The Amtrak Train that is Older Than Amtrak | Metroliner Cab Car

You may have seen an Amtrak Metroliner without even noticing it. They look very similar to Amfleet cars, but with one major difference: there's a driver's cab.
The Metroliners date back to 1969, two years before Amtrak was established. The Pennsylvania Railroad and later Penn Central wanted a high-speed, luxury train between New York and Washington DC. So the Budd Company built these electric multiple units. Amtrak inherited them, but they had tons of electrical problems. So eventually, Amtrak refurbished most of the Metroliners into cab cars. They still run on Hartford Line and Keystone services, but once a week, one cab car makes its way onto the Northeast Regional down to DC.
Car 9800 is also a former Metroliner, now an unpowered lounge car that organizations or sports teams can rent.
How cab cars work: • What are Cab Cars?
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[@tonytins]

I remember growing up and taking the AEM 7-hauled Metroliner without the cab car. However, as a child I also remember asking my mom about how they turn it around, and her answer it just went in reverse. In retrospective, she might have been thinking of when she rode the original fleet.

[@Thom-TRA]

They actually do a somersault when no one is looking

[@Trainrider1]

💀

[@NorthEastTransitProductions]

No way bro is that old 💀💀💀

[@tonytins]

Okay, I'm not THAT old. Though, I did ride the Metroliner a few years before Acela was introduced. >.>

[@NorthEastTransitProductions]

@tonytins even more cap

[@jacobfalardeau676]

"Wow this Amtrak train is older than Amtrak itself, that's so old!" *cries in VIA Rail*

[@Thom-TRA]

Via rail is just a moving history documentary at this point

[@OntarioTrafficMan]

@@Thom-TRA Brand new Siemens Charger/Venture trains are the majority around here in Ottawa, so the days of antique trains running 150 km/h intercity services are numbered. But interestingly the 1947-1953 Budd coaches are not first in line to be retired, the 1990's British Rail Mk 4 coaches were apparently in worse condition and were a higher priority to replace. Gotta hand it to the Budd company, they built some durable coaches!

[@Thom-TRA]

@@OntarioTrafficMan I will be in Toronto later this summer and hope to catch a glimpse of the new Siemens trains

[@harrisonofcolorado8886]

I was on VIA Rail in March, and the first train I was on still had the Budd coaches from when steam was in it's Twilight years (the 50s), and they were still reliable even after 70 years! The next VIA train we took had the Siemens equipment, but the Budd cars have stood the test of time, and now, the Siemens equipment is certainly gonna take that job over. As for the long distance Budd cars, I think VIA Rail may order a long distance fleet after Amtrak places its order.

[@OntarioTrafficMan]

@@Thom-TRA For some reason my comment got deleted but you can easily find Siemens Via trains because the Via Website lists which trips are operated by Siemens trains

[@bobsykes]

I love the story about the Cavs renting this ancient luxury lounge car to take the team to a game! This whole story is just fun.

[@Thom-TRA]

It was probably cheaper than plane tickets for the whole team!

[@MrMarshmallow26]

Would be cool if the other Metroliners were converted to conference cars but idk if the conference car is getting retired too

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Besides upgrading platforms for the Metroliners, they also built park-and-ride infill stations specifically for the Metroliners! That's why Metropark station in NJ is called such, for the Metroliners! Two stations were proposed, Capital Beltway Metropark in Lanham, Maryland and Garden State Metropark in Iselin, Woodbridge Township near the interchange of Route 27 and Garden State Parkway, with both later shortened to Capital Beltway and Metropark respectively. Capital Beltway station closed in 1983 when New Carrollton station opened! Because of Metropark, a large business park grew, called "the first Edge City in the world to grow from a parking lot". Today, besides being an Acela stop and other Amtrak services, Metropark is among the busiest NJT stations, and many Staten Islanders from the South Shore of Staten Island drive out to Metropark for their commute to Manhattan. NJT also runs several peak loop bus routes serving the office parks in the area in coordination with train schedules. And besides using Metroliners for service between NYC and DC and service to Harrisburg, they also used Metroliners like adding two New England Metroliner round trips between NYC and Boston using diesel locomotives north of New Haven between 1982 and 1984, a round-trip Metroliner added to the Los Angeles-San Diego corridor (to supplement the former San Diegan) and made just two intermediate stops that was discontinued in 1985, and between 1989 and 1991, a single one-way morning Metroliner trip from Downingtown, PA to DC that served mostly Amtrak employees, as a corresponding evening trip to serve regular commuters was not offered.

[@Thom-TRA]

I knew Metropark station was built around the same time but never realized the name connection! It’s funny because it appears as Iselin on the Amtrak train tracker.

[@seanromeo7916]

Huh I took the Acela out of Metropark recently and did not know that! I'm a NE NJ native and have always called it Metropark myself. Really interesting!

[@user-uo7fw5bo1o]

I don't know why they closed Capital Beltway Metro park Station when New Carrollton opened, unless Amtrak was moving the Metroliner stop from one station to the other so riders can change to the Metrorail subway without having to go all the way into DC proper.

