| SPV-2000 | |
|---|---|
 SPV-2000No. 293, formerly ofMetro-North Railroad, preserved at theConnecticut Eastern Railroad Museum | |
| Manufacturer | Budd Company |
| Constructed | 1978–1981 |
| Number built | 31 (plus 14 unassembled shells) |
| Capacity | 86–109 |
| Operators | Federal Railroad Administration ONCF CDOT/Amtrak MTA/Metro-North Caltrain (used as inspection cars) |
| Specifications | |
| Car length | 85 feet 4 inches (26.01 m) |
| Width | 10 feet 6 inches (3.20 m) |
| Height | 14 feet 6 inches (4.42 m) |
| Maximum speed | 80 to 120 miles per hour (130 to 190 km/h) |
| Weight | 127,000 pounds (58,000 kg) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge |
| Notes/references | |
| [1] | |
TheBudd SPV-2000 is a self-propelleddiesel multiple unitrailcar built by theBudd Company between 1978 and 1981 for use onNorth American commuter railroads. The design was a successor to Budd's popularRail Diesel Car (RDC) but based on the body of theAmfleet passenger car. It did not prove a success: Budd built 31 cars and they proved mechanically unreliable.
Budd announced the design in 1976. At the time it contemplated multiple unit operation of up to six cars with a top speed of 120 miles per hour (190 km/h). Power would be provided by 360 horsepower (270 kW)General Motorsdiesel engines.Popular Science depicted a tapered cab similar to the power car of theAdvanced Passenger Train; the SPV-2000 would enter service with a more traditional blunt-end operator's cab.[2] Budd said that SPV stood for "Special Purpose Vehicle" (Self-Propelled Vehicle became common), and emphasized the design's suitability for both intercity and commuter rail service.[3]
The body shell of the SPV-2000 was very similar to theAmfleet passenger coach, which in turn was based on theMetrolinerelectric multiple unit. The SPV-2000 featured operator cabs at both ends and (in the standard configuration) 86 seats in 22 rows. There was anaccessibletoilet at one end and a small space to storeluggage at the other.[1]Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) cars could seat 109.[4]
Budd unveiled the first SPV-2000 in Philadelphia on February 9, 1978, and then sent it on a demonstration tour around the United States.[5] Budd eventually sold SPV-2000s to four customers: theFederal Railroad Administration (FRA),ONCF (Morocco state railways), theConnecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT), and theMetropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).[1] In 1978 Los Angeles County SupervisorBaxter Ward proposed using SPV-2000s on the formerPacific Electric line toLong Beach, California, but nothing came of this proposal.[6] The SPV-2000s were considered for a resumption ofCape Cod rail service viaBraintree, Massachusetts and an SPV-2000 made a demonstration run in August 1979, but nothing came of this either.[7] Beyond the 30 cars it sold, Budd constructed the demonstrator and 14 incomplete shells.[8] In the early 1990s the North American Carriages Company proposed to complete some of these shells as standard passenger cars for use in a new service betweenSan Antonio, Texas andMonterrey, Nuevo León, to be called theRoyal Eagle, but nothing came of the proposal.[9]
The Federal Railroad Administration purchased a single SPV-2000 in 1981 and converted it into atrack geometry car which it designatedT-10. The T-10 remained in service with the FRA until 2000 when it was replaced by newer equipment.[10] It was then sold toCaltrain.[11]
Budd sold six SPV-2000s toONCF (the Moroccan state railways) for use onKing Hassan II'sroyal train.[1][3] UnderKing Mohammed VI, Hassan II's successor, the train has fallen into disuse.[12]
The Connecticut Department of Transportation purchased 13 SPV-2000s at roughly $1 million apiece in 1980 (equivalent to $3.82 million in 2024 adjusted for inflation); 12 for use on theNew Haven–Springfield Line and one for commuter service on theDanbury Branch.[13] The New Haven–Springfield Line cars were leased toAmtrak (numbered 988–999) and painted in Amtrak'sPhase III livery. The cars were designed to be interoperable with Amfleet cars; for a brief period, Springfield shuttles were coupled to the rear of Boston trains at New Haven to provide through service to Washington, D.C.[14]
The cars proved mechanically unreliable and were often pulled by locomotives, leading to the derisive sobriquet "Seldom Powered Vehicles". Amtrak withdrew them on January 12, 1986 and placed conventional locomotive-hauledAmfleet trains on the route. The cars saw some use on theMetro-North Railroad; most were stored in New Haven. In 1994, the remaining 11 were de-powered and converted to coaches for use onShore Line East commuter service.[8][15] Dubbed "Constitution Liners", they were the primary coaches for Shore Line East until replaced byMafersa coaches in 2004.[16] In 2018, seven of the former ConnDOT cars were sold to the Foxville and Northern Railroad (later Atlantic Railways).[17]
The MTA purchased ten SPV-2000s for use on itsHudson Line betweenCroton–Harmon andPoughkeepsie. The order cost $12 million. The SPV-2000s made their first runs on October 17, 1981. This run was coordinated with the re-opening of theNew Hamburg station.[4] Problems with the SPV-2000s developed quickly, and a 1982New York magazine article characterized the cars as "defective".[18] The MTA SPV-2000s are all out of service; one is preserved at theConnecticut Eastern Railroad Museum inWillimantic, Connecticut.[19]
Rolling stock manufactured by theBudd Company | ||
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| Streamliners |  | |
| Multiple units | ||
| Passenger stock | ||
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| Rolling stock | |
| Connecting rail systems | |
| Related articles | |
