SUBWAY - Random Thoughts Topic

[VIP]

On 8/2/2019 at 8:10 PM, NewFlyer 230 said:

I noticed the interior destination for the Metropolitan Ave bound  trains have been changed to show “Middle Village” instead of “Metropolitan Ave” and on the FIND it say “Middle Village-Met Ave” as the last stop. 

Tardy to the party lol. 

[NewFlyer 230]

4 hours ago, VIP said:

Tardy to the party lol. 

Lol wait when did they change that? I ride the  all the time but I never noticed the interior destination change.

[VIP]

Some of Jamaica’s R160’s are getting their poles replaced with looped stanchions like the ones on 9798-9802. (9588-9592 has these new looped poles, and no they’re not painted yellow)

[Calvin]

Speaking of Jamaica Yard, 9153-9157 has the exterior wrap (outside of the train) removed with 9172. 

Edited August 6, 2019 by Calvin

[Around the Horn]

17 minutes ago, VIP said:

Some of Jamaica’s R160’s are getting their poles replaced with looped stanchions like the ones on 9798-9802. (9588-9592 has these new looped poles, and no they’re not painted yellow)

2213 on the has these poles too.

[VIP]

12 minutes ago, Around the Horn said:

2213 on the has these poles too.

I don’t Know What’s with the inconsistency, but i guess their putting their state funding into something. 🤷🏽‍♂️

[VIP]

25 minutes ago, Calvin said:

Speaking of Jamaica Yard, 9153-7 has the exterior wrap (outside of the train) removed with 9172. 

I heard that set was bombed up and the chemical they use to remove spray paint would’ve melted the wrap, so they removed it, same with 9242-9238 

[R68OnBroadway]

Is CPW reverse-signalled on the express track? If so, provided you build the other half of that crossover just north of 59th, couldn't you use one level of CPW every time work is needed to cut down on flagging issues?

[Lex]

33 minutes ago, R68OnBroadway said:

Is CPW reverse-signalled on the express track? If so, provided you build the other half of that crossover just north of 59th, couldn't you use one level of CPW every time work is needed to cut down on flagging issues?

In theory, you could, but then you'd have to deal with 125th-168th Streets, which would probably undo most (if not all) of any meaningful gains, especially if a switch craps out in the process.

It would also be a moot point if the work pertains to both express tracks.

[Cabanamaner]

40 minutes ago, R68OnBroadway said:

Is CPW reverse-signalled on the express track? If so, provided you build the other half of that crossover just north of 59th, couldn't you use one level of CPW every time work is needed to cut down on flagging issues?

That’s actually one of the smarter recommendations I’ve seen on here. 

[R68OnBroadway]

1 hour ago, Lex said:

In theory, you could, but then you'd have to deal with 125th-168th Streets, which would probably undo most (if not all) of any meaningful gains, especially if a switch craps out in the process.

It would also be a moot point if the work pertains to both express tracks.

You'd have to signal as far as 145th to account for the switching that would be required but I don't really think you would need to go past that (you could just start the signalling right at 145th or at the junction afterwards). In doing this, you'd instead close one level at a time and have local service run normally while express service would use the express track in the other direction (ex. close upper with sb via local and all nb via sb express and vice versa). This could also go so far as to permit full shutdowns of the  and  in parts of the Bronx/upper Manhattan as you would be able to provide adequate alternatives. 

[NewFlyer 230]

On 8/5/2019 at 11:41 PM, VIP said:

Some of Jamaica’s R160’s are getting their poles replaced with looped stanchions like the ones on 9798-9802. (9588-9592 has these new looped poles, and no they’re not painted yellow)

Lol I guess they are trying to save some money by not painting the poles. The MTA was always horrible at maintaining fleet uniformity. 

[bwwnyc123]

I have seen on R46 also have some looped stanchions.

[VIP]

1 hour ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

Lol I guess they are trying to save some money by not painting the poles. The MTA was always horrible at maintaining fleet uniformity. 

