What happens to the single level cab cars?

[MCL1981]

Once the new multi-level cab cars arrive, what happens to the old single level cab cars they replace? For example, 875 is 5 new ML's and 1 old single level cab car. Presumably, that cab car will be replaced with a new ML cab car.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

Once the new multi-level cab cars arrive, what happens to the old single level cab cars they replace? For example, 875 is 5 new ML's and 1 old single level cab car. Presumably, that cab car will be replaced with a new ML cab car.

All MARC IIA's are being retired, so those 11 cabs are going away. The IIB's are staying, so those 6 cab cars will still be in service indefinitely.

It doesn't much matter if they have excess cabs or never run those half-dozen IIB's in cab mode. Any cab car can run mid-set as a blind trailer no-problem, and that does randomly happen from time-to-time when equipment is imbalanced and they need to grab what's available in the yard.

[MCL1981]

Cool. I'm guessing those 6 cab cars will mostly be stored as backups? It would be nice if they could use a few as additional trailers to make crowded trains less crowded. They could put it on a train like 870/873. You get an additional car out of it. And if the cab car craps out, uncouple it and now you have another cab car already there and ready to go.

[realtype]

Cool. I'm guessing those 6 cab cars will mostly be stored as backups? It would be nice if they could use a few as additional trailers to make crowded trains less crowded. They could put it on a train like 870/873. You get an additional car out of it. And if the cab car craps out, uncouple it and now you have another cab car already there and ready to go.

The cab cars will likely stay in service, just like the rest of the MARC IIB's. There are still all single-level trains (eg. 890/891 and 894/895 on the Frederick Branch, and other Camden Line trains). You can never have too many cab cars. There's already more Kawasaki MARC III cab cars than needed, and as F-Line pointed out most Penn Line trains are likely to have one somewhere in the middle of the consist (behind the locomotive is pretty common)

[ThirdRail7]

I disagree with the concept of "never having too many cab cars". Cab cars that are capable of operating as such must be inspected as a locomotive and maintain its various mechanical inspections and certifications. This is why NJT wanted to get away from MUs and why Amtrak took out the controls of the 9800. They didn't want the expense of maintaining them.

Absent a few for protect, I don't see them hanging around as cab cars when the Marc IIIs are fully operational.

[electricron]

I disagree with the concept of "never having too many cab cars". Cab cars that are capable of operating as such must be inspected as a locomotive and maintain its various mechanical inspections and certifications. This is why NJT wanted to get away from MUs and why Amtrak took out the controls of the 9800. They didn't want the expense of maintaining them.

Absent a few for protect, I don't see them hanging around as cab cars when the Marc IIIs are fully operational.

Having just 6 spare cab cars around isn't the same as having every MU being a cab car.
MARC will have the following number of cab cars.
Nippon Sharyo IIB 6
Kawasaki III 14
Bombardier 15
I don't believe having an extra 6 cab cars around when you have 29 others to maintain is going to break their budget.

[F-line to Dudley via Park]

If worst comes to worst you just disable the controls to make them full blind trailers, and if they need to be put back into service as cabs it takes more lead time to re-enable, test, and inspect before they go back into cab duty. Instead of being an instantaneous decision, it just becomes something you do...say, whenever the Kawasakis start getting rotated out for midlife rebuild and you need a little bit of fleet padding.

But with only 6? Too small a number to care about. If anything forces a decision to disable the controls and make them run as permanent trailers it'll be because their signaling equipment is out-of-date or isn't equipped for PTC. If that's even the case with these.