SUBWAY - Random Thoughts Topic

[ABCDEFGJLMNQRSSSWZ]

1 hour ago, Calvin said:

Blue lights are being tested in the system to keep commuters off the tracks and for safety. One is found at 57 St on the  with W.4 St being planned for the lights. 

https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/mta-testing-new-safety-measures-like-blue-lighting-to-keep-people-off-tracks/

 

I think the standing barrier things are nice in theory, but the example they showed in the video gives off too much of NYPD barrier vibes and isn't really inviting for leaning, and looks out of place in the station. Maybe some form of a double-sided leaning bench we've seen at some of the renovated stations would be better?

One underrated benefit to blue lighting is that in some cases, it may be easier to identify a subway station from a distance. I honestly wish color was thought about more when designing things.

[Calvin]

Interestingly, the Brighton line that runs as a Shuttle from Coney Island, could be to Atlantic Av but, at Prospect Park. Almost all the trains have the yellow  to it. Wonder if they'll do that with other subway lines or even IRT with the  , if as a Shuttle a red S circle. This isn't really a suggestion but just a thought. 

[CenSin]

On 4/14/2023 at 9:50 PM, Calvin said:

Blue lights are being tested in the system to keep commuters off the tracks

So blue is the new red.

[Lawrence St]

For lines that run local overnight, let’s say a  Lexington local leaves Woodlawn at 04:40 AM, and a  Lexington express leaves Woodlawn at 04:45 AM, does the 2nd  technically become the leader since it reaches City Hall before the local ?

[danielhg121]

7 hours ago, Lawrence St said:

For lines that run local overnight, let’s say a  Lexington local leaves Woodlawn at 04:40 AM, and a  Lexington express leaves Woodlawn at 04:45 AM, does the 2nd  technically become the leader since it reaches City Hall before the local ?

Okay, the one that ran express is the leader now. Is that the end of your question?

For the most part, they follow the timetable and so if it's scheduled to pass it, 8 times out of 10, it'll end up passing it. 

[biGC323232]

8 hours ago, Lawrence St said:

For lines that run local overnight, let’s say a  Lexington local leaves Woodlawn at 04:40 AM, and a  Lexington express leaves Woodlawn at 04:45 AM, does the 2nd  technically become the leader since it reaches City Hall before the local ?

You basicly answered your own question...Even tho that time of the morning an express will not leave just 5 mins later after a local

[darkstar8983]

3 hours ago, biGC323232 said:

You basicly answered your own question...Even tho that time of the morning an express will not leave just 5 mins later after a local

Correct! Usually the transition between local and express service is about 15-25 minutes to make sure that a local train is not overtaken by the express folllowing it, but when express service ends and transitions to local, the space between departure times of express and local trains is 2-4 minutes

[LGA Link N Train]

So I noticed something interesting while drawing 125-Lex’s Track Layout. 
 

Tracks 1 and 4, coming from Lexington Local point towards Jerome Avenue whereas Tracks 2 and 3 are coming from Pelham point towards the Lexington Express Tracks. Yet  and  Trains run express coming from Tracks 1/4 in the Bronx whereas the  Run Local coming from tracks 2/3 in Pelham. Was the service patterns at Lexington. (Not counting the Switches and the junction in that area, did the IRT intend for this to be the case or was there a different Service pattern in that junction when Lexington (north of 42nd) was built?

[Cait Sith]

Interesting MDBF stats for the month of February, as March has not been posted just yet. Unfortunately, the old format is no longer posted so a screenshot can't be provided.

B Division first.

R179s have overtaken the R160s in reliability. R179s shot up in reliability to 327k miles before breakdowns as compared to the 160s 285k miles before breakdowns. The 179s have been going on a consistent uphill trend ever since September 2021, where they were at 145k miles. The R160s have had a rocky 6-8 months with an upwards and downwards trend. The R179s are no longer lemons.

R46s are averaging between 48,000 and 50,000 miles before breakdowns, no significant changes.

R68s are averaging between 120,000 & 125,000 miles before breakdowns, no significant changes between December 2022 and February 2023.

R68As have been plummeting in reliability, from 140k in last September to 101k in February.

R143s saw an increase in reliability, from 179k in December to 207k in February.

