Railwaymodeler Posted September 17, 2014 Report Share Posted September 17, 2014 My dad and I were in Horicon, WI for a Scout camp promotion presentation he did for our camp (He's camp director in the Northeast Illinois Council), and while looking for a McDonald's to get coffee and a bathroom break, we found a bunch of old Metra Pullman-Standad bilevels on a siding along the Wisconsin & Southern railroad. I didn't have my camera, but Google Maps shows the cars, and so does their street view, though a small delivery truck partially blocks their view. Interesting place for them to show up, and they look rather old. Some are pretty rusty. I think this link will work for showing them through Google Maps:https://www.google.com/maps/@43.4474553,-88.6381656,3a,75y,138.55h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s4h2RRmPKDP17eKkpt9GyZA!2e0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted September 17, 2014 Report Share Posted September 17, 2014 ... Interesting place for them to show up, and they look rather old. Some are pretty rusty. .... Those would have been C&NW cars from the late 1950s, so definitely they would have been rusty, even though they were repainted (probably in the late 1970s) in the first Metra scheme. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTRSP1900-CTA3200 Posted September 17, 2014 Report Share Posted September 17, 2014 There's some in Massachusetts too. I still remember riding on them when they were in service with Metra on the UP-W line. Metra also gave some of the Pullmans to Utah, but they might be scrapped now. As far as I know, Utah uses Bombardier cars for the Salt Lake City FrontRunner service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 17, 2014 Report Share Posted September 17, 2014 Nice find!!! I might have to take a trip up there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strictures Posted September 18, 2014 Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 There's some in Massachusetts too. I still remember riding on them when they were in service with Metra on the UP-W line. Metra also gave some of the Pullmans to Utah, but they might be scrapped now. As far as I know, Utah uses Bombardier cars for the Salt Lake City FrontRunner service. Just why did Metra give them away for free. They did have scrap value, but if Utah can fix them up & use them, then they were worth more than the scrap value. Yet another reason why Metra is so poorly run & how they got themselves in the costly mess last year of Alex Clifford quitting or being forced out. Plus, there were at least 3 ex Metra/C&NW coaches around the Miami area 3-4 years ago. I don't know if they're still there. They were shown in a scene of the "Burn Notice" TV show. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted September 18, 2014 Report Share Posted September 18, 2014 Just why did Metra give them away for free. They did have scrap value, but if Utah can fix them up & use them, then they were worth more than the scrap value. Yet another reason why Metra is so poorly run & how they got themselves in the costly mess last year of Alex Clifford quitting or being forced out. Plus, there were at least 3 ex Metra/C&NW coaches around the Miami area 3-4 years ago. I don't know if they're still there. They were shown in a scene of the "Burn Notice" TV show. One doesn't know if the scrap value was that much, but at least we know CTA puts out contract solicitations for scrap. There were also a couple that were used by other railroads, then apparently reacquired by Metra. While we don't know what deals Metra made for obsolete equipment, what doesn't make sense is that 10 years after these cars were taken out of service, they are lined up on sidings for no particular reason. In the meantime, we know that the Electric cars are on various Metra sidings (such as still at Kates Road in Deerfield) and don't seem to be going anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busfan2847 Posted September 19, 2014 Report Share Posted September 19, 2014 There's some in Massachusetts too. I still remember riding on them when they were in service with Metra on the UP-W line. Metra also gave some of the Pullmans to Utah, but they might be scrapped now. As far as I know, Utah uses Bombardier cars for the Salt Lake City FrontRunner service. Pullmans 7787-9/91/4/5, 7801/4/6/10/11, 8738/43 came back from Utah in April 2009, have been refurbished and are back in service on Metra. 7825/36/8/40/8 came back from VRE earlier. 8749 also came back and in in service but I do not know where from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busjack Posted September 21, 2014 Report Share Posted September 21, 2014 ..In the meantime, we know that the Electric cars are on various Metra sidings (such as still at Kates Road in Deerfield) and don't seem to be going anywhere. The ones at the Kates/Pfingsten bridge are now gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrethebusman Posted September 22, 2014 Report Share Posted September 22, 2014 Just why did Metra give them away for free. They did have scrap value, but if Utah can fix them up & use them, then they were worth more than the scrap value. Yet another reason why Metra is so poorly run & how they got themselves in the costly mess last year of Alex Clifford quitting or being forced out. Plus, there were at least 3 ex Metra/C&NW coaches around the Miami area 3-4 years ago. I don't know if they're still there. They were shown in a scene of the "Burn Notice" TV show. Utah never put any in service on Frontrunner. Got ex NJ Transit Comets instead, However, 14 came back to Metra and are in service today on ex CNW lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrethebusman Posted September 22, 2014 Report Share Posted September 22, 2014 Pullmans 7787-9/91/4/5, 7801/4/6/10/11, 8738/43 came back from Utah in April 2009, have been refurbished and are back in service on Metra. 7825/36/8/40/8 came back from VRE earlier. 8749 also came back and in in service but I do not know where from. 8749 was another Utah car. It was apparently shipped back separately from the other 13. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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