Best lines/times to catch the M3s?

[lilbluefoxie]

whats the best line/time to see the M3s in service? (Hopefully a Long Island station) If I recall right they had a lot of them on the Babylon branch

[metsfan]

Port Washington?

 

- A

[lilbluefoxie]

i dont seem that often round there, usually thats mostly M7s cept for last night one pulls in and I didnt have my camera

[Joe]

The best time is the rush, that's all you can go by. LIRR procedure is to generally keep the same set off of the same branch twice in a row. For example, train #69 might originate in Babylon and run to NYP. For its exit from NYP, it might be train #100 to Huntington. Obviously trains at eastern terminals are forced to come back west on the branch they came in on.

[lilbluefoxie]

all I know is, I did the math, the fleet is 90% M7 and 10% M3. The M3 wasnt a big order to begin with, it was to suppliment the M1s.

 

I remember seeing a bunch on the babylon branch as I was going down Sunrise Highway so sometime next week im gunna take a chance and spend an hour or so and see what I can find, hopefully it aint too cold.

[Joe]

I've often wondered if the spot between Valley and Lynbrook would be good for any photos...the right-of-way is just about level with the roadway (and pedestrian path) at that point. It's right about where Anchor Audi, Sixth Ave Electronics and Sunrise VW are.

[lilbluefoxie]

yea, but is it a good neighborhood? Lynbrook seems okay, Valley Stream I was a bit worried walking around

[Joe]

That part of Valley is fine, it's the part where I live closer to Green Acres that you gotta pack a nine.

 

(just kidding; it's not that bad, yet)

[Paul P]

yea, but is it a good neighborhood? Lynbrook seems okay, Valley Stream I was a bit worried walking around

 

Daytime, yes.

 

For the record: There is a set in Pt. Washington sitting in the mini storage.

[lilbluefoxie]

That part of Valley is fine, it's the part where I live closer to Green Acres that you gotta pack a nine.

 

(just kidding; it's not that bad, yet)

 

I knew a guy named Joe who lived in Valley Stream, tho he was up near the parkway

 

For the record: There is a set in Pt. Washington sitting in the mini storage.

 

Port Washington eh? whats the parking situation like there? I was gunna go hang out at Wantagh station sometime this week and just take photos of the trains hoping to get an M3 in action, but if its easy to snag a good photo of em at Port Washington ill just go there

[Paul P]

Port Washington eh? whats the parking situation like there? I was gunna go hang out at Wantagh station sometime this week and just take photos of the trains hoping to get an M3 in action, but if its easy to snag a good photo of em at Port Washington ill just go there

 

Well, just because it's there makes me think it's used in rush hour service, the area is fenced off but you can get as close to the fence as possible, it's meant for overnight storage.

[lilbluefoxie]

Well, the area is fenced off, but just because it's there makes me think it's used in rush hour service.

 

do u think itll be there mid-day? also is there a good way to get a photo of it from the platform?

[Paul P]

do u think itll be there mid-day? also is there a good way to get a photo of it from the platform?

I'd have to say yes, but don't hold me to that. If ther aren't other trains in front of it, then yes. Tracks 1, 6, 7 and 8 are used for train storage, which is a total of 4... it could be on anyone of those.

See track map.

[lilbluefoxie]

my other option is a station where there's not such a big gap between trains arriving in either direction. It also has to be one where I can park without a parking permit

[Paul P]

my other option is a station where there's not such a big gap between trains arriving in either direction. It also has to be one where I can park without a parking permit

On the Island or city limits?

[lilbluefoxie]

Nassau County only and no bad neighborhoods

[Jamaica Express]

Sometimes I see them on Great Neck Locals or on Babylon trains, but thats about it. Everyonce in a blue moon I catch one on the Ronkonkoma line as well.

[Joe]

Today in the early PM rush I spotted two M3s. One set was headed to Long Beach; the other to Far Rockaway. I happened to be riding in the Far Rockaway-bound set, had a nice ride at the back window (one of my favorite places to ride on an M3).

[Paul P]

Far-Rockaway M3? Haven't seen that in a long time.

[Joe]

Same, I can't remember the last time I took an M3 down towards Rockaway.

[lilbluefoxie]

I was gunna go take photos this week but i was feeling sick

[Matt91]

If I get an M3, its usually on the 3:34pm local from Penn to Wantagh or the 5:38pm Penn to Hempstead. I don't see that many if any on the electrified part of the Port Jeff. Since I rarely ride the electrics east of Jamaica, I'm not sure beyond that.

[AgedPolaris]

Actually, I've seen a lot of M3s on the Far Rockaway branch (I live right behind it, haha...) If you follow it south from Sunrise into places like Hewlett and Woodmere, there are plenty of grade crossings and it's all at grade level after the Peninsula Blvd. overpass... but either Valley Stream or Lynbrook station would be a good bet, too... and you wouldn't have the problem of perhaps getting semi-lost unless you have a GPS or what not.

 

Obviously it has to be a weekday though, and your best bet is at peak times. If I'm home, I seem to see a good amount in the PM rush.

 

Haha, and speaking of Lynrbook... if you're driving there just watch out. The local cops will pull you over for just about anything, so make sure your brake lights are working, haha. Also, the White Castle directly underneath the Lynbrook station poses risk of heart attack.