Question about the Redbird lights cut off

[mark1447]

Is there a reason why on the R33WF/36WF, when crossing a junction the lights would cut off and then back on? Unlike the R26/28/29/33/36(ML series).

 

Yes I know because of the car pulling out of a 3rd rail, but why are only the two WF cars (and maybe older cars) have this issue.

[pjbr40]

I think it mostly had to do with switching the power surge inside the third rail from one area to next. If you noticed it always in same area, that where one generator to supply the electric on one side while the other generator is on the other side of the split. This is to avoid the whole line get shutdown all at once, so they sporadic to keep the third rail from going overload. This is till happening on most rail that light go on and off at certain area. When new train came out the light stay on but the air get cut off till the next power surge. That is my observation and i am sure i am correct.

 

Remember the time Amtrak had no electric from philly to Ny penn? Well what it was one section was the main line to provide electric. When that main line got cut off it sent a chain reaction till it got to ny penn. That is exactly the same way as in subway.

[R33WF]

From NYCSUBWAY.ORG

 

Why do the car lights blink on the R-33/R-36 World's Fair/Flushing Line cars but not the other Redbirds?

 

The original carbody lighting design called for the lights to be run directly off the 600V supply (with a polarity reverser relay when flourescents came along). A relay called the ELR (Emergency Lighting Relay) was also across the line. When the 600V failed (car crosses a contact rail gap), the relay goes off and the normally-closed contacts of the relay apply 37V battery voltage to a set of emergency, or "battery" lights. On the IRT redbirds, these are incandescent bulbs located along the center of the car. There are some inside the long flourescent glass fixture, and there is one each in the center of each axiflow fan.

 

When the R-26/R-28/R-29 fleet was overhauled by MK, the battery lights were removed from the center of the fans and PA speakers replaced them. On these cars, a solid-state converter replaces the older motor-generator set for converting 600V to battery voltage, and the same converter unit also contains a solid state lighting inverter to take the battery voltage, chop it to AC, and step it up to drive the flourescent bulbs. When 600 goes off on these cars, the lights stay on fully for up to about 30 seconds. In prolonged power-out, the inverter gradually shuts down banks of lights until only two lights are on in the entire car.

 

The Flushing cars were rebuilt in 1985 by Coney Island, before the more thorough car overhaul program was devised. They left a lot of "old technology" behind, including the Motor-Generator and the classic SMEE pneumatic units. That's why those are the only cars that still go "puff" when the doors close, and why the lights still blink out across third rail gaps.