danielhg121

It depends if you’re going for assistant conductor or locomotive engineer. For engineers, you can’t really run on your own until you’re marked up so you’re studying, running trains, working all sorts of odd hours in various locations. It’s a straight shot, the minute you’re marked up, you’re fully qualified and you still have to do annual block training classes. For conductors, it’s different as you’ll be in school for about 11-12 weeks, start working as an assistant conductor doing on the job training and in a year, they’ll call you back to get the conductor qualifications which means more studying and exams.

Wait till they call you for the entrance exam. After you pass that, then they’ll schedule you for signals and definitions, you’ll have 5 weeks to study from the point where they give you the packet which is plenty of time. Also, decide if you want to choose the path of locomotive engineer or conductor.

5988 blue/gold scheme

Sure why not. You may have to use the overhead racks to store it if the bus is packed. Otherwise, the bus operator won’t even bat an eye.

Nor blatantly having the NIS sign up. That would infuriate me more as it sounds like it was premeditated.

The videos shown definitely seems like they weren't within the stations themselves but rather the intermediate zones between stations. An RTO employee here already confirmed the kids snuck in through the ends of the station and walked on the layup tracks to get onto the equipment. One of the videos also showed them wearing an MTA vest so nobody would really bat an eye if someone in MTA PPE got onto the tracks to do their job.

Under investigation right now

Having visited the ECH scrap lot recently. It looks like they may preserve 3667 or 3750 but probably too early to tell. On a side note, the buses listed on the front page of the scrapped equipment, may still be preserved for one reason or another so how does one know if they're "scrapped" so to speak? For example, 1205 is still there on hold but a lot of those NGs are gone.

Wanted to get a ride on the new ECH XD40’s and see if they took off. I managed to catch it on the Q50 but the operator wasn’t really flooring it. Probably because the city installed speed cameras next to the service road combined with too much runtime in the schedule.

No subways doesn’t follow HOS. I think it’s maximum sixteen hours per shift for them. They also don’t fall under railroad retirement, only the commuter railroads here do (LIRR & MNR). PATH I believe is considered a railroad so they would fall under railroad retirement and falls under hours of service.

No idea this existed. Thanks for sharing! Lots of information on projects we're all curious about.

When was the Q50 slated for artics?

There's a chance that the Q26 could get sent over to CP tbh. Q65 could be sent to CS. Q14 could also be at CP, it is just the Q38 half and Q23 northern portion.

I don’t really understand what the Q62 does mainly with the portion serving 20th Avenue. I don’t think it’s fair for Powells Beach riders to sit through that whole 20th Avenue portion. If you’re designating it a rush route, it should theoretically take the fastest way to/from the hub after the pickup portion. It may as well parallel the Q50 to Flushing once it gets on the Whitestone Expwy. I don’t think having it serve 20th Avenue is a smart use of resources especially since that mall isn’t much of a ridership generator and certainly not in the mornings when people are trying to get to work so why bother serving it? There aren’t many residential buildings over there and the 25 runs closer to serve College Point proper.

Nice. Yea if you reschedule, its hard to really determine when the next S&D overview is.

Interesting, I doubt Waterbury has enough ridership to justify the cost for them to electrify the line but who knows there might be some savings associated with not having to maintain a separate fleet of diesel locomotives and coach cars. Speaking of which, where are they going to use those new coach cars if this electrification plan goes through? I guess Metro-North or another agency can end up buying it off them but it wouldn’t make sense to purchase cars and not use them.

There definitely seems to be some inconsistency with how they are labeling routes. Some say Q66 Limited when you click on their tab and refer to it as Q66 Limited, then the route profile pdf says it's Q66 Rush. The Q66 Rush is barely a rush but I digress. Same thing happens with Q49 Limited when in fact it's just a local. Q45 Rush on the webpage but Q45 Limited on the route profile pdf.

The 20-30 minute headway is going to be a headache for those living along Willets Point Blvd and further northeast but they've never gotten a local bus route especially between 149th Street and Francis Lewis Blvd so it should be interesting how this plays out. I agree that it shouldn't stop at Bayside and 35th Ave as the Q16 and Q44 (which is significantly more frequent) can handle those loads. If it picked at both of those stops, everybody gunning for Flushing would hop on any of which come first, there would be no point in having a Rush route.

If it is a possible workaround, they usually let you go by around 12PM if not earlier for the overview. All they do at the overview is read it aloud and elaborate on some tips to help memorize signals and definitions. If you still want to reschedule, try calling the phone numbers on the bottom of the email where the email signature is located during standard HR business hours (usually M-F 9-5).

Damn. Heard about this during class. My condolences. Sorry to hear that.

Yes you can! There is no visitors entrance, just head up the overpass and walk towards the facility. Usually, the security guard is informed there is a S&D overview and he/she will be waiting by the entrance to let you in. Remember to bring your driver's license. Good luck! Make those flashcards.

Yes. They need bodies! You’ll have a lot of time to study within the 5 weeks they give you. If you start studying now, you’ll feel burnt out and won’t hit the books as hard.

I would imagine that the track circuit has to be shunted aka a train sitting on the rail.

Not a former T/O. Just currently in the LE program. A contract just failed to ratify as it was voted down so it’ll be at least another year until another contract pops up for a general body vote. We don’t rly refer to them as AM/PM tours just jobs. Grand Central Terminal is kinda senior for the most part, the really late night jobs are junior. The terminal doesn’t rly open up till 5:30AM and they pay you for 8 hours whenever you’re called even if you work less than that so you know most runs are 8 hours or a little over, expect to get out around 2-3PM if not later, depends how much swing time is built into the job. Some have a really long swing, some have very little, some have meal periods, some have no meals (which you get paid a penalty for).

Damn. The scheme looks really nice on the XE40. Seems like the bus can really takeoff too.