[@Thom-TRA]

@@user-uo7fw5bo1o way more people were using New Carrollton so they opted for that station instead of

[@charlesbaran1106]

I seem to recall when the original Metroliners had one Saturday train extended to New Haven, end of electrification at the time.

[@richardneidich]

Living in Harrisburg area, we take Keystone to NYC several times a year. Love to see a story on track upgrades between Lancaster and Harrisburg which will make repurposed Acella equipment be a good replacement for the Cab cars.

[@Thom-TRA]

are they actually planning to run Acelas on that route? I’ve heard such rumors before

[@richardneidich]

The plan is to reuse old Acella on the Keystone and another service, but I don't know which one.

[@nolantherailfan5048]

Lancaster is getting it's platforms rebuilt

[@00Zy99]

@@richardneidich No, the tilting systems are expensive to maintain. And the electronics in the power cars are getting old and spares are starting to get more expensive. When you factor in the cost of a refurbishment with the increased maintenance costs going into the future, it just doesn't make economic sense in the long run to retain train sets that are now approaching a quarter-century old after a relatively high speed (and therefore high-stress) career. Ultimately, the plan is that Keystone will get some of the new Siemens Airo sets, along with every other route on Amtrak. This harmonizes nicely with the plans to increase service West of Harrisburg to Pittsburgh-a route that is not electrified. Keystone is the only route that could possibly take the Acelas since it (along with the NEC-where they don't have the capacity for regional service) is the only route that is completely electrified. Depending on how the timelines work out, the Acelas MAY get a couple of years on the Keystone Corridor before the new Airo sets arrive, but I would not bet on it. Amtrak has been working on converting the old HHP-8 locomotives to serve as unpowered cab cars (quite absurdly, I must say), thanks to their improved crash-worthiness over the Metroliners. They have already been spotted testing on the Keystone Corridor, attached behind the Metroliner cab car. And so, the Metroliners may get one last form of service, rolling out their last miles as end-of-train coaches, sandwiched between a dead electric locomotive and an Amfleet.

[@jacobbaer785]

Although it's an interesting idea, I don't think they could run the old acela sets (even at reduced speed) on the Keystone service since so many of those stations have low platforms which the Acela sets can't serve.

[@66kprdwd]

I remember riding the Metroliner cab cars on Amtrak’s short lived Atlantic City service. I found it quite interesting that they found a use for them and that they’ve lasted so long. Couldn’t help but notice Lindsay’s new hair style. Very nice.

[@Thom-TRA]

She has a new hairstyle? lol. I guess I’m used to it.

[@66kprdwd]

@@Thom-TRA new to me I guess. 😄

[@skydiamond8705]

Well, if you look at it, they were meant for high-speed service so the cab car was designed to basically have wind cutting technology to speed. It just had too much technology not they realized if they could make this a cab car and take out all the technology it would just work so that’s why I feel like they made it so long and they’re durable now that they’re not really being used for mainline service, which is horribly sad

[@MbtaVideoClips]

One difference I notice: the amfleet 1s have Power Doors (you know those door control panels that conductors use to open every door on a train), while the metroliner cabs have manual doors w/ a handle.

[@jekanyika]

I didn't know NBA teams travel by train. That's pretty cool.

[@stevesulligan1080]

NHL teams and MLB teams often do when they are playing in or going to NYC , Philadelphia or DC and Baltimore

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Speaking of Penn Central, a wild story when they were going belly up is that they wanted to demolish NYC's iconic Grand Central Terminal! Now we all know the original NY Penn Station was demolished. The original Penn Station was enormous, a majestic building that rivaled Grand Central. One describes it compared to the current Penn Station as "One entered the city like a god; one scuttles in now like a rat.” When it was decided to demolish the building in favor of Madison Square Garden, there was outrage, but it wasn't enough to save it. But its demolition was a turning point in the preservation movement. Two years after its demolition, the city passed a landmarks preservation act, thereby creating the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Grand Central Terminal was next on the chopping block, as proposed by its then owner Penn Central in 1968. It was to be replaced by a Marcel Breuer office building design that looked like a shoebox lid on its side. And the one who led the movement to save Grand Central...Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis! When she heard the plans for the site, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was having NONE of it. She joined the fight in 1975 with the Municipal Art Society and had a conference at the famous Oyster Bar where she said, "If we don’t care about our past, we can’t have very much hope for our future." Thanks to Jacqueline convincing the mayor (Abraham Beame), the terminal was ultimately saved by the city's LPC, but this was challenged by Penn Central in a Supreme Court case. In 1978, the court ruled in favor of the city. And the most beautiful building in NYC was saved.

[@Thom-TRA]

Let’s go Jackie!!!! Truly can’t imagine New York City without GCT

[@erik_griswold]

GCT was already reaping the benefits of having the PanAm building built over it. Helped pay the property taxes.

[@chief1b]

I don't live too far from the BWI Train station that's an Idea taking that specific route to do the same thing you did. I have also seen some cab cars during the week to. Great video. Cheers!

[@Thom-TRA]

I go to BWI all the time because train tickets to DC are so cheap

[@briangriffin4937]

The Metroliner was the first train I’d seen with a passenger telephone (in a booth, no less). An early use of the cellular phone.

