SUBWAY - Random Thoughts Topic

[Calvin]

2 hours ago, VIP said:

Anyone know which Siemens R160’s set entered service first and why Kawasaki or the TA decide to manufacture only 260 cars of that propulsion specifically??

I think the Siemens R160 (first set: 8843-8852, 8853-9102) was structured by replacement package. 

Could be wrong: The Siemens were to be the replacement of the R40 Slants while the R40M/42s are for the Alstom package. 

[darkstar8983]

16 hours ago, Calvin said:

I think the Siemens R160 (first set: 8843-8852, 8853-9102) was structured by replacement package. 

Could be wrong: The Siemens were to be the replacement of the R40 Slants while the R40M/42s are for the Alstom package. 

It is a shame they only did 260 cars in Siemens propulsion package - yes I'll admit I prefer the Siemens R160s to the Alstom ones, but even though all three R160 types (R160A-2, R160B Alstom and R160B Siemens) can run interchangeably, mixing of Siemens and Alstom R160s is very rare. This essentially leaves those R160B Siemens cars only running amongst themselves, reducing the flexibility (again, mixing can be done in a pinch if necessary)

[T to Dyre Avenue]

18 hours ago, Calvin said:

I think the Siemens R160 (first set: 8843-8852, 8853-9102) was structured by replacement package. 

Could be wrong: The Siemens were to be the replacement of the R40 Slants while the R40M/42s are for the Alstom package. 

It would be interesting if the R160s with the most unusual propulsion sound replaced the most unusual-looking cars ordered post-Unification (post-1940). 

[RandomRider0101]

On 8/5/2022 at 11:40 PM, RandomRider0101 said:

I kinda agree to a certain extent. I know the  line's R142s aren't perfect, but they don't appear to be in as rough condition as the R142As, which is why I feel Jerome cares more for their 142s than their 142as. The main issue with the R142A/188 & R143 is that Adtranz propulsion which causes them all to buck and jerk so much. Despite this, many railfans like the R142As over the R142s because they like the propulsion sound better, not necessarily because they're more reliable. Kawasaki definitely got the worst end of the deal with that particular group of trains (R142A/188, R143). Bombardier got the better end of the deal with the R142s because they have the Alstom ONIX propulsion, which is a much smoother ride overall. The ones on the  lines look great, even though they do buck a little, but still not as much as the other lines.

 

Also Thanks BTW.

 

[trainfan22]

R46 car 5583 has no A/C, it's on the if anybody wants a seat on crowded rush hour train. 

[zacster]

About half of the R46s on the Q have poor AC.  They also have bad springs, bad signs and bad doors.  They are basically a complete mess with the lowest MDBF of the fleet.

[trainfan22]

2 hours ago, zacster said:

About half of the R46s on the Q have poor AC.  They also have bad springs, bad signs and bad doors.  They are basically a complete mess with the lowest MDBF of the fleet.

The A/C on the Pikin assigned R46s has been cooler than usual this summer so far, surprisingly. Years past I didn't like riding R46s during the summer cause of the weak A/C.

 

 

Outside of the A/C perfomance even the Pikin 46s are a little rough around the edges these days. Maybe the R179s get priority for shop time and the R46s are an afterthought due to being close to retirement, just speculation on my part.

[Calvin]

The Skip-stop service between Myrtle Av-Bway and Jamaica Center will resume service after Labor Day. September 6th is when the  service resumes making a stop at Sutphin Blvd. 

[R32 3838]

13 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

The A/C on the Pikin assigned R46s has been cooler than usual this summer so far, surprisingly. Years past I didn't like riding R46s during the summer cause of the weak A/C.

 

 

Outside of the A/C perfomance even the Pikin 46s are a little rough around the edges these days. Maybe the R179s get priority for shop time and the R46s are an afterthought due to being close to retirement, just speculation on my part.

Nope that's not the main reason. They have little shop time because you know, They barely have spares. 5 sets and a pair as spares for the is not enough and the main reason why they are dropping in performance.   Even with the R179's, They barely do anything since they also have a low amount on both lines with the having only 130 cars.

