Early Christmas present for South Shore riders?

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

Today we handled six JTTX flat cars, each of which contained the shell of one of the new electric gallery cars for the South Shore. They have to be cleared from our yard to Milwaukee, where they’ll be outfitted with the trucks, pantographs, and other necessities.

The routing was the same as for Metra, Metra Electric, VRE, and all of the previous cars built this way: the slow boat from Japan to Savannah, Georgia, then up to Chicago on NS.

I don’t know what the lead time on these cars will be, but I suspect that in the fall, South Shore commuters will have the option of riding at a higher level. The new cars will be in the 300 series.

2

Carl, where in Milwaukee are the cars headed?

3

Super Steel (wherever in town that is). They’re supposed to leave Proviso this morning (latest info).

4

The 300 series is an interesting selection. The prior inhabitants of that series were South Shore’s dining cars (301-302) and parlor cars (351-354).

5

76th & Bradley on the northwest side on Milwaukee, just off the W&S line.

6

Does anyone have any idea why they would have come thru Savannah? Seems WAY out of the way for something going from Japan to Milwaukee. Thanks.

7

Don’t have a definitive answer for that (maybe congestion at Pacific-coast ports?). But it’s been that way for years, with Virginia Railway Express’ most recent order, the Metra Electric cars, and Metra’s bilevel and cab cars before that.