ATO/ATC. But not sure if that is why they stopped it? Please enlighten me.

I thought the plan was to run them in three 8-car trains of 0600s on the Orange Line. But that the project was scrapped due to being to costly. So they were supposed to run in mixed consists with the 012/1300s?

Right but it was scrapped from what I heard from a foreperson at the Hts is that for some reason they were not clearing certian points in the Washington St tunnel. The sceond reason was that the bodies of the 0600's were in such bad shape that it would be too costly to rehab the cars. But I heard both reasons from former employees, so I don't know what the correct one is.

http://photos.nerail.org/showpic/?20090 ... e&BOOL=ALL

Found this on NERAIL.. There was so much fanfare when the 0600's were put in service that the MBTA put out a brochure promoting these modern, bright, spacious, and air conditioned cars to hit the rails.. Perhaps with the horrible press the LRV's got, and rightfully deserved, this PR brochure was perhaps created to demonstrate that the folks north of the border built a rapid transit car that was built right the first time, and built to last, though more attention could have been made to using anti-corrosive materials, being parked near the ocean, and airport, though then again, the MBTA could have washed the exteriors once in a while and taken better care of them.

That photo was taken outside the builders plant at Thunder Bay, Ontorio Canada. Let's not forget that the TTCLRVS were also being built at the same time. There are photos in earlier editons of Rollsign where the TTCLRV and the EBT #4 cars are side by side.

BowdoinStation wrote: Found this on NERAIL.. There was so much fanfare when the 0600's were put in service that the MBTA put out a brochure promoting these modern, bright, spacious, and air conditioned cars to hit the rails.. Perhaps with the horrible press the LRV's got, and rightfully deserved, this PR brochure was perhaps created to demonstrate that the folks north of the border built a rapid transit car that was built right the first time, and built to last, though more attention could have been made to using anti-corrosive materials, being parked near the ocean, and airport, though then again, the MBTA could have washed the exteriors once in a while and taken better care of them.

If I am wrong, I know someone here will correct me.

I think there was some very early initial praise for the LRV fleet when they first came on line. I believe they "saved the Green Line" during the Blizzard of 78. I did see a local AD for it. I did a quick search and found nothing. Either way I am sure that praise went away fast.

Don't quote me but they were pressed into service when Pope John Paul II came to Boston in 78 I believe.

The Boeings were pressed into service ahead of schedule on December 30, 1976 during a blizzard. By 1978 they were in regular service. What *was* pressed into service in 1978 for the Pope's visit was 5734, giving it the odd distinction to be the last Type 5 to operate in revenue service -- 19 years after the fleet was retired.

Right about the Type 5 they put anything that could carry passengers in service. I only heard stories about the Type 5 but saw from my house the Bluebelles in service on that day along with Pullman Standards and St Louis cars. I went to the Old Garfield School and my 3rd class faced the Blue Line and I was able see the Bluebells get tested daily and was able to tell them apart because of the 2 pantographs on the #4 cars. Unlike the single pantographs on the 24 and 51 cars.

According to a "higher-up" within operations, the #4 East Boston Tunnel Car fleet has been officially retired, including the 4 car work train.

Hopefully the rest of them will go to other museums then, like Shore Line in Connecticut, Edaville Railroad in South Carver, and The National Capitol Trolley Museum in silver Spring, Maryland

Even the work train? So Blue's got bupkis for work equipment again.

Something smells of politics about the residual lease here. I find it very hard to believe that these things went from daily revenue service to inoperable, cootie-fied deathtraps--every single one of them--in 2 years flat while on Red the 01400 work cars still get hoisted up off their deathbeds to wheeze out of the yard 20 years later. Or maybe the outermost storage track at Orient Heights gets some unusually specific severe salt-spray wind patterns. Yes...that's it.

I don't see any of the remaining cars besides the two going to the new MBTA Terror Training Facility to saved from the torch. All the cars have been placed out back and are being stripped of usable parts for the Orange Line fleet. As for the Blue Line missing a work train. For years before the 0700s came, the work train was made up of a train of 0600s when needed. So now a train of 0700s will tow the work flats when needed. There is no need for a dedicated work train on the Blue Line. Lets not get off topic here.

I wouldn't be surprised if the decrepit state of the Orange Line fleet was the sole reason behind it. Has an order been put out to bid yet? This is ridiculous. If this winter isn't as mild as the one we just had, I wouldn't be surprised if the line becomes pretty severely crippled.