The Comet railcar is a class of locomotive-hauled railcars that was first designed in the late 1960s by
Pullman-Standard
The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was a manufacturer of railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Through rapid late-19th century ...
as a modern commuter car for North American rail lines. Later, the Comet moniker was adopted by
NJ Transit
New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...
for all of its non-powered single level commuter coaches. Additional series of cars bearing the Comet name, based on the original design, have since been built by
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian-German rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry ...
and
Alstom
Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Avelia ...
. The successful design was adopted by numerous commuter agencies.
History
Comet I
These cars were the first of the Comet series, built by
Pullman Standard
The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was a manufacturer of railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Through rapid late-19th century d ...
in 1970–73 for the
New Jersey Department of Transportation
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transportat ...
and used the
Erie-Lackawanna
The Erie Lackawanna Railway , known as the Erie Lackawanna Railroad until 1968, was formed from the 1960 merger of the Erie Railroad and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. The official motto of the line was "The Friendly Service Route" ...
Railroad's diesel-hauled commuter services. These railcars were named after the Jersey Central train
Blue Comet
The ''Blue Comet'' was a named passenger train operated by Central Railroad of New Jersey from 1929 to 1941 between the New York metropolitan area and Atlantic City.
Designed by Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) president R.B. White in 19 ...
. These were considered state of the art at the time, due to their all-aluminum body shell construction as well as their use of head-end power (HEP). Their automated entrance doors, designed for use with low platforms only, earned them the nickname "Sliders". 155 cars were built, with 35 cab cars, 110 trailer coaches and 10
bar car
A bar car is a train car that has as its primary purpose the provision and consumption of alcoholic and other beverages.
In the United States
Bar cars were common during the heyday of U.S. rail travel prior to World War II. However, since May 2 ...
s.
In 1987, the fleet was rebuilt by
Bombardier at
Barre, Vermont Barre, Vermont may refer to:
*Barre (city), Vermont
*Barre (town), Vermont
Barre ( ) is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 7,923 at the 2020 census, making it the 3rd largest municipality in Washington County ...
, with all 35 cab cars and a number of trailer cars receiving high doors, for ADA access and future compatibility with high platforms. They were given NJ Transit logos adjacent to the entrance doors at this time, as NJ Transit had taken over EL commuter service. The bar cars were converted to standard coaches.
The low door cars were retired from service in 2005. 25 of the cars were sold to
Utah Transit Authority
The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) is a special service district responsible for providing public transportation throughout the Wasatch Front of Utah, in the United States, which includes the metropolitan areas of Ogden, Park City, Provo, Salt ...
(UTA) for the
FrontRunner
FrontRunner is a commuter rail train operated by the Utah Transit Authority that operates along the Wasatch Front in north-central Utah with service from the Ogden Intermodal Transit Center in central Weber County through Davis County, Salt ...
service, and 20 were leased to
Metrolink in 2008 to help with an acute car shortage there. In March 2011, Metrolink returned the cars to FrontRunner upon the expiration of the lease. Metrolink also leased 15 cars directly from New Jersey Transit in 2009. These cars have not been used since 2011. The Comet I cars have become popular with western commuter lines as the low door setup is compatible with the low-platform stations in use. Eight Comet Is were sold to
SEPTA
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five coun ...
, but are now out of service and put into storage. Some of these have recently been used in work service.
NJ Transit retired the last of its Comet Is in March 2009. The Comets that were not sold to SEPTA, Metrolink, UTA or to private railroads and museum fleets were scrapped by 2010. FrontRunner retired their Comet I cars on April 18, 2022, citing increased maintenance costs and low ridership; they were put up for auction in October 2022, lasting until November 2022. Preserved examples are located at several museums, including the
Whippany Railway Museum
The Whippany Railway Museum is a railway museum and excursion train ride located in the Whippany, New Jersey, Whippany section of Hanover Township, New Jersey, Hanover Township in Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, New Jersey, United State ...
in
Whippany, New Jersey
Whippany is a unincorporated community located within Hanover Township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. Whippany's name is derived from the Whippanong Native Americans, a tribe that once inhabited the area. Whippanong meant "place ...
and the
Southern California Railway Museum
The Southern California Railway Museum (SCRM, reporting mark OERX), formerly known as the Orange Empire Railway Museum, is a railroad museum in Perris, California, United States. It was founded in 1956 at Griffith Park in Los Angeles before movin ...
in
Perris, California
Perris is an old railway city in Riverside County, California, United States, located east-southeast of Los Angeles and north of San Diego. It is known for Lake Perris, an artificial lake, skydiving, and its sunny dry climate. Perris is wit ...
.
File:PS COMET CAB.png, Cab car layout
File:PS COMET TRAILER.png, Trailer car layout
File:PS COMET BAR.png, Bar car layout
Comet II
![NJTR 5446 on Train 5705](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/NJTR_5446_on_Train_5705.jpg)
The Comet II cars were built by
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian-German rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry ...
