Passenger Trains > NCDOT sells the last of the RBBB cars

The Raleigh News and Observer reports that NCDOT has sold the last three of the nine RBBB cars they bought. The purchaser intends to scrap the cars. Four of the cars were scrapped a while ago after being gutted by fire. The other two cars were purchased by tourist trains.

So ends a rather inglorious story.

A real tragedy

It’s good NCDOT got money to buy modern cars. The general public doesn’t want their trains to to look ancient.

Posted from iPhone

Practicing the fine art of buying high and selling low. Total purchase price: $383K for nine cars.

Four were destroyed by arsonists and scrapped.

Two sold at surplus property auction for $26k.

Three sold for scrap for $28k.

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article269278442.html

Paul Wilson
Arlington, VA

Wolverine350 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It’s good NCDOT got money to buy modern cars.
> The general public doesn’t want their trains to
> to look ancient.

They did? When did this happen?

Well, take a read through the article and you can read it for yourself. Here's one excerpt:

"Meanwhile, the new train cars are on order. NCDOT expects to receive new cars for the Carolinian, the train that runs daily between Charlotte and New York, as early as 2026, Haviland said. The new cars for the Piedmont won’t be ready until sometime after that, she said."

The state then received federal grants that allowed it to order new rail cars for the Piedmont. NCDOT put the old circus cars up for auction in late 2020, hoping to get back what it paid for them, but didn’t get any buyers.

Read more at: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article269278442.html#storylink=cpy

I can't vouch for the fact checking. Just the messenger from the article. 

SpringedSwitch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wolverine350 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > It’s good NCDOT got money to buy modern cars.
> > The general public doesn’t want their trains
> to
> > to look ancient.
>
> They did? When did this happen?

There was a $77 million grant in 2019 and an $80 million grant in 2020. 

Very sad state about the RBBB cars catching on fire. It's probably time that NCDOT sells the remaining RBBB cars still on the property. Btw, as for brand new equipment to run on the Carolinian, Amtrak ordered their own ICTs to run on the Carolinian, not NCDOT, since the Carolinian is basically an extension of a Northeast Corridor trin. Hopefully down the road, we will know sooner rather than later what NCDOT will decide to order for the Piedmont service. Whatever is ordered will be owned by NCDOT since the service stays in North Carolina.

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Well, take a read through the article and you can
> read it for yourself. Here's one excerpt:

I couldn't because it was behind a paywall...

Thank you for sharing the contents with us.

Dcmcrider Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Practicing the fine art of buying high and selling
> low. Total purchase price: $383K for nine cars.
>
> Four were destroyed by arsonists and scrapped.
>
> Two sold at surplus property auction for $26k.
>
> Three sold for scrap for $28k.
>

A bargain compared to the $70 million spent on the RTL-III Turboliners!

well maybe the trucks survived

UTA pulled a similar stunt when they bought old Chicago bi-levels and ended up having to scrap them before they ever turned a wheel in service here in Utah. The NJT Comet cars did work out, those were retired this year after 14 years of service.

Buying old passenger equipment is a gamble, hope the new cars work out for North Carolina.

Nathan

Posted from iPhone

atsf121 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> UTA pulled a similar stunt when they bought old
> Chicago bi-levels and ended up having to scrap
> them before they ever turned a wheel in service
> here in Utah. The NJT Comet cars did work out,
> those were retired this year after 14 years of
> service.

Not all of the ex-Metra cars went to scrap. Metra got quite a few of them back in 2008 and returned them to service.

> well maybe the trucks survived

Supposedly the scrappers were going to strip the usable parts and sell them separately. Whether that really happens, it's hard to tell. 

SpringedSwitch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> atsf121 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > UTA pulled a similar stunt when they bought old
> > Chicago bi-levels and ended up having to scrap
> > them before they ever turned a wheel in service
> > here in Utah. The NJT Comet cars did work out,
> > those were retired this year after 14 years of
> > service.
>
> Not all of the ex-Metra cars went to scrap. Metra
> got quite a few of them back in 2008 and returned
> them to service.

Interesting, hadn’t heard or read about that. Did see some of the scrapping in place at the old UP intermodal yard in North Salt Lake. That’s where the Comet cars are now parked.

Nathan

Posted from iPhone