Interested Rider

I just happened to be on one of those quite rare trips to Manhattan today just at the time the power outage happened. I was heading home from 23rd Street-6th Avenue at 1:20 PM and noticed that the platform was unusually crowded for that time of day. When the F train came, it was very crowded and when I got off the train at West 4th Street, I heard something about problems on the 1,2, & 3 Lines and advising riders to use the letter lines. While I was waiting for the B, an M followed the F train then it was followed by another F and an M all in the span of about 10 minutes. This indicated that the power problem may have impacted o.n those lines for a short time

I have to agree as to what can the train operator do especially if the person wants to commit suicide? What this person is doing is putting the burden on the train operator to help him do it. It is quite honestly a selfish act as it does not take into consideration the effect that it will have on the operator but when a person is determined to do it, they do not care about the person who becomes their helper in this matter. What I find totally wrong in the two articles was the use of the term "taken into custody" which has the connotation that the train operator committed a crime which is where the phrase is commonly used. There is no proof that a crime was committed in the first place but yet if you look at the headlines and read the article, it is this phrase that makes a mockery of the entire report. Taking it one step further, the train operator is presumed guilty which is totally outrageous as the train operator was in a state of panic after the incident happened. May I ask how many other people would have not reacted the same way? This is the reason that there is such dislike for many "reporters" as they are not journalists anymore but shills who do not do their homework and watch what they say in writing a story such as this one. It is terrible that this incident happened but to write a report where the choice of words is totally outrageous.

Has anyone seen the reports surrounding the unauthorized person on the tracks who was killed on the R Line at 77th Street this morning? It seems that the local rags are playing this one up involving the train operator. Look for another one of those come out of the woodwork groups that want to put all this stuff to stop people from jumping on the tracks. I would like to ask a question of these groups who obviously do not care about the health of the train operator who has to live with this for his/her entire life and who they do not care about at all. What are your doing to stop these individuals to prevent them from doing this in the first place except talk. What I fear is that the health of the train operator and all the other train operators as well will get lost here as one of these groups useless mouthpieces will gain control of the discussion and with the cooperation of the phony pretend journalists in the "media" place the blame in the wrong place as usual.

The R/38/40/42 combination was in the Coney Island Yard close to where the yard tracks lead up to the West End and Bay 50th Street about 11 AM this morning as I went past there on a northbound N train.

In response to Baron 34, I offer the following information: There is one Standard that has been rebuilt and it is inoperable. It is at the Shoreline Trolley Museum and was part of the 2774-2775-2899 combination. It is sad that only five of the 950 cars survive and 2 of them (Shoreline and the Transit Museum) are inoperable for different reasons. I do not know about the olive drab color on 2390-2 is the same but I remember the standards that were painted olive drab until they were scrapped in 1964/1965. I saw a picture of 2830-32 which I remember were the only remaining cars from the 2800 series that retained that color and the drop seats as well. It ran on the Myrtle Avenue Exp during rush hours for many years where I used to see it regularly. The other cars 2800-2898 were painted in blue and did not have the drop seats. The 2300's had many cars that retained their original olive drab and drop seats and were seen quite frequently on the Southern Division lines until the end.

The reason that I referred to the MTA statement about major work is does this include "the closure of the Brighton Line between Kings Highway and Prospect Park usually on the weekends"? Track work and skipping stations does not bother me at all, it is what I refer to as the line breaks which usually occur on the rare Saturdays that I like to go into Manhattan. The choices that I have can be considered slim and none when the line is out between Prospect Park and Kings Highway.

Sheespshead Bites.com in an article issued last Friday concerning the work on the Brighton Line Express tracks,quoted the MTA as stating that there will be major work being done on the line in the fall. The article discusses the NIMBY's complaining about the crane that is lifting the material and its placement at Avenue O this week and its impact on traffic with the Avenue M street fair going on today. Does anyone know what work is to be done and when will it start?

I just noticed that Q service has just resumed at Kings Highway. Anyone know what happened as the Parade of Trains were running today.

