LIRR And MNRR Random Thoughts Thread

[bobtehpanda]

On 7/27/2022 at 4:41 PM, Lex said:

I wouldn't. Fossil fuels take far too long to renew and burning them pollutes the air. I'm not sure if you've actually tried breathing around a diesel locomotive, but I have -- in electric territory, no less. Hard pass.

The current locomotives are breaking down right now, so unfortunately we don't really have the luxury of waiting around for electrification to finish.

Also, my understanding of how European locomotives work (and what the Siemens Chargers are ultimately based on) is a modular system where a diesel generator hooks into an electric drivetrain, so it would technically be possible to just remove the generator at a later date if electrification was extended.

Edited August 14, 2022 by bobtehpanda

[QM1to6Ave]

On 8/12/2022 at 7:31 PM, trainfan22 said:

MTA plans to merge the ETIX app, LIRR & MNR traintime apps into one app sometime this month. So much better than having three separate apps.

Took long enough! I agree, having the different apps is a real pain

Interestingly, Ive recently spoken to monthly riders who still prefer paper tickets so they can sleep and leave the tickets out so the conductor doesn't bother them

[IAlam]

10 hours ago, QM1to6Ave said:

Took long enough! I agree, having the different apps is a real pain

Interestingly, Ive recently spoken to monthly riders who still prefer paper tickets so they can sleep and leave the tickets out so the conductor doesn't bother them

This is what I do, I hate having to wait around for the conductor and just stick it in my seat, and occasionally they don't even collect the ticket.

[QM1to6Ave]

6 hours ago, IAlam said:

This is what I do, I hate having to wait around for the conductor and just stick it in my seat, and occasionally they don't even collect the ticket.

Yup, that's what my co-workers say as well...if they activate an e-ticket, they can't re-use it, but a paper ticket might not get collected LOL. I can see why the MTA likes e-tickets...good way to get $$$ even with lazy conductors

[trainfan22]

The new app is online! It's called "MTA TrainTime" search that into Google play store and it will update into the new app.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

4 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

The new app is online! It's called "MTA TrainTime" search that into Google play store and it will update into the new app.

I actually realized it came out today because it apparently automatically updated by itself on my iPad. The interface is ok, and they carried over my e-tickets and other preferences I had saved in the old e-ticket app.

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

This rollout is better than I expected. I like that you can track Metro north trains just like LIRR trains. The old Metro North app was clunky to use and the detailed train information wouldn't show up until like a small window before arrival, sometimes never. 

Honestly, I thought that they were going to screw it up given how atrocious the downgrade was from the Subway Time App to the MyMTA app (by extension the new MTA website) for arrival times. The info doesn't even match the countdown clocks in stations, smh. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

59 minutes ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

This rollout is better than I expected. I like that you can track Metro north trains just like LIRR trains. The old Metro North app was clunky to use and the detailed train information wouldn't show up until like a small window before arrival, sometimes never. 

Honestly, I thought that they were going to screw it up given how atrocious the downgrade was from the Subway Time App to the MyMTA app (by extension the new MTA website) for arrival times. The info doesn't even match the countdown clocks in stations, smh. 

The tracking of trains was actually available in the old app, though slightly off. Even before that, they always had the trains arriving before they actually came for some odd reason.

Re: the clunkiness of the old Metro-North app... I think I know what you're referring to, and I found that annoying as well. What I am curious about is how accurate the seat information will be (it was not as specific as I would've liked on the old app and sometimes trains were crowded, but they were listed as having seats available, as if plenty of seats were open). I plan on using this feature more particularly out of Grand Central when they sometimes close off cars and you go walking thinking more seats are open further up when they aren't.

[ABOGbrooklyn]

So I just saw the news about the LIRR main branch 3rd track potion opening.. it got me thinking. What are the most popular stations that people get on in L.I? And could they add a 3rd track in other stretches? Like to Ronkonkoma?

[NewFlyer 230]

I was at Jamaica earlier waiting for the train to Valley Stream and to my surprise an M3 showed up. I’ve only rode the M3 one time before and that was from Atlantic Terminal to Jamaica I believe back in 2019 or early 2020. But it was cool to in a way take a trip back in time and experience those cars. It was a good change from the usual M7’s and sometimes M9’s. I honestly didn’t expect to catch that train on the weekend. 

On 8/20/2022 at 10:40 AM, ABOGbrooklyn said:

So I just saw the news about the LIRR main branch 3rd track potion opening.. it got me thinking. What are the most popular stations that people get on in L.I? And could they add a 3rd track in other stretches? Like to Ronkonkoma?

