| Metroliner | |
|---|---|
 Metroliner in Pennsylvania Railroad livery before acceptance, circa 1968. All Metroliners, including this car, began revenue service with Penn Central markings. | |
| Manufacturer | Budd Company |
| Constructed | 1967–1970 |
| Entered service | January 16, 1969 |
| Refurbished | 1972–1974, 1979–1980 |
| Retired | 1988 |
| Number built | 61 (31 coaches, 20 snack, 10 parlor cars) |
| Fleet numbers | 800–830, 850–869, 880–889 |
| Operators | Penn Central (1969–1971) Amtrak (1971–1988) |
| Lines served | Northeast Corridor |
| Specifications | |
| Car length | 85 ft 0 in (25.91 m) |
| Width | 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) |
| Height | 14 ft 10 in (4.52 m) (pantographs locked down) |
| Floor height | 51+1⁄2 in (1,308 mm) |
| Platform height | 51 in (1,295 mm) (high) |
| Doors | Two per side |
| Maximum speed | 150 mph (240 km/h) (design) 120 mph (190 km/h) (in service) |
| Weight | 166,000 lb (75,000 kg) |
| Traction motors | 4x Westinghouse 1461-A 300 hp (220 kW) (coaches) 4x GE 1254-A1 255 hp (190 kW) (parlor and snack cars) |
| Power output | 1,200 hp (890 kW) (coaches) 1,020 hp (760 kW) (parlor and snack cars) |
| Transmission | Rectified direct current supplied via four ignitron tubes to a phase angle controller |
| Electric system(s) | Overhead line: 11–13.5 kV 25 Hz AC 11–13.5 kV 60 Hz AC 25 kV 60 Hz AC (never used) |
| Current collector(s) | Pantograph |
| UIC classification | Bo′Bo′ |
| AAR wheel arrangement | B-B |
| Bogies | Outboard bearing, equalized |
| Braking system(s) | Electro-pneumatic, dynamic |
| Coupling system | Tomlinson (later changed to AAR)[1] |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The Budd Metroliner was a class of American electric multiple unit (EMU) railcar designed for first-class, high-speed service between New York City and Washington, D.C., on the Northeast Corridor. They were designed for operation up to 150 miles per hour (240 km/h): what would have been the first high speed rail service in the Western Hemisphere. Although 164 mph (264 km/h) was reached during test runs, track conditions and electrical issues limited top speeds to 120 mph (190 km/h) in revenue service. The single-ended units were designed to be arranged in two-car sets, which were in turn coupled into four to eight-car trains.
The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) ordered 61 Metroliner cars from the Budd Company in 1966 as part of a collaboration with the federal government to improve railroad service between New York, Philadelphia, and Washington. After difficulties testing the cars, PRR successor Penn Central began its eponymous Metroliner service on January 16, 1969. Amtrak took over the service in 1971.
Despite high aspirations, the Metroliner cars proved to have poor reliability, with less than two-thirds of the fleet in service at many times. Four cars were successfully overhauled for improved operation in 1974, but the rebuilding cost more than the original purchase price of the cars. Thirty-three more cars were overhauled in 1979–1980. However, by this time, new AEM-7 locomotives pulling Amfleet cars could match Metroliner schedules with higher reliability. Metroliners were withdrawn from Metroliner service entirely in 1981; they served until 1988 on Keystone Service trains.
Despite their electrical flaws, the Metroliners proved mechanically sound. Amtrak ordered over 600 non-powered Amfleet cars (which are based on the Metroliner design and also manufactured by Budd) in the mid-1970s. Beginning in 1987, Amtrak converted 23 former Metroliners for use as cab control cars on corridor trains. Fourteen more cars were used with minimal modifications: six as cab cars and eight as trailer coaches. Most former Metroliners were scrapped between 2003 and 2011. However, some cab cars remain in use on Keystone Service and Amtrak Hartford Line trains. Three former Metroliners have also been converted to technology testing or track measurement cars, and one more is used by Amtrak as a special-purpose business car. One original Metroliner is preserved at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.