From: M00209@MBVM.Mitre.Org
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: SPV (Was Re: RDC's and SPV's?)
Date: 15 Apr 92 14:07:06 GMT
Article-I.D.: MBVM.167CA8040.M00209
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, Bedford MA 01730

In article <1992Apr15.012514.6968@usenet.ins.cwru.edu>
elw4@po.CWRU.Edu (Evan L. Werkema) writes:
 
>
>  While we're on the subject of inspection cars, does anybody know the origins
>of those Sperry Rail Service (ultrasonic rail-defect detection) cars?  Were
>they old gas electrics?  Something about them seems to suggest Brill, but does
>anyone know for sure?  Thanks.
>--
A previous poster asked about the meaning of "SPV" and where they ran.  SPV
officially means simply "Self-Propelled Vehicle", and Budd optimistically named
them "SPV-2000" I believe expecting them to be "the rail vehicle" of the new
century.  Of course, unofficially, they are called "Seldom Powered Vehicle" and
many other less complimentary names!
 
As far as I know (and I am purposely inviting contradiction from someone who
knows better) aside from the mentioned SPV owned by the Department of Transpor-
tation and I think normally living at the Test Center in Pueblo CO, only Conn
DOT, Amtrak and Metro North ever operated any, which means they never ran in
revenue service outside the States of NY and CT and to Springfield MA.  I don't
think MARC was ever foolish enough to buy one, but I believe test runs were
made on various MBTA routes out of Boston, including the equally ill-starred
service to Concord NH.  If someone knows otherwise, please correct me.
 
As to Sperry cars, many are (or at least were) ex gas-electric doodlebugs.
Sperry liked this design so well that they had some new ones built that were
only a little changed from the classic Brill design.  They have since had more
modern "high-tech" self propelled vehicles built to order.  Sperry also
operated (and I think still does) at least one of the New Haven's "FCD" cars.
These cars were an order of 11 built for the NH circa 1955 by Mack.  The name
derives from the initials of Frederic C. "Buck" Dumaine - then the NH President
who ordered them to run in passenger service on branch lines as part of his
passenger service improvement program.  Only 2 (I think) were delivered before
he was ousted as President, and the new management never operated the remainder
of the lot but sold them as quickly as possible.  The 2 (or perhaps only 1)
that were put into service were called "Little Shoreliners" - if you have old
NH timetables, don't necessarily believe that the "Little Shoreliners" actually
served all the schedules that they were advertised as filling, because as I
said, most never were put in service and the schedules they were supposed to
have served were run mostly with RDCs.  The cars had bodies and controls very
similar to PCC streetcars, but I am not familiar with their mechanical features
though I do have a book in which I could look them up.
 
Somebody else mentioned the "Dayliners", which in fact was CP's name for RDCs.
CN called them "Railliners", B&M "Budd Highliners", NH "Shoreliners", NYC
"Beeliners", WP "Zephyrette", B&O "Speedliners", C&O "Chessieliners", etc.
 
Len Bachelder        Archives Committee, Boston and Maine RR Historical Society
MITRE Corp.           Secretary, Massachusetts Bay Railroad Enthusiasts
Bedford MA 01730      Member, 470 Railroad Club
<M00209@mbvm.mitre.org>
 
"Amazing love, how can it be that Thou, my God, should'st die for me!"
                                                 - Charles Wesley