[@kwlkid85]

Did they have them when introduced? I know Intercity 125s had phones in the 1970s

[@briangriffin4937]

@@kwlkid85I began riding in 1974 when I traveled to and from college during holidays and breaks.

[@kevinwong6588]

Forerunner to Railfone.

[@paulw.woodring7304]

Former Washington Amtrak OBS employee here. I worked around those cars off and on during my time there. I took the training to work the Conference Car, but never had to. An interesting car that I hope makes it into preservation. I don't think it lived up to expectations for a charter car, sitting most of the time, but at least Amtrak tried to innovate sometimes. It goes back far enough that it was refurbished with the GTE Railfone service phone booth in it from the late '80s/early '90s era. It basically had three levels of accommodation when it was originally refurbished. 2+1 open club seating; several compartments for two people; and a conference room with a large table at the control end of the car, with the standard Amcafe counter area in the middle. When it was built, Amtrak equipped it with a A/V system for conferences, including a TV monitor and VCR, which were stolen by thieving employees in NY Sunnyside Yard eventually. The most I was around the cab cars was working the Atlantic City service and the "Vermonter", when they made the "Palmer Shuffle" move and reversed directions to get on the New England Central at Palmer, MA for, I guess, nearly 20 years. The object was that a locomotive always led on the Vermont end of the journey because of numerous grade crossings. And, in fact, I was in a highway grade crossing accident on that train involving a lowboy carrying a backhoe that got hung up on a high crown grade crossing. Needless to say the trailer and cargo did not survive the encounter. Words you never want to hear over the radio from the engineer: "Hang on!" Kind of like hearing your flight attendant say, "Brace for impact!" You know you're having a bad day.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’m glad you made it without getting hurt too bad. Thanks for sharing your stories here!

[@Thisoldhiker]

It's been at least five years since I've ridden Metro into Union Station, and 15 since I commuted on that stretch. The changes around the station are huge. Thanks for showing them!

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah NoMa is more built up than ever before

[@marcusbean6003]

In addition to the Hartford service. Valley Flyer runs a two car train, one AmFleet, one Cab Car between New Haven, CT and Greenfield, MA, with one train running just between Springfield, MA and Greenfield, MA

[@rikkichunn8856]

I remember when we had Amfleets with cab cars in southern California on the San Diegan/Pacific Surfliner. I never realized those cab cars were from the Metroliner! Thanks for that info. Comfortable enough, and good foot room, but those tiny windows were disappointing as we rode along the beach, trying to get a glimpse of the ocean, surfers, etc. And station stops were slow because the conductor had to raise the trapdoor to uncover the stairs, and then lower the trapdoor after boarding was done. I think they often put out a step box too. Great video as always, Thom and Lindsey!

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah, you need the biggest windows you can get on the Surfliner!

[@obifox6356]

I remember riding the Metroliner before Amtrak, when the friendly engineer let my young son blow the horn. They were a great improvement in NY-DC time. In last 20 years, I have often ridden the Keystone between NY and PHL. Almost as fast as the Acela at a fraction of the cost.

[@Thom-TRA]

That must have been the thrill of a lifetime for him!

[@chadamtrakrailfan]

Great report of the Metroliner cab cars! I've always seen them on the Springfield MA railcam and have always been curious about their interior (there's not that many trip reports on YT of them). Thank you, Thom! Also looking forward to seeing the HHP8 conversion in the future.

[@nickstratton396]

I remember riding on some of those cars to and from Harrisburg on the Keystone line for college.

[@billtherailfanner455]

Nice video. I have seen these Metroliner cab cars back in July 2023, and I rode on Amtrak Keystone 643 from New York to Philadelphia around the same time and Metroliner cab car 9644, originally 804 led my train.

[@CrabMan2539]

I rode a keystone train last year (funny enough the locomotive pushing us was 642) and it was fun. I don't regularly see ex metroliner cab cars but they are really cool to see. I believe they have the exact same 80s K5LA horn that the AEM-7 had (my favorite horn) and they have a really nice bell. I also got to go inside 9800 back in 2013(?) during a train show at Union Station (they had a bunch of museum equipment for people to tour and they decided 9800 should be there too). I remember 9800 having a very 70s looking interior (which I loved). Lots of wood, brown carpet, and an old CRT TV.

[@Thom-TRA]

Wow, I want to tour the 9800!!

[@Sugarmountaincondo]

As a new subscriber I just want to thank you for doing your homework and giving so much historical context in your video's. And also, a shout out to Lindsey for being so supportive. I rode the old Metroliner's in Cleveland, Ohio back in the 1960's on a school field trip on the way to the Zoo, was very cool back then. I also appreciate the fact that you are not one of these You Tubers who is always asking for financial support and hawking themself which makes for a much better clean production value IMHO. 👍

[@Thom-TRA]

Appreciate all the positive feedback! I actually just saw another Metroliner today funny enough

[@kendufresne]

I rode in one of these from SPG-HFD, glad I did while I could.

