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LONG
ISLAND RAILROAD M3
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M3 #9837 Budd-Transit America press photos late
1985/early 1986 - Red Lion Assembly Plant, NE Philadelphia. PA
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 With
electrification areas of both railroads expanding, the MTA placed an order
for another series in 1982, the M3 series. Essentially compatible with,
and (on the exterior) very similar to, the M1 series, the M3s had updated
mechanical elements such as the use of General
Steel GSI 70 trucks and a few other small differences. Traction motor
cooling was added to the M3 at the cost of added weight which was
compensated for by the use of more powerful 160 horsepower (120 kW)
GE 1261 motors. Even with the extra power this created different
acceleration and braking rates from the M1. While LIRR chose to mix M1s
and M3s in the same consist, Metro-North chose not to and would always run
with uniform trainsets. 174 M3s 9771-9944, with 9891 and 9892 renumbered
to 9945 and 9946 after the Long
Island Rail Road massacre (12/07/1993 the
Merillon Avenue station in Garden City), were produced for the LIRR between 1984 and
1986 with 142 M3As (8000-8141) produced for Metro North, arriving between
1984 and early 1985. Wikipedia
Photo: M3
#9928
Wikipedia |
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LIRR Fleet List - Maintenance of
Equipment/Engineering - June 30, 2008.
EMU cars: Listed in a odd/even format. All EMU cars are 85 feet long.
M3 A car 9772-9946, Wt 112,400; 704 HP, Built 1985-1986 by Budd/Transit
America, Total 85
A-cars contain the batteries, low voltage power supply and auxiliary
inverter, which replaced a rather antiquated (for 1984) motor-alternator
set.
M3 B car 9771-9945, Wt 109,200; 704 HP, Built 1985-1986 by Budd/Transit
America, Total 85
B-cars contain the bathroom, air compressor, and speed control equipment. Archive: Mike McEnaney
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Maiden voyages of the Metropolitan
cars:
M1: December 30th, 1968 from Babylon to Penn Station on the Babylon Branch.
M3:
September 10, 1985 between Jamaica and Penn
Station primarily for the "dignitaries" at the time.
M7: October 30th, 2002 from Long Beach to Penn Station on the Long Beach
Branch.
M9: September 11, 2019 6:50a.m.train from Huntington |
M3 #9772 NASSAU 4/29/2019 Photo/Archive:
John Levai
Soon NASSAU Tower and the M3 fleet will be memories. The M3s are to be
replaced by the M9 series and the 3rd Track Project may spell the end of
NASSAU. |
M3 train set westbound passing Bellerose
Station toward Jamaica and New York Penn on the Main line.
4/29/2019 Photo/Archive:
John Levai
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M3 #9779 eastbound Mineola - View SW 2007
c.2008 Photo/Archive: Gary Chatterton
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M3 #9925 Farmingdale 3/21/2019
Photo/Archive: Daniel Foran |
M3 #9847 West Side Yard View E
12/27/2014 Photo/Archive: Lawn Guylander
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M3-9822 Jamaica 9/26/2007 Photo: Andy Inserra
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M3 Winter action eastbound at Brooklyn
Ave., Merrick 2004 |
M3 #9825 side view Woodside
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M3 #9876 Train #2820
Cedarhurst Archive: Wiki
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| In service |
M3: 1985-present |
M3 interior 1/31/2012 Photo: Wiki
The interiors have wallpaper with the NYS insignia
and faux wood paneling, and padded red and blue seating with window-facing
seats (forward or backward) with a 3-2 seating scheme bisected by an
aisle.
