Just Comet. Between 1971-1973, The Erie-Lackawanna Railroad and New Jersey Department Of Transportation began to take delivery of a revolutionary fleet of commuter passenger cars. The Pullman-Standard built, all aluminum body "Dieseliners" that became known to locals as "Comet" cars used HEP (Head End Power) to provide lighting and climate control. The 155 cars (35 cab cars/110 trailer coaches/10 bar cars) had low platform only doors without "traps" and worked on the Pascack Valley, Bergen/Main/Port Jervis, and Boonton Lines to the Hoboken Terminal in New Jersey. When later series were introduced, they would become known as "Comet Is". Some of the fleet was rebuilt with high-level platform capable doors, but all were out of service with NJ TRANSIT by 2009. A second life was found for some on Metrolink, SEPTA, and Utah Transit Authority - UTA. UTA announced that the last of these cars will be removed from service as of today, Monday April 18, 2022. Pictured here, UTAX 324 was preparing to depart the Provo, Utah Station on the night of March 24, 2022, surviving a few more weeks after a reversal of Front Runner's initial statement that they would be withdrawn from service. Examples of this car model are preserved in the collectiosn of the Whippany Railway Museum and Southern California Railway Museum and are still used by SEPTA in work service.
