PRR MP54

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MP54
Two MP54 trailers, one in the Pennsylvania Railroad livery and the other in the Penn Central livery in Delaware, June 1969.
Interior of an MP54 in 1967.
Manufacturer	Pennsylvania Railroad, American Car and Foundry Company, Pressed Steel Car Company, Standard Steel Car Company
Family name	P54
Constructed	1908–1937
Entered service	1908–1972 (LIRR) 1915–1981 (PRR)
Refurbished	PRR: 1950
Scrapped	1958–1981
Number built	PRR 487 LIRR 923 PRSL 18
Formation	Single car, 41 "civil union" (motor-trailer)
Fleet numbers	MP54E1 497-499, 504-617, 4546-4551, 4553-4557, 5296-5297, 5969-5970 MP54E2 618-819, 4561, 4567, 5287-5292, 5298 MP54E3 459-496, 4568-4575 MP54T 1-43, 5416-5419 MP54E6 409-458
Operators	Pennsylvania Railroad Long Island Rail Road Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines Penn Central Railroad Conrail New Jersey Department of Transportation SEPTA
Specifications
Car body construction	carbon steel
Car length	64 ft 5+3⁄4 in (19.653 m)
Width	9 ft 11+1⁄2 in (3.035 m)
Height	14 ft 6 in (4.42 m)[citation needed]
Floor height	4 ft 0 in (1.22 m)
Doors	2, end vestibule
Maximum speed	65 miles per hour (105 km/h)
Traction system	2 × WH 412-A/D 200 hp (150 kW) MP54E1/E2 [1] 2 × GE 616 200 hp (150 kW) MP54E2 2 × WH 426-A 370 hp (280 kW) MP54E3 [1] 2 × GE A-626 370 hp (280 kW) MP54E3[2] 2 × WH 431-A 225 hp (168 kW) MP54E5[1] 4 × GE A-630 125 hp (93 kW) MP54E6[3] 2 × WH 308 225 hp (168 kW) LIRR MP54s[4]
Power output	400 hp (300 kW) (MP54E1/2) 740 hp (550 kW) (MP54E3) 450 hp (340 kW) (MP54E5) 508 hp (379 kW) (MP54E6)[5]
HVAC	Electric heat
Electric system(s)	650 V DC third rail 11 kV 25 Hz AC catenary
Current collector(s)	contact shoe (DC), pantograph (AC)
UIC classification	Bo’2’+Bo’Bo’
AAR wheel arrangement	B-2+B-B
Braking system(s)	Pneumatic
Safety system(s)	Cab signaling, Automatic Train Control
Coupling system	AAR
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The Pennsylvania Railroad's MP54 was a class of electric multiple unit railcars. The class was initially constructed as an unpowered, locomotive hauled coach for suburban operations, but were designed to be rebuilt into self-propelled units as electrification plans were realized. The first of these self-propelled cars were placed in service with the PRR subsidiary Long Island Rail Road with DC propulsion in 1908 and soon spread to the Philadelphia-based network of low frequency AC electrified suburban lines in 1915. Eventually the cars came to be used throughout the railroad's electrified network from Washington, D.C. to New York City and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

The cars became a commuting tradition during their long years of service in several major cities^[6] and were known as "red cars" or "red rattlers".^[7] The cars ran in service with the PRR until the Penn Central merger in 1968 at which point they were already being marked for replacement by new technology railcars such as the Budd M1 and Pioneer III. After the bankruptcy of the Penn Central the remaining MP54s found themselves being operated by Conrail under contract with local commuter rail authorities. The last MP54 cars were retired in 1980-81 while engaged in Philadelphia suburban service with SEPTA.