Fleet Swap Discussion Thread

[Bill from Maspeth]

10 hours ago, MHV9218 said:

Respectfully, I trust your authority and appreciate your expertise but you are putting words in my mouth or confusing my post with somebody else's. Absolutely nowhere did I say it was airtight. In fact I said multiple times that nobody is arguing that. Please separate me from the kids on this forum; I've been here for years, I work a job, I don't live at the RFW with a GoPro. My main point is that transit is not taking this seriously enough with C/Rs, so I'm really not the person to say I'm trying to be an expert. Many people are overblowing the concern about the RFW – already shut-off with a chain – and neglecting the real risk for C/Rs. It is already a given that there is a chain link keeping passengers at least five-six feet away from the cab, which is why your situation with somebody's ass to the door should not be able to happen in the first place.

We know from numerous studies that covid molecules tend not to carry more than six feet airborne. Specifically, because they are liquid droplets – unlike a vapor/cloud stench (the fart example) – they tend to drift towards the ground and fall down. The door does not need to be airtight, it just needs to be shut, and we need to make sure there are people not standing right next to it. Not for nothing, the fact that the door between cars on a 32 is not airtight is also a good thing – it means that air will circulate in the immediate cab area. This is only true at the front of the train, where tunnel wind blows in, which is another reason we need to be most concerned about the C/R position, where there is stagnant air and no cross-circulation.

When I quote and reply, I am not necessary outing the person in the quote, just the general conversation.  But you did say you found the whole thing overblown.  I disagree.  Can we just err on the side of caution for the sake of our t/o's?  We've had over 130 dead transit workers so far, something like 86 in the Dept. of Subways alone.  We don't want more.  All we ask is to keep your distance.  If somebody thinks there is virtually zero chance of a person standing outside the cab door to infect the t/o, fine.  But the policy is the policy.

The cab door IS NOT MADE OF STEEL.  It's basically 2 pieces of tin held together with studs that are hammered together and hung by more studs to the frame of the cab.  When we had corner cabs it was a regular thing to have cab doors vandalized and thrown on the floor.

Edited July 2, 2020 by Bill from Maspeth

[Bill from Maspeth]

10 hours ago, Fuseguy is Cool said:

Honestly the 32s coming back now is super legendary but you have to ask yourself.... it it worth braving the pandemic to film on the  or anywhere else? There is a huge risk for the operator, conductor and passengers who are taking the subway right now as life slowly is going back to normal. Phase 3 is supposed to begin next week so there will be an increase in ridership. The subways aren't really that crowded at all now even with phase 2 open. Can someone notify if Times Square - 42 St, the busiest station, is showing signs of life with busy platforms? 😂

This is why the union was complaining to management that running R32's was a bad idea, with pictures of a broken chain on 3886 on the previous page.  Passengers and the buffs are NOT responsible riders.  There is a pic on facebook that just made my blood boil.  At least 20 railfans waiting for a J at B'way Jct.  NOBODY wearing a mask endangering the safety of our t/o.  And the way they clown around, they probably broke that chain too. 

I AM LIVID RIGHT NOW FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR CREWS.  THIS IS THE EXACT REASON WHY THE OVERWELMING MAJORITY OF OUR CREWS CAN'T STAND RAILFANS/BUFFS.

Edited July 2, 2020 by Bill from Maspeth

[trainfan22]

29 minutes ago, Coney Island Av said:

i guess this means that they will replace the current R33WF redbirds in work service then...

The R42s can't fit on the IRT though. So I would imagine those Redbirds would still be needed for garbage trains in the IRT. I think only four 62A's are used for work service only and I'm not sure if they do garbage duty on the mainline IRT.

[Bill from Maspeth]

11 hours ago, MHV9218 said:

Nobody said it was airtight, but again, the door covers 99% of the space, the chain keeps people 6 feet away, you wear a mask, and you open the window...I'm just saying, the risk here is almost exclusively to C/Rs, and that's who the real focus should be on – and that's why I think 32s should be running with two C/Rs per trip, by the way. People need to understand the science on this stuff. Distance has a real impact, as the virus typically carries suspended in the air only within about six feet. Then it falls to the floor. That's why a C/R walking between crowds, or opening a window on a platform, is particularly at risk.

Which, by the way, is actually a good thing for the circumstances – air from tunnel and circulation is what helps keep stagnant air from sitting and causes the molecules to dissolve.

