Uh... what happened to the flat-sided coaches?

Don't yell at me, I'm still a novice at being a Metra railfan (I really only took a REAL interest in Metra a few months ago), but what happened to all of the flat sided coaches? The orange and brown ones, or the blue/orange striped ones? Is there anywhere I could get a glimpse of them?

Replaced! Aside from the one single-level private car, they've all been succeeded either directly or indirectly by new Nippon-Sharyo corrugated-stainless bilevels. You can still *see* them in a few equipment dealer yards in the area, but if you actually want to ride one, IRM has a very nice three car set that's been repainted into C&NW colors, complete with matching F7.

Thanks. Where are some of the yards they are kept at? The RTA orange/brown ones weren't the most pleasing to the eye, but I liked the orange and blue ones.

There still is one in the back of the california ave coach yard. just ride any up-w line train on the weekend and you will be able to see it

Which kind of flat side is it?

I think there's a yard in Joliet somewhere where one of the equipment dealers has put them. Some of these cars have had their window bands painted red, but they're still pretty obviously the same cars. Also, didn't one of the suburbs purchase just one for its fire department? There was a fairly lengthy discussion here about this "mystery bilevel" that was parked on a disconnected piece of track with a freight car. That might still be there, if anyone remembers where it was.

TheGortex wrote:Which kind of flat side is it?

It looks like one of the cars built by St. Louis Car Co.

Also, some of the orange and brown Metra Electric cars are stored in Randolph St Station next to the NICTD platforms. I believe most of the cars there are orange and brown.

TheGortex wrote:Which kind of flat side is it?

orange and brown

The cars in Joliet are white with red stripes, ex-CNW, stored at EJE yard at the bottom of the hill on Hwy 7. The mystery car in the suburbs is in Aurora I believe. Otherwise, there are some repainted to their original CNW colors with a matching F at IRM, some are at Virigina Railway Express, in DC/northern VA, some are at Nashville City Music Star Train or whatever it's called. Some are also operating in Iowa behind a RI-painted F40PH, and those are similar to (and could be) the ones from Joliet. I haven't been to Joliet for 6 months now, so they could have been gone 5 months and thirty days ago.

For those keeping score, the coaches at VRE are in three paintjobs - one is the final metra blu/red/wht, one is VRE's dark blue/silver (and looks horrible) and one is the RTA wht/red/brown.

At Nashville, some are painted Metra blu/red/wht but adapted to Nashville logos, and some are still in faded CNW paint, likely from the sixties. Where were these hiding? I thought RTA painted all these after 1981.

Ex Metra Pullman cars being used on VRE are also reaching the end of their daily service. VRE recently started receiving new bilevels from Sumitomo, which will replace all pullman cars by the end of 2007.

Tadman wrote: At Nashville, some are painted Metra blu/red/wht but adapted to Nashville logos, and some are still in faded CNW paint, likely from the sixties. Where were these hiding? I thought RTA painted all these after 1981.

Are there any pictures online of these? I read that somewhere the other day and it seems impossible.

Wisconsin and Southern Railroad (Horicon/Janesville) has some of the old flat-sided cars (not sure if they are ex-C and NW or Milwaukee Road) that they use on their executive/special passenger train, which is pulled by a vintage E-9 locomotive from the mid 1950s. All of these have been rehabbed and painted in the Wisconsin and Southern colors. You can see images of these on their website.

Byte, I understand your disbelief at bilevels still in their 1960's or 1970s CNW green/yellow. I saw a pic somewhere, and I'm still in disbelief. In the pic the bilevels are lurking behind the main train in the pic, and looking very faded. But I have seen the pic, and I can't find it after ten minutes of poking around in the usual places.

byte wrote:I think there's a yard in Joliet somewhere where one of the equipment dealers has put them. Some of these cars have had their window bands painted red, but they're still pretty obviously the same cars. Also, didn't one of the suburbs purchase just one for its fire department? There was a fairly lengthy discussion here about this "mystery bilevel" that was parked on a disconnected piece of track with a freight car. That might still be there, if anyone remembers where it was.

They are both sitting in North Aurora at City of Aurora's fire training facility. I believe BNSF donated both cars.