#1407
PRR MP54
🇺🇸 United States ·built by Pennsylvania Railroad· from 1908· Electric Railcars Operated in the North Eastern U.S.
.jpg)
.jpg)
3 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. 19670630 41 PRR 39 New Jersey (11974901834): David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA· CC BY 2.0
- 2. These Should Make Your Day (27047988042): railfan 44· Public domain
- 3. MP54 EMUs at Wilmington, unknown date: WES from same place, USA· CC BY 2.0
what is it?
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 electrification plans were realized. The first of these self-propelled cars were placed in service with the PRR subsidiary Long Island Rail Road with DC propulsion in 1908 and soon spread to the Philadelphia-based network of low frequency AC electrified suburban lines in 1915.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 118 years ago, in 1908.
- 552 kW is about 6 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- 19.5 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 73 years (1908–1981).
multiple unit: A self-propelled train: motors are spread under the passenger cars, so no separate locomotive.
spec sheet
- built
- 1908
- in service from
- 1908
- retired
- 1981
- status
- retired
- number built
- 487
- kind
- multiple unit
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- builders
- Pennsylvania Railroad, Pressed Steel Car Company, Standard Steel Car Company, American Car and Foundry Company
- operators
- Pennsylvania Railroad, Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines, Penn Central Transportation Company, Conrail, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
- top speed
- 105 km/h
- power
- 552 kW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- electric system
- 11 kV 25 Hz AC catenary
- wheel arrangement
- Bo’2’+Bo’Bo’
- formation
- Single car,, 41 "bride and groom" (motor-trailer)
- length
- 19.5 m
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q7120500, Wikipedia: PRR MP54 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.