What's Up with M3 9893-4

Hi Gang,

The other week I happened to ride in this set of M3s and couldn't help noticing the BIG difference in the interior color schemes. It had:

Gray speckled vinyl flooring with blue studded flooring in the vestibules
Light blue speckled lower wall panels and arm rests
White speckled upper wall panels
Light violet wall panels around vestibules and car ends
Blue and red seats rather than navy blue and burgundy

When was this work done and do any other cars have this interior? It almost looked like a new car!

This is the pair I was telling you guys about. It is a test overhaul item for the M-3s. The pair was in HMC since last summer, because stuff gets taken off of cars that sit around in the house for too long. There should be M-7 style floors and other new stuff. The cars were released a few days before I got over to HMC, so I have yet to see them myself.
Let me ask around to see how it looks about doing other cars. You all know about the budget problems. The pair may turn out to be another "One of a kind" pair. (No other cars have the scheme yet.)

Tom

Tom,

I kinda figured you'd know! The pair actually looks very nice.

Oh, and Tom,

you started at HMC when, January? I'm looking for the outshop date for the pair.

Jan. 31 was my first day there. The cars were already gone from HMC, but supposedly went right over to WSY for toilet installation.
I don't have the exact [back] in-service date.

Tom

Tom,

There's no toilets in all of HMC???

No. There was only enough money in the HMC construction budget for either the toilets or the automated seat conveyor system. They elected to spend the money on the seat conveyor system that has never been used. At least a few people around here might have used the toilets, had they elected to spend the money on them.

All the M1 & M3's should have been cycled in for this type of overhaul. I'd bet the M1's would have been in much better shape and would not have nececitated a complete new purchase of rolling stock

The LIRR pretty much acknowledges that they missed the boat on the M-1s, but has the good old fallback excuse of "no money for it".
Any rolling stock, particularly EMUs, that are subjected to the abuse that the nation's busiest carriers (LIRR, MNRR, NJT) inflict upon them, including winter climate, must have some sort of overhaul program in place. At the very least, a major mid-life overhaul at approximately 15 years.
When I started as Electrician Apprentice, the program was to replace the M/A, battery set, propulsion contactors and cam operated HV contactors, and intercar jumpers, etc., every four years. Not intensive, but better than nothing. That became six year interval. Then it was no LCM (Life Cycle Maintenance) program at all....wait until it falls apart.
They are trying to do right with the M-3s, but the budget noose is tightening more every day on the M-3 overhaul program.

Sorry to bring back this old topic, but does anyone know the current status of this pair, such as what branch they might be running on? Since the photo ban was recently killed by the MTA higher-ups (see NYCTA forum for more info), I would love to get inside and get some pics!

N340SG wrote:The LIRR pretty much acknowledges that they missed the boat on the M-1s, but has the good old fallback excuse of "no money for it".
Any rolling stock, particularly EMUs, that are subjected to the abuse that the nation's busiest carriers (LIRR, MNRR, NJT) inflict upon them, including winter climate, must have some sort of overhaul program in place. At the very least, a major mid-life overhaul at approximately 15 years.
When I started as Electrician Apprentice, the program was to replace the M/A, battery set, propulsion contactors and cam operated HV contactors, and intercar jumpers, etc., every four years. Not intensive, but better than nothing. That became six year interval. Then it was no LCM (Life Cycle Maintenance) program at all....wait until it falls apart.
They are trying to do right with the M-3s, but the budget noose is tightening more every day on the M-3 overhaul program.

I sure hope the M3 overhaul comes out great.

John Villanueva of commuterspot/subwayspot/transitspot was in these cars today and managed to get some photos:

http://www.commuterspot.com/gallery/M12 ... buildFloor

http://www.commuterspot.com/gallery/M12 ... ldInterior

http://www.commuterspot.com/gallery/M12 ... dInterior1

John said that they were much brighter, and the door motor's were different. Since the train this pair was on failed its brake test, he coulden't ride them to see how different they ride from regular M3's.

--IslesFan

IslesFan wrote:John Villanueva of commuterspot/subwayspot/transitspot was in these cars today and managed to get some photos:

http://www.commuterspot.com/gallery/M12 ... buildFloor

http://www.commuterspot.com/gallery/M12 ... ldInterior

http://www.commuterspot.com/gallery/M12 ... dInterior1

John said that they were much brighter, and the door motor's were different. Since the train this pair was on failed its brake test, he coulden't ride them to see how different they ride from regular M3's.

--IslesFan

It looks great! I think the M3's new look is better than the M3's old look!

I have yet to see the pair myself, but I'm told that some of the panels simply have sort of like contact paper covering the original panel. They say the riders are picking and peeling at them already. If that's the case, parts of it will look like doodoo in short order. The wainscot panels, seat shells, and flooring will hold up, but we'll see about the rest.
I still have not heard anything about any other cars getting this makeover.

Tom

Your 100% correct N340SG, last time i was on the car, alot of the "contact paper" applied to the walls was in the process of peeling or being peeled off. I can't see it lasting a long time.