Some of the popular stations I know of off the top of my head in LI are Mineola, Babylon, Hicksville, Great Neck, Ronkonkoma, Valley Stream, Long Beach, Lynbrook, Port Washington. There are probably a few more like Freeport, New Hyde Park, Hempstead and etc. 

I don’t think the main line past Hicksville needs a 3rd. There are only a few trips per day that run to Greenport but I believe all those trips require a transfer at Ronkonkoma. 

[shiznit1987]

Considering the fit the North Shore is having over the elimination of Port Washington skip-stop I had a thought: 

There's an area just past the Bayside station that has room for a couple of sidings that could turn trains. With this in mind, my proposal is to basically split the Port Wash into an "inner" and "outer" zone with two predominant service patterns: 

"Outer Zone" trains stop at Woodside then continue express to Bayside, afterwards making all stops to Port Washington. 

"Inner Zone" trains make all stops to Bayside, then turn around at new sidings just past the station. 

there would be 30 mins off peak service on both zones with trains alternating between GCT and Penn. 

[checkmatechamp13]

@shiznit1987 It's mainly the rush hour commuters complaining about express service not the off-peak commuters (off-peak is mainly the frequency being divided and the transfers at Woodside being untimed)

[Jsunflyguy]

On 8/26/2022 at 12:09 PM, shiznit1987 said:

Considering the fit the North Shore is having over the elimination of Port Washington skip-stop I had a thought: 

There's an area just past the Bayside station that has room for a couple of sidings that could turn trains. With this in mind, my proposal is to basically split the Port Wash into an "inner" and "outer" zone with two predominant service patterns: 

"Outer Zone" trains stop at Woodside then continue express to Bayside, afterwards making all stops to Port Washington. 

"Inner Zone" trains make all stops to Bayside, then turn around at new sidings just past the station. 

there would be 30 mins off peak service on both zones with trains alternating between GCT and Penn. 

That area was surveyed by the RR and doesn't  fit trains without demolishing homes. Also having trains cross over to the yard in 3rd rail gaps on one of the biggest grades in the system  is begging  for an operational issue. May as well run the extra 5 minutes to Great Neck and get your money's worth out of the crew.

[trainfan22]

Why is the 11:25AM out of Jamaica to Montauk on a regular Monday morning so busy? I could understand a friday train to Montauk being busy (city folks heading to their vacation homes in the Hamptons) but a Monday morning Montauk train going E/B? I never been on this run but according to the app this is an busy run.

[Jsunflyguy]

4 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

Why is the 11:25AM out of Jamaica to Montauk on a regular Monday morning so busy? I could understand a friday train to Montauk being busy (city folks heading to their vacation homes in the Hamptons) but a Monday morning Montauk train going E/B? I never been on this run but according to the app this is an busy run.

"The help" and other people who would rather escape the hampton crowd that use the train as long distance travel. The reciprocal train 2709 on Friday is also jam packed with people leaving the hamptons in advance of the weekend crowds.

[trainfan22]

The 5:32 connection between the Hempstead and Babylon trains at Jamaica are both M9s! Their becoming more common. 

 

 

A couple days ago their was two M9s at Atlantic Term at the same time.

[checkmatechamp13]

On 8/28/2022 at 11:37 PM, Jsunflyguy said:

"The help" and other people who would rather escape the hampton crowd that use the train as long distance travel. The reciprocal train 2709 on Friday is also jam packed with people leaving the hamptons in advance of the weekend crowds.

 

On 8/28/2022 at 7:34 PM, trainfan22 said:

Why is the 11:25AM out of Jamaica to Montauk on a regular Monday morning so busy? I could understand a friday train to Montauk being busy (city folks heading to their vacation homes in the Hamptons) but a Monday morning Montauk train going E/B? I never been on this run but according to the app this is an busy run.

It's also the only eastbound train directly to Montauk during the midday hours. The next direct train is the 4:30pm out of Hunterspoint Avenue. (There is a 12:43pm out of Jamaica to Speonk, where you wait 36 minutes for an SFCC connection, but that's a seasonal train until October 7th). 

