IRM will be getting a set of IC Highliners and running the 1st fantrip EVER on the Metra electric lines to help finance the acquisition

http://www.irm.org/events/snowflakespecial.html



Jeff

I suppose that means the end is near for the Highliner fleet since IRM indicated they'd wait for the last and best conditioned cars to be retired.

I hear about cars stored at various locations. Has scrapping actually begun?

Steve

I've hear rumors of sales to scrappers, but no reports yet of actual scrapping.

Jeff

What is replacing the cars being taken out of service?

Jeff -

Has IRM decided in what scheme the Highliners will be painted? The ones donated to HVRM came with the METRA lettering painted over, but that would be easy enough to fix. Of the three paint schemes the cars wore (IC; ICG; METRA) I think we would eventually repaint the cars in the original IC scheme IF we ever get around to doing it!

Les

Will anybody supply a link to technical information and perhaps drawings of the trucks and running gear on these units?

dave

Did one or two of these things go to the Boone & Scenic Valley already?

Here's the recent crop of retired IC Highliners

Metra 9 leads Retired Highliners at 35th St. Chicago, IL by metra614
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to8xw4RvJKQ

Enjoy!?

The original paint may not have been the safest to ward off a rear end collision but it was and is definitely a very sharp looking car. More modern looking than the new cars with their rounded roofs.

To the person asking about replacements, the new cars are from Nippon-Sharyo and are similar to what they build for the diesel-hauled lines but with electric propulsion grafted on. They have AC traction and some cars have restrooms. But they are noticeably narrower and, lacking end vestibules, are slower to load and unload. (The center vestibule has a center divider---structurally necessary I was told) to limit passage to two abreast instead of three.) Cabs are upstairs as with diesel line cab control cars, instead of using the end vestibules which don't exist. In the interest of uniformity, Metra gave up the somewhat transit-like nature of the IC electric line.

NICTD (South Shore) bought a few of these cars but was smarter and got end vestibules at the rear of their version. Also, upstairs seating parallel to the walls. Metra, in the interest of keeping the seat count high has mostly inward facing seats upstairs. The Highliners had this too but due to being wider, one can get past a seated person if they move their legs a bit. On the new cars they pretty much have to stand up to let you by.

Oh yeah, the first 26 NS cars ("old new") apparently don't MU with the balance of the fleet (new new). Besides the car numbers, old new can be distinguished by their lack of at-seat power outlets for every other seat though the junction boxes are there.

I've heard we are getting 4 cars (2 St. Louis, 2 Bombardier), and as the BBD cars were delivered after the ICG merger, I would tend to believe the ICG scheme would be most appropriate

Jeff

Hello, all.

1. For Dave, the end of the Wikipedia Highliner article has a link to a pdf of a Bombardier pamphlet listing specifications for the St. Louis/Bombardier Highliners along with other products.

2. The "Special" sounds like it will be a good trip. I wonder... Could we actually buy-out/sell-out a 312 seat charter by enough tickets to get a second pair of cars added on? Hmm...

Thanks.

Brian J. Patterson.

Don't forget--no restrooms aboard the "real" Highliners.

Thank you Brian, most enlightening. Might be good for interurban carbodies....8'6" wheelbase.

dave

does anyone know what the general cost that each Highliner will be some of us (such as myself) might make donations to the museum to go towards their acquisition.

To make room for the wheelchair lift. They did the same thing on Caltrain.


May be a collision/crew survivability issue. You never hear about crew injuries in those high riding Metra/Caltrain cars like you do with single levels, GO cars and others with the cab at platform level.


Can't speak to this series of releases, but in the past Metra has been known to donate cars at no cost. Not inclusive of transportation, and there's a trick - they take a special coupler and there are a very small number of adapters available.