Joe .... I'm glad the surgery went well and you are off to a good start ! ... You are the best one here to ask this question. .... Amtrak acquired the PRR Metroliners. ... I read they were considered to be unreliable, and Amtrak decided to operate locomotive-hauled passenger trains instead of the electric multiple unit Metroliners. Amtrak did purchase hundreds of Amfleet cars which were basically unpowered Metroliner cars. ...... My question is why were they not reliable? ..... It seems to me electrical equipment should be durable if designed right. ..... Thanks.
The Metroliner made it's first in service trip i 1968, and remained in "Metroliner " service until maybe 1982, when there were sufficient AM7s and Amfleet coaches available to change over to Locomotive powered trains. That's a lot of train miles for a 61 car fleet with an average of 56 cars available on a daily basis. The fleet included 10 Parlor Cars (Metro Club), 20 Snack bar Coaches, and 31 Coaches. After the "Metroliner" cars were booted off of main line service, they were re branded "Capital Liners", and placed in service on the Philadelphia - Harrisburg route, or recondigured as cab cars for Mid West and San Diegian service.
The biggest shortcoming was the apparent incompatibility of Westinghouse manufactured components with electrical components manufactured by GE. About half the fleet was GE the rest Westinghouse.
One must keep in mind that one of the goals the PRR had was to eliminate locomotive hauled trains in favor of MU trains in order to eliminate the Fireman position on passenger trains. Locomotive hauled trains required the use of a fireman, but there was an exemption for electric MU trains. The Department of Commerce (This was a pre DOT era), did not wish to favor one manufacturer of electrical equipment over another. The project was a rush job, in that it was thrown together as a "Demonstration Project" with limited Federal Funding, and there was little advance training for mechanical and operating personnel, which of course required learning by the seat of one's pants.
By 1982, Amtrak had taken over all T&E employees in Amtrak service on the NEC, and the new Labor agreements eliminated the fireman's position, thus nullifying the need for MU equipment. MUs historically do not work all that well in high speed service, and are limited in consist length. The Metroliners were limited to 6 cars, AM7 powered trains were usually seven or eight cars.
Considering that ex Metroliner Cab cars are still in service on the NEC, and other corridors, one cannot consider the Metroliner a failure. The lack of success attributed to the program came from different factions seeking diverse goals, rather than a concentrated effort in developing a viable high speed, long distance, train system. Some of the same ills adversely affected the Acela program, however, ultimately the Acela developed into a successful and popular premium service.
The Metroliner is a direct descendant of the Budd Pioneer III car body, first developed in the mid 1950s. Amfleet cars were also descendants of the Pioneer III, as were the Budd built MU cars used by SEPTA. (PRR/RDG). Initially, back in the mid 1970s, when the Amfleet coaches first began arriving, they were frequently referred to as "Metro Shells" In fact, the Metroliner Mechanical Group, was interested in modifying Amfleet coaches for use in Metroliner consists, to increase capacity, without further complicating mechanical issues. Amtrak was by this point not interested in further MU development, and was more interested in developing a high speed locomotive hauled train.