HI ALL
TO DAY AT THE LAFOX RD CROSSING OF TE UP GENEVA SUB EBOUND WAS A GENERAL FREIGHT AND WHAT WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRAIN??? 13 VERY OLD METRA CARS IN NEED OF A LOT OF WORK. #'7755 7787 7788 7789 7791 7794 7801 7804 7806 7810 7811 8738 & 8743… WHO KNOWS IF METRA HAS PLANS ON REBUILDING THESE CARS AND WHERE COULD THEY HAVE BEEN KEPT?? THE ONLY MARKINGS ON THE CARS ARE THE #'S. THE SIDES OF THE CARS LOOKED BAD WITH DOORS PART WAY OPEN BUT THEY ROLLED BY SMOTH
CONRAD
Great question, Conrad. If no one with more knowledge than us guys doesn’t post in a day or two, I’d recommend that you move your post to “Transit” because that includes all metro-area rail systems, including commuter. - al
I believe I can provide a partial answer to the original question…I believe these cars are the ones that have been stored on the Wisconsin Southern in Horicon, WI for the past few years or so. As to what Metra plans to do with them, I will have to leave that to a much more informed forum member than me.
I believe that these are cars that Metra sold years ago (when all of the new ones arrived) to a western commuter system (Salt Lake City?) for a buck apiece. The purchaser never used them, but Metra is buying them back (at more than a buck apiece) to ease its capacity crunch. They will have to be rehabbed, and probably updated a bit. I heard they were going to be used on some of the northerly lines. The 7800s are regular coaches, and the 8700s are cab cars. More info later, if I have a chance to dig it out.
EDIT: Definitely en route to Metra from the Utah Transit Authority. I’m sure they’ll move to California Avenue (the coach yard) soon.
There is also a bunch stored in the EJ&E Joliet yard. My understanding is they were to be used for the great circle commuter route hitting nothing but suburbs.
They’re going to the Beech Grove shops to be painted white, and fitted with shackles. They will be used to move all of the people sick with swine flu to the concentration camps. [:-,]
Aww, go on, Jim! Those people would be so ill as to not need special shackles. And in this day and age, more humane treatment of un-American perpetrators or terrorism suspects is encouraged, as is the economical rehabilitation of equipment, so more routes can be upgraded.
Just cuff 'em to the existing seats…
I heard those all had asbestos. Can’t be scrapped like they are, yet mitigation is cost prohibitive.
[(-D]
They had seats?----all the same[(-D][(-D]
Quote by Condi:
Hobo hotel.
CC
today on a eb metra was car#7725 in new paint and sitting right next to the engin.
looks like metra is getting some of the old back into action mighty fast.
conrad
…Comming to a Amish team track near you…[;)]
As of yesterday (050209) the old 11 Metra bilevels were still in Horicon, south of hwy 33 crossing, still in their rapidly-fading icky Metra colors. One is even covered in graffiti.
More than one has graffiti. Most are listed with FRYX reporting marks. It would be nice to have them leave, could use the track space for other junk.
cl;dr
TURN OFF CRUISE CONTROL
There’s is one next to the engine sitting in Kenosha that rides back and forth.So I think they are tring to bring them back to cover the budget crunch and increased ridership.On The Bilevel a few months ago.
Yes I have read about this in the Tribune, Metra is bringing the old cars out of retirement to ease the capicity crunch until they can get funds to buy new equipment.