BusTalk

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

On this date in 1956..............

IND "A" trains ("Artens") began running over the former BMT Fulton El to Lefferts Boulevard.

The noisy, swaying, clattering old "C" units were now history, destined for the scrapyard.........

"NYO"

["A"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

From 1010 WINS.......

Heard earlier that several numbered and lettered subway lines were 'experiencing delays", including the #7 (ain't "See-Bee-Tee-See" wonderful?)

"NYO"

["XL 734"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

LIRR "M-9s"............

Caught a few glimpses of "M-9s" on the news yesterday, during reports of the potential LIRR strike.

I did not know these cars sported cab ends that are radically different than the older MUs.

These "racoon" ends remind me somewhat of some of the newer "L" rolling stock in "Shik-aga"

Personally, I preferred the end "cap" design of the old "M-1" and "M-3"; even the cab end of the "M-7" is easier to "take to".........

"NYO"

["LIRR"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Speaking of the "M-1s".............

On this day in 1971, the last of 620 "Metropolitans" entered service on the "El-Eye-Double-Are"...........

""NYO"

["CHANGE AT JAMAICA"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

MAJOR headaches for westbound LIRR service.....

Just heard on 1010 WINS, that, due to a track fire, ALL service to Penn Station is suspended, and trains are being re-routed to GCT.

A number of trains are currently stacked up, awaiting the "highball" to began to head into GCT.

Delays are now over an hour......

"NYO"

["LONG ISLAND"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

UPDATE:

Still no LIRR service in or out of Penn Station; commuters are advised to either catch atrain at GCT, or, take the subway to Jamaica, and then try to make a connection there.

Port Washington commuters are being advised to take the #7 to Woodside, and to catch the LIRR there.

Also, all NJT "Midtown Direct" trains are terminating at Hoboken

Indeed, NOT conducive for a smooth commute home, for certain..........

"NYO"

["CHANGE AT JAMAICA"]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

Funny, I was thinking the SAME as yourself.

I DO know, that (accirding to one report) that "the fire was electrical in nature", that "a number of components" was involved.

Right off the bat, i was thinking of some sort of "meltdown" with all the hi-tech signal cables, feeder cables, etc.

Re; "tod rails":

When the "El-Eye-Double-Are" trains began running into GCT, it marked the "foist" time in the station's history that trains using overriding "toid" rail were using the massive, landmark facility...........

'NYO"

One bit of news footage gave Your's Truly a jolt, the interior of one of the LIRR MU's showed VIDEO SCREEN ads, in place of the traditional car cards.

Man, have times changed...........

"NYO"

['DASJING DAN"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

From AMTRAK:

According to an AMTRAK spokesman:

"........the fire at Penn Station was electrical in nature........"

Draw your own conclusions.......

"NYO"

["5:20 RONKONKAMA"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Electrical car fires..........

Realistically,, there were incidents throughout the years, where electrical fires damaged (or destroyed) both mainline commuter MUs or rapid transit rolling stock (rattan seating was indeed NOT fureproof)

I often wonder if the 1962 SIRT fire at the Clifton yards was caused by some sort of electrical malfunction (several "ME-1s", you will recall,were destroyed in that blaze); recall, the SIRT was plagued with a number of fires, over the years.

But these fires were the exception rather than the rule ; they were equipped with ELECTRICAL gear, and were NOT overloaded with hi-tech, "Star-Wars"-esqye electronic equipment)

Too, the cars did not contain large amounts of plastic; thin kof the miles of flammable cable that goes into just ONE modern electric Mu9or locomotive)

In closing, though there was (and never will be) a TOTALLY "fireproof" rail car, IMHO, I truly believe that today's hi-tech "Rolling iPads" pose a greater fire risk than the rolling stock of many years ago.

Too, think of the materials used in the building of modern rail cars 9and LRVs and buses.

My sentiments are,of course, the same regarding modern buses (aka "BINOs")

'NYO"

['PRESSED STEEL CAR COMPANY"]

[W.B. Fishbowl]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

You MIGHT be onto something, here.

I am now recalling reading years ago that the historic CNJ W.8th Street Station in Bayonne (shuttered since the Aldene Plan in 196; the Bayonne-Cranford "Scoot" shuttle ended in 1978) was burned intentionally by ConRail (and made to look like the blaze was "accidentally" set by vagrants), to "save on taxes", or something to that effect.

Do not know how true this was, but, it DOES make one think.....

"NYO"

["CRRofNJ"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

UPDATE:

Scoot Stanford (1010 WINS) reported earlier that AMTRAK is now sating that yesterday's highly-disruptive blaze at Penn Station was caused by a third-rail issue.

Here, I'm thinking more of the cables connected to the "toid" rail than the rail itself.

Syay tuned.......

"NYO"

["4:55 PORT WASHINGTON"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

W.B.:

In-depth, well-illustrated article on "toid" rails; this isan interesting study on its own, for certain.

Good "tech" coverage and detail, here.....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_rail

["CAUTION-THIRD RAIL!"]

[NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629]

Overhead "toid" rail...........

Recallin the early days of Penn Station, the pioneer "DD-1s"used overhead "toid" rail where their gaps at switches and crossovers; also,more recently, the same arrangement at the GCT throat.

Recall the miniscule "pans" atop PRR's "DD-1s", and the NYC's iconic little "S" motor,s and ex-CUT "T "motors.....

"NYO"

["NEW YORK CENTRAL SYSTEM"]