The PRR MP70, also known informally as the "double-deckers", was a class of

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...

s manufactured by the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

for use on the

Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road , or LIRR, is a Rail transport, railroad in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County on Long Islan ...

(LIRR). The Pennsylvania Railroad manufactured three prototypes in the 1930s and a full fleet of sixty cars in 1947–1949. They were among the first examples of bilevel rail cars in the United States. The design was unpopular with both LIRR employees and commuters; the last cars were retired in 1972. A single example, the prototype, is preserved at the

Railroad Museum of Long Island The Railroad Museum of Long Island – also known by its reporting mark, RMLI – is a railway museum based on the North Fork of Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It has two locations: the main location in Riverhead ...

Design

The MP70 was an early attempt to increase the capacity of commuter trains without lengthening the train, foreshadowing the successful gallery cars introduced after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The car was not a true bilevel design. It featured a single level with a centerline aisle, and two levels of seats, with the second staggered above the first. Passengers stepped up or down to reach the seats, which were in a facing 2×2 arrangement. This unusual arrangement was devised by Albert E. Hutt in 1928. The original prototype trailer seated 120 passengers, the first prototype motor car 134; all others 132. The Pennsylvania Railroad constructed the cars out of aluminum. This led to significant weight savings in the prototype: compared to an expected had the Pennsylvania used steel. The car was even slightly lighter than the single-level

PRR MP54 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 el ...

s then in service. Prototype No. 200 was long; all others were . Production motor cars weighed ; trailers weighed . The cars stood tall, short enough for the clearances in

Pennsylvania Station Pennsylvania Station or Penn Station may refer to: Current train stations * Baltimore Penn Station * New York Penn Station ** Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963), the predecessor to the present New York City station * Newark Penn Station Trai ...

and the

East River Tunnels The East River Tunnels are four single-track railroad passenger service tunnels that extend from the eastern end of Pennsylvania Station under 32nd and 33rd Streets in Manhattan and cross the East River to Long Island City in Queens. The trac ...

History

The Pennsylvania Railroad constructed the original prototype No. 200 in 1932. It was an unpowered trailer, with a seating capacity of 120. It entered revenue service on August 13, 1932. Two more prototypes arrived in December 1937: 201 (another unpowered trailer) and 1347 (a motor car). Because of the scarcity of aluminum, no further cars were built until after World War II. After World War II, the LIRR acquired sixty more double-decker cars. The first ten, five pairs of motor cars and trailers, entered service in 1947. Each car cost $102,000. The remaining fifty, forty-three motors and seven trailers, entered service in 1948–1949. The per-car cost rose on this order to $143,000. Although the LIRR claimed early on that "the passengers like them fine", the double-deckers were not successful. An early indicator was the LIRR's order in 1953 for twenty single-level multiple units from

Pullman-Standard The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was a manufacturer of railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Through rapid late-19th century d ...

. These seated five across in a 3×2 configuration, for a maximum capacity of 128: nearly that of the MP70, but in a more conventional design. The split-level seating slowed boarding at stations and made ticket collection cumbersome. Cleaning the cars took longer than with single-level units because of the odd angles. On rainy days, water could run down into the lower seats from the center aisle. The facing seats earned the cars the derisive sobriquet "knee-knockers", while female passengers complained about the lack of modesty when seated in the upper level. The LIRR withdrew the last double-decker on February 29, 1972. William Ronan, then chairman of the

Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a New York state public benefit corporations, public benefit corporation in New York (state), New York State responsible for public transportation in the New York metropolitan area, New York Ci ...

(MTA), cited mechanical unreliability, high operating costs, passenger discomfort, and the entry of new M1 railcars into service. The experience soured the LIRR on the concept, and it did not contemplate double-decker cars again until the late 1980s, when it ordered the C1 coach. No. 200, the original prototype, is preserved at the

References

Notes

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Citations

External links

*Diagrams
Floor plan
an

{{LIRR and MNCR rolling stock Train-related introductions in 1932 Train-related introductions in 1947 Pennsylvania Railroad Long Island Rail Road multiple units Electric multiple units of the United States Double-decker rail vehicles 650 V DC railway electrification 1932 in rail transport 1947 in rail transport