A Division next.

R62s reliability peaked at 260k miles in September 2021, but have been going on a downhill trend ever since, hitting its lowest point at 137k miles in January, it's now at 143k miles as of February.

R62As have been averaging around 135k-140k miles, showing a steady downhill trend from September 2022, where they were at 152k, but slowly going down to 137k miles as of February.

R142s saw a very slight decrease in reliability, from 203k in January to 196k in February.

The R142As, surprisingly, shot up in reliability, but are still below the R142s, from 159k miles in December 2022 to 181k miles as of February.

Factory built R188s have tanked, peaking at 437k miles in October 2021 down to 176k miles in October 2022, but they've been going on an uphill trend, as the fleet is now at 268k as of February. Pretty significant gains.

The converted R188s are at 199k, they were averaging around 160k-190k, but it looks like they'll crack the 200k miles mark.

[ABCDEFGJLMNQRSSSWZ]

3 hours ago, Cait Sith said:

Interesting MDBF stats for the month of February, as March has not been posted just yet. Unfortunately, the old format is no longer posted so a screenshot can't be provided.

B Division first.

R179s have overtaken the R160s in reliability. R179s shot up in reliability to 327k miles before breakdowns as compared to the 160s 285k miles before breakdowns. The 179s have been going on a consistent uphill trend ever since September 2021, where they were at 145k miles. The R160s have had a rocky 6-8 months with an upwards and downwards trend. The R179s are no longer lemons.

R46s are averaging between 48,000 and 50,000 miles before breakdowns, no significant changes.

R68s are averaging between 120,000 & 125,000 miles before breakdowns, no significant changes between December 2022 and February 2023.

R68As have been plummeting in reliability, from 140k in last September to 101k in February.

R143s saw an increase in reliability, from 179k in December to 207k in February.

A Division next.

R62s reliability peaked at 260k miles in September 2021, but have been going on a downhill trend ever since, hitting its lowest point at 137k miles in January, it's now at 143k miles as of February.

R62As have been averaging around 135k-140k miles, showing a steady downhill trend from September 2022, where they were at 152k, but slowly going down to 137k miles as of February.

R142s saw a very slight decrease in reliability, from 203k in January to 196k in February.

The R142As, surprisingly, shot up in reliability, but are still below the R142s, from 159k miles in December 2022 to 181k miles as of February.

Factory built R188s have tanked, peaking at 437k miles in October 2021 down to 176k miles in October 2022, but they've been going on an uphill trend, as the fleet is now at 268k as of February. Pretty significant gains.

The converted R188s are at 199k, they were averaging around 160k-190k, but it looks like they'll crack the 200k miles mark.

This is really interesting data I honestly didn't know existed before, thank you for sharing.

One question is how much can one particularly naughty train be responsible for fluctuations from month to month? While I agree trends across a year or several years are telling, but you often refer to month-to-month trends; are we pretty sure they aren't just noise?

[Reptile]

3 hours ago, Cait Sith said:

Interesting MDBF stats for the month of February, as March has not been posted just yet. Unfortunately, the old format is no longer posted so a screenshot can't be provided.

B Division first.

R179s have overtaken the R160s in reliability. R179s shot up in reliability to 327k miles before breakdowns as compared to the 160s 285k miles before breakdowns. The 179s have been going on a consistent uphill trend ever since September 2021, where they were at 145k miles. The R160s have had a rocky 6-8 months with an upwards and downwards trend. The R179s are no longer lemons.

R46s are averaging between 48,000 and 50,000 miles before breakdowns, no significant changes.

R68s are averaging between 120,000 & 125,000 miles before breakdowns, no significant changes between December 2022 and February 2023.

R68As have been plummeting in reliability, from 140k in last September to 101k in February.

R143s saw an increase in reliability, from 179k in December to 207k in February.

A Division next.

R62s reliability peaked at 260k miles in September 2021, but have been going on a downhill trend ever since, hitting its lowest point at 137k miles in January, it's now at 143k miles as of February.

R62As have been averaging around 135k-140k miles, showing a steady downhill trend from September 2022, where they were at 152k, but slowly going down to 137k miles as of February.

R142s saw a very slight decrease in reliability, from 203k in January to 196k in February.

