Where can I find more information regarding the various types of the Metroliners. How many versions were there? Where can I also find the specifications of the various Metroliners? I see ones with half diamond shaped pantographs and full ones. I see ones that have blended braking with the roof ventalations. Did the Metroliners have all powered coaches or were they married pairs? Did they have single powered cars? Were the Metroliners compatible with Silveriners or Jersey Arrow coaches?
Alright, I think I can help you. I wouldn’t really be able to tell you specifically where to go to learn about them, but I can answer your questions.
The Metroliners were first built in 1969, and were some of the PRR’s last orders before the Penn Central merger. They went to Amtrak in 1971, and though they were not stellar performers in a mechanical sense, their brand new interiors and switftness made them popular with passengers, who were used to the relatively ancient and decrepid passengers cars of the time.
There were 3 different configurations. Coach, Cafe, and Club. The coach and cafe were similar to the Amfleet cars in their interior and window arrangement (or perhaps, the other way around, since the Metroliners were built many years before the Amfleets). The Club car however, lacked one windo near the cab end, and its interior was full of “swiveling” bucket seats so that passengers could face any which way.
The Metroliners were officially a Budd design, but had electrical components made with either GE or Westinghouse parts. Westinghouse Metroliners were recognizable by single arem “Faively” pantographs, while the GE cars were identifiable by the “Stemman” pantographs like found on Jersey Arrow I and IIIs.
The roof vents were rebuilds in an attempt to improve reliability. 4 cars were initially rebuilt, and these are recognizeable by “rounded” roof-top bulges. After these 4 cars were built, a number of additional metroliners were rebuilt, but with an more “angular” roof bulge.
These roof top blisters containted dynamic break grids and other “hot” electrical components, so that air could cool them more easily than undeneath the car (in the original design, the
Once the Metroliner MUs were replaced on “Metroliner” Service runs by AM7 powered Amfleet train sets; they were re-designated as “Capitoliners” and used between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, In this service, three car trains were more common along with a two car sets. In original NEC service the most common consist was a four car set, Coach - cafe - coach - Parlor (Club).
Subsequently, some Metroliner coaches were converted into push-pull power cars. These are still in use on Keystone Corridor trains between Harrisburg PA and New York.
The Metroliner cab-cars were also found on the Sand Diegan in California for a long time. When Amtrak still ran to Atlantic City in the early 90s, Metroliner cabs were used in this service as well.
During the Rebuilding of the Metroliners, GG1s with HEP cars often hauled amfleets on Metroliner schedules. The GG1s apparently were able to match the Metroliner’s day to day performance.
Yep, I remember the cab-cars on the San Diegan. Sometimes I’ll run an old Amtrak AmFleet San Diegan on Microsoft Train Sim to bring back those memories.