 

[trainfan22]

18 minutes ago, R32 3838 said:

Nope that's not the main reason. They have little shop time because you know, They barely have spares. 5 sets and a pair as spares for the is not enough and the main reason why they are dropping in performance.   Even with the R179's, They barely do anything since they also have a low amount on both lines with the having only 130 cars.

 

If they barely do anything then why did the R179 MDBF shoot up? R179 MDBF is in the 240, 000s only the R160 MDBF is higher in the B div. If there was a supposed car shortage every car class in the B div would be suffering. The R46s are old and NYCT is probably doing the bare minimum to keep them running since their replacements will be arriving in the near future.

 

[R32 3838]

12 minutes ago, trainfan22 said:

If they barely do anything then why did the R179 MDBF shoot up? R179 MDBF is in the 240, 000s only the R160 MDBF is higher in the B div. If there was a supposed car shortage every car class in the B div would be suffering. The R46s are old and NYCT is probably doing the bare minimum to keep them running since their replacements will be arriving in the near future.

 

 

The R179s are a smaller fleet within the . There are more R46's on the and about 8-10 R46s on the . The only has 92 R179s which is 11.5 sets which 9 out of 11.5 are used. So both fleets are used constantly with the R179s being more reliable. But the R179s barely help due to the fact the R46s dominate both lines. If there were more R179s on both lines, This would be a non issue. The Fleet age is very unbalanced on the   since the older fleet make up 65-70% of both together with the having 88% R46s.

This is why they have issues on top of a very small spare factor. R179s might be reliable but it doesn't do much since they make up 13% of the

 

And The B division is suffering (except Jamaica and ENY) Due to the shortage of spares. The lines all have issues due to low spare factor. Concourse got screwed since 2016 hence the issues with the IC's and other issues that are finally being addressed. CIY has the R46s that are unreliable and the   issues mentioned above.

 

 

Edited August 13, 2022 by R32 3838

[Calvin]

R32s 3888-3889, 3828-3829, 3894-3895 and 3646-3647 made a round-trip run around the Rockaways this past afternoon as a . One married pair were separate from the Farewell   parade train consist that happened during January. 

Edited August 13, 2022 by Calvin

[VIP]

52 minutes ago, Calvin said:

R32s 3888-3889, 3828-3829, 3894-3895 and 3646-3647 made a round-trip run around the Rockaways this past afternoon as a . One married pair were separate from the Farewell   parade train consist that happened during January. 

That set was at Canarsie yard for the longest.

[R32 3838]

1 hour ago, Calvin said:

R32s 3888-3889, 3828-3829, 3894-3895 and 3646-3647 made a round-trip run around the Rockaways this past afternoon as a . One married pair were separate from the Farewell   parade train consist that happened during January. 

it was apart of the museum trip and it 2 round trips.

[BreeddekalbL]

I heard some foamers misbehaving today  quote from a t/o on a facebook group

Quote

An angry rant to the subway fans here; Today was the New York Transit Museum’s trip out to the Rockaways which saw the R-9’s in action along with a train of R-32’s. While the event itself was relatively trouble free, there were “MULTIPLE” acts of vandalism on the Rockaway Park Shuttle today. These included several trains of R-46’s with their end route signs changed to display a wrong route along with several trains that had the cab door glass pushed in. One train had to go out of service entirely due to a smashed picture window in one of the cars. These acts of vandalism were clearly caused by a person or person’s who wanted some attention. Well, you’ve got it! I am posting this here because if anyone knows the people responsible for this it’s time to shut them down before someone gets hurt. This is especially true since the train crew on board a vandalized train has to investigate to see what has happened. These incidents are putting people in harms way. Just stop it-NOW!!!

 

As good as this event was today, there was actually going to be more to it; The people in charge of today’s event were actually going to operate the R-32’s in REGULAR passenger service on the Rock Park Shuttle for several trips. As a result of today’s vandalism spree, those trips were cancelled. A true shame, and it was those people who decided to vandalize the equipment that are truly to blame. Actions have consequences and some of you who came out to see the museum trains could have ridden on the R-32’s for free. But as usual, someone who calls themselves a “fan” helped to ruin it for everyone else. I hope those who are responsible for today’s madness is happy with their BS end sign photos-you only helped to ruin what could have been a bigger event than it turned out to be. Shame on you!

