There are a lot of different Metra commuter cars operating in the Chicago area. Some of those commuter cars are easier to identify, such as the older Pullman cars with the different paint and the Electric MU cars. But what about all the others that were made basically from the 1970s to 2000s? They all look pretty much the same to me.
If you are comparing commuter cars in the east one can easily tell the difference between many of the cars, such as the different Silverliner generations of SEPTA or the Comet/Arrow cars of New Jersey transit. But with Metra, they all look the same to me? Help?
This may help: http://www.chicagorailfan.com/rosmetps.html
There are three generations of cars, all of which look very similar. The windows would be a good way to tell at a glance. The Budd's have the smallest windows of them all. The Amerail cars have bigger windows than the Budd cars. The Nippon-Sharyo cars have big windows too, but they also have white rubber around some of the windows where the emergency exits are.
Another way to tell is by the vents above the doors, there is some variation there as well.
Long live the J!
The EMU's that run on the IC are the easiest to distinguish. The original Highliners, which entered service beginning in 1972, are painted steel and have the pantograph on the motorman's end. The new cars are stainless steel and have the pantograph on the end opposite the motorman.
In the end, the Sharyo, Amerail, P-S, StL and Budd cars are all based on the gallery car design from the late 1940's Very unpleasant for passengers and out of date. The Bombardier design is much more pleasant.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I'm a twice daily rider on the Southwest Service (ex-WAB) since 1987 and on the BN before that and I don't find anything particularly unpleasant about the gallery design. How is it outdated beyond the fact that it was designed in the late 1940's??
If you are ok with that design, fine and good. I've ridden them on several lines, starting with the CNW west since the late 1950's of and on. I thought they were ok, too, until I rode the Bombardier cars (true double-deckers) in Germany and around San Diego. They are quieter, brighter, ride better and have a more open, spacious feeling.
....quieter, brighter, ride better, and have a more open spacious feeling...
A solo trip in the 1960's, well, my Miranda...accompanied me, her SLR heart looking through 70 to 105 mm eyes.....Chicago, actually Joliet, got to ride on RI into Chicago (La Salle St?) the GM Aerotrain train.....Greyhound-like bus bodies on "little red wagon" wheels and suspensions. bus-seat spacing, small windows....
Are there any fond memories that resemble that trip out there?
The first line: ...quieter brighter ride better----
My magic carpets, early on]' were LIRR's MP-54's; they were Cadillacs, comparatively, but they were, (ride quality here) called Pings.....Ping Pong balls....and the Aerotrain....much worse....yeah, track, car maintenance, train handling...all great big possibilitys.
Let us "have conversation."
A solo trip in the 1960's, well my Miranda...accompanied me, her SLR heart looking through 70 to 105 mm eyes.....Chicago, actually Joliet,.... got to ride on RI into Chicago (La Salle St?) on the GM Aerotrain train.....Greyhound-like bus bodies on "little red wagon" wheels and suspensions. bus-seat spacing, small windows....
Although your writing style is a bit disjointed, I agree. Did you ever ride one of the old RI arch roof suburban coaches? I'm wondering how they compared with the old CNW 80' arch roof suburban cars (not the 60' monitor roofs).
schlimm In the end, the Sharyo, Amerail, P-S, StL and Budd cars are all based on the gallery car design from the late 1940's Very unpleasant for passengers and out of date. The Bombardier design is much more pleasant.
I would agree espeically in a cold climate such as Chicago. Stainless Steel and Vynl seats vs Composite and cloth..............whats METRA thinking? Chicago Gallery Cars are refrigerators on wheels in the Winter. Additionally the sight lines on the Bombardier cars are better and one can see the station LED display from most places in the car without leaning or bending. The PA system seems to be better on Bombardier as well.
OTOH, my vote goes to the Gallery Cars for crashworthiness and ability to view and collect tickets efficiently. Perhaps that's why they are favored by Chicago with all it's congestion with freight trains?
May I ask how they are unpleasant and out of date? They were ahead of their time and the Bombardier design puts the engineer right at track level making them more susceptible to injury in a collision, where as the old design keeps the engineer above the point of impact and unfortunately there have been occasions where if they were in Bombardier cars, they may have died. I'll take safety of my train crew over comfort every day, now if you are talking about seat comfort and the like, well you might have a point, however these types of cars are not intended for long haul passenger but just commuting, longest Metra route being 63 UP-NW line.
Grew up in Chicago suburbs with the CBQ/BN/BNSF being my home line, but rode, CNW and Milwaukee as well.
I don't know which line that cmstp&p rides, but I don't take a chill in the winter on the Southwest line. Anyhow, composite construction is relatively new and expensive and may be untried in rail service, stainless steel construction is a proven technology that holds up well in harsh operating conditions. Vinyl seats aren't that bad unless you're wearing shorts.
For those who think the old gallery design (from Budd and St. Louis Car originally) is just fine, have you ever ridden the Bombardier double deckers? As to safety, how many fatalities have there been for engineers in the Bombardier control car? And how many train to train collisions in gallery cars where the engineer survived because he was in the upper level?
I have ridden on the sounder coaches, and they are ok but honestly, they aren't any better or worse than the Budd or St Louis Car Co, I prefer Budds myself.
Now I did a little digging but didn't find to much info except of one engineer fatality in a Metrolink (Bombardier)crash in 2005. There wasn't any info on fatal Budd Car crashes where the engineer died.
I've ridden everything Metra has to offer other than the Metra Electric.
I enjoyed riding the original Budds for the historical value.
The Amerails and Nippon Sharyos are certainly more pleasing these days, especially with the Sharyos having the largest windows.
I have not had a chance to ride the Bombardiers anywhere yet, but hope to ride them in Seattle at some point.
Hoping for a railfan trip to New Jersey this fall, hoping to ride some NJT bilevels whcich I believe are a mix of Kawasaki and Bombardier designs.
I'm just glad there is a train to ride...
schlimm For those who think the old gallery design (from Budd and St. Louis Car originally) is just fine, have you ever ridden the Bombardier double deckers? As to safety, how many fatalities have there been for engineers in the Bombardier control car? And how many train to train collisions in gallery cars where the engineer survived because he was in the upper level?
I have ridden both types extensively, as well as the very cramped east coast bi levels (LI, MBTA etc.) as well as European bi (tri?) level cars on the RER (SNCF design) and those on Tokyo suburban services (but those are green cars), and I far prefer the roominess and open feeling of a gallery car.
CMStPnPChicago Gallery Cars are refrigerators on wheels in the Winter.
I don't know where you sit on a gallery car, but I have been riding them since 1961 and yes, the winters in Chicago can be extremely cold but I have never felt cold in the cars. The electric heat is both baseboard under the windows and through the air handling plenum. Of course, I and most other passengers are dressed for the cold. And in the summer, an air conditioner may occasionally fail in one half of a car but that is not common. If you ride (stand) in the center vestibule, it is not heated except from leakage from the passenger sections and gets cold air leakage around the doors and blasts when they open at stops.
Have not been on Bombardier cars but hope to. Stepped into the MBTA's double decker cars once in Boston and thought they looked interesting. Would like to know how conductors find ticket taking compares for efficiency.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.