The R142As, surprisingly, shot up in reliability, but are still below the R142s, from 159k miles in December 2022 to 181k miles as of February.

Factory built R188s have tanked, peaking at 437k miles in October 2021 down to 176k miles in October 2022, but they've been going on an uphill trend, as the fleet is now at 268k as of February. Pretty significant gains.

The converted R188s are at 199k, they were averaging around 160k-190k, but it looks like they'll crack the 200k miles mark.

What causes the MBDFs to go up and down by thousands in a matter of months? Maintenance?

[Cait Sith]

12 hours ago, Reptile said:

What causes the MBDFs to go up and down by thousands in a matter of months? Maintenance?

Failures in service.

For example, the R46 fleet had a total of 66 failures in February.

[darkstar8983]

21 hours ago, Cait Sith said:

Interesting MDBF stats for the month of February, as March has not been posted just yet. Unfortunately, the old format is no longer posted so a screenshot can't be provided.

B Division first.

R179s have overtaken the R160s in reliability. R179s shot up in reliability to 327k miles before breakdowns as compared to the 160s 285k miles before breakdowns. The 179s have been going on a consistent uphill trend ever since September 2021, where they were at 145k miles. The R160s have had a rocky 6-8 months with an upwards and downwards trend. The R179s are no longer lemons.

R46s are averaging between 48,000 and 50,000 miles before breakdowns, no significant changes.

R68s are averaging between 120,000 & 125,000 miles before breakdowns, no significant changes between December 2022 and February 2023.

R68As have been plummeting in reliability, from 140k in last September to 101k in February.

R143s saw an increase in reliability, from 179k in December to 207k in February.

A Division next.

R62s reliability peaked at 260k miles in September 2021, but have been going on a downhill trend ever since, hitting its lowest point at 137k miles in January, it's now at 143k miles as of February.

R62As have been averaging around 135k-140k miles, showing a steady downhill trend from September 2022, where they were at 152k, but slowly going down to 137k miles as of February.

R142s saw a very slight decrease in reliability, from 203k in January to 196k in February.

The R142As, surprisingly, shot up in reliability, but are still below the R142s, from 159k miles in December 2022 to 181k miles as of February.

Factory built R188s have tanked, peaking at 437k miles in October 2021 down to 176k miles in October 2022, but they've been going on an uphill trend, as the fleet is now at 268k as of February. Pretty significant gains.

The converted R188s are at 199k, they were averaging around 160k-190k, but it looks like they'll crack the 200k miles mark.

If I’m not mistaken, CBTC related failures also count towards MDBF, which is why there was a time that the R143s were averaging only 65000 miles

[Wallyhorse]

On 4/17/2023 at 5:04 PM, LGA Link N Train said:

So I noticed something interesting while drawing 125-Lex’s Track Layout. 
 

Tracks 1 and 4, coming from Lexington Local point towards Jerome Avenue whereas Tracks 2 and 3 are coming from Pelham point towards the Lexington Express Tracks. Yet  and  Trains run express coming from Tracks 1/4 in the Bronx whereas the  Run Local coming from tracks 2/3 in Pelham. Was the service patterns at Lexington. (Not counting the Switches and the junction in that area, did the IRT intend for this to be the case or was there a different Service pattern in that junction when Lexington (north of 42nd) was built?

It is odd that at 125 the comes in in what would be the "express" spot otherwise.  I suspect when the original setup was done, the thought was to have the express lines run straight through to Pelham (if you look, the express track north at 125 allows for that).  

One thing the setup does do is allow the  and  to access the Pelham line if necessary.  

[CenSin]

On 4/17/2023 at 5:04 PM, LGA Link N Train said:

So I noticed something interesting while drawing 125-Lex’s Track Layout. 
 

Tracks 1 and 4, coming from Lexington Local point towards Jerome Avenue whereas Tracks 2 and 3 are coming from Pelham point towards the Lexington Express Tracks. Yet  and  Trains run express coming from Tracks 1/4 in the Bronx whereas the  Run Local coming from tracks 2/3 in Pelham. Was the service patterns at Lexington. (Not counting the Switches and the junction in that area, did the IRT intend for this to be the case or was there a different Service pattern in that junction when Lexington (north of 42nd) was built?