, which acquired the rights to the railcar's design from Pullman. The first order of cars was built for NJ Transit between 1982 and 1983 and consisted of 142 trailer coaches and 19 cab cars. A second order, the Comet IIB, was purchased in 1988. These cars feature long end-doors with
trapdoor
A trapdoor is a sliding or hinged door in a floor or ceiling. It is traditionally small in size. It was invented to facilitate the hoisting of grain up through mills, however, its list of uses has grown over time. The trapdoor has played a pivot ...
s over the stairs for use at both low-platform and high-platform stations. The cars are similar to the
MBTA's BTC-1 and CTC-1 cars, built in 1978 by Pullman Standard. These cars were intended for use on lines formerly operated by the
Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey, also known as the Jersey Central or Jersey Central Lines , was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s. It was absorbed into Conrail in April 1976 along with several other prominent bankrupt railroads of ...
, operator of the ''
Blue Comet
The ''Blue Comet'' was a named passenger train operated by Central Railroad of New Jersey from 1929 to 1941 between the New York metropolitan area and Atlantic City.
Designed by Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) president R.B. White in 19 ...
'' train to Atlantic City. This led to the NJ Transit series of single-level cars becoming known as Comets. These cars have been overhauled by
AAI Corporation
AAI Corporation is an aerospace and defense development and manufacturing firm, located in Hunt Valley, Maryland, US. Formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of United Industrial Corporation, AAI was acquired by Textron in 2007. It currently operates ...
and
Alstom
Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Avelia ...
between 1999 and 2003 to make them aesthetically and technologically similar to the Comet IV series and are now compatible with later equipment.
Shoreliner I and II coaches, purchased by
Metro-North
Metro-North Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, is a suburban commuter rail service run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a public authority of the U.S. state of New York and under contract with the Connecticut D ...
and the
Connecticut Department of Transportation
The Connecticut Department of Transportation (often referred to as CTDOT and occasionally ConnDOT, or CDOT) is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports and waterways in Connecticut. ...
for use on non-electrified territories east of the
Hudson River
The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...
, are variations without long doors. Amtrak's
Horizon
The horizon is the apparent line that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This line divides all viewing directions based on whether i ...
coaches are also a variation without long, automatic doors. Metro-North also purchased Comet II coaches for use on the
Port Jervis Line
The Port Jervis Line is a predominantly single-track commuter rail line running between Suffern and Port Jervis, in the U.S. state of New York. At Suffern, the line continues south into New Jersey as NJ Transit's Main Line. The line is operate ...
, where they ran until replaced by the Comet V. The Comet II cars have since been transferred to the East-of-Hudson pool, where they remain in service.
SEPTA Regional Rail
The SEPTA Regional Rail system is a commuter rail network owned by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and serving the Philadelphia Metropolitan area. The system has 13 branches and more than 150 active stations in Philadelphi ...
and
AMT
Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only in Germany, but formerly also common in other countries of Northern Europe. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to ...
also purchased cars based on this class.
Comet III
![NJTR 5003 on Train 3896](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/NJTR_5003_on_Train_3896.jpg)
The Comet III cars, ordered by NJ Transit in 1990, feature center doors and long end-doors, permitting end doors to open and close with traps open. The Metro-North
Shoreliner III fleet is a variation without long doors. The Comet III fleet was removed from revenue service between 2009-2010 and remained in storage until 2022, when it was decided to dispose of the cars as scrap. 48 of the 49 remaining cars were scrapped in June/July 2022 in Neptune Yard near the
Bradley Beach station
Bradley Beach is a railway station located at Railroad Square between Brinley and Lareine Avenues in Bradley Beach of Monmouth County, New Jersey. It is served by trains on NJ Transit's North Jersey Coast Line.
History
The current station depot ...
, with one car remaining in NJ TRANSIT's Meadowlands Maintenance Complex.
Metro-North also owns two Comet III cab cars, which were originally numbered 5179 and 5180. These cars were sold to NJT in 1998 and renumbered to 5009 and 5010, but were later sold back to Metro-North in 2008.
Comet IV
![NJT 5018+WINSLOW](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/NJT_5018%2BWINSLOW.jpg)
The Comet IV cars, delivered in 1996 and purchased for NJ Transit's new
Midtown Direct
The Kearny Connection is a railroad junction in Kearny, New Jersey that allows passenger trains from New Jersey Transit's Morris and Essex Lines to enter Amtrak's Northeast Corridor (NEC) and travel to and from New York Penn Station. The junctio ...
service, are similar to the Comet III cars, except they have no door by the engineer's cab and have thicker stripes. The Metro-North
Shoreliner IV fleet is a variation without long doors.
With the completion of the Comet V order, all Comet IV cab cars are no longer allowed to lead a train; their cab controllers have since been deactivated. Instead, they are now used exclusively as blind coaches, in which they are inserted into a train consist and act as regular trailer cars.