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M3 interior 1/31/2012 Photo/Archive:
Gregory Kats
Every other car in an M3 trainset has a working
restroom. Running water was
discontinued years ago and the sinks removed. There is more seating in an
M3 as room had to be made in M7 cars for handicapped riders |
| .Manufacturer |
Budd/Transit
America |
| Built at |
Red
Lion Plant, NE Philadelphia. PA |
| Family
name |
Budd Metropolitan |
| Constructed |
M3/M3A: 1984-1986 |
| Entered service |
M3:
1985 |
| Number
built |
M3: 174 |
| In
service |
M3:
148 (additional 4 in work service) |
| Formation |
Married Pair
"B" cars (odd) are toilet equipped. |
| Fleet numbers |
M3:
9771-9944 |
| Capacity |
120 (M3) |
| Specifications |
| Car
body |
Stainless
Steel, fiberglass end caps on the operating ends |
M3 cab controls - Jamaica 7/01/1996
Photo/Archive: Phillip M. Goldstein
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1990-2009
Watch the Gap decal signage 2009-Present
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| Train length |
170 ft (51.82 m) - 1,020 ft
(310.90 m) |
| Car length |
85 ft (25.91 m) |
| Width |
10 ft 6 in (3,200 mm) |
| Height |
13 ft (3,962 mm) excluding
rooftop horns |
| Floor height |
4 ft (1,219 mm) |
| Platform
height |
4 ft (1,219 mm) |
| Doors |
Quarter point, double leaf automatic |
| Maximum speed |
100 mph
(160 km/h) design 80 mph (130 km/h)
service |
| Traction system |
DC current fed through a camshaft
controlled resistance switch to 4 DC traction motors. |
| Traction
motors |
M3/M3A: 4x160
horsepower (120 kW) GE 1261(M3) |
| Power output |
M3/M3A: 640
horsepower (480 kW) |
The conductor/engineer cab
had the horizontal slider window and an air intake vent at center
window, Thin vertical compartment door in front which houses
the chains to prevent people from falling to the sides between two
sets of married pairs. M-3 has air intake vent at center window,
slider window at conductor/engineering cab, no sealed over
destination sign. The M3 cab windows slid along the outside
on large tracks, yellow lips on the bottom of the side passenger
doors, and 3 lights behind the cab window. |
| Transmission |
Electric |
| Train
heating |
electric heat, air conditioning |
| Electric
system |
650 V DC -
750 V DC Third Rail |
| Current
collection |
Contact
shoe |
| Bogies |
M3: General Steel
GSI 70 |
| Braking
system |
Pneumatic,
dynamic |
| Safety
system |
Cab
signals with ATC, emergency brakes |
| Coupling
system |
WABCO
Model N-2 |
| Headlight type |
Halogen light bulbs |
| Track
gauge |
4 ft 8 1⁄2 in
(1,435 mm) standard
gauge |
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1 Headlight
2 Cab light (dome light)
3 Ammeter
4 Acknowledgment device
5 Horn
6 Pneumatic uncouple uses main res air to release the notched
prong coupler
7 Reverser (Key Out-F/N/R)
8 Master controller key
9 Master controller (power/coast/brake)
10 Communication signal (buzzer)
11 Brake pipe charge
12 ADU (cab signal and PTC display with speedometer)
Notes: ADU (Aspect Display Unit) contains signal speeds
(80/70/70/40/30/15)
PTC Civil speed labeled as “Track Speed” per timetable speed
restrictions.
The
Track speed and cab signal are “dark” as this
unit is not keyed in. Photos/Archive/Information: Joe Vila
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LIRR #9928 at the Hillside Maintenance Complex 5/11/2019
Photo/Archive: Joseph Diecidue |
ADU (Aspect Display Unit) where the engineers used to place their
paper timetables for quick access. Once they put the large ADU display unit in the front of the controller a lot of the
available space was taken up. |
M3 post-PTC installation of tray table
7/2023 Photo/Archive: Joe Vila |
With the installation of PTC
(Positive Train Control), there are new cab signal displays in the
cab compartment of an ADU (Aspect Display Unit).
The tray has been installed for an engineer to place their timetable
for quick access.
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| M3's
DISPOSITION
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 In
the 1990s, M3 car 9776 was wrecked in an accident and subsequently
scrapped. Its mate, 9775, was converted to a rail
adhesion car and renumbered to E775. On January 22, 2013, car 9870 was
retired when it collided with a car at Brentwood station and then caught
fire. It is currently stored out of service. Its mate, 9869, was mated
with 9772, which lost its mate 9771 due to electrical failures on that
car.
Between 2011 and 2013, twenty M3 cars were
prematurely taken out of service and stripped of parts to keep the
other cars running. They were taken off property to be scrapped in
2018.
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 In 2018, M3 pair 9901-9902 was converted to a
pair of rail adhesion cars. The cars were renumbered to
E901-E902.
As of 2013, the MTA has spent nearly $2
billion to procure a replacement for the M3 series, the
M9.
The fleet is similar to the M7, and the first cars arrived in 2018.
As of October 2017, there were 92 M9 cars planned, with options for up
to 494 more.
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 Took
a stop at CSX Oak Point Yard in the Bronx today. A final farewell to a
few more M3 sets on TTX 89' flat cars! Car numbers involved are: 9861, 9834,
9862, 9833, 9776 & 9777. Taken 11/26/2021 Info/Photo/Archive: Jason
Saberhagen Epler |
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M3's BACK IN SERVICE |
Hillside 8/03/2022 - M3's numbers 9842-41, 9928-27, 9836-35, 9876-75,
9806-05, 9908-07 Photo/Archive: Joe Polidora
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M3 #9825 with yellow horizontal paint band signifies a non-PTC (Positive
Train Control) equipped unit and cannot be on the front or rear of a train. |
Port Washington M3 #9940 First Day back in service 8/10/2022 Photo/Archive:
Daniel Chou |
LIRR Train 805 M3s 9927-9806 on Jamaica Track 3 8/23/2022 Photo/Archive:
Phil Pesante |
M3 door - Centered above door is the local door indicator:
Lit (red) local door open
Not lit (Dark) local door closed
If the light is burnt out, NO indication of the door status
9/2023 - Photo/Archive: Joe Vila
Note: The current MTA Long Island Rail Road logo
applied over the previous "M" logo. |
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