 

[Calvin]

12 minutes ago, BreeddekalbL said:

I heard some foamers misbehaving today  quote from a t/o on a facebook group

There was supposably going to give regular passengers a ride back to the past. However, that changed bc of one or more of a group acting up, people had to ruin the moments. 

 

Edited August 14, 2022 by Calvin

[R32 3838]

Man, It would have been nice to run those R32s for more trips in regular service. But of course the idiots ruin it. There are things that they want to do with that train but because of the retards, They might pull the plug.

 

 

[NoHacksJustKhaks]

2 hours ago, BreeddekalbL said:

I heard some foamers misbehaving today  quote from a t/o on a facebook group

*Quote*

Man, that is really unfortunate. I was shocked to hear that they were only letting paid ticketholders ride the 32s. Sucks even more to hear that they initally wanted everyone to ride it. I definitely noticed vandal activity today, wasn't destructive thankfully but was mostly stupid, some idiot was firing the horns on an R46  train leaving Broad Channel. 

In some way, the R32 retirement runs (a few months ago) definitely was a wake up call to Transit about how to run these kinds of events. Not once today did I (general public) feel like I could walk onto an Arnine or 32. They know vandals fester off those oppertunities and simply cannot take chances on it. It's a shame but ah well...

[Lil 57]

I worked on the event today through my job at the NYTM and I did notice a r46  signed up as a  train so I’m guessing the vandals did that. Didn’t even know the the r32 rides were going to be for the gp. I was just instructed to check wristbands for the rides.

What a shame.

 

Edited August 14, 2022 by Lil 57

[Calvin]

Hope everyone is having a great summer so far. Before moving on to fall, that's September 22nd, the Parade of Trains will be out on the 17th and 18th. You'll see nothing but old equipment on the Brighton line that weekend. 

https://www.nytransitmuseum.org/program/paradeoftrains2022-2/?fs=e&s=cl

Edited August 17, 2022 by Calvin

[NewFlyer 230]

Riding the  and  towards Jamaica after  midnight is brutal. Took over an hour to get from 34th street to Forest Hills because of late night track work. They should have some cross honoring system with the LIRR overnights when this mess goes on because this for real doubles and sometimes even triples commute times because of missed bus connections. 
 

[R32 3838]

1 minute ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

Riding the  and  towards Jamaica after  midnight is brutal. Took over an hour to get from 34th street to Forest Hills because of late night track work. They should have some cross honoring system with the LIRR overnights when this mess goes on because this for real doubles and sometimes even triples commute times because of missed bus connections. 
 

I'm used to it, This is why it's better to take the Q60 at night. But nothing is worse than missing the train at 9pm at night and waiting between 15 to 30 mins.

[CenSin]

11 hours ago, R32 3838 said:

I'm used to it, This is why it's better to take the Q60 at night. But nothing is worse than missing the train at 9pm at night and waiting between 15 to 30 mins.

For a trunk line that’s better served than some of those in Manhattan, the difference is like night and day (pun intended).

[RandomRider0101]

I have a question. When the  used Redbirds (before the R142s came), did they switch trains at Flatbush like they do now with the 142s? I recall someone saying that they had enough crews to quickly switch signs at Astoria for the  (before the R160s came), but then I recently came across a comment from someone saying that they didn't do this at Flatbush. I was too young when the Redbirds were still in service, and I've never really been to Astoria (nor was I old enough to even notice) to confirm this. So I just want some clarity from people who know for sure what went down during these times.

[Calvin]

I remember last week, there was a G/O with the  trains running Express over the  and  lines. The down-side going to Stillwell Av was the long wait time trying to enter Stillwell Av while being stuck on the Express portion at either Kings Highway or 86 St to allow a  train to cross over to the  line to Manhattan with 1 track being occupied. One Saturday, two  trains went past the  train I was on for about 12 minutes.