Gallery Car
The Gallery Car is a bilevel rail car, originally created by the Pullman Company as the Pullman Gallery Car. It has had five total different manufacturers since its creation, including Budd, St. Louis Car Company, Amerail, Nippon Sharyo and Canadian Vickers. These double-decker passenger car were built by Pullman-Standard during the 1950s to 1970s for various passenger rail operators in the United States.
The car's upper level was accessed by four sets of stairs in the middle vestibule. A narrow walkway with handrail and middle sections open looking below. Passengers disembarked from stairs from the vestibule on both sides. The original bench seating on the lower level was often upgraded to individual seats during rebuilds by operators. The 8700 series cars feature a control cab; this is not found in the 7600 series cars.
Design
Railcar
The Gallery Car is made of the usual stainless steel and is a bilevel, however there is a drop down in the middle to the first floor. This choice was made in particular to allow conductors to make a single pass through the car to collect passenger fares instead of having to go to each floor.[1]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Bike_Car_%28559390353%29.jpg/220px-Bike_Car_%28559390353%29.jpg)
The car height is near the same as a Superliner (16' 2"), being only approximately four inches shorter, at 15' ~10".[2] The height isn't the same across the brands, such as when comparing a Budd to an Amerail.[3][4][5]
Highliner II
An electric multiple unit (EMU) variant of the railcar has been produced by Nippon Sharyo, of which only Metra and the NICTD South Shore Line own and operate. They operate on overhead wires, and only have cab car variants, with each set containing two.[6]
History
The Gallery Car was constructed originally by Pullman and Budd in between the 1950s-70's, as 4 different models: The 7006A, 7600,[7] 8700,[7] and the Town Cars. The 8700 Series introduced the cab cars, with CN&W being the first customers for it.
Over time, as Pullman went bankrupt, other companies began to manufacture the railcar, those mainly being Amerail and Nippon Sharyo.[2] Nippon Sharyo is currently the only manufacturer left as all of its other manufacturers no longer exist.
Models
There were four types:[8][9]
Model | Operators | Builder | Years | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
7006A series | built 1950s | |||
7600 series[10] | C&NW | St. Louis Car Company, Pullman Company | 1956–1961, 1963, 1965–68, 1970 | Built 262 |
8700 series[10] | C&NW | Pullman Company | 1960–1961, 1965–1968 | Built 64 |
Town Train series | Canadian Pacific Railways | Canadian Vickers | 1969 | Manufactured 9 gallery cars used by Canadian Pacific Railway Montreal passenger service and later used by STCUM and AMT and retired 2010. |
Operators
- AMT - Canadian Vickers-built gallery cars (all retired)
- Amtrak: Acquired twelve cars from the Chicago and North Western Railway in the 1970s; ten coaches and food-service cars. Amtrak converted four of coaches into control cars in 1981–1982. All twelve were off the roster by 1994.[11]: 192
- Burlington Northern and Santa Fe - acquired the six Transcisco Tours gallery cars and converted them to be used as business cars (BNSF #40–45); two were later converted to track geometry cars.
- Canadian Pacific Railway - Montreal passenger routes and cars transferred to STCUM, and then to AMT (all retired)
- Chicago and North Western - sold cars to Metra and Amtrak
- Foxville and Northern - shortline operator in North Carolina. Owns 7 former VRE cars. Leased to other operations for various events.
- Metra
- WeGo Star - acquired seven Metra gallery cars.
- Southern Pacific - Peninsula Commute, then Caltrain. Operated 46 gallery cars (SP 3700–3745) until 1985. Sold to Tour Alaska in 1986. Colorado Railcar converted four (SP 3734, 3740, 3744, 3745) into "Ultra Dome" cars at Tillamook, Oregon.[12][13][14] Six sold to Transcisco Tours (SP 3700–3703; 3707, 3708), subsequently acquired by BNSF.
- Transcisco Tours - acquired six from SP and converted them for tour use (#800532–800537).[15]
- Utah Transit Authority FrontRunner - for parts
- Virginia Railway Express - Operated 50 ex-Metra gallery cars from 2001 until replacement by new Nippon Sharyo gallery cars from 2006 to 2017.[16]
- GO Transit - borrowed both CP Rail and Chicago and North Western cars for trial runs in 1976.