9423-9427 also has these looped poles and LED lights now. No floor mats. Looking like Jamaica’s R160’s will be the odd ball R160’s 

[Enjineer]

On 8/1/2019 at 9:36 PM, New Flyer Xcelsior said:

No, I mean railfanning thst you can get to easily from the city, whether it be by bus, subway, MNR, LIRR, NJT, PATH, whatever.

LIRR Main Line is quite nice, especially stops like Mineola and New Hyde Park. While I haven't been yet, I think the NJT/Amtrak NEC Line is also quite good, especially around Northern NJ where trains still run quite fast (North Elizabeth, Rahway, etc.)

[NewFlyer 230]

2 hours ago, bwwnyc123 said:

I have seen on R46 also have some looped stanchions.

It still surprises me how R46’s received some of these features before all the R160s did. Just reflects the MTA’s incompetence. 

1 hour ago, VIP said:

9423-9427 also has these looped poles and LED lights now. No floor mats. Looking like Jamaica’s R160’s will be the odd ball R160’s 

The MTA is too all over the place for me. If you say you are going to put yellow looped poles, led lights, and floor mats on trains, I expect you to put them on all of them. I mean come on all the NTT’s should have received them by now. But they just select a hand full and then that’s it. They do the same thing when it comes to repainting buses and probably will do it when it comes to deep cleaning these trains. They love to half ass everything and it seems like that’s what happened with the ESI project. Astoria & the 4th Ave stations look great and then every other station is whatever. Some are sloppy looking and or lack some of the features that are suppose to make these stations look aesthetically nice and modern. You can tell they didn’t put as much effort into those stations. I think 23rd street on the 6th Ave line is the worst looking in terms of ESI done stations and it just reflects how poorly the MTA handles things.

[bwwnyc123]

They also have some on  R62A and R142.

[Cabanamaner]

Whatever happened to the passageway between 50th Street  and 50th Street ? I remember it being reopened after many years back in 2011-2012-ish (there’s even videos on YouTube showing it off), but it’s been closed completely for the past few years. Is there a formal reason for it’s closure? 

[VIP]

5 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

It still surprises me how R46’s received some of these features before all the R160s did. Just reflects the MTA’s incompetence. 

The MTA is too all over the place for me. If you say you are going to put yellow looped poles, led lights, and floor mats on trains, I expect you to put them on all of them. I mean come on all the NTT’s should have received them by now. But they just select a hand full and then that’s it. They do the same thing when it comes to repainting buses and probably will do it when it comes to deep cleaning these trains. They love to half ass everything and it seems like that’s what happened with the ESI project. Astoria & the 4th Ave stations look great and then every other station is whatever. Some are sloppy looking and or lack some of the features that are suppose to make these stations look aesthetically nice and modern. You can tell they didn’t put as much effort into those stations. I think 23rd street on the 6th Ave line is the worst looking in terms of ESI done stations and it just reflects how poorly the MTA handles things.

Looking back at the R32’s and R62s I see they have a history of inconsistency. 🙄🤦‍♂️

[Trainmaster5]

15 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

It still surprises me how R46’s received some of these features before all the R160s did. Just reflects the MTA’s incompetence. 

The MTA is too all over the place for me. If you say you are going to put yellow looped poles, led lights, and floor mats on trains, I expect you to put them on all of them. I mean come on all the NTT’s should have received them by now. But they just select a hand full and then that’s it. They do the same thing when it comes to repainting buses and probably will do it when it comes to deep cleaning these trains. They love to half ass everything and it seems like that’s what happened with the ESI project. Astoria & the 4th Ave stations look great and then every other station is whatever. Some are sloppy looking and or lack some of the features that are suppose to make these stations look aesthetically nice and modern. You can tell they didn’t put as much effort into those stations. I think 23rd street on the 6th Ave line is the worst looking in terms of ESI done stations and it just reflects how poorly the MTA handles things.

