QUICK FACTS

Model: Comet I “Dieseliner” commuter coach
Built: March 1971
Builder: Pullman-Standard Company, Chicago, IL
Past Railroad Owners: Erie Lackawanna, NJDOT, NJ Transit
Current Owner: North East Transfer Company, Inc.

Coach No. 1700 was the first Comet I “Dieseliner” trailer coach constructed by the Pullman-Standard Company of Chicago, Illinois in March of 1971 for the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) for service on the Erie Lackawanna Railway. The Comet I commuter coaches were the first modern air-conditioned commuter cars developed specifically for push-pull operations, making them the very first modern commuter coaches ever constructed in North America. The No. 1700 was the first Comet I trailer coach constructed, following the construction of several snack bar and cab car variants. Most other commuter coach designs currently in use across North America trace their lineage to these Comet Is, including those cars still in use in Port Jervis today on both NJ Transit and Metro-North.

By the mid-1960s, the Hoboken-based commuter operations of the Erie Lackawanna, as well as other operators in the northeast, were losing millions of dollars each year. As a consequence, older equipment, some built in the first decade of the 20th century, remained in service. Maintenance on the equipment was also cut back, and ridership levels dropped considerably. In an effort to modernize equipment, state governments began subsidizing commuter operations, upgrading equipment and facilities. The NJDOT subsidized operations on the Erie Lackawanna, among other railroads. New equipment was purchased for each railroad's operations, with the Erie Lackawanna receiving 155 new Pullman-Standard commuter cars and 32 General Electric U34CH locomotives.

The brushed-aluminum Pullman-Standard commuter cars were designed as "push-pull" cars, with 35 of the cars equipped with operator cabs on the end of the car. Typically, the locomotive would remain on the west end of the consist, pulling the trains westbound. The cab-equipped Comet coach would lead on eastbound trains, with the locomotive pushing the train. This method of operation eliminated the time-consuming practice of turning trains at their endpoints, swapping power, or moving the locomotive to the opposite end of the train. Promoted in timetables as Dieseliners, the first run of the new cars occurred on January 21, 1971. While serving on the Erie Lackawanna, the No. 1700 was operated almost exclusively on former Erie Railroad lines, including the line between Hoboken and Port Jervis.

On April 1, 1976, Conrail assumed all freight operations from the Erie Lackawanna and several other bankrupt railroads in the northeast, and NJDOT contracted with Conrail to continue providing commuter services, and the No. 1700 continued in service. In 1982, NJDOT ordered additional cars from Bombardier, which were based on the Pullman-Standard design. The term “Comet I” was used to distinguish the older Pullman-Standard cars (like No. 1700) from their newer cousins, the Comet II.

The federal government mandated that Conrail was to exit the passenger business on January 1, 1983 and turn over all commuter operations to the respective state governments. On that date, NJ Transit assumed ownership of commuter equipment and began its own commuter operations in New Jersey. The No. 1700 retained its number on NJ Transit until 1987, when the entire Comet I fleet was sent to Bombardier’s facility in Barre, Vermont for refurbishing. The No. 1700 was rebuilt in September of that year and returned with a fixed 3-2 seating configuration with 131 total seats, updated climate control, new windows, and new high-level platform traps and doors. The car was renumbered to NJ Transit No. 5718 upon its rebuilding and served over 20 more years with this number.

By 2006, the Comet I cars were surplus, having been replaced by newer Comet II, III, IV, V, and Multilevel cars. Several cars were sold or leased and continue to operate on other commuter operations in Philadelphia, Montreal, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake City. Others were sold or donated to museums and historical groups. The last remaining Comet I coaches were retired from the NJ Transit roster on March 27, 2009 after 38 years of service. The No. 1700 represents the original class of 155 Comet I cars (active from 1971 to 2009) and at least four more derivative models of Comet coaches that have served the city almost exclusively between 1970 and the present day.

NJ Transit donated the historic car in October of 2010, and our volunteers refurbished it to its as-delivered No. 1700 and its NJDOT/Erie Lackawanna paint. It was used for excursions in the Scranton, PA area throughout the 2010s. It arrived in Port Jervis on April 21, 2022.

This car was sold to North East Transfer Company on December 4, 2023 and will be departing Port Jervis to return to Scranton in the coming weeks, where it will reenter excursion service.