[@pinchy08]

Very rare treat seeing an Amtrak Regional using a cab car converted from a Metroliner. And those are commonly seen on the Keystone Service between New York, Philadelphia, and Harrisburg. But what a treat seeing them Sundays on Regional 121 to Washington DC and 122 to Philadelphia. Gotta enjoy these while we can before the Hippos NPCUs come along. That’ll be fun to see for the time being before Siemens equipment takes over.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’m wondering when the first hippo test train will come down to DC. I saw one in Philly back in March.

[@TrainStreet]

Rode on a metroliner cab in 2019 was surprisingly smooth

[@teecefamilykent]

Brilliant video sir, good to see Lyndsey supervising you :-).

[@michaelformaini7053]

A neat little bit of railroad history captured for us. Thanks Thom. I noticed the work train with road-rail truck (probably Brandt White brand) in part of the forward vision section. We had one of those operating in Victoria, Australia around 25 years ago (I think its mothballed or scrapped now). It was used on short trains of woodchip logs from the Gippsland region for a time and on spot placement and pick up of small grain consignments, also available for small work train movements. While versatile, in that it could transfer across the network by road between assignments, there were Trade Union industrial issues that caused some angst. Just a small snippet of railroad history from downunder. Cheers from Michael in Melbourne, Australia.🙂🙂🙂

[@ck4426]

Really enjoyed this ride on a pre-Amtrak car and being able to look out the front window was a fun perk!!! Awesome!!!

[@Romeog1212]

From your into to the train passing sounded like a higher pitch of your into train horn lol 😂

[@rbrouns9569]

Old but still going strong. The first time i saw a picture of the Metroliner i really thought it was a actually metro, a bit bigger but with the same looks. Very surprised is was a high speed train. As always very interesting content.👍

[@Thom-TRA]

It is the most metro looking high speed train ever! 😂

[@charlesbaran1106]

I used to have two book covers from "Penn Central - Route of the Metroliners." Interesting video - thanks.

[@maxfinkelpearl]

Great video! Nice to meet you with Andy last Saturday!

[@Thom-TRA]

So great to meet you too Max! Congrats on a job well done

[@michaelspraggins5419]

I rode this train last year and the "bump" from the trailing locomotive was quite noticiable, but since I like trains, it was still a great trip.

[@Qboro66]

Good afternoon Thom... Sneaking in footage of Sunnyside yards from a moving 7 train heading towards Queensborough Plaza😂 One of these days I'll have to try this trip before its too late... L8er

[@Thom-TRA]

And that footage is more than 3 years old too! Never was able to use it until today

[@paulcastillo1310]

Great video

[@anthonywarrener1881]

Thank you for this truly superb video ! I have ridden in these cab control cars ever since they started using them in California between L.A and San Diego ! They were pushed and pulled of course by the wonderful F40 locos, and they became a firm favourite. I have also used them on the Keystone service between NYC and Philadelphia, with AEM -7 locos and the Siemens electrics now used on the loco hauled services along the North East corridor. It is interesting news that these Budd built cab cars will be replaced by converted HHP electrics, and what a shame that those locos could not have been made more reliable, for to me they always looked stunning ! Many thanks indeed !

[@Thom-TRA]

I always have such a hard time picturing anything other than Surfliners in Southern California! Honestly anything single-level feels out of place

[@newenglandskier13]

The two main differences that I noticed inside the Metroliner cab cars were the slightly different luggage racks and the reading lights are aligned across the width of the train instead of in a long strip along the length.

[@CarlosDeLosMuertes]

A nice view you showed off, if heading into DC Union look out the right, they have had a lot of the geometry and other rare cars including the Acela test car seen at one point sitting out to see including some of the Acela Liberty sets. I love that Marc is keeping with they HHP-8's I hope they become as Maryland as Crabs and O's.

[@Trainsaregreat365]

Great video thom I love the way you make these videos you go in detail and into the history this is amazing

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks TAG!

[@Trainsaregreat365]

@@Thom-TRA you are welcome

[@dock_yard1149]

I rode the original ML at age 15 in 1970 NYP>WAS as my stepdad was to meet with a few Senators. This was before they were rebuilt with the huge AC and radiator blisters on the roof. Only pantographs were on the roofs in 1970. Got to spend more than a little time in the engineer’s vestibule, watching the digital speedometer and his occasional arm movements to ack the deadman, which was a new safety thing at the time.

[@Thom-TRA]

So lucky!

[@johnburke1317]

Nice video

[@AaronPhilipson]

Back in the 1980s, severa of thel train sets were rebuilt and called Captioliners. They ran from NYP to 30th Street upper level to Harrisburg. One Friday afternoon I rode it from NYp to Philly. The engineer let me stay up with him in the vestibule. It still is my favorite NE Corridor ride ever!!!

[@Thom-TRA]

Why did they use the upper level?

[@landocalrisian2014]

NICE video 👍🏽👍🏽

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you 👍

[@positionlightproductions6187]

Saw the 9800 and a metroliner cab the other day. The cab car was on 122. Also, the 9649 has a rare straight-4 bell K5LA. One of I believe 3 cars to recieve one, the other 2 being 9646 (i think) and DOTX 216.

[@londonwhaley8690]

I enjoyed that video👍👍

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks!

[@peterfrey6062]

thanks for the info on the Metroliner=== rode it many times Good historic pictures, too

[@Thom-TRA]

How was your experience on it?

