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  • M9 and M9A Procurement & Acceptance

  • Discussion of the past and present operations of the Long Island Rail Road.
Discussion of the past and present operations of the Long Island Rail Road.

Moderator: Liquidcamphor

 #1587018  by edflyerssn007
 
gamer4616 wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 9:45 pm Today's fleet availability was:

DE30- 24 Locomotives Owned - 11 Available
DM30- 21 Locomotives Owned - 16 Available
C3- 134 Cars Owned - 119 Available
M3- 122 Cars Owned - 0 Available
M7- 836 Cars Owned - 662 Available
M9- 110 Cars Owned - 104 Available
That's a crazy amount of cars not available. Is this maintenance? Dead cars? Is it really 27/45 of the diesels? That's just sad.
 #1587126  by njtmnrrbuff
 
Those are not very good numbers of what's on the current roster. It sounds like NJT a couple of years ago. Once the 3rd track project and Eastside Access is completed, I really hope that there is enough equipment available to cover the extra trains.
 #1587131  by gamer4616
 
M3's are retired and awaiting being scrapped. I don't know why they have their numbers included anymore.

Engines / Cars are out due to a number of factors. Flat Wheels caused by slip slide, periodic inspections, repair work, etc...

The maintenance forces may have some manpower shortages right now, leading to delays in repair work.
 #1587137  by photobug56
 
njtmnrrbuff wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 9:13 pm Those are not very good numbers of what's on the current roster. It sounds like NJT a couple of years ago. Once the 3rd track project and Eastside Access is completed, I really hope that there is enough equipment available to cover the extra trains.
I remember when the current diesel fleet was coming into service, and it was an open secret that LIRR had 1. ordered politician designed locos, 2. did not buy anywhere near enough cars and cab cars, 3. did not buy anywhere near enough DM's or locos in general.

I don't know what emission standards were then, for diesel locos, but I remember the black smoke from them from early on. And I can remember what it was always like going from 3rd rail power to diesel - hoping that the motor would start and stay running. Sitting in a car close to the front EB, waiting for the big, thick cloud of smoke and the rumble that told you that the motor had at least tried to start, sometimes hearing and seeing multiple attempts, sometimes waiting for 10 minutes on a dead train while they tried. And mornings, WB, hoping the 3rd rail system and inverters would work - on both ends of the train. When half your car had lights and AC, you could easily figure that one of the locos 'needed a reset'. All part of the adventure on the daily commute. Or, the old surprise change trains at Jamaica!

I'm curious - by the time I stopped commuting pre COVID, I'd never actually been up close to or inside an M9. Rumor has it there are a few trains in operation finally, so can anyone tell me if they have the same horrible seats as the M7's? (or the diesel coaches). Headrests that feel like they've been carved out of stone in the shame of a W? Horizontal part of seat tilted a bit down so you tend to slide off? Armrests with fake padding that is shaped to cause pain (and rip open your clothing)?

Before the C3's went into service, LIRR had a mockup and focus groups regarding interior design. Except for colors, LIRR heard what people said, and then did the exact opposite, and when early riders saw how bad those seats were, refused to fix the problems.
 #1587218  by Head-end View
 
I was on an M9 train this week. According to the numbers posted above, there should be about 9 or 10 of them in service. The armrest design was changed to a closed loop that doesn't catch on your clothing. The seats seem about the same as the M7's and I never felt like I was sliding off them. The automatic announcements were nice and clear.

And you still can't see out the front of the train.........
 #1587227  by photobug56
 
Do you remember the ones on the M7's and C3's? If I try to rest my head with them, it feels like a rock in the middle pushing into my skull, plus my head bounces from side to side as the train bounces around due to the lack of cushioning.
 #1587233  by photobug56
 
When I ride, I usually try to get in a nap. A 4 hour round trip commute takes away a lot of sleep time. So I put my head back for that nap. Except it's very painful.

Now the commute shouldn't take that long, IMHO. The fastest train I ride does, on a good day, an average 40mph. Now 150 years ago that would have been quite good. Not so much today. Then you get in to Penn, usually late. Pre COVID, I waited on average 10 to 15 minutes to get an uptown train to Times Square. Since the 'next trains' displays down below had little in common with reality, you would never know whether the next uptown train would be express or local. Then the rush through the crowds to get to the shuttle (hopefully easier today with the shuttle rebuild). Then the wait to get up the stairs (then) added more time. Then the walk to the office. Unless I could get direct train home - last one before 5PM, back to Penn (usually a bit faster), but the 40 mile ride can easily take 90 minutes on a good day. That's beyond sick. So if I'm critical about LIRR and TA, it should be obvious why. Only a single direct rush hour train inbound getting in, nearly always late, around 7:25AM. Only eastbound trains are at 4:19 and 4:49, as I recall. Before most people get out of work.
 #1587285  by Patch Hog
 
gamer4616 wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 10:19 pm M3's are retired and awaiting being scrapped. I don't know why they have their numbers included anymore.

Engines / Cars are out due to a number of factors. Flat Wheels caused by slip slide, periodic inspections, repair work, etc...

The maintenance forces may have some manpower shortages right now, leading to delays in repair work.
80 M3s are parked because of reduced service levels but are available for return to service when needed.
 #1589351  by BuddR32
 
By far the M7s, M9s are close but less, mainly due to the fleet being new, bugs to work out, warranty issues etc.
The M3s dont even come close to the newer fleets, but to be fair, think of the comparing a car with a carburetor, ignition points to a modern vehicle.
When last used, the M3 in recent years, while far behind the newer fleets have had the highest reliability in their lifetimes.
 #1590365  by Jake Rothman
 
This feed has been dead for a bit. Here's what we stand at. Most recent pairs into service include, 9103-9104, 9109-9110, 9115-9116, 9117-9118, 9123-9124, 9135-9136, 9139-9140, 9141-9142. Testing pairs are, 9013-9014, 9015-9016, 9081-9082, 9093-9094, 9095-9096, 9111-9112, 9119-9120, 9121-9122 and anything 9125 up to 9166 basically excluding the couple of oddball pairs already running.
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