What I notice is that there is a pattern and a lot of members have picked it up. There are many days where there are a significant amount of delays on the buses and subways but the number of posts to this board are few. and far between Then we have the opposite occuring where there are a few delays and this thread suddenly has many more posts on the subject as compared with busier days. In my own reading of MTA info and the forum many times a day especially if I am riding the subway that day, this is what I have noticed and it has been going on for some time now. Everyone understands the importance of providing information to the public in a timely manner but providing information that is incorrect to the public is totally wrong. It is better to take the extra minute or two to read and re-read what is being disseminated to make sure it is correct then to issue something where there are significant errors. It is painfully obvious that either the one writing or the one sending out the information does not know the system as there seems to be a high number of posts on this thread when the one who is disseminating this information gives out information that is incorrect. All of us want MTA info to provide correct bus and subway information. What I am saying is that the number of errors being reported in the MTA reporting should not be as high as we read on this forum and that something should be done about it

Maybe I am a bit crazy but in reading the MTA posts for subway and bus route changes, I find myself asking who writes this stuff and then posts it for the public? Sometimes I wonder as the posts have wrong stations, wrong streets and are just totally wrong but yet it is fed to the general public, the media and those that do the traffic reports as gospel. If was is not for the posters here, no one would be asking questions about the correctness of the information being disseminated. Not the media with the exception of a couple of true journalists would not know whether it is correct, nor the traffic reporters as they just read it nor the MTA as they let this information with all its mistakes go out daily and does nothing about it as it has been going on for years. All I am asking is for some truthfulness in reporting subway and bus delays and re-routes and to make sure the information is correct before it is issued to the general public. Start remembering that not all New Yorkers are as familiar as many of us who post here and correct information is a necessity in this city for tourists and residents alike.

I have been trying to think if I can remember (we are talking about at least 50 years or more) if there were any of the old looks or new looks that that worked in more than 2 or 3 depots although some of the remanufactured 5000's that were formerly 8800 new looks may have been in as many as four garages.or more The Mack 6000's for the most part were in two garages (Ulmer Park and Castleton) although 6186 and 6286 did time at Ulmer Park. The old look 9000's, 9119 & 9120 did time at Flatbush along with Fifth Avenue and Castleton and possibly Crosstown. The Surface Transit 3211 - 3220 air conditioned new looks (not when they were on Staten Island) worked the Bronx before being sent to Castleton, Ulmer Park and finally Amsterdam. I have to find Bernie Linder's Staten Island Bus History as the 8800 new looks had a lot of buses that started off as local buses then became express buses, fell off the pier into the water at Edgewater and then were remanufactured and moved again. The one that I remember quite vividly was 8879 (5102) as it started at Castleton in the fall of 1968, then became an express bus (I do not remember where it was stationed at that time), storage at Edgewater and fell into the water then became 5102 at Queens Village and ended its career at Ulmer Park.

8756 may it rest in peace. How many garages did it work out during its career? I think that it may hold the record. I remember riding it out of Ulmer Park and Flatbush and it started in the Bronx and its final garage was LaGuardia.

When I posted the information on the Brighton Line this morning at about 11:30 AM , it was the information that was current at that time. I checked the website at about 12:15 PM, the word "extensive" was removed and it stated delays. When I boarded the Q train at Sheepshead Bay at 1:15 PM service was normal.

The MTA replaced the northbound switch at Prospect Park this weekend. This morning, the signal problems started at Prospect Park and it looks like it is not is not getting any better as the B trains are running local from Brighton Beach to Prospect Park and some Q trains have been diverted. The MTA is using the word "extensive" when referring to the delays so this seems to be a big delay.in terms of time.

Shoreline Trolley Museum has 2775 and that was one of the 396 cars done in the speckled green color. There was originally only 200 cars that were supposed to be done and the number was increased to 396 cars later on. 2390 - 2 are in original olive green color but I remember that 2830 - 2 remained in that color along with 2321 -3, 2342 - 4, 2345 - 7 with no modifications. The reason that I remember these cars was when the Culver Line was cut at 9th Avenue from Chambers Street in 1959, the standards came back to the Sea Beach Line for the first time since the Triplexes took over the line so I was able to ride the rebuilds and the non-rebuilds with the numbers of 2300 - 2899 as the standards and the triplexes would appear on the line as they did on the West End Line. For the record, rebuilds and non-rebuilds were mixed in the same train of six cars and the two additional cars on an eight car train at the south end were always rebuilds.

If my memory serves me correctly, the 60th Anniversary of the A train going to Lefferts Boulevard and the Rockaway extension is at the end of April (I think April 29). The 40th Anniversary of the opening of the New York City Transit Museum is July 4. I remember that the Electric Railroaders Association had a tour before it opened and I was on the tour which included a ride from Manhattan to Brooklyn on the Queen Mary Double Decker bus. Anything planned for either of these two anniversaries?