[@peterfrey6062]

@@Thom-TRA usually ok, one occasion going Philly-NY it was 2 hours late.

[@peterfrey6062]

@@Thom-TRA generally ok, one time it was 2 hrs late Philly-NY. But a question I want to ask you: when were they called "clockers?" was that a Pennsy term?

[@davidfreeman3083]

Nice vid! I used to live in Philly so rode the keystone quite a bit haha!

[@Thom-TRA]

It’s one of the routes I still have to try!

[@theautistictransitfan]

That’s quite the catch in the intro, a special livery cabcar is rare on its own, but in DC?! I’ve lived here all my life and I’ve never seen one of these cab cars down here.

[@Thom-TRA]

They keep it in Ivy City sometimes.

[@CedarLakeRailfanner]

Back in May of 2021 i saw the inspection car variant on the capital limited in Chesterton, in July of 2021 I saw the PRR one on display in Strasburg, and a cab car in Lancaster Pennsylvania.

[@Thom-TRA]

I love when trains have special cars attached to them

[@globalproductvendors]

🎉...as a train buff...I road the Metroliner when it was first introduced. A lot of hype surrounded it...🎉

[@Thom-TRA]

Wow! I’m sure they’ve changed so much

[@globalproductvendors]

@@Thom-TRA 🎉... yes they have. In 1962 my mother and I took the train from Newark,NJ to West Palm Beach Florida. Some long lost cousins went to see. GG1 took us Jersey to Washington no electrics past there. I pleaded with my mom to take me to the rear car. So we went. Rounded observation car is what it was with regular living room furniture back there...🙋🎉

[@stevesulligan1080]

I was a young child in the mid 60’s when metroliners came out. I asked dad to take me down to the New Brunswick train station to see the newly advertised cab cars come flying along

[@douglasengle2704]

I looked forward so much when I was 13 our family was going to Brazil in Summer of 1974 where my dad arranged for us to ride the Bud MetroLiner from DC to NYC. It was so smooth! I went up and watched the cab and the speedometer was at 12 the driver informed me rather harshly it was 120 mph. It didn't seem that fast looking out the front. The big deal is the Bud Metroliner air suspension and rigid structure were used to develop Amfleet Cars. Amfleet cars were a huge improvement over the heritage fleet cars in ride and comfort on bad tracks. I rode in the Amfleet Café car on the Cardinal between Montgomery WV and Washington DC in the mid 1980s. I could feel the Amfleet car taking on the stress of bad track and steading it. Back in the heritage fleet cars it was jarring and motion sickness inducing with creaking noises. The Amfleet Cars are BEAUTIFUL passenger cars! I'm not a fan of the looks of the new Siemens build replacements. I seriously wonder if the Siemens cars are actually as good in the truck, suspension and chassis rigidity as the Amfleet cars. The Bud Metroliner cars were built for 160 mph! The future to look forward to and possible champion is the Chinese CF600 maglev that is prototyped at above 600 kph with hopes to advance to 800 kph. It has about 4 meter wide loading gauge. I'd think when starting a new train standard it should be at 8 meters wide that has been the desired wide loading gauge since the start of the railroad age in 1840s Great Britain. The 8 meter wide loading gauge would allow much larger assemblies to transported easily over land. For passenger use it would allow about three levels if needed. I want vista domes on the top level to see forward!

[@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606]

Recently rode in the cab car on the Keystone back from New York to Harrisburg. I have to say they are better than the Amfleets even though they are older, they have more legroom and the seats are wider.

[@ACanadianDoge]

I got to see a metroliner cab car on the Valley Flyer a few times

[@jacobwhitecotton]

a metroliner track geometry car just visited slc this past sunday!

[@Thom-TRA]

Awesome! Get any pics?

[@user-bm4rh6gz2j]

When I was onboard MARC recently I was lucky enough to spot two of these cab car sets along with that I saw an Avelia liberty being towed

[@Thom-TRA]

Wow, where did you see the Avelia?

[@user-bm4rh6gz2j]

@@Thom-TRA At Amtraks yard near union station

[@user-bm4rh6gz2j]

It was being moved to another spot

[@radarhec]

Nice flick , your story tail was not to slow or to fast . Nice to follow ! Good job !

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks!

[@sirremusrobinson1070]

The only comment I would say is to remember Metroliners came first.. Amfleets were made after many Metroliners were having teething problems the first few years of service. The Amfleet is a Metroliner shell only without the cab and original drive motor and pantagraph... Other wise kudos to you.. Great installment.

[@Thom-TRA]

But I did say that… I literally said the Amfleet was also made by Budd, to the same specifications as the Metroliner. Did you not watch that far?

[@rg8152]

1:18 As a regular Acela rider, hearing Metroliner was $50/one way in 1985 was like taking a bullet. $50 in 1985 is $145.70 today, and that barely gets you business class on a NE REGIONAL today or if you're lucky, squeak onto an 80%+ full Acela (the "Metroliner" of today)...

[@Thom-TRA]

Amtrak NEC service is too expensive for its own good. Make it cheaper, run it more often, and I think the profits would still be higher.