Believe it or not many features that you see on the newer fleets were tested on the older cars first. Offhand I remember speed indicators on a set of IRT cars (9022-23) and at least one car on the J line had an intercom installed in it before the NTT arrived on the scene. Noticed it one late night while riding from Sutphin to Eastern Parkway. Some people were playing with it and the C/R responded to the car itself but the youngsters left the train. When he asked me what happened I identified myself and he pointed out the prototype.  He said that it was a PITA to deal with and after listening to a few comments made by some riders to my C/R, a lady, on our train I understood the problem. Some of the most sexist,  racist,  vile comments are said  anonymously. There also features that were removed from some equipment. How many posters can remember that the side destination signs were illuminated on some SMEE equipment.  When I operated a 5 into the loop at Bowling Green I had to operate the loop switch in my cab so that when I entered the uptown side Dyre was illuminated instead of the Bowling Green signs I had on the downtown platform. Different things have been proposed and/or tested for many years.  RTO crews have learned to adapt to most of these changes so it appears to me that it bothers railfans more than the average person. I remember a person being upset because my 10 car consist wasn't in numerical order. I politely told him that 10 cars was what I was given and as long as I still had 10 cars when I reached the other end I didn't see any problem.  Just my opinion.  Carry on. 

[Union Tpke]

23 hours ago, R68OnBroadway said:

Is CPW reverse-signalled on the express track? If so, provided you build the other half of that crossover just north of 59th, couldn't you use one level of CPW every time work is needed to cut down on flagging issues?

You could also install switches at 86th using the provisions there. @RR503 has talked about this before.

[Union Tpke]

1 hour ago, Trainmaster5 said:

Believe it or not many features that you see on the newer fleets were tested on the older cars first. Offhand I remember speed indicators on a set of IRT cars (9022-23) and at least one car on the J line had an intercom installed in it before the NTT arrived on the scene. Noticed it one late night while riding from Sutphin to Eastern Parkway. Some people were playing with it and the C/R responded to the car itself but the youngsters left the train. When he asked me what happened I identified myself and he pointed out the prototype.  He said that it was a PITA to deal with and after listening to a few comments made by some riders to my C/R, a lady, on our train I understood the problem. Some of the most sexist,  racist,  vile comments are said  anonymously. There also features that were removed from some equipment. How many posters can remember that the side destination signs were illuminated on some SMEE equipment.  When I operated a 5 into the loop at Bowling Green I had to operate the loop switch in my cab so that when I entered the uptown side Dyre was illuminated instead of the Bowling Green signs I had on the downtown platform. Different things have been proposed and/or tested for many years.  RTO crews have learned to adapt to most of these changes so it appears to me that it bothers railfans more than the average person. I remember a person being upset because my 10 car consist wasn't in numerical order. I politely told him that 10 cars was what I was given and as long as I still had 10 cars when I reached the other end I didn't see any problem.  Just my opinion.  Carry on. 

I have the brochure for the R42 car on the J that had an intercom on it amongst my 1990s transit brochure collection. I also found some docs in the NYCTA Committee Materials mentioning the speed indicators on 9022-23. Thanks for your great historical post!

[RR503]

17 minutes ago, Union Tpke said:

You could also install switches at 86th using the provisions there. @RR503 has talked about this before.

Yep!

To the question of the proposal, though, it's certainly workable if CPW had reverse signalling and the other half of that switch. Depending on how you want trains to run in the 145-168 area, you may have to route trains via A5 or A6 in the direction that's on the 'correct' level/local track, but that's not a huge issue. This is absolutely something that should be/should have been looked at, though I do believe that the cure for the ills of flagging is simple reform moreso than it is intensive capital investment. 

[R68OnBroadway]

On CPW, is there higher demand for 8th-bound service or 6th-bound service?

[RestrictOnTheHanger]

What are those new flashing yellow diamonds in the s/b tunnel between 7th ave/53rd st and 50th st on the ?

Edited August 9, 2019 by RestrictOnTheHanger