Cab door open is already a write-up from a TSS if you're caught anyway, and I sure as hell wouldn't recommend opening the door in this situation, where the whole point is the enclosed space for safety. As I said above, the primary risk is for the C/R. Having a shut steel door with nobody standing within six feet of it, window open, and mask on makes it next to no risk. The door does not need to be airtight, it needs to be shut, blocking 99% of air travel. 

Nobody is arguing that. My point here is that the real focus should be on C/R safety. R32s should be running with two C/Rs. The railfan/RFW situation is overblown and contrary to the science of this.

They're just not going to run an R32 with 2 conductors because or the cost.  I agree that they should but you and I are not paying the second conductor.  NYCT might preach about safety being our #1 priority, blah blah blah, but it's always about the money!

[happy283]

1 hour ago, Fuseguy is Cool said:

Off topic here but who's actually going to film the R32s tomorrow? 

I probably will. How many should be out in the am rush?

[happy283]

18 minutes ago, Bill from Maspeth said:

They're just not going to run an R32 with 2 conductors because or the cost.  I agree that they should but you and I are not paying the second conductor.  NYCT might preach about safety being our #1 priority, blah blah blah, but it's always about the money!

If safety really mattered they would have a second conductor or at the very least a sufficient barrier such as the ones present on buses. Those chains are a joke and im not at all suprised that it broke and not to mention that restricted area isnt even 6 feet from the passengers. The MTA needs to get it together or the union may force the R32 back out of service resulting in yet another fleet shortage.

[MysteriousBtrain]

1 hour ago, Bill from Maspeth said:

There is a pic on facebook that just made my blood boil.  At least 20 railfans waiting for a J at B'way Jct.  NOBODY wearing a mask endangering the safety of our t/o.  And the way they clown around, they probably broke that chain too.

Not to even mention that at least two photos surfaced online where foamers were in the restricted zone hogging up the RFW when they had plenty of time to get their shots back in January on the R42s.

[Calvin]

4 minutes ago, MysteriousBtrain said:

Not to even mention that at least two photos surfaced online where foamers were in the restricted zone hogging up the RFW when they had plenty of time to get their shots back in January on the R42s.

A zoom-ins lens would been an alternative from their cameras. But, scenario would've been the same plus social distancing is ignored. 

Edited July 2, 2020 by Calvin

[trainfan22]

23 minutes ago, Calvin said:

A zoom-ins lens would been an alternative from their cameras. But, scenario would've been the same plus social distancing is ignored. 

You would get a poor quality video using a zoom in lens to film out of the RFW from a distance cause the movement of the train would make it hard to keep the camera still.

 

Not defending these fanners, just saying why one would'nt film from a distance.

 

EDIT: I wonder why the T/O didn't simply just tell those railfans to move from the restricted area, on the bus side of things these B/O's be straight calling people out who board the bus without a mask.

Edited July 2, 2020 by trainfan22

[R32 3838]

10 hours ago, Bill from Maspeth said:

This is why the union was complaining to management that running R32's was a bad idea, with pictures of a broken chain on 3886 on the previous page.  Passengers and the buffs are NOT responsible riders.  There is a pic on facebook that just made my blood boil.  At least 20 railfans waiting for a J at B'way Jct.  NOBODY wearing a mask endangering the safety of our t/o.  And the way they clown around, they probably broke that chain too. 

I AM LIVID RIGHT NOW FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR CREWS.  THIS IS THE EXACT REASON WHY THE OVERWELMING MAJORITY OF OUR CREWS CAN'T STAND RAILFANS/BUFFS.

They were out of control, I told one to get his ass away from the window 

[R68OnBroadway]

Have railfans been crowding the back window as well?

[JayJay85]

1 hour ago, R32 3838 said:

They were out of control, I told one to get his ass away from the window 

I seen a few of them with no Mask on, it's shame that people are hardheaded.

[Calvin]

I wonder, can R32s on the  be used on the 4/4 position since there's the controls that opens/closes the doors with the seats like all other cars like the R143 and R160A-1?

Edited July 2, 2020 by Calvin
R42s aren't in passenger service

[RailBus63]

13 hours ago, Bill from Maspeth said:

There is a pic on facebook that just made my blood boil.  At least 20 railfans waiting for a J at B'way Jct.  NOBODY wearing a mask endangering the safety of our t/o. 

Someone should have called 911 on those idiots.

