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| Re: Fulton Street El Express Service (212789) | |||
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Re: Fulton Street El Express Service |
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Posted by JOE @ NYCTMG - NYCMTS on Thu Feb 9 10:27:14 2006, in response to Re: Fulton Street El Express Service, posted by EMSR7000 on Wed Feb 8 19:36:29 2006. Hello Paul (EMSR) Steel Subway cars up until at least 1960, on the old BMT and IRT Lines, had a special dual contact "paddle shoe" which unlike present shoes which jut out at an almost straight angle from their wood shoe beams...had an angle in the shoe at the outer end. There were two contact "pad" surfaces on the shoe underside. The inner pad, located on the unerside of the straighter part of the paddle, contacted "elevated style" (closer, higher) 3rd rail. The outer shoe on the slight upward angle, contacted the slighly lower "subway style" covered third rail and ran UNDER the overhead protective coverboard. The same applied on both IRT and BMT steel subway cars. both prior to, and after June 1940 City takeover of the BMT and IRT companies. NOTE 1 -- "Elevated" style 3rd Rail on "IRT" Joint steel subway train and wooden elevated train operated Elevated lines, had NO protective wooden "backboard" (which normally would have protected trackwalkers from brushing against the catwalk facing side of the 3rd rail.) This was BECAUSE the wooden backboard, bracketed itself, to the underside and back side of the "elevated style" third rail with special bolted on clamps, was ONE INCH approx. HIGHER than the top of the third rail head. This dual third rail (and "EL 3rd rail WITHOUT safety backboard) was featured on: (a) Bronx IRT Woodlawn Line "EL", just above the 159th Street tunnel portal, to end of line from approx 1917 thru end of 1959 (b) Bronx IRT White Plains Road Line "EL" from the 150th & Third / Westchester Avenues connection (1902-3) to the 3rd Ave El, and the later 2 block east Bergen /Brook Ave connection (1906) -- to the early, original 180th Street (West Farms) AND Bronx Park Stub, terminals....and dual 3r rails extended northward onto the White Plains Rd. branch built north to 241st Street terminal in the late teens; This allowed IRT wood "EL" trains to run on the Woodlawn Line EL to its terminal and Mosholu shops (from 9th Ave EL) and also on the IRT White Plains Rd. (from 2nd & 3rd Ave Els) line to its terminals and yards...first to 180th st. Yard and original Bronx Park stub and 180th St. terminal AND the later also to 239th ST yards on the White Plains Rd. Line (c) After wooden Manhattan elevated train service ONTO White Plains Rd. line ended via both S.Bronx 3rd Ave El connections (between Approx. 1948, 1950) and those connections removed by, approx, 1950, with no more Elevated train passage to and from the south (Westchester Ave) end of the WH PL Rd line, the "EL" style third rail was all removed BELOW 180th street yards. It remained until about 1958 from 180th street to 239th st. yards for wooden "EL" style work trains and wooden revenue EL train shop moves for the 3rd Ave EL Line remaining connection, via Gun Hill Road, to either yards and shops. Note: Dyre Line wooden EL gate car shuttle trains were retrofitted since 1941 with SUBWAY type paddle 3rd rail shoes ..running from 1941 thru approx 1954.!!! ALL the Q type El cars and many remaining MUDC IRT El cars were run down the WH PL RD line EL (after wood el train service on 3rd Ave El ended 12/15/1956) to 180th street and shunted to the ex NYW&B terminal tracks via existing Dyre Line connections, and abandoned station at 180th St...the Q's going to the New Haven RR 172nd St track connection (as they WERE delived by he NHRR to the 3 Ave El in 1949-50 !!) for the trip south via Hell Gate Bridge to Queens and CI Yards in Brooklyn via NHRR-LIRR-SBK (Parkville) connection...for overhaul for Myrtle Ave EL service in April-June 1958. The MUDC's were ALL scrapped, the last of them by early 1958 !) at 174th St grounds of former Starlite Amusement Park along the Ex-NYW&B embankment, using the former abandoned SB NYW&B Local track with one side of the track rails removed, to derail and roll the cars askew, off of, and over, and down the embankment to the lot below, where they were dragged into rows and burned. Many other MUDC's were auto-trucked there also - both operable and "BO" dead cars with wheels/trucks removed first at 239th St shops. NOTE 2 -- In preparation for IRT steel Steinway subway cars rerplaced wood cars on the Bronx ONLY 3rd Ave El by Jan. 1957, the wooden BACKBOARDS on the "EL' style 3rd rail on the surviving (after 5-12-55 end of Manhattan service below 149th St) BRONX portion of the 3rd Ave EL, were ALL REMOVED on both local tracks (but left on the express track for storage of the "o-o-s" Q types until sent to CI Yds via NHRR-LRR). This was so as to clear the end tips of the subway style "dual contact" paddle 3rd Rail shoes on the steel