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(erielack) Comet IA, IB, and Arrow I



- --- Michael Sheehy <njnyrr_@_optonline.net> wrote:
> Ah, so that's the heritage of those cars, which saw service on the
> Main/Bergen Lines up until very recently.  I always figured that they
> were converted from old Arrow cars- or were there more later put into
> service that were?

There were eight Arrow III shells that became the Comet IA cars for MTA.

The other similar-looking cars were Comet IB cars, also called Camaro
(Comet-Arrow) cars by some.  35 Arrow cars (redesignated Arrow I with the
arrival of 70 incompatible Arrow II cars) were built in the late 1960's
for New York - Trenton service; Pennsylvania bought similar looking
Silverliner cars for Trenton - Philadelphia service.  The Arrows were
notable for electrical fires, leading to the nickname 'Flaming Arrows',
and that led to their retirement.  Several cars were severely damaged by
the fires.

There was still a great car shortage (NJDoT bought surplus cars from
several railroads) and the Arrow I cars were sitting in storage when
someone got the idea that since they had built the IA's, the same could be
done with the Arrow I's - convert them to push-pull cars.  Only 30 cars
were fit for use, so we ended up with 15 cabs (5155-5169) and 15 trailers
(5220-5234), all 30 with toilets.

The interiors of these cars are more like other Comet I's with no center vestibule.

Gary R. Kazin
DL&W Milepost R35.7
Rockaway, New Jersey

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