I should have noted these as advance extra sections of regular trains, with the announcement of no regular dining or beverage service, although often a vender of drinks and snacks was on-board. The running time was not much different, possibly 4-hours and ten minutes with all the regular stops.
Similarly, the North Shore operated Chicago - Great Lakes Sailors' Specials with Chicago Rapid Transit wood open-platform elevated cars and built a special high-platform for them at the Skokie Valley Great Lakes Station.
I'm reviving this thread primarily for the benefit of 24..., our informative NYNH&H-PC-Contrail-Amtrak engineer. Yes, during WWII on a few Thanksgiving-Day weekends (also possibly before and after Christmas and Easter), MP54s did run through between NY and Washington when equipment was very short and demand was high. Passengers simply appreciated the chance to sit for the trip instead of standing.
In the 1940s-50s the timetable said MP54E3s and their trailers could do 70 mph but the earlier cars were 65. Then in 1959-61 it said the E5-E6s (the ones rebuilt circa 1950) could do 80 mph; that ended around 1962.
Single-ticket service and through trains sound like good ideas on paper but the reality is different. It involves interline operations and the various agencies would have to negotiate divisions of fares. Operating crews would also have to be qualified under other types of equipment and crew assignments for through runs would have to be equitably arranged by negotiations with the Brotherhoods. Co-ordinated scheduling appears possible.
Yes, on busy weekends virtually anything with a seat cushion would be used...and NJT/CONNDOT do have weekend moves from New Haven to NYP where the train assumes an already scheduled NJT train..
....I think PC jumped at through line engines as soon as NH joined by running GG1's to NH on occasion.
I am still a big advocated of regional rail with equpment, schedules and connecting schedules,and one ticket rides for SEPTA, NJT, LIRR, and MNRR-ConnDot.. Especially for NJT it would utilize equipment instead of the round trip deadhead moves a lot have to make at least onece daily. And the service would aid local auto congestion and air quality and give more freedom of movement if it were available (i.e. freedom of movement: people might decide to go someplace by train instead of putting up with the hassels of driving).
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LION thinks that commuter equipment was sometimes used when greater service was required, such as an Army-Navy game in Maryland, or even on Thanksgiving service. Not sure about MP54s, but sometimes NJT equipment is leased for this purpose.
NJT equipment does go up to New Haven CT for football games in the Meadowlands. Their equipment is compatible with both power systems (as is AMTK equipment, of course) but Metro-North equipment cannot operate in New Jersey.
ROAR
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I'd guess they were geared for 65 mph. Their short length also meant the ride would degrade in a hurry at higher speeds. In commuter service, not much gained by any additional top speed....most of the time.
In 1979, SEPTA still fielded a few sets of MP54s for rush hour service to Wilmington DE each day. These would typically handle the "all stops" schedules, stopping every couple of miles, at the most. The express trains would get Silverliners - always.
Except one day when it snowed and my usual 4 car "express to Chester, local to Marcus Hook - 95 mph downhill through Ridley Park" train couldn't get out of Suburban Station. The next train ready to go was the "all stops" six car MP54 train, so they substituted.
That six car set of MP54 got the cross-over to the "express" track and wound up to 65 mph, bouncing and swaying all the way to Chester where we got back over to the "local" track and finished the trip. It took a few extra minutes to get home that day.
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
alloboard What? 65mph? Why! That's too slow.
What? 65mph? Why! That's too slow.
MP54's were also equipped with just two traction motors on the truck on the pantograph end.
PRR MU cars (presumably MP54s) ran on a few NY-Phila (or Jersey City-Phila) locals, and on a few Phila-Baltimore locals, along with the expected shorter routes.
Not too slow for station hopping...we're talking about commuter rides not luxurious long distance leaps! Understand the difference in levels of railroad services, the age of the equipment, the terrain of the railroad, etc.
Were MP54s ever scheduled on Clockers? Maybe not. Did they ever run on NY to Philadelphia locals? Probably yes. Probably be hard to find on on a NY-Washington schedule, tho.
How can there be any coach heavier than MP54s or any typical mu coach as they have motors. Lol
Don't believe there ever was a NYP to Wash. MP54 schedule. Clockers were lcomotive hauled with heavyier coaches than the MU's and "nicer" shall I say.
As far as I know MP-54's were only used for commuter trains, so it's highly unlikely an MP-54 train would have run from New York to Washington. Possibly some of the Pennsy fans out there can provide further insight.
Back in the PRR days were the MP54s used to run the clocker services besides the GG1. At times did the MP54 ever run from NYC to Washington DC?
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