[@boweandrew3]

Wow I got to blow the horn in 9800 between Springfield IL and Lincoln IL on train 312 the loop back in the mid 1990’s

[@Thom-TRA]

Wow! What was the occasion?

[@rac558]

I live in Lancaster County Pa. right along the Keystone line, so I'm making sure I get plenty of pics of these old relics before they are gone. I still remember the Metroliners when they ran under the PRR and Penn Central flags....Jeez, I'm dating myself!😆

[@Thom-TRA]

Do you have any old pictures of them too?

[@rac558]

@@Thom-TRA Unfortunately no...Those were my 'pre-photography' days when I was a youngster.

[@adithyaramachandran7427]

Saw one of these a couple years ago at max speed on the NEC. Still waiting to see a modern day EMU on the NEC (like Alstom’s TER trains in France). Hope NJ transit gets new EMU’s ?

[@boweandrew3]

That train ran between Springfield IL and Chicago between 1986 and 1996 Monday through Saturday

[@brianhubert8418]

Great overview of the Metroliner program and these cab cars. It's interesting how we have the fixed half forward/half backward Amleet Is on the Empire Service, but they still wye the consists and do not use cab cars so I guess I won't be seeing these along the east shore of the Hudson. And that's too bad because that foamer window would be amazing along the Hudson Line. I do remember seeing them a couple of times when I rode the Keystone Service, but I never thought to sit in them specifically. As for the interiors they really do look just like the Amfleet I I rode earlier today.

[@Thom-TRA]

Oh, seeing the Hudson out of that window would be stunning! I didn't realize the Empire service also had the fixed seating now. Do you know if the Maple Leaf does? I'm taking that next month.

[@brianhubert8418]

@@Thom-TRA I believe the Maple Leaf still has all seats facing the direction of travel. I know the Adirondack has all seats facing the direction of travel using Amfleet II equipment. One time a Metro-North engineer had the front door open on the cab car and I got to stand just behind him and see the lower part of the Hudson Line and into Grand Central Terminal from that perspective. It was really neat!

[@brianhubert8418]

@@Thom-TRA I believe the Maple Leaf also has all seats facing the direction of travel. I believe it also uses the Amfleet II equipment. I've heard the Empire Service trains use fixed seating because they share an Amfleet I equipment pool with the Northeast Regional and Keystone Service.

[@alk61695]

I rode on the Metroliner cab car on the Keystone from New York to Philadelphia. Also, the Raising Canes restaurants have been popping up all over the place. It's good, but not worth waiting in those huge lines.

[@Thom-TRA]

Exactly how I feel about it. No line? Great! Let’s eat it. Long line? Eh, we can find something else.

[@alk61695]

@@Thom-TRA definitely. There are a lot better mom & pop stores around I'd rather give my business to.

[@richardross9468]

Thom, are these related to the Amtrak SPV 2000s from the 80’s? I recall riding on one from New Haven to Springfield MA in the early 80’s? It was a single self propelled car. I think they were referred to as “seldom propelled vehicles” because they were plagued with issues and frequently out of service. I think there are a few still around but are non powered possibly now owned by the Connecticut DOT. I’ve seen one or two at New Haven Union station.

[@dscott74]

SPVs were derived from the Metroliners like the Amfleets

[@AmtrakFan130]

Your Username Tells the Truth😊

[@Daniel-hj8el]

The Ultimate Ringa Dinga Metroliner cab thats older than Amtrak.

[@thefareplayer2254]

I mean to be really specific, the reading lights look a bit different without a plastic covering over them. You’re also right that the baggage racks look different, as they’re bare.

[@Thom-TRA]

It’s the little details that count

[@jackjohnson2101]

It looks like Union Station has cleaned up a bit, or was that just careful scene selection?

[@mscheinine]

I started ride from DC to NYC when they started, I was 15 years old at the time. One cool thing was the phone you could make calls as you zoom along at 120 mph.

[@Thom-TRA]

I bet that was so cool and new-fangled!

[@mscheinine]

@@Thom-TRA one trip our train almost derailed. That was fun.

[@Thom-TRA]

@@mscheinine hopefully you stayed on track

[@mscheinine]

@@Thom-TRA yes, but had to limp into Baltimore after they found the first car’s electric engine on the track a mile behind us. We ran it over going full speed.

[@FrederickCAycottJr]

Greetings Thom Tra. Model trains in Ho, N, S, Z and O scale have come along way. Model companies like Athearn, Bachmann, Atlas, Walthers, Kato upgraded to sound in the late 90's and early 2000. You have new comers like Broadway Limited Imports and Scaled Trains have come aboard to sell to the public. Every now and then, Lional trains will put out some Ho scale trains. Ho scale and N scale are very popular, and you can do miniature towns and layouts. There are two magazines, that I think are still in production. Model Railroader and Model Railroader Craftsmen. And regular real train magazines.

[@Thom-TRA]

Nice

[@Cupertinorail]

Whoa, I never knew the NBA uses Amtrak!

[@PaulCashman]

lol. We've recently got Raising Cane's locations in Atlanta...and the drive-thru lines backed up traffic onto the main roads. :o They have receded now, though. We went there a few days ago. I prefer the fries at Zaxby's (and their Freestyle Coke machines), but the chicken fingers are bigger at Cane's. (And Zaxby's salads are amazing.)