[Bill from Maspeth]

12 hours ago, happy283 said:

If safety really mattered they would have a second conductor or at the very least a sufficient barrier such as the ones present on buses. Those chains are a joke and im not at all suprised that it broke and not to mention that restricted area isnt even 6 feet from the passengers. The MTA needs to get it together or the union may force the R32 back out of service resulting in yet another fleet shortage.

As I said, money matters, more than safety no matter what they say. 

[Bill from Maspeth]

19 minutes ago, Calvin said:

I wonder, can R32s on the  be used on the 4/4 position since there's the controls that opens/closes the doors with the seats like all other cars like the R143 and R160A-1?

The ORDER was given to operate 3x5 because those c/r boards have R32/R42 stickers on them.

[happy283]

2 hours ago, R68OnBroadway said:

Have railfans been crowding the back window as well?

Now that wouldnt be as much of an issue because there is most likely no crew member in the rear facing cab.

[trainfan22]

57 minutes ago, RailBus63 said:

Someone should have called 911 on those idiots.

They wouldn't have responded to such a call. A lot of cops aren't wearing masks themselves lol.

[R32 3838]

I heard 5 sets of R32's were out today. I spotted 3 of them as trains. saw a few fans but they were outside grabbing videos. It's mainly the afternoon that the sped's come out and act stupid but it'll die down hopefully.

 

IMO they're needs to be strict gidelines for people who enter the chained areas. If a person destroys the chain or go into that area, It should be an automatic fine up to $100 and removal off the train. I don't know why they didn't enforce that.

But It looks like day by day they're adding more sets.

[B35 via Church]

35 minutes ago, trainfan22 said:

They wouldn't have responded to such a call. A lot of cops aren't wearing masks themselves lol.

I've been seeing B/O's, T/O's, and C/R's without 'em as well.....

[LegoBrickBreaker101]

2 hours ago, RailBus63 said:

Someone should have called 911 on those idiots.

Someone sent the image to the MTA’s Twitter account and the MTA apparently shared it with the NYPD as well

[danielhg121]

2 hours ago, Calvin said:

I wonder, can R32s on the  be used on the 4/4 position since there's the controls that opens/closes the doors with the seats like all other cars like the R143 and R160A-1?

I was told by a conductor that there aren't door controls in the operator cabs. Ideally, I would think if they could operate in the 4x4 position, they would. There are drum switches on the R32 (and R42) that signify which half cabs the master door controller will work. It has On/off/thru. Off at the ends of the trains, thru at the conductors positions, and on at the two conductor zones. There aren't any seats in the middle of the married pair sets which is probably the reason why conductors hate them.

Edited July 2, 2020 by danielhg121

[553 Bridgeton]

When you have no leadership and the president wears no mask, who is from new York you then get people saying well the president doesn’t wear so why should I. I am a bus op at Njt and Reality is that most people won’t listen, America is not a communist nation. You can’t put the blame on railfans, t/os not liking railfans I think is totally asinine. Those same kids could be out there in gangs killing people and doing stupid stuff. I am a railfan and been so since I was a kid when the R26-29s ran the 2/5. The same railfans that don’t wear masks are the same as regular people who don’t as well. Me however I am not going to run out there like I am crazy to chase a train. The younger generations of railfans DO NOT KNOW HOW TO CONTAIN THEMSELVES AND THATS THE MOST FRUSTRATING THING TO ME. I missed the last R42s on the J and A, but I find peace knowing I have rfw videos from when they were on the L. 
 

Back to the masks, as I said no leadership = people doing whatever. 
 

There is nothing the union could do about the R32s running, at the end of the day the union agreed with the MTA to run them if such and such things were dont. Wether the union admits it or not they agreed in sense. We work in the public sector and unfortunately this is what we have to deal with to continue to feed our family. 

Edited July 2, 2020 by 553 Bridgeton

[553 Bridgeton]

1 hour ago, B35 via Church said:

I've been seeing B/O's, T/O's, and C/R's without 'em as well.....

My point exactly if employees are not wearing masks who are they to complain that a passenger is not wearing it?

[happy283]

4 hours ago, R32 3838 said:

I heard 5 sets of R32's were out today. I spotted 3 of them as trains. saw a few fans but they were outside grabbing videos. It's mainly the afternoon that the sped's come out and act stupid but it'll die down hopefully.

There were only three out this morning. Dont know where you saw the other 2.