April 25, 1997
The first of MARC's new bi-level coaches arrived today
at Union Station in Washington, DC. The car was set out near
the small turntable on the west side of the terminal tracks, alongside
several standard coaches, as well as Amtrak and MARC locomotives. The
car is very modern in appearance, with smooth, stainless steel sides and
a tall, boxy profile. It wears the old blue and orange striping,
which starts at the normal level at each end and steps up almost
immediately to run through the upper windows. There are only about 6 or
7 windows on each side of the upper level, and roughly the same number
on the lower level, giving the car a shorter appearance than the
standard coaches, but it is probably the standard 85' in length.
The car sat in this location for the entire day, and the MARC
conductors and a yard engineer did not have any information on when it
would enter service. The engineer suggested that it would probably be
placed on display for commuters to tour. Hopefully I will have pictures
of the car to add to this page soon.
First Bi-Level Coach Arrives In Washington, DC