[@Thom-TRA]

I love Zaxbys sauce. Wish we had one up here.

[@PaulCashman]

@@Thom-TRA it's among my favorite fast-food sauces, maybe THE favorite.

[@Blank00]

Did you try pushing the black pad on the cab door? I wonder if that was deactivated in favor of some sort of key

[@Thom-TRA]

I wasn’t about to get in trouble lol

[@pinchy08]

That is very historical don’t get me wrong. I hope it ends up in a museum someday. But I can’t wait to see the old HHP-8s become NPCUs on the Keystone Corridor.

[@Thom-TRA]

They are very awesome-looking, I agree

[@dwill123]

I remember catching the Metroliner in Paoli, PA (around 1985) to Washinton, DC. I would call Amtrak the night before and ask for a Metroliner to Washinton, DC. They used to immediately tell me, Metroliner does not run to Washington, DC from Paoli, PA. I insisted they check and every time they would come back and say, Sorry, I didn’t know we had that service. This went on for a couple of three years or so. Until they finally terminated the service.

[@Thom-TRA]

That was a direct service? I had no idea!

[@dwill123]

@@Thom-TRA My memory is not as good as it used to be but from Paoli, PA it stopped in Ardmore, PA and then 30th Street Philadelphia, PA. This is where I’m a little fuzzy, buy I think it switched engines at 30th before going on to Union Station Washington, DC. After the switch it made stops in Wilmington, DE (this was Bidon's stop) and then Baltimore, MD.

[@poodabran]

Yoooo! Im watching from PG County which is not too far from DC.

[@mrjeremydizon]

I ride these cab cars alternately with the CT Rail trains from Hartford to New Haven.

[@Thom-TRA]

I really want to do the Hartford Line someday

[@LuisUrbieta]

Hi TRA, will you do a video on the Interoceanic Railroad?

[@Thom-TRA]

Maybe!

[@LuisUrbieta]

@@Thom-TRA You should

[@michaelb9629]

I never really knew much about those old metroliners but I think it would be cool to ride in those cab cars that are still in use. I don’t know if I’d be able to make it in time for that though.

[@Thom-TRA]

I knew I had to do it before they were gone!

[@michaelb9629]

@@Thom-TRA Lucky you now did!

[@trainglen22]

Lindsay's haircut looks pretty good.

[@officialmcdeath]

So the only possible comfort difference, seemingly, would be one's proximity to the horn and bell - were they obtrusive by comparison to the pure hauled experience or was there extra sound insulation in the end corridor?

[@Thom-TRA]

They were not excessively loud in my experience

[@nathanjiang100]

there are a few minor differences in the interior between the Amfleets and the Horizons. the luggage racks are slightly different since the seat checks slot in from the bottom side rather than the top like Amfleets do. they, along with the 829XX Amfleets and Horizons also have slightly different seats with the biggest difference being a metal recline button rather than a plastic one. I guess perhaps the biggest difference is the inward facing seating instead of outwards on Amfleets and Horizons but that’s probably changeable.

[@Thom-TRA]

So the baggage racks were different after all!

[@nathanjiang100]

@@Thom-TRA yep!

[@isleman9473]

Very nice Thom; how do you like living in D.C? I'm really dating myself, but I remember when the Pennsy announced them. Rode the Metroliner several times in the 70s and they were somewhat unreliable, though a huge improvement in comfort from the ramshackle PC and Amtrak steam heated coaches.

[@Thom-TRA]

Love DC. It’s a great fit for me and Lindsey!

[@williamerazo3921]

You mentioned my Cavs

[@Thom-TRA]

I'm not a sports guy but I have mad respect for them for taking the train

[@GtrekWay215]

Is Chic fa' la at union station still there?

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah it’s in the basement

[@centredoorplugsthornton4112]

The 11 added Metroliner cars for Harrisburg service never actually ran there nor were picked up by SEPTA, so those cars were added to the New York-DC fleet. About 30 cars were converted to cab control cars for San Diego, Atlantic City and Midwest Corridor routes. Michigan got 8 cars rebuilt to cabless coaches.

[@Thom-TRA]

Amtrak did eventually run the Metroliners on Harrisburg service.

[@centredoorplugsthornton4112]

@@Thom-TRA after wearing em out on the NY-DC line.

[@himbourbanist]

The Metroliners have had such a weird lasting effect on the NEC, it's strange how they've affected basically every railroad on the corridor and the Keystone corridor for almost 60 years now lol. It's kind of interesting in retrospect how good the Amfleet I and II have been for Amtrak and how big of lemons the Metroliners were by comparison

[@Thommygun-qv7um]

Once again, Thom managed to fill me in on a bit of information I did not yet know about. I also heard that the Metroliner cab cars are about to get replaced. But I thought that they will go alongside the Amfleets and get replaced alltogether by the Siemens Venture sets. Which include cab cars as well. First time I heard about the conversion of the HHP8. I assume they will use them as cabbage cars like they did with the F40? Cannot imagine that they convert them to passenger rail cars. Do you have more information on the topic? Also, I think the paintjob on the front of the cab car is really hideous.... A cool retro design completely ruined.