- MARC Train - Acquired 12 Ex-Metra gallery bilevel coaches, often used on the Brunswick Line; replaced by Bombardier MARC IV in early 2015 and returned to Metra.[17]
Current owners
Owner | Numbers | Type | Heritage | Year Built | Builder | Disposition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Metra | 700–787 790–795 | Coach Coach/Cab | Burlington Route | 1950–65 1965 | Budd | Operating, rebuilt in 1973 700–740, 752, 781, 790–795 sold to MItrain in Michigan |
796–815 816–820 7100–7121 | Coach/Cab Coach Coach | Burlington Northern | 1973 1973 1977–78 | Operating | ||
6001–6194 | Coach | Metra | 2002–05 | Nippon Sharyo | ||
7200–7382 | Milwaukee Road | 1961–80 | Budd | |||
7400–7497 | Metra | 1996–98 | Amerail | Operating, rebuilt in 2012 | ||
8200–8238 | Coach/Cab | Milwaukee Road | 1961–74 | Budd | Operating | |
8239–8275 | RTA | 1978–80 | Operating–Some have been converted to coaches. | |||
8400–8478 | Metra | 1994–98 | Morrison-Knudsen/Amerail | Operating–Mainly assigned to the UP lines. | ||
8501–8608 | 2002–05 | Nippon Sharyo | Operating | |||
7700–7866 | Coach | Chicago and North Western | 1960–70 | Pullman | Operating–Five have been purchased back due to money problems. | |
7600–7613 | 1955 | St. Louis | Retired–Two preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum | |||
7650–7681 | 1956 | Pullman | Retired–One preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum | |||
7867–7871 | Rock Island | 1970 | Pullman | 7869 now a bike car. Rest retired | ||
7881–7885 | Coach | Rock Island | 1970 | Pullman | Retired | |
7900–7901 | Club Car | Chicago and North Western | 1955 | St. Louis | ||
8700–8763 | Coach/Cab | 1960–68 | Pullman | Retired–One preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum 8749 is a bicycle car. | ||
VRE | 710–730[18] | Unspecified | VRE | 2006–08 | Sumitomo / Nippon Sharyo | Operating |
800–819, 850–869, 870–879[18] | Unspecified | 2007-09 | ||||
820–848†[18] | Unspecified | 2014 | ||||
WeGo Star | 400-402 | Cab | Metra, CB&Q, RTA, MITrain | Unspecified | Budd, Previous Cars by Pullman | Operating, Previous Pullmans Retired |
500-503 | Coach | |||||
BNSF | 40-45 | Track Inspection | Transcisco Tours | Unspecified | Pullman | Operating |
Caltrain | 3800-3825 | Trailer-Luggage | Caltrain | 1985 | Nippon Sharyo | Operating |
3826-3835 | Trailer-Bike | |||||
3836-3841 | Trailer | |||||
3842-3851 | 1986 | |||||
3852-3865 | 2000 | |||||
4000-4020 | Cab-Bike | 1985 | ||||
4021-4026 | 2000 |
† Eight cars ordered in February 2012 with options for 42 more.[19] As of 2018, 21 further cars had been procured from these options.[18]
EMU current owners
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/20160212_20_Last_Run_of_Metra_Electric_Highliners_%2828792378475%29.jpg/220px-20160212_20_Last_Run_of_Metra_Electric_Highliners_%2828792378475%29.jpg)
Owner | Numbers | Type | Heritage | Year Built | Builder | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Metra | 1201–1226 | MU Coach | Metra | 2005 | Nippon Sharyo | Operating |
1227–1238 | 2012 | Sumitomo Group[20] | ||||
1239–1279 | 2013 | |||||
1280-1386 | 2014-2016 | |||||
1501–1630 | Illinois Central | 1971–1972 | St. Louis | Retired | ||
1631–1666 | 1978–1979 | Bombardier | ||||
South Shore Line | 301-314 | MU Coach | South Shore Line | 2009 | Nippon Sharyo | Operating |
Preserved cars
- Three cars, two coaches and a cab car, are preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum. Others serve on heritage railroads like the North Shore Scenic Railroad, which has 3, all of which are in the original C&NW paint scheme. Numerous others survive, but are still in operation on railroads like Metra.
