I have always loved the NJ Transit Arrow III railcars. I have travelled to New York City many times on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. On one or two occasions I was lucky enough to ride in Arrows.

Arrow Background & History

The Jersey Arrow is a type of electric multiple unit railcar used in commuter rail service by NJ Transit. The Arrow series is similar to the SEPTA Silverliner series, but differences include center doors and reversible seats among various other details. The Arrows were originally developed for the Pennsylvania Railroad, and used through successive commuter operators in New Jersey, through to NJ Transit. Three models were built, but only the third model is in use today. The first generation were built in 1968-69 by the St. Louis Car Company; 35 were built and purchased by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT). However, all Arrow I cars were out of service by 1980 due to reliability issues with their Westinghouse control equipment. These problems were a result of poor wiring and frequent electrical grounds. In 1974, General Electric produced 70 Arrow II cars in the married pair format, classed MA-1G. These cars were built in GE's Erie (PA) shops with car shells from Avco. The Arrow IIs were numbered 534–603. They were purchased specifically to replace the ancient PRR MP54s, which were slowly phased out of New Jersey service in late 1977. In 1997, NJ Transit made the decision to scrap the Arrow II railcars because of rotting floors and holes in the roofs, with ALP44s and Comet IV coaches (ordered for Midtown Direct service) in push-pull configuration as replacements. Most were scrapped in 2001.  The third generation (Arrow III) was built in 1977 by General Electric in the same fashion as the Arrow II railcars with a body shell similar to the Silverliner IV and Arrow II. However, the Arrow IIIs have some prominent differences, notably the two small air intake blisters (as opposed to the large humps on prior models). They consist of 200 cars built as married pairs (1334–1533) and 30 single cars (1304–1333). They are all equipped with the iconic WABCO AA2 air horns. 

During the later years of Arrow III's service, New Jersey Transit had considerations to replace all Arrow IIIs with self-propelled railcars similar in design of the Bombardier Multilevel coach. In December 2018, a contract was awarded to Bombardier for 113 new electric multiple unit coaches, designated as MultiLevel III; 58 units with AC electric propulsion systems and 55 unpowered cars.

My Idea:

I would like to see scale models of the Arrow III railcars produced in N, HO, and O Scales. They would be useful for any model railroader who models the Northeast Corridor, Princeton Dinky, or North Jersey as a whole. They should be available as ready-to-run models, with DCC sound value models available along with dummy non-powered units.