MHV9218

One interesting note is that given social distancing guidelines and what we're seeing with the LIRR, it's extremely possible that the MTA will need to run 100% or 110% capacity in order to carry 50% or 60% of ridership guidelines. This is, obviously, a budget catastrophe, but it's not at all unlikely. The LIRR is already being forced to run extra cars despite vastly diminished ridership, and the subway may go something of the same route. Full-length on the is an aspect of that, but if the MTA has to dramatically increase capacity, we could see some unusual movements. Above ground that means artics, headway shifts, etc. Below ground? We'll have to see.

Has anybody spotted an old or  Akzidenz bullet on the 68/68A sets yet? I know a lot of Concourse sets (particularly in the 2600s) have the old rolls, but not sure how many of the Coney Island cars or the 68As.

Also, interesting to see this in an old photo. This is an R32 with one of the 'Vignelli' 1969 side R16 rollsigns set to the QJ. It must have been cut to fit inside the 32/38 box. All R16 rolls are wider and not cross compatible with the R27+ boxes, but the TA modified some of them to fit. I know SmallParkShuttle, if he still posts here, has one of those modified R16 rolls. The same thing happened with some of the mid-1970s R17 rollsigns, where the TA trimmed them to fit into R21+ boxes. 

2 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

This means much of nothing, coming from the likes of you..... How many protesters you plan on plowing over & homeless you plan on ousting from this city?

Lmao...goooood memory I'll say that much. Not too many folks remember all the remarks on the forum back when.

On 5/15/2020 at 9:32 AM, Matthewmp4 said:

3614 freshly repainted. I saw it on the Q35 yesterday

 

What part of that bus looks freshly repainted lol?

3 hours ago, R68OnBroadway said:

Is there a cost estimate for how much it would cost to try to link up SIR and PATH?

I assume all overground, and only allowing compatibility South/East of Newport Pavonia? Cause otherwise you'd have to fully replace the SIR fleet for shorter car, and tunneling you're talking $1-2bil/mile.

2 hours ago, Deucey said:

Who told you that?

We’d have bonfires overnight on state, county, and city beaches regularly.

Right now, the official Covid rule for SoCal is that during the day the beaches are closed, but the water is open for watersports. No idea what the overnight rule is but that's policy during Covid restrictions.

11 hours ago, SoSpectacular said:

The police don't really bother you if you're on the beach or the sand. I've been out there at 3-4 in the morning catching the breeze. Just don't get in the water.

Which is funny, in California the rule is nobody's allowed in the sand or on the beach but watersports are OK'd lol.

3 hours ago, MysteriousBtrain said:

S89 beats the M60 by a mile which means the S89 makes about 4 miles total

(Bayonne Bridge) 

Leaving the city and state should count as cheating lol... M60 might be the longest in NYC itself.

Not your question but just out of curiosity, thinking of the longest distance between stops on the same route...that's definitely over the bridges, no? The M60's RFK hijinks definitely cover some real estate. Putting that on Google, looks like it's about 3 miles even. That's partly since it's such a winding route though. Of the straight shot bridges, I'd have to think the Verrazzano would be pretty good, since that's just under a mile by itself. Looks like the 79 goes 2.7mi between stops. Whitestone is up there too, with the Q44 covering some ground. Looks like the Q44 is 2.9mi between stops over the bridge. 

6 hours ago, MeeP15-9112 said:

Wow. I never knew that cars were being linked as recently as last year.

So I’m assuming that the 2000-2155 block were linked in 2012, and the remaining 1900s were linked 2018-2019.

Its sad to see this operational flexibility go to waste though. Now if one car craps out, the entire 5 car set goes OOS instead of swapping singles.

1961-1999 were part of the 2012ish linking, but otherwise yeah, something like that. And as Calvin posted some of the most recent 19xx cars may actually just be coupled in order, not linked yet – have to check the couplers to confirm. I'm also in favor of keeping some singles, but there's definitely an argument to simplify and reduce part with linked sets. At least that's been their wisdom since the 80s.

2 minutes ago, MeeP15-9112 said:

Moving on to another topic...

Back in the 90s when the  began linking the R62As into 5-car sets, which cars were kept as singles? 

Also, when the  was doing this, they removed the rollsigns from the non-leading cars (any car whose number doesnt end in a 1, 5, 6, or 0) as well as the #2 end of the leading cars. Are there any non-leading cars that still have their end rollsigns?