- Ex-Agence metropolitaine de transport gallery cab coach number 901 is on display at the Canadian Railway Museum in Saint-Constant, Quebec.[21]
Future
Eventually this railcar will be phased out. Two large passenger railroads are getting new equipment to phase out the cars, with Metra and Virginia Railway Express purchasing custom Coradia Bi-Levels from Alstom,[22][23] and Caltrain getting Stadler KISS EMUs from Stadler Rail,[24] to become fully electrified.
Gallery
-
- A Caltrain Train, All of them being Nippon Sharyo.
- The Upper Level of a Gallery Car. Usually, there is a Rack in the Dropdown for Baggage.
- Metra Cab Car No. 8473 having its plow cut off after the Clarendon Hills crash.
- Virginia Railway Express #V425. Originally in service with the C&NW
See also
References
- ^ Jones, Alan. "C&NW Gallery Cars No. 59& Metra No. 7715 - Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum". www.hodrrm.org. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
- ^ a b "Gallery Type Bi-Level Passenger Car for Caltrans". www.n-sharyo.co.jp. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
- ^ "RailPictures.Net Photo: Ink Metra Cab Control Car at Waukegan, Illinois by Alan Baker". www.railpictures.net. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
- ^ "RailPictures.Net Photo: METX 8427 Metra Metra Cab Car at Chicago, Illinois by David Dupuis". www.railpictures.net. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
- ^ "RailPictures.Net Photo: METX 189 Metra EMD F40PHM-3 at Hinsdale, Illinois by Johnny Hansen". www.railpictures.net. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
- ^ "Bi-Level EMU for NICTD (2009-)". www.n-sharyo.co.jp. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
- ^ a b "C&NW Bi-Level Commuter Cars". www.kls2.com. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
- ^ "CabCars". Archived from the original on 2017-08-05. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
- ^ "7600 Pullman Photo Page". Archived from the original on 2017-09-07. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
- ^ a b "C&NW Bi-Level Commuter Cars".
- ^ Simon, Elbert; Warner, David C. (2011). Holland, Kevin J. (ed.). Amtrak by the Numbers: A Comprehensive Passenger Car and Motive Power Roster – 1971–2011. Kansas City, Missouri: White River Productions. ISBN 978-1-932804-12-6.
- ^ Combs, John (21 May 2016). "Princess Rail Cars". Alaska Rails. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
- ^ Moore, Jody (2005). "Princess Tours 2005 car refitting, part 1". TrainWeb. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
- ^ Moore, Jody (2005). "A History of Colorado Railcar and the Development of the Ultradome Concept". TrainWeb. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
- ^ LaBoda, J.M. "Business Car Photo Index: Burlington Northern Santa Fe 40-63". Passenger Car Photos. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
- ^ "Virginia Railway Express Transit Development Plan FY2013 - FY2018" (PDF). Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. December 2011.
- ^ Starcic, Janna (June 17, 2016). "Maryland's MARC Railroad Upgrades Fleet, Service to Bolster Ridership". Metro. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Equipment & Train Consist". Virginia Railway Express. November 21, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
- ^ Buske, Jennifer (August 5, 2010). "Virginia Railway Express begins adding new locomotives to its fleet". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
- ^ Wronski, Richard (August 13, 2010). "Metra to buy 1st new cars for Electric Line in 5 years". Chicago Breaking News Center. Archived from the original on February 13, 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ^ "News photo: Exo donates gallery coach to Exporail". Trains. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-22.
- ^ "Metra Board approves purchase of up to 500 modern railcars". Metra. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
- ^ "NOTICE OF AWARD OF A CONTRACT IN RESPONSE TO METRA RFP No. 37383 FOR NEW PUSH-PULL COMMUTER RAIL CARS ISSUED JUNE 29, 2021" (PDF). Virginia Railway Express. 2021-06-29.
- ^ "KISS Double-Decker Electric Multiple Unit EMU" (PDF). tillier.net. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
External links
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- [1] Archived 2021-01-17 at the Wayback Machine
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