Also, I found this interesting letter of comments (189 pages worth) on the LIRR Today, including some suggested schedules for the diesel branches: https://www.thelirrtoday.com/2022/09/east-side-access-comment-letter.html

Edited September 7, 2022 by checkmatechamp13

[Jsunflyguy]

On 9/7/2022 at 7:44 PM, checkmatechamp13 said:

 

It's also the only eastbound train directly to Montauk during the midday hours. The next direct train is the 4:30pm out of Hunterspoint Avenue. (There is a 12:43pm out of Jamaica to Speonk, where you wait 36 minutes for an SFCC connection, but that's a seasonal train until October 7th). 

Also, I found this interesting letter of comments (189 pages worth) on the LIRR Today, including some suggested schedules for the diesel branches: https://www.thelirrtoday.com/2022/09/east-side-access-comment-letter.html

 I've been jumping around, I'm going to suppress my groan at the methodology for determining the schedule padding which makes evaluates the GPS arrival time vs the scheduled departure time. As far as the sample schedule I think the RR should implement different service strategies for Babylon and Montauk, though a lot of things occur in these sample schedules that ignore practical operational constraints. Things like using dual modes as Jamaica Penn shuttles including train 1395 as a Penn shuttle (which would require locking out a route in Hall for several minutes due to how interlocking is laid out, and then having the train sit in Penn at the platform for 35 minutes, a total blunder. Even the Cannonball is only allotted 15 minutes. Then there's some weirdness about train 85/86 turning at Sayville in between other traffic and being followed at a 5 minute interval, which impossible (you can google map and apply some basic known rules to figure out why this doesn't work). Stuff like that makes me wonder if the other proposed changes are even possible or if other such interactions are missed/not considered properly.

[checkmatechamp13]

@Jsunflyguy I wouldn't throw out the whole thing just off a few inaccuracies. Just look from a case by case basis. I agree he goes a bit overboard in trying to reduce non-revenue mileage (e.g. an 8:52am and 8:54am out of Jamaica to Hunterspoint Avenue) but I generally like a lot of the concepts he's proposing.

[Jsunflyguy]

1 hour ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

@Jsunflyguy I wouldn't throw out the whole thing just off a few inaccuracies. Just look from a case by case basis. I agree he goes a bit overboard in trying to reduce non-revenue mileage (e.g. an 8:52am and 8:54am out of Jamaica to Hunterspoint Avenue) but I generally like a lot of the concepts he's proposing.

I'm saying  whether or not to throw anything out, I don't plan on evaluating it deeply enough to conclude that. I am saying it likely heralds other accuracies.  For example a few trains earlier train 17 departs PGE at 1740 and is followed by 73 a mere 2 minutes later into a manual block section. But again this isn't possible, PD-Y is a manual block thus only one train can be in that section. The manual block signal is also next to a crossing so it is typical to hold in the station until the route is available  to avoid blocking the crossings so likely you wouldn't  leave Patchogue  until ~1745, which is the closest interval in the current schedule. Depending on whether the train ahead is a local the following train may even see an Approach requiring a 50% speed reduction so the following interval between locals can be 8 or 9 minutes. 

 

The problem is that schedule writing is like the 5pt question on the Math B regents, once you  get that first input wrong all the predicated times become wrong, and based on how tight he's  using  certain stations/junctions, it breaks the schedule (73 is late, it delays connection 181 which interferes with another train etc). 

 

 

Also I do want to not my official objection to renaming Nostrand Ave as Crown heights, lol.

[Trainmaster5]

2 hours ago, Jsunflyguy said:

 

 

 

Also I do want to not my official objection to renaming Nostrand Ave as Crown heights, lol.

Rename Nostrand Avenue? Only the eastbound platform is in Crown Heights. The westbound platform is in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Atlantic Avenue is the dividing line between the two neighborhoods. 😁

[Lex]

3 hours ago, Trainmaster5 said:

Rename Nostrand Avenue? Only the eastbound platform is in Crown Heights. The westbound platform is in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Atlantic Avenue is the dividing line between the two neighborhoods. 😁

Also, let's assume Utica Avenue regains the station it lost more than a century ago. What would that be called? East Crown Heights? That would be an awkward name, particularly when factoring in the subway station to the south.

[trainfan22]

Does anybody how many LIRR M3s are active right now? I didn't see any in West Side Yard this afternoon. Is it only one set of M3s active right now?

[trainfan22]

This video summarizes how LIRR Engineers and C/Rs get qualified on the new trackage into GCT

 

 

[trainfan22]

Whoever designed this grahpic HAS to be an railfan, that's clearly an M7 lol

 

Yes I know the subway bullets are the wrong colors but look how detailed that train is They probably wanted the colors of the subway bullets to be Mets colors.