[@Thom-TRA]

The HHP-8 is a stopgap measure. It seems they’re not very confident the Metroliners will last until the Airos show up! And yes, it will be a cabbage. Though I doubt they’ll go through the trouble of adding a baggage room.

[@Blank00]

I notice that some Metroloners have a different door design than Amfleet1s with a larger window. Are those powered doors or manual like the Amfleet 2s?

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah, some have the Amfleet 2 door design. I’m not sure how they work.

[@de-fault_de-fault]

I've only ridden on one once, but I get to observe them on Keystones that pass through Newark Penn almost every day when I'm doing my daily commute and as far as I can tell even the doors with the larger window work the same as Amfleet 1's.

[@FrederickCAycottJr]

Great video. Enjoyed it a lot. I have the model of it by Walthers trains. But they drop the rail spike. I mean how do you create four powered cars, and no dummy cars? I wish Bachman trains would reissue the Metroliner set, with DCC Sound. But that's just wishful thinking. As for the Acela by Bachmann trains, I had to send it to a hobby shop, and get DCC Sound installed. As for wishful thinking again. Why couldn't Bachmann trains install sound into the Acela model sets of the past. They did it for the new Acela sets. Thanks for reading this.

[@Thom-TRA]

I didn’t even know model trains made sounds lol

[@EpicThe112]

In some cases this will go all the way to Boston from Washington DC and down south Boston Providence Washington Union Station. Benefit of it by going to Boston is that you don't use the turning track

[@dexteralexander2437]

Ah! So the Amtrak Amfleet car was not a new design, unique to Amtrak, but was derived from the Budd Metroliner car. New (to me) knowledge, that then raises the question “what was Penn Central (or Budd) seeking when it adopted the airliner fuselage shape? As usual with TRA videos, good history, good storytelling.

[@Thom-TRA]

They were pursuing the “luxury” public image that jet airliners enjoyed at the time. Hence the annoying small windows as well.

[@dexteralexander2437]

Thanks Thom!

[@00Zy99]

@@dexteralexander2437 They also wanted to minimize the "target area" for people to throw rocks at the windows. This was the height of urban decay and the unrest surrounding the civil rights movement. The Amfleet II, built in the 1980s and aimed more at long distance, has larger windows due to being built in a more stable time period.

[@de-fault_de-fault]

@@Thom-TRA Another possible influence I've thought about for that choice: wide, but low, windows were also common on school and office buildings of the same era. This was nominally done to reduce energy consumption as air conditioning became widely deployed in institutional buildings for the first time. So that was potentially another way to try and signify that these were modern, forward-thinking trains for modern, forward-thinking people.

[@johnarnehansen9574]

I think that every Amsrican Railroads should use different type propulsion power plants for electrification of lines!..

[@sammymarrco2]

did you take MARC out to BWI ?

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah

[@guyfaux3978]

"Foamer window"-- that's not nice, Thom... 😀

[@Thom-TRA]

A little bit of healthy self-aware humor 😂

[@kevanhubbard9673]

That one with Amtrak painted on the front in big letters has a lot of dents in it almost as if ballast had been thrown up on hit it.

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah it looks a little beat up

[@northernidaho5750]

If only Amtrak came by Omaha more than just the middle of the night, then I could maybe see interesting things like this. Hopefully, the Borealis I’m catching from Red Wing, MN to St. Paul next week will offer something (I’ll be on the 2nd northbound one, my family happened to be visiting Minneapolis starting then).

[@Thom-TRA]

Enjoy the Borealis!

[@northernidaho5750]

@@Thom-TRA Wait, are you not going to be able to, or are you going to pretend like you can’t until the video on it gets announced? Either way, I’m really excited for it; I think it will be pretty popular and show people Amtrak can expand successfully, thus gaining more support for other expansions.

[@Thom-TRA]

@@northernidaho5750 I was just wishing you a good trip, that’s all

[@northernidaho5750]

@@Thom-TRA aight. I’m assuming you’re going to get the Borealis, and have the video in the next few weeks, since this is pretty big train news that I doubt you would want to miss.

[@qwertyeet]

How were you able to get trackside with the luxury metroliner, every time I’ve gone there I’ve been kicked off

[@Thom-TRA]

Pretended to be a MARC passenger

[@qwertyeet]

lol, how long were you in there and did anyone come up to you?

[@Thom-TRA]

Like 5 minutes. No one came up to me.

[@qwertyeet]

I did once to see my first hhp8

[@jamesinman1198]

I’m going to put forth effort in riding on the fleets of Amtrak before they go out.

[@Thom-TRA]

That’s great!

[@traingirl09]

I am not holding my breath when it comes to the new Avalia Liberty. Heard of tons of issues with them.

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah, they say this fall. Only several years late.

[@traingirl09]

@@Thom-TRA if I remember correctly, they were originally supposed to roll out in 2021?

[@Thom-TRA]

@@traingirl09 I think so. It’s pretty bad.

[@traingirl09]

@@Thom-TRA agreed! This fluke will help revitalize our passenger rail network in the long run.