Passenger Trains > Diesel push-pull on Metra electric line?

Leaving CSS&SB's Randolph St Station at 4:00 PM last Saturday, we noticed a diesel push-pull trainset on the adjacent Metra track. The cab car was facing south, with the locomotive (presumably) inside the station.

I always thought diesel operation was extremely rare on this line. Anyone know the story?

There has been talk that any additional service on the South Shore (NICTD) or an extension of the Metra Electric towards Kankakee would utilize diesel-pulled trainsets or DMU's. It's possible Metra may have been testing the ventilation system at Randolph Street as it is now completely covered by Millennium Park.

Or it's possible there may have been wire problems with the cold weather this weekend that required the use of a diesel-pulled trainset.

I'll check the local lists and see if I can scare up some more info.

Not to cast doubts but are you entirely sure you saw a diesel trainset, particularly since you didn't actually see the locomotive? The new Nippon Sharyo stainless steel MU's are pretty much the same as the most recent cars delivered to the diesel lines except that they have electric propulsion (AC traction in fact) grafted on and a reduced roofline at the B end to accommodate the pan. Seems rather unlikely they would run a diesel in there. I do not think the ventilation would accommodate it. If locomotive-hauled trains would be used on this line they'd have to be dual mode units.

Some years back when South Shore / NICTD was short of cars Metra lent a diesel trainset but it didn't enter Metra's side of Randolph only SS's which was still fully open air at the time. And Metra normally runs loco outbound.

filmteknik Wrote:
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> Not to cast doubts but are you entirely sure you
> saw a diesel trainset, particularly since you
> didn't actually see the locomotive? The new
> Nippon Sharyo stainless steel MU's are pretty much
> the same as the most recent cars delivered to

This was my first guess.....

http://www.trainorders.com/images2/view.php?73941

filmteknik Wrote:
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> Not to cast doubts but are you entirely sure you
> saw a diesel trainset, particularly since you
> didn't actually see the locomotive?

Never having seen any photographs of new bilevel electric MUs, no, I can't say with certainty that it was not one of them.


> The new
> Nippon Sharyo stainless steel MU's are pretty much
> the same as the most recent cars delivered to the
> diesel lines except that they have electric
> propulsion (AC traction in fact) grafted on and a
> reduced roofline at the B end to accommodate the
> pan.

The only part of the car I saw was from the center doors forward, and by the time it registered that I was seeing something unusual for this location, it was already out of my line of vision. I was unable to see a car number or the "B" end to determine if there was a pantograph.

Are these cars actually in service or still testing?

Some entered service on, I believe, Dec. 19.

filmteknik Wrote:
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> Some entered service on, I believe, Dec. 19.



Thanks. I'm still a bit puzzled that these cars seem to have gotten so little photographic coverage either on the web or in the railfan press (the photo link posted above does not work for me, since I am a Heritage member).

atsf616 Wrote:

> Thanks. I'm still a bit puzzled that these cars
> seem to have gotten so little photographic
> coverage either on the web or in the railfan press

Why bother? A photo from 1950 is as good as one taken today of this "advanced" car design.