Comet (passenger car)
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The Comet passenger car series was first designed in the late 1960s by Pullman-Standard as a modern commuter car for North American rail lines. The first Comets were built in 1970 for the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad and paid for by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. The cars were eventually built for numerous other agencies as well as Amtrak (with Amtrak named under the "Horizon Fleet"). The Comet series was later produced by Bombardier (Comet II, III, IV, VI) and Alstom (Comet V). Two sets were also "built" using Arrow MU car shells.
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[edit] Comet I
- Cabs: 1500-1534 (orig.) 5100-5134 (current) 5102, 12, 22 scrapped
- Coaches: 1700-1809 (orig.) 1700-1760 (low-door) 5707-5751 (high-door) (current)
- Bars: 1600-1609 bars since removed 1607 scrapped
The Comet I cars were the first of the Comet series, built by Pullman Standard for the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad's diesel-hauled commuter services. These were considered state of the art at the time, due to their all-aluminum bodyshell construction as well as their use of head-end power (HEP). Their automated entrance doors, designed for use with low platforms only, earned them the nickname "sliders".
In 1987, the Comet I fleet was rebuilt by Bombardier, with the cab cars and a number of trailer cars receiving high doors, for ADA access and future compatibility with high platforms. The red stripe E-L decal was removed from the cars during the rebuild, resulting in a visible "scar" on the bodyshell; also, the NJ Transit corporate "disco stripes" logo was applied to the body, adjacent to the entrance doors.
The low-door Comet Is were retired from service at the end of 2005 following the arrival of the full order of Comet V cars; however, three are in the hands of the Whippany Railroad Museum, five have been sold to the MBTA as parts cars, and a number were purchased by the Morristown & Erie Railroad which will most likely be sent to work on the Maine Eastern after modifications are made to the cars.
[edit] Comet IA
These cars were built in 1978 from surplus Arrow III shells by Budd Company for the New York MTA to provide modern equipment on the Metro-North Port Jervis Line. These cars are being sent out for scrap in late 2005 after being stored since 2004 near Port Jervis Station where they where heavily vandalized, and short period time stored at Campbell Hall and the NJT Meadowlands Maintenance Complex.
[edit] Comet IB
The Comet IB push-pull cars were rebuilt in 1987-1989 from 30 of the former Penn Central Arrow I cars. Bombardier rebuilt the Arrow Is into push-pull cab and trailer cars at their Barre, VT facility along with the Comet Is; quite often they were shipped on the rear of Amtrak's Montrealer. Upon returning, they were assigned to the Newark Division and operated at first on the Raritan Valley Line with Comet IIs and IIBs; later on, they could be seen all over both divisions as well as on the Atlantic City Line (they were also quite common on the first Midtown Direct trains, whose inauguration underscored the importance of push-pull electric trains on NJT). Presently, however, they operate exclusively on the Hoboken Division, as the rebuilt high-platform Comet Is are the only equipment with which they share compatibility.
[edit] Comet II
The most common of the series was first built in 1978 by Pullman for the MBTA as their BTC-1 and CTC-1 series. In 1982, NJ Transit and Metro-North purchased the cars in order to replace old and tired out cars that were never meant for commuter service anyway. The Comet II featured high doors as stations on the Northeast Corridor and Metro-North's system had high level platforms installed to speed loading time. The Comet II was also built for; the Connecticut Department of Transportaton (operated by Metro-North), SEPTA, and the Agence métropolitaine de transport (Montreal). Additional cars were later purchased by MBTA and NJT between 1987-90 including the only Comet II Club car in existence, which operates on the North Jersey Coast Line. Montreal cars are used on low platforms only.
[edit] Horizon Fleet
Amtrak's Horizon Fleet cars are based upon the Comet II design. The cars were built in Coach and Food Service configurations and can be found on Midwest trains in the Chicago division. However, one set resides in California and is used for Surfliner service, and the Carolinian uses a Horizon food service car. One of the main differences between the horizons and comets is that the horizons have outboard bearing trucks, while the comets have inboard bearing trucks.
[edit] Comet II Rebuild
Between 1999 and 2002, NJ TRANSIT began sending out its Comet II and IIB cars for a rebuild to AAI Corporation (in Hunt Valley MD), and subsequently to Alstom. Cosmetically, the Comet IIMs (as the rebuilds are termed) have the semblance of Comet IVs without center doors, down to the pink interior fascia, powder-blue seats and large black window border; technological upgrades such as the EPIC brake system (including disc brakes), modern HVAC, and digital destination signs were also hallmarks of the rebuild. The cab cars were "decabbed" and converted into trailer cars (another after-effect of the Secaucus wreck—the expense of converting Comet II cab cars to the newer FRA crashworthiness specifications would prove to not only be prohibitive but also to reduce the number of exit doors). All cars received a newer version of the "long door"—whereas the Comet III and IV long doors were two-piece, the Comet IIM received a single-piece door (most likely in response to the mechanical complexity of the original door) plus a trapdoor "extension" designed to retract with the door when the trap is in the "up" position.