I do not know if this is the appropriate thread for this change on the N Train beginning tonight at 11:30 PM and continuing till Monday at 5 AM and my source is the Bay News and it is also on the MTA website. The N will be running via the West End Line all weekend in both directions with shuttle bus service being provided between Coney Island and 36th Street.

I just came across the following delay: MTA website 6:52 PM 03/21/16 Due to a train with unruly passengers at 50th Street southbound D trains are running express from 9th Avenue to 62nd Street.

The problems at Court Street started this morning (and are still continuing as of this time) and I noticed when I waiting for the Q at Sheepshead Bay at 9:10 AM, there were two Q trains headed for Coney Island within a five minute interval. In addition we passed another two (at least) headed in that direction on our way to Prospect Park. What disturbs me is that MTA did not think it was important for us the paying passengers to know about this problem as when I was waiting on 34th Street for the Q and heard the announcmeent about signal problems at Court Street, I would have taken the F train to Coney Island and took the bus from there. I could have taken the F to Jay Street which would have gotten me the Q after Court Street or gone back to Times Square and took the 2 to Flatbush and then taken the bus. Today was one big public relations disaster for the MTA as far as I am concerned.

The signal problems on the southbound track at Court Street were still continuing as of 5:20 PM as of WINS. I boarded a southbound Q train at 3:10PM at 34th Street and we finally reached DeKalb Avenue at 3:55 PM, It was crazy today.

You know what is interesting here: ABC Radio called it a "derailment" at 6:30 PM and the MTA website was saying something else at the time. If you compare what is listed under the subway delays for 1,2,3 it says something else while the big thing is saying "a derailment". 1984 deja vu.

ABC Radio is reporting that there was a minor derailment and the Fire Department is on the scene with ladders to take out the passengers. (6:20 PM and 6:30 PM)

It is with deep regret that I read here that Vintage Soul has decided to give up doing the roster and cboli22 to stop posting his reports on bus transfers on this thread. I, for one, appreciated the quality and timelieness of their work and while I did not say it in writing on this thread, I alluded to this when I referred to the persons that I look for when I look to see what I want to read in a post on this thread on 01/02/13. One of the things that I look for is accuracy and both of you went way beyond the call in your work. When I first came on the forum, I too thought I knew everything about buses and posted something that was already posted and it was correctly pointed out to me that the bus had been in the garage for a couple of weeks. It was at that time that I learned the value of the index and the high value of their work. Last week I rode a bus that I was familiar and thought it was new to the garage, however, the work of Vintage Soul proved me wrong as I checked through the index and found that it had been there for weeks. Back in the days when the information was done with pencil and paper, the only time that we knew what buses were transferred was when we met others with the same interests on an irregular basis. Nothing like today's world where the internet rules and instant gratification is the norm. This is why I will not even entertain the thought of questioning a member who has proven to provide accurate information, day in and day out. The pictures that both of you post here are the historical records of today that those of us who saw the past wish that we could have taken years ago and are appreciated. Your work will be greatly missed.

Whenever I speak to bus drivers or persons who are interested in transit, this is the one thread that I refer to for its accuracy and timelieness. This is one that I look for whenever I visit the forum during the day along with the photographs taken by many of our members. There are certain posters to this thread (and others) that when I see a post with their handle, I go to it immeadiately as I know that the person is relaying information that must be disseminated as soon as possible. Their reporting is unquestioned as based on their previous posts here and being quoted on bus chat (reference to NYCTF) indicates that others have attested to their accuarcy of providing information. I also know that if there was an opportunity to take a photographic image of some bus that was seen on a certain route and time, it would have been done if they would have been able to do it at that time. This is why I am disappointed that some have decided to begin a needless verbal war. The information involving the transfer of buses between Ulmer Park, Flatbush and East New York is of importance to all of us who live and commute in the Southern Brooklyn area. It is especially important to those of us who used to be able to tell what route a bus was on by its number or by its characteristics as this information is no longer accurate. This is why I ask that the writers return to the basic theme of posting transfers of buses.

Lance is correct that the information given out for unplanned subway disruptions (and I must add, it is no better with unplanned bus disruptions as well) is incorrect and in many cases erroneous. What is the purpose of giving out information to the public which is not correct? Is it for someone to say "look what i am doing" to justify their position? What this does is that it supports the theory that the agency's employees that write and approve the information being disseminated to the public are totally out of touch with the reality of the situation. I am sorry but this will not change, now or in the near future.