1901-2155 stayed as singles. Those were the Livonia and ultimately Flushing cars. I think about a dozen of those cars remain as singles, as the shuttle cars and refuse cars, with the remainder as 3-car sets for the shuttle. Somebody else may have the exact number. The non-leading cars actually retain their original rollsigns, just under black paint on the bulkhead. Same with the R68/R68A class. Sometimes the paint wears and you can see the rollsign on there. Some of the later conversions to 5-car sets (the Flushing cars) still have rollsigns visible, like the cars linked in 2012 or so. There's a set in the 212x group, some of the 202x cars. Then the 19xx singles most recently linked (2018-2019) for Westchester Yard have visible rollsigns too.

This came up on Subchat, all credit via Bill Newkirk Images. I have never seen anything like this before. R-1 mockup featuring fascinating rollsigns. That's a 34, indicating a proposed BMT continuation of numbered lines (1-16) via the to-be-constructed IND system, with a strikethrough indicating a short-turn. Then there's a 181st St. terminal rollsign (never showed up on the real signs), and a number board following the BMT font style. I can only imagine if any of those rollsigns still exist today.

Newkirk Images:

On 5/8/2020 at 6:24 PM, Wallyhorse said:

Actually, the Hong Kong Flu Pandemic in 1968-'69 brought on in the US the 1969-'70 recession which to that point was the worst recession since the Great Depression 40 years earlier.  That recession severely weakened New York, setting things up following a record stock market (for that time in early 1973) for the 1973-'75 recession that caused NYC to teeter on bankruptcy and Ford's infamous headline.  

This obviously is far worse than that Pandemic. 

These things are not connected as you imply. The 1969 recession came from monetary and fiscal policy related to Vietnam, not the flu. There were no broad societal changes because of that flu that are comparable to this pandemic. New York was more reliant on federal funding then, and white flight was occurring just as the 70s fiscal crisis arrived. The '75 recession came from a number of fiscal disasters relating to rising deficits, sloppy bookkeeping, federal cuts, economic tightening, and the oil crisis. 

1 hour ago, MysteriousBtrain said:

Since we have a load of changes in assignments for Essential service wouldn't it be appropriate to update the roster to reflect new assignments?

For example sometimes OF does the Bx41, OH does the Bx15, all local Staten island depots help on the S40, etc.

Whole thing is a mess lol. Some MV buses on the Bx15 today too.

7 minutes ago, paulrivera said:

I got a MTA text alert a little while ago that was actually marketing express bus service.

Craig Cipriano (DOB) and Sarah Feinberg are earning their keep. Maybe they’ll both have their interim tags taken off soon enough. Buses are getting more well deserved respect the last couple of months imo.

Cipriano is a lifer, competent. Feinberg, absolutely not lol. She's a complete hack and her move trashing Byford once she was appointed was noticed by a lot of people and hardly well-received. 

2 hours ago, Calvin said:

I apologize if this thought was repeated all over but, was the R32 retirement b.c of low ridership (from the outbreak), 55+ years of age and that the R179 order being competed that the half cabs aren't needed?

If they are in fact retired, it will be because of diminished ridership in the months before the R211 order, no longer needing as many cars. But many of us are dubious about the math on this in terms of equipment availability. The half cab issue is the reason they're stowed away during the crisis itself.

Great catches. We'll see about the last "ever" bit, but a rare find for a while for sure.

1 hour ago, Cait Sith said:

There's less OGs on the streets of Manhattan because a majority of them have not been modified for the rear doors to open like the NGs and the XD40s, and with the reduced schedule, there's not much of a need for them. All of Quill's 6700s are OOS. All of JFK's 6500s/6600s are OOS. A handful of 6600s and 6700s are OOS at MHV, same for hale with their 6700s.

Interesting, you can't just the twist the door controls to position 3 on the OGs to hold the rear door open? I guess maybe I'm thinking of the RTS on idle.

34 minutes ago, trainfan22 said:

I know it's the bridge side of DeKalb, I lived along the Brighton Line a good portion of my life rode trains though DeKalb over the bridge many times.

My post was replying to BM5's post (forgot to quote him) saying they can't run though DeKalb at all. I'm saying they can run museum cars though the bridge tracks at DeKalb as seen in the video.