IRT Steinway subway cars. This arrangement lasted until the line's local tracks were completed retrofitted, (including express track ONLY ABOVE Fordham Rd to Gun Hill Rd segment, for train layup storage) with subway type and position 3rd rails by mid 1958. NOTE 3 -- Queens IRT Flushing AND IRT Astoria Lines (from 1917 thru 1950 - had dual 3rd rail (as described for above Bronx lines) for Steel IRT Steinway subway cars (and after 1948, for new IRT R-12 & 14 cars of 1948-49 delivery and running) and wooden IRT 2nd Ave EL Trains (until May 1942) AND BMT El Car shuttles running from Queenboro Plaza to Flushing and Astoria. The "EL" style 3rd rail (or dual rail feature) did not extend past Queensboro Plaza on the Flushing Line tracks tunnel bound to and from Manhattan, nor did "subway" style 3rd (or the dual feature) extend past Q B Plaza station to and over the 2nd Ave El tracks (have photo proof) on the ( note * ) Queensboro Bridge. In October 1949, Wood El car shuttles (which used both BMT EL gate cars (1918 thru 1944) and BMT EL wooden Q types, 1939 thru Oct.. 1949) ended and ASTORIA line was modified for BMT Steel 10' wide subway cars...and by 1951 all "EL" 3rd rail of the dual setup, was basically gone from both branches. ( * NOTE *) - I have a 1955 photo showing the upper and lower level former IRT 2nd Ave EL tracks from QB Plaza Station, westward to and eastward from the inclining APPROACH to the Queensboro Bridge (to just before the overhead first portal arch of the bridge upper level steelwork)- still active (shiny rails) in use by approx. 1955 period and coming into the former 2nd Ave El upper and lower platform "north" side of the IRT half side of the 2 level, 4 track QB Plaza junction station...AND IT HAS, surprisingly, been retrofitted with ONLY SUBWAY TYPE COVERED 3rd RAIL !! Upper and lower former 2nd Ave EL tracks on the bridge approach show to be merged westward, upgrade, via a single switch, into a single long tail track (using the former Manhattan bound 2nd Ave El trackway) for about an approx. 8 car train length, ending at a bumper just before the overhead bridge portal arch. I can only assume that from May 1942, (end of 2nd Ave El Service) up to and at that late date, IRT R-12,14 and 15 car (and earlier than 1948, Steinway Low-V) trains ran some late night (or rush hour extras) shuttles from Flushing to Queensboro plaza (!!???) or they used the track as a fast turnback (or/and for layups??) from lower (westbound ex-2 Ave EL track) level out and back to upper (eastbound ex-2 Ave EL track) level. This arrangement ended sometime after probably 1955 in that period when the BMT line Queens bound track (via tunnel and upgrade ramp from same) from (and towards) Manhattan to the BMT (northern half side) section of QB Plaza station was shifted physically in alignment - on both upper and lower levels - to the former 2nd Avenue EL route track on both levels. When that was done, the former 2nd Ave EL Line turnback tracks to the bridge were disconnected and abandoned....as seen in many photos taken by 1958, 59, 60, etc and later. The BMT track shifting to the IRT ex-2nd ave El tracks (on both levels), allowed abandonment and 1962 removal of the BMT "northern half" of the Queensboro Plaza Station complex. NOTE 4 -- ALL MANHATTAN ELS and BRONX SEGMENTS (except at and past points where they connected to subway service joint El lines as mentioned and covered indepth above) had EL style 3rd rail complete WITH THE WOOD SAFETY BACKBOARD, throughout. When, in example, steel subway cars WITH PADDLE SHOES were taken onto those "original EL" routes for shops (ie: to 129th or 99th street shops on 3rd Ave EL, or 155th street shop on 9th Ave EL (rarely there) -- they had to, PRIOR to entering onto those lines, have their subway type 3rd rail paddle shoes removed from their shoe beams and be towed..so their paddle shoes would NOT foul the "original EL's" safety backboards. Also truly enforced and firmly prevented heavier steel subway cars from operating in revenue service on lighter built "original Manhattan Els". The reverse (towing) would (in theory, if "ever" in practice but for no practical reason and due to EL CAR subway tunnel roof clearance probems) have to happen and IRT EL cars with EL style drop sled shoes would have to be towed on IRT subway-extension elevated lines having NO "EL" style 3rd rail..as their shoes intact on trucks would not reach subway typoe 3rd rail anyway. The solution to avoid this was having DUAL 3rd rail styles --and EL cars never operated on say, Broadway IRT EL nor IRT Pelham Line EL, and there were no immediate direct track connections from those lines to "original" Els. Also, IRT EL car higher roofs could not clear IRT subway tunnels. Well Paul, this has been a long history - and covers the IRT only. The BMT Division is ANOTHER LONG story - and I am out of time. Hope this informs you and any, all for the IRT Division. Regards - Joe |
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