Back when the 7002 and 1223 were running,SRC had collected a train of steel passenger cars for the mainline trips. It seemed like a big expense to get those cars ready for the mainline and then only run a couple of trips. Was the idea to run more of those trips or to just run a few trips and then sell the cars for a profit?-Alan S. Levy

I'm not the Strasburg, but.......The Strasburg basically pounced on what could be considered "their fair share" of the Lackawanna MU cars/trailers--the last commuter fleet of old-style clearstory roof cars being retired, save for the later CN Montreal fleet--when the 200-some cars were retired by NJ Transit in 1984-85. I believe their eventual sidelining stemmed from the fact that the various safety rules changed, most notably after the Great Dismal Swamp NS wreck in 1987. In other words, Strasburg may have thought they had a solution to operation on the main line, but that solution was quickly rendered obsolete. I recall the cars were eventually sold to a Texas operation, the Tarantula RR.Note that Strasburg was hardly the only victim of this. The Blue Mountain & Reading also had 20 Lackawannas, all readied for mainline service, only to end up sidelining both the mainline program and the regular excursions as well.

The irony is, I was chasing #1223 and #7002 on the mainline the day of the Dismal Swamp wreck. Anyway, ADM, I cannot comment on the Strasburg cars, but the BM&RDG cut back on only part of the fleet and invested in the rest they kept. These cars continued to roll, mostly behind diesels and still earn revenue today on the Lehigh Gorge Scenic. Mainline trips have continued with less frequency, and these coaches have gone on plenty of long trips in the 1990's and beyond.There seems to be a perception that the R&N went out of the passenger business when they cancelled the steam program. I would also add that MU cars have been used by Steamtown out of Scranton (east and west and including running over the CP in the 1990's) from 1985-on at mainline speeds and continue to do so today.To imply that the ex MU's were somehow unsuitable for mainline ops or made obsolete after 1987 is a little misleading. Most of my 50 MPH-plus excursion riding the past 15 years has been in these!I would suggest that there were other reasons Strasburg stopped going offline, since the MU's have a good track record of mainline service post-1987.Rob

What are the modifications or changes required or implied by the 1987 NS wreck?

While I can't comment on all of the changes, I have read that NS decided not to run heavyweight passenger cars on their excursions after that incident. Also, any coaches they would use needed roller-bearings on the axles, and tightlock couplers. Some RRs decided to just follow Amtrak standards to avoid conflict among varying car fleet owners. I don't believe the AAR or FRA or ICC demanded these changes, as some railroads, pointed out by Rob Davis, would allow older cars without modifications.

After Dismal Swamp, Amtrak restricted us to 20 mph on a deadhead move to Harrisburg. Tightlock couplers became a necessity. Everything changed.It is funny that we had a 70 mph speed limit on our trip to Philadelphia on the day of the DS derailment and everything went fine. I was running #7002 and she did a wonderful job, as did #1223 under the capable hands of Jim Rice. The next day all bets were off.

One of my great steam regrets is that I didn't ride the doubleheader to Philly, opting to photograph it instead. First, I regret it becuase it went so damn fast I ahrdly got to see it. ;-)The main regret is that it may go down as the last time EVER in the US that locomotives of that vintage were operated at mainline speeds over their home road. It truly was an event to behold, and with all due hyperbole was "once in a lifetime."

It makes sense that it was Amtrak requiring modifications, which would explain why other DL&W MU fleets went on to speedy futures on other mainlines. Interesting.