Could be an accident of history. Look at the 63 Street link to Queens Boulevard and tell me if you’d believe this was intended for use by express trains if you had only the track layout to go on. The straight rail—path of least resistance—is to run local service to 63 Street. Maybe that was really the intention when the plans were drawn up to make that connection, but almost certainly, this was done so to minimize excavation on either side of Northern Boulevard.

What we are also sure about is that Dyre Avenue was supposed to be served by local trains from the lower half of White Plains Road. Ditto for the short segment from West 8 Street to Brighton Beach. Ditto for the section from Court Street to Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets. Ditto for the Archer Avenue branch, which was supposed to serve the and Queens Boulevard locals; and the tracks say just as much.

[Trainmaster5]

13 hours ago, CenSin said:

Could be an accident of history. Look at the 63 Street link to Queens Boulevard and tell me if you’d believe this was intended for use by express trains if you had only the track layout to go on. The straight rail—path of least resistance—is to run local service to 63 Street. Maybe that was really the intention when the plans were drawn up to make that connection, but almost certainly, this was done so to minimize excavation on either side of Northern Boulevard.

What we are also sure about is that Dyre Avenue was supposed to be served by local trains from the lower half of White Plains Road. Ditto for the short segment from West 8 Street to Brighton Beach. Ditto for the section from Court Street to Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets. Ditto for the Archer Avenue branch, which was supposed to serve the and Queens Boulevard locals; and the tracks say just as much.

The Dyre line was the local south of East 180th Street when it was connected to the WPR line.  trains from Dyre to New Lots when I first saw them in Brownsville in the late fifties. SMEE equipment compared to the Lo-V cars that ran on the Lex line previously in that area. Carry on.

[Chris89292]

Does anyone know why the MTA stopped posting service changes on the windows of the trains?? I’ve stopped seeing them since like 2015

Edited April 20, 2023 by Chris89292

[biGC323232]

I would assume cause of the weekend apps most ppl are using now...

[ABCDEFGJLMNQRSSSWZ]

I asked MTA Twitter if I could bring a pet capybara on the subway and they said "As long as the pet is in a carrier, it is allowed" which seems like a surprisingly lenient policy, because I could theoretically bring any animal on the subway as long as it's contained.

I wish more folks had pet capybaras in NYC, but that's a conversation for another day.

[darkstar8983]

On 4/18/2023 at 11:04 PM, Wallyhorse said:

It is odd that at 125 the comes in in what would be the "express" spot otherwise.  I suspect when the original setup was done, the thought was to have the express lines run straight through to Pelham (if you look, the express track north at 125 allows for that).  

One thing the setup does do is allow the  and  to access the Pelham line if necessary.  

Southbound? No. Both the individual tracks come in and merge to the local track. The express track forms in the middle of the two tracks - Jerome and Pelham. As for northbound, the position of the tracks seems more in line with this post, but the transition seems smooth.or maybe I’m missing something. I’ve only ridden to 125 St a handful of times so I’m not familiar with track geometry. I assume there’s a flyover past 125 St for Jerome Trains to be to the west of the pelham trains 

[Chris89292]

10 hours ago, ABCDEFGJLMNQRSSSWZ said:

I asked MTA Twitter if I could bring a pet capybara on the subway and they said "As long as the pet is in a carrier, it is allowed" which seems like a surprisingly lenient policy, because I could theoretically bring any animal on the subway as long as it's contained.

I wish more folks had pet capybaras in NYC, but that's a conversation for another day.

Who the hell will own a capybara, that’s some wild animal 

[Calvin]

The Brighton line going to Prospect Park is crowded with these Shuttle trains today (Franklin Av too). Between Botanical Garden and the last stop, passengers have to squeeze in only to get on and off with the crossover. 

 

 

Edited April 22, 2023 by Calvin

[ABCDEFGJLMNQRSSSWZ]

I like how the transit app refers to the Rockaway Shuttle as the .

[ABCDEFGJLMNQRSSSWZ]

15 hours ago, Chris89292 said:

Who the hell will own a capybara, that’s some wild animal 

 

[Lawrence St]

Has there been any updated reports on wether or not the has been successful?