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LIRR: "We've got the gate. Restricted on the Hanger. OK to go"


nostalgia

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I've heard those words on the radio at Penn Station. I understand the "hanger" part. There's no signal at the end of both ends of the platform even though there's a switch. The signal is in the middle of the platform which the conductor can see. When the hanger is restricted (the other signal is stop), the conductor knows the switch is correctly aligned for the train and has permission to give the highball on the advertised.

 

I'm not sure about "we've got the gate." At Union Station, starting lights used to hang from the train shed. When both lights were lit, the conductor could give the highball.  At Union Station, the usher pushed a button for one light to illuminate. I don't see similar starting lights at Penn so I don't know when the conductor knows that all passengers have come down the escalator.

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"We've got the gate"

 

Train has received the "all aboard" from the penn station master

 

"Restricting (not "restricted") on the hangar"

 

The conductor calling out the aspect of the signal to the engineer.  There is a switch (and ultimately a signal) that is a few car lengths up the platform on certain tracks which allow trains to access lines 3 and 1 in addition to lines 2 and 4.  If the train does not clear the switch when coming into that track going west (the east end of the train is at the east edge of the platform), a "hangar" is created. The signal still governs the initial movement of the train even though the train is not behind the signal.  Restricting is the signal being displayed.

 

"OK to go"

 

We have the signal, we have the all aboard.....lets get the hell outta here!

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How does the station master give the gate to the crew? I don't see starting lights similar to those used in Union Station, Washington.

 

But I heard the conductor talk to an eastbound LIRR train. The train can't pull beyond the platform. For westbound moves, do you mean a train is hanging off the east end of the platform?

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How does the station master give the gate to the crew? I don't see starting lights similar to those used in Union Station, Washington.

 

But I heard the conductor talk to an eastbound LIRR train. The train can't pull beyond the platform. For westbound moves, do you mean a train is hanging off the east end of the platform?

The penn station usher, who is ultimately under the supervision of the stationmaster,  will announce the all aboard over the station pa, and the solari signs will go dark.  

 

A lot of times during rush hour trains "spin in the station", meaning that they leave the equipment in the station.  The old crew gets off, and a new crew gets on.  As the westbound train comes in, they will specify what kind of stop they want, either a "regular" stop or "behind the hangar".   There are no car markers for hangers, so the brakeman has to spot the engineer behind the hangar.  The switch is about 2-3 car lengths in from the east end of the platform, towards the middle.  

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  • 3 months later...

Notwithstanding what I wrote earlier about hangers only on tracks 10-13, I found what I think is a photo of a hanger.

Restricting on the Hanger

 

If you enlarge the photo, the stop signal is beyond the platform in the tunnel. I don't see daylight from a cut so I guess the train is facing the East River tunnels. Also, I'm guessing the E in signal 610E means eastbound.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On ‎12‎/‎17‎/‎2017 at 11:21 AM, nostalgia said:

Notwithstanding what I wrote earlier about hangers only on tracks 10-13, I found what I think is a photo of a hanger.

Restricting on the Hanger

 

If you enlarge the photo, the stop signal is beyond the platform in the tunnel. I don't see daylight from a cut so I guess the train is facing the East River tunnels. Also, I'm guessing the E in signal 610E means eastbound.

I should have mentioned I found the photo on Flickr and the photographer is The LIRR Today.

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  • 1 month later...
On 12/27/2017 at 6:03 PM, nostalgia said:

I should have mentioned I found the photo on Flickr and the photographer is The LIRR Today.

610E is the hanger on track 16, and ultimately is the starting signal for the initial eastward movement of that train.  

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