Post by tubeprune on Oct 4, 2006 12:12:13 GMT
barney said:
I found this sentence in the NY subway page very intriguing.'That action is called tripping the train. Every car (not just the first car) is equipped with tripcocks.'
This must mean that all signals have absolute overlaps and that the blockjoint must be at least 10 cars in advance of it's associated signal before it returns to danger. No compromises there then
The overlap is usually the whole block ahead. If you want to trip past a signal, you have to "key by". There is a manually operated switch on the signal which lowers the trainstop while you take the train past. When I worked there in the early 1980s, there were still some you had to do manually. The motorman had to get out a tool which forced down the trainstop and held it down while he drove the train past. Either he or the conductor had to go back and release it afterwards.
This reminds me that there were also some trains still around then (R10s, rather like the Q Stock but longer) which had the conductor's door controls outside the cars. The guy stood between the cars in the middle of the train to operate the doors. There were two footsteps on the body ends and two grab handles with trigger switches in them. he had to climb up and stand with one foot on each step, holding onto the handles. This way he could see along the train roof over the passengers heads. In the winter it was VERY cold for the conductors.
When the train stopped, he operated the triggers to open the doors - half the train on your left and half on your right. A plunger on top of each grab handle released the trigger and closed the doors. He could do half the train at a time. The pilot light was automatic. As soon as the motorman saw it in the cab, he started the train. By this time the conductor had got down and was inside the cab keeping warm.