[edit] Comet III
[edit] NJ Transit Cars
The Comet III (1990) cars are the first of the Comet series to feature center doors—this feature was added per customer suggestions, as was the innovation of the long door, which permits the end doors to open and close at low-platform stations with the trapdoor in the up position (thus eliminating the safety hazard of trains operating with doors open). The Comet III coaches are the only newer equipment in the system that do not utilize automated announcements or destination signs. The Comet III cars are slated for an eventual rebuild, whereupon their cab cars, which do not meet current FRA crashworthiness specs, will be converted to trailer cars.
[edit] Metro-North Cars
The Metro-North cars (known as "Shoreliner II") were numbered in the 6300 series and never operated on the West-of-Hudson Lines. Per Metro-North practice, trailers with even numbers lack restrooms and trailers with odd numbers have restrooms. This order also broke with Metro-North tradition of only having odd numbered cabs (excluding the West-Of-Hudson fleet). The Shoreliner II fleet was built without "long doors", a cost-saving measure readily compatible with the fact that all stations (apart from a handful) on Metro-North's GCT territory feature high platforms; but the cars do feature external steps and trapdoors on the end doors.
[edit] NJT/Metro-North Trade
In the late 1990s, NJT and Metro-North traded a pair of Comet IIs (since rebuilt) for a pair of Comet IIIs. The table below should explain the trade and renumberings.
| Car # | Built For | Model | Orig. # | Current Owner | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5009 | Metro-North | Comet III | 5179 | NJ Transit | Last seen operating as a coach on Midtown Direct |
| 5010 | Metro-North | Comet III | 5180 | NJ Transit | Believed to be on Atlantic City Line, may have returned north |
| 5030 | NJ Transit | Comet IV | 5009 | NJ Transit | May be on North Jersey Coast Line or Raritan Valley Line |
| 5031 | NJ Transit | Comet IV | 5010 | NJ Transit | On Midtown Direct |
| 5441 | NJ Transit | Comet II | 5135 | NJ Transit | Was traded to Metro-North. Car was returned to NJ Transit upon rebuild. |
| 5442 | NJ Transit | Comet II | 5136 | NJ Transit | Was traded to Metro-North. Car was returned to NJ Transit upon rebuild. |
[edit] Comet IV
In 1996, two NJT commuter trains collided in Secaucus. The front engineer's side of Comet II Cab 5146 had been sheared off. Both the engineer in 5146 as well as a passenger were killed. After an investigation, it was determined that the car design was not sturdy enough and the Comet IV cars were born. The Comet IV was based upon the Comet III cars with the biggest change being the removal of the engineer's door among other changes which included GPS. Metro-North, ConnDOT, and SEPTA versions are basically the Comet II design with center doors and the removed door at the engineers compartment. SEPTA does not own any cabs.
[edit] Comet V
These cars were purchased by NJ Transit & Metro-North from Alstom with the intent to replace the aging Comet I, IA & IB fleet. Thus far, only the Comet IAs, Metro-North's Comet IIS "Shoreliners" (returned to East of Hudson service on lines out of GCT) and the Comet I Low Door fleet ("sliders") have been withdrawn from service. All Comet I High Door and IB cars remain in revenue service.
These cars have a markedly different external appearance to the elder Bombardier- and Pullman Standard-built Comets, most notably their larger windows, their shiny brushed stainless steel exterior (compared to the brushed aluminum of the elder cars), and lack of black stripe around the windows.
The launch of the Comet V was rather rocky. Door problems (opening/closing too slowly) and a handful of other bugs and glitches plague this fleet (most notably problems with the EPIC brake system, and seat check holders that easily rip off the seat); the cars are undergoing warranty repairs to correct these.
[edit] Comet VI
The newest addition to the Comet fleet. These bi-level cars, constructed by Bombardier, are specially designed for and by NJ Transit to meet tight clearances in the North River Tunnels. The order is for 15 cab cars (139 seats), 37 restroom-equipped coach cars (141 seats) and 46 coaches without restroom (146 seats). (NJT Press Release)
These cars feature doors for high and low platforms (including "long doors"), a return to 2×2 seating (the 3×2 seating on single-level Comets often results in the center seat being eschewed by passengers), wider aisles, and ADA-accessible restrooms.
