SPV-2000 vs. RDC on Metro-North

[IrideNHline]

Any history on these, when they ran, builders, etc.? Also looks like an old M from the LIRR in the background.

[IrideNHline]

Found some info on wikipedia, and even more interesting was the M-497 "Black Beetle" that achieved almost 184mph with jet engines as a test of US rail with high speed. Found this picture;

[DutchRailnut]

The SPV 2000's were built in 1980/81 they were not ver succesfull MNCR had 10 and CDOT had 13.
they only ran till about 1992, the CDOT cars were converted into push-pull cars which ran till about 3 years ago.
only CDOT can not converted due to damage was SPV 50 still lingering in Cedar Hill yard.
As for the Pride of Central Jet RDC see RDC forum or NY Central forum for more info.
Use search.

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 11&t=42341

[checkthedoorlight]

What is the status of the SPV's that SLE used until they bought the VRE cars? Are they out of service, or just not being used because they aren't needed?

[DutchRailnut]

stored in NH and Believe for sale, but with not much chance of buyer, as much newer and better cars are on market.

[Otto Vondrak]

[quote="IrideNHline"]Found some info on wikipedia, and even more interesting was the M-497 "Black Beetle" that achieved almost 184mph with jet engines as a test of US rail with high speed. Found this picture...[\quote]

Not quite... RDCs were in production a generatn BEFORE the SPV. The test you are talking about was conducted in 1966 by the New York Central using an RDC. See also http://www.lulu.com/m497 for more info.

See also: http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopi ... 11&t=42341

[Wayside Observer]

That jet powered RDC M-497 looks ridiculous!! What were they trying to prove?

[DutchRailnut]

The Jet powered RDC Pride of the Central) did not run as such on Metro-North or for CDOT.
There is however an entire thread on it in Self Propelled car Forum.
and :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-497_Black_Beetle

http://stores.lulu.com/m497

[TomNelligan]

That jet powered RDC M-497 looks ridiculous!! What were they trying to prove?

It was basically a publicity stunt at a time when the NYC was slashing its long distance passenger service. I don't think that anyone thought that RDCs powered by salvaged bomber engines were going to be the wave of the future.

I must admit, though, that I remembered the event when I ran into the M-497 (restored to its original condition) running as the Brewster-Dover Plains shuttle a couple years later.

[Noel Weaver]

The jet powered RDC was the idea of then president Al Perlman. Perlman truly though there was a place for the passenger
train in shorter corridors at highest possible speeds and operated at lowest possible costs. He wanted to illustrate to the
feds and locals what a zooped up RDC could do on reasonably decent track. The test was conducted on a track that was in
good shape although not welded and not really specially prepared for this operation.
I am not saying that it would have been practical to operate RDC's in this fashion but RDC's with good power underneath them were pretty fast cars. I remember riding one at 80 MPH in Canada after one engine had died, the engineer said we
did not need it and the trip proved that we didn't.
Even after the SPV's have been put out to pasture, there are some RDC's still running in both the US and Canada and they are
still giving a good account of themselves. If Budd had stuck with the original design, they could have had a winner instead
of a failure.
Noel Weaver

[CNJGeep]

Any history on these, when they ran, builders, etc.? Also looks like an old M from the LIRR in the background.

No, that's one of M-N's Ms. Metro-North owned them too...

[Otto Vondrak]

Also looks like an old M from the LIRR in the background.

You might want to read the WIkipedia entry on Metro-North. Describes all the current equipment, including the M-series.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro-nort ... al_details

-otto-

[Otto Vondrak]

I am not saying that it would have been practical to operate RDC's in this fashion...

Just so we're clear, the NYC was not advocating a fleet of jet-powered RDC's zipping accross the country. This was built as a test-bed in order to achieve the high speeds they were seeking and get the valuable data in relation to the stresses on equipment and infrastructure in proposed high-speed operation. Get the book, it's a good read: http://stores.lulu.com/m497

Back to Metro-North, please.

The last RDC's ran on Metro-North in 1990 (Waterbury Branch, I believe...), though they were used on Port Jervis Line until at least 1991 (I have photos of them in Port Jervis yard from that time period). I think I remember them all being shipped out for scrap around 1993.

The SPV's lingered and lingered and ran in fits and starts. I'm fairly certain they were all put into storage by 1995. They used to run the Brewster-Dover Plains shuttle and late-night Croton-Poughkeepsie service.

-otto-

[Jeff Smith]

The SPV's lingered and lingered and ran in fits and starts. I'm fairly certain they were all put into storage by 1995. They used to run the Brewster-Dover Plains shuttle and late-night Croton-Poughkeepsie service.

-otto-

I lived in Patterson for most of 1991 and remember riding the SPVs on my commute to GCT. I kind of liked them because they were so different.

Personally, I wish they would develop something like this again, but we all know the story of Colorado Rail Car and their ill-fated DMUs. I think something like the old Budd RDCs would work quite well on some of the proposed service expansions in CT.

[Tommy Meehan]

I photographed one of the new SPV-2000s on the Norwalk-Danbury run in 1980, it was still a Conrail operation. The cars belonged to ConnDOT, they had ordered about ten. (NY MTA placed a separate order a little later.) When I went back the next week to ride the shuttle it was instead a conventional Budd RDC. I asked the conductor what happened and he said it was a 'weight on drivers' issue and that the Brotherhood was insisting on a fireman.

Remember the de-motored SPV-2000s? The Constitutionliners? What happened to them?