Comet V
![New Jersey Transit's Comets](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/New_Jersey_Transit%27s_Comets.jpg)
These cars were ordered in 1999 by NJ Transit and Metro-North Railroad and delivered between 2002 and 2004. Unlike previous series which were built by Bombardier, the Comet Vs were built by
Alstom
Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Avelia ...
. The major external differences are a stainless-steel exterior, larger windows, and visible, roof-mounted air conditioning units.
"Comaro" coaches
The "Comet" name has been applied to two distinct orders of coaches used on NJ Transit lines. As both orders had connections to the
Arrow
An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...
series of
electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a numbe ...
(EMU) cars, they have become known as "Comaros", a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words[Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro share ...](_blank)
.
Comet IA
Ten Comet IA cars (two cabs and eight trailers) were built in 1978 by
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
for the
MTA from surplus shells from
Avco
Avco Corporation is a subsidiary of Textron which operates Textron Systems Corporation
and Lycoming.
History
The Aviation Corporation was formed on March 2, 1929, to prevent a takeover of CAM-24 airmail service operator Embry-Riddle Compa ...
and
Canadian Vickers
Canadian Vickers Limited was an aircraft and shipbuilding company that operated in Canada during the early part of the 20th century until 1944. A subsidiary of Vickers Limited, it built its own aircraft designs as well as others under licence. C ...
remaining from the "Arrow III" EMU fleet built for NJDOT. They saw use primarily on the
Port Jervis Line
The Port Jervis Line is a predominantly single-track commuter rail line running between Suffern and Port Jervis, in the U.S. state of New York. At Suffern, the line continues south into New Jersey as NJ Transit's Main Line. The line is operate ...
. These cars were retired in 2004 and scrapped by 2006.
Comet IB
![NJ Transit Comet IB 5160](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/NJ_Transit_Comet_IB_5160.jpg)
The Comet IB cars were rebuilt from 30 former
Penn Central
The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American Railroad classes, class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania Railroad ...
Arrow I EMU cars originally built by the
St. Louis Car Company
The St. Louis Car Company was a major United States manufacturer of railroad passenger cars, streetcars, interurbans, trolleybuses and locomotives that existed from 1887 to 1974, based in St. Louis, Missouri.
History
The St. Louis Car Company ...
between 1968 and 1969. The Arrow I cars suffered from chronic mechanical problems and were out of service by 1980. The cars sat unused for several years, but realizing that the car bodies still had many decades of service left on them, NJ Transit made the decision to have them rebuilt into un-powered coaches. In 1987 and 1988 the cars were converted into cab control cars and trailer coaches by
Morrison-Knudsen for use on non-electrified lines. After two decades of service the Comet IB cars were retired by NJ Transit in late 2008, with some surplus cars temporarily leased to Exo's predecessor agency, the Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT).
Amtrak California refurbishment
![California Comets at Martinez station, November 2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/California_Comets_at_Martinez_station%2C_November_2019.JPG)
In 2008 the
California Department of Transportation
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the cabinet-level California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA). Caltrans is headquartered in Sacrame ...
(Caltrans) purchased 14 Comet IB coaches from NJ Transit for $75,000 per car to relieve overcrowding on the popular ''
San Joaquin'' route. The Comet IB coaches were refurbished at Amtrak's Beech Grove shops to make them more suitable for
inter-city rail
Inter-city rail services are express passenger train services that run services that connect cities over longer distances than commuter or regional trains.
There is no precise definition of inter-city rail; its meaning may vary from country ...
service including adding reclining seats with tray tables (with only four seats in a row), more luggage racks, a restroom, Wi-Fi and 6 workstation tables in the center of the car.
12 of the cars California purchased from NJ Transit were cab cars and were reconfigured into trailer cars by removing the train controls and plating over the cab windows. Instead they are used with
Non-Powered Control Units that have cab controls and space to store checked baggage.
Caltrans had planned to use the "Comet car" trainsets on trains starting in July 2013, but the refurbishing process took longer than expected. The first of the Caltrans Comet IB coaches, 5008 (ex-NJT 5165) was completed in March 2013. The first "Comet car" trainset was put into regular service on October 21, 2013,
and the second trainset was put into regular service on April 15, 2014.
See also
*
Horizon (railcar)
The Horizon is a type of single-level intercity railroad passenger car used by Amtrak, the national rail passenger carrier in the United States. Amtrak ordered the cars to supplement their existing fleet of Amfleet I single-level cars used on s ...
– railcars operated by
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
similar in design to that of the Comets.
*
Shoreliner
Shoreliners are a class of locomotive-hauled rail car used by the Metro-North Railroad for service on non-electrified portions of their system. They are similar to the Comet coaches used by New Jersey Transit, however there are several differen ...
– Metro-North's similar locomotive-hauled railcars used for their East-of-Hudson services.
References
External links
*
{{Pullman rolling stock
Rail passenger cars of the United States
Railway coaches of Canada
Exo (public transit)
Metro-North Railroad
NJ Transit Rail Operations
SEPTA Regional Rail
Pullman Company