Passenger Trains > The South Shore "Heritage" Car

The South Shore Railroad (NICTD) is currently reconditioning their old fleet of cars. Car three was from the initial order of NICTD cars placed in service in 1982. Unlike the other refurbs, car 3 has been restored to the original NICTD paint scheme.

Photos taken at the upper level platform at Hammond Gateway and at the new Munster/Dyer station, both in Lake County, Indiana.

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Do you mean it's actually possible to refurbish 40+ year old passenger cars?  Cars that have been in use everyday for decades??  In a state with severe weather??  According to AMTRAK and other agencies, that's just not possible in America anymore.

coach Wrote:
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> Do you mean it's actually possible to refurbish
> 40+ year old passenger cars?  Cars that have been
> in use everyday for decades??  In a state with
> severe weather??  According to AMTRAK and other
> agencies, that's just not possible in America
> anymore.

EMU cars and through 44 year of harsh Lake Michigan weather at that. The vestibules didn't crash through either from rock salt. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/26 04:37 by joemvcnj.

Good on them - brings back lots of memories, but not as many as awakened by thoughts of the cars that preceded those.

Good looking cars and nicely photographed.  They's be scrap metal now if they had been Amtrak's property.

J.

Korigaoka1811 Wrote:
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> Good looking cars and nicely photographed. 
> They's be scrap metal now if they had been
> Amtrak's property.
>
> J.


The Amfleets are 10+ years older and still running. Save your hyperbole.

coach Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Do you mean it's actually possible to refurbish
> 40+ year old passenger cars?  Cars that have been
> in use everyday for decades??  In a state with
> severe weather??  According to AMTRAK and other
> agencies, that's just not possible in America
> anymore.

Amtrak is almost complete with refurbishment of their 40+ year old Superliner fleet. Why bring Amtrak into a discussion not about them just to crap on them for you wrongly pointing out they don’t refurbish cars?

AmtrakMidwest Wrote:

> Amtrak is almost complete with refurbishment of
> their 40+ year old Superliner fleet. Why bring
> Amtrak into a discussion not about them just to
> crap on them for you wrongly pointing out they
> don’t refurbish cars?

"refurbishment" is cosmetic and Phase VII  livery BS to cover for their lack of a life extension rebuild or overhaul. 

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> AmtrakMidwest Wrote:
>
> > Amtrak is almost complete with refurbishment of
> > their 40+ year old Superliner fleet. Why bring
> > Amtrak into a discussion not about them just to
> > crap on them for you wrongly pointing out they
> > don’t refurbish cars?
>
> "refurbishment" is cosmetic and Phase VII  livery
> BS to cover for their lack of a life extension
> rebuild or overhaul. 


Cosmetic describes the paint scheme mentioned above.

AmtrakMidwest Wrote:

> Cosmetic describes the paint scheme mentioned above.

You think that is all they did for them in 44 years ? Thsse are also MU cars. 

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> AmtrakMidwest Wrote:
>
> > Cosmetic describes the paint scheme
> mentioned above.
>
> You think that is all they did for them in 44
> years ? Thsse are also MU cars. 

You think all Amtrak has done to their fleet over the past 50+ years is repaint them?

Posted from iPhone

AmtrakMidwest Wrote:
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> joemvcnj Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > AmtrakMidwest Wrote:
> >
> > > Cosmetic describes the paint scheme
> > mentioned above.
> >
> > You think that is all they did for them in 44
> > years ? Thsse are also MU cars. 
>
> You think all Amtrak has done to their fleet over
> the past 50+ years is repaint them?

There have been no life extension or mid-life rebuilds, like most commuter outfits have done. Metra just spent $850K each on their 20 year old Gallery cars.

https://www.trains.com/pro/mechanical/passenger-cars/metra-car-rebuilding-program-celebrates-milestone/

"cars essentially stripped to the shell and rebuilt with new features such as electrical outlets for passengers, outer doors that retract if they come in contact with a person or object, and new floors, seats, wheelchair lifts, and restrooms. Air conditioning is overhauled, battery chargers for emergency lighting are upgraded, and in-car camera systems and positive train control equipment is added."
 
Amtrak is planning that for some Superliners for Autotrain, since they will not be replaced by the new LD fleet. 

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> AmtrakMidwest Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > joemvcnj Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > AmtrakMidwest Wrote:
> > >
> > > > Cosmetic describes the paint scheme
> > > mentioned above.
> > >
> > > You think that is all they did for them in 44
> > > years ? Thsse are also MU cars. 
> >
> > You think all Amtrak has done to their fleet
> over
> > the past 50+ years is repaint them?
>
> There have been no life extension or mid-life
> rebuilds, like most commuter outfits have done.
> Metra just spent $850K each on their 20 year old
> Gallery cars.
>
> https://www.trains.com/pro/mechanical/passenger-ca
> rs/metra-car-rebuilding-program-celebrates-milesto
> ne/
>
> "cars essentially stripped to the shell and
> rebuilt with new features such as electrical
> outlets for passengers, outer doors that retract
> if they come in contact with a person or object,
> and new floors, seats, wheelchair lifts, and
> restrooms. Air conditioning is overhauled, battery
> chargers for emergency lighting are upgraded, and
> in-car camera systems and positive train control
> equipment is added."
>  
> Amtrak is planning that for some Superliners for
> Autotrain, since they will not be replaced by the
> new LD fleet. 

Amtrak has done much of the same for the Amfleets, Horizons, and Superliners. The rehab of the older Amerail gallery cars has been all good, the seats are much worse and they barely added any outlets. The AC on the 1970s Budd Gallery Cars is more consistent too in my experience.

Who are you kidding. You work for Magliari ? Nobody believes that except NARP staff and directors. 

They did nothing to the Horizons except cosmetics and they rotted away. Their counterparts at NJT got sent to a contractor for a midlife rebuild. Metro North did it themselves in Stamford, found the corrosion in 2009 and fixed it.

Amfleet got an internal Capstone job. Some cafe cars got convered to coaches.

Putting new seats and toilets in Superliners did nothing to extend their life. The same dirty ceilngs and vents are there with their Phase 7 "refurbishment".

A rebuild now means spending $1 million per car when new cars cost $5 million.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/26 15:23 by joemvcnj.

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Who are you kidding. You work for Magliari ?
> Nobody believes that except NARP staff and
> directors. 
>
> They did nothing to the Horizons except cosmetics
> and they rotted away. Their counterparts at NJT
> got sent to a contractor for a midlife rebuild.
> Metro North did it themselves in Stamford, found
> the corrosion in 2009 and fixed it.
>
> Amfleet got an internal Capstone job. Some cafe
> cars got convered to coaches.
>
> Putting new seats and toilets in Superliners did
> nothing to extend their life. The same dirty
> ceilngs and vents are there with their Phase 7
> "refurbishment".
>
> A rebuild now means spending $1 million per car
> when new cars cost $5 million.

You have ADS, Amtrak Derangement Syndrome, quite sad frankly. The Horizons still lasted 35 years in continuous service and the others will eventually have served 50+ years. Cars don’t last that long without a few refurbishments.

RevRandy Wrote:
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> Good on them - brings back lots of memories, but not as many as awakened by thoughts of the cars that preceded those.

I wish they could bring back one of the older cars as a heritage unit. It helps that the 1982 cars are still in daily use. This is the second "mid life" rebuild for the 1982 cars. It helps that NICTD has not found a supplier for new cars compatible with their system. Perhaps in another 20 years.