Oh, misunderstood the post. Definitely yeah, DeKalb is not off-limits. I think it's just anything below Canal.

7 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

I believe the TOMM passed though DeKalb AFTER the Montague tube rebulid. None of the cars in the TOMM consist can fit in the rebuilt Montague tube so I would imagine 60FT SMEEs can run via the Bridge for special occasions.

Here is the video proof

 

That's the bridge side of DeKalb. Pretty sure that train was via the Q and the bridge. Remember, it started at 96th for the SAS and came through Manhattan to Coney? The announcement in that video says "Union Square is next." Pretty sure the train ran super-express to 14th, 42nd, and a couple others on the way back up. I have some photos of it on the express track at Union. Actually, come to think of it, the TM folks signed up the R16s (only cars with those signs) as the QB. It was definitely over the bridge.

My understanding is the Montague mess was proven after some fallen cables, which led to the decision not to run R1-9s through the tunnel. This subchat thread has good information on it: http://www.subchat.com/readflat.asp?Id=1315440&p=1#1315473.

Wanted to post this in its own thread. The system will now be entirely shut from 1am-5am to allow for covid-related cleaning and fumigation. Shuttle buses and some combination of other services will be provided. This is the first time in the history of the subway that 24/7 service has been halted by anything besides a strike, power outage, or natural disaster.

ABC Story: https://abc7ny.com/health/new-subway-bus-cleaning-plan-involves-overnight-shutdown/6139969/

Quote

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- A new subway and bus cleaning plan was unveiled Thursday that involves a complete suspension of overnight service after Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered officials to figure out how to "disinfect every train every night."

"When people get into the train in the morning, they have to know that train was disinfected the night before," Cuomo said. "So that I can say to essential workers that are killing themselves for our state, we are keeping the subways open for you, and when you get on the subway in the morning or the afternoon, know that car was disinfected the night before."

The MTA will stop ridership from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. daily to complete the cleaning. To fill the gaps, the MTA will provide buses, for-hire-vehicles, and dollar vans at no cost to essential workers.

The governor said that the city, state and MTA have accepted this "Essential Connector" program," which will go into effect next Wednesday, May 6.

He added that the LIRR and Metro-North will also disinfect daily without interruption.

The MTA also announced =a new code of conduct Wednesday amid the coronavirus pandemic that includes:
--No person is permitted to remain in a station for more than an hour
--No person can remain on a train or platform after an announcement that the train is being taken out of service
--Wheeled carts greater than 30 inches in length or width, including shopping and grocery carts, are banned

"We fully agree that we must do everything we can to keep our system and trains and buses as clean and as safe as possible," said Ken Lovett, senior adviser to MTA Chairman and CEO. "Following on our aggressive plan of disinfecting our stations twice each day and our full fleet every 72 hours, we are completing a plan to further enhance and increase the frequency of our cleaning. We will deliver that plan to the governor as he requested."

As of Wednesday, the MTA says 96 employees have died due to complications of COVID-19.

Big change for the city.

22 minutes ago, +Young+ said:

As per the guidelines of the website, can we please stay on-topic? Thank you...

I think this is a actually rare occasion where larger socioeconomic and political talk turns out to be right on topic, since we're discussing a fleet whose necessity is totally dependent on ridership needs that will be entirely determined by the pandemic and resultant economic slowdown.

I would also wager with a lot of confidence that no scrapping has begun of the 32s removed from service in the past few weeks. Nothing is getting scrapped right now, not even the R42s that have been sitting still for months. 

36 minutes ago, Lawrence St said:

Not the or the in that case when you have the merging onto both services.

The and  will merge repeatedly under any plan, current or imagined, and I think the headways on the SAS are wide-enough to support merging efficiently. 

M to 96th, E via 53rd, F via 63rd, G to Forest-Hills. Everybody wins!

EDPs really taking over these days with nobody else left. Just saw on 8th St., M2/M55 backed up for a few minutes in the middle of an intersection while some nutcase first grabbed hold of a bus while it was turning (delivery guy passed by, grabbed him, pulled him off the bus), then sat down right in the middle of the intersection and wouldn't move. B/Os just threw it in idle and got out to stand there. Then the guy throws a bottle of some liquid all over the bus, I don't even wanna know that was. Finally he moved a few foot over in whatever drug haze and the 55 B/O nailed a perfect turn right around him to get out of there.