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| Re: Covered/uncovered third rail (779191) | |||
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Re: Covered/uncovered third rail |
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Posted by Joe @ NYCMTS - NYCTMG on Sat May 2 03:34:53 2009, in response to Re: Covered/uncovered third rail, posted by randyo on Fri May 1 15:19:13 2009. Hello Randy O Yes, very good explanation re: subway paddle shoe clearances on some Brooklyn older ELs'. On the IRT, that and another few reasons were why the Manhattan Elevated Division wooden rolling stock always retained the earlier design Drop Sled "EL" style third rail shoes and their 3rd rail position..as follows: (a) -- For the very thrifty and expense-conscious IRT, it would have been deemed extensively much too costly to replace ALL (4 per EL motor car, EL trailer cars had no shoes) Drop Sled shoes on many thousands of Elevated Cars, both in brand new paddle shoes material, and labor/time, combined costs; (b) -- Additional time and labor/ material costs to reposition and apply cover boards over ALL the original EL style 3rd rails and as such outfit each of a few hundred collective accumulative miles of "Manhattan EL Division" route trackage as such. (c) -- Per a and b, perhaps because the Manhattan El Division, thanks to the anti streetcar and EL legislation and attitudes of some then "very short insight" people of the likes of Mayor Laguardia and his minion followers...it was deemed a wasted cost investment, as was thought likewise of installing complete blocks and signaling on all route trackage of the FOUR Manhattan ELs' -- which was never done EXCEPT only at ALL track interlockings, and also full installation of blocks and signals done on ALL trackage of their two more heavily, stronger built Bronx route EL mainline extensions. (d) -- As the Manhattan EL Division elevated structures were too lightly built - mainly 1880's era built lattice construction columns and girders - to handle revenue loaded steel subway trains, the DROP SLED shoes and their EL style 3rd rail with THE HIGHER WOOD PLANK BACK SAFETY BOARD, and rail position, guaranteed that even accidentally, as follows: (1) -- Steel subway trains would not be able to draw power to operate on "Manhnattan EL Division" only assigned trackages, as their "paddle" type subway shoes would foul and ride up ONTO the "higher than 3rd rail head" safety backboard and up off of the power rail head. Thats WHY the high wooden safety backboard was missing on "EL" style 3rd rails on the IRT Bronx and Queens EL operated routes fitted with DUAL type 3rd rails ! (2) -- "Wooden" car constructed trains were banned from mainline subway tunnel revenue operation by earlier (IIRC in 1912-13) PSC legislation, and thus would not "accidentally" be able to draw power from an unreachable, further away and lower positioned, and covered, subway style 3rd rail on trackage with such. Also, the approx. ONE FOOT + higher EL Car roofs would not clear most IRT Subway tunnels. In one text-documented instance, this in fact prevented a Manhattan bound 2nd Ave EL wooden "EL" train from accidentally operating down to and into the IRT E. 149t St. West Farms Line subway tunnel, Bronx, when it was improperly towerman-switched to the right onto the westward descending subway-tunnel bound mainline local track, instead of the the left onto the westward upward-rising ramp S/B local "EL Division" mainline track having ONLY EL style 3rd rail - of the Bergen Cutoff EL branch back in the late 1920's ! The entire wooden EL train cleared the switch and immediately LOST all power, and was immediately stopped by the errant motorman, when ALL of its drop sled shoes dropped into mid air due to not ALSO having an EL style 3rd rail on the subway tunnel approach downramp trackage ! A following EL train was coupled to the rear car of the "dead" train and pulled it back, upward and eastward, to the DUAL 3rd rail trackage EAST of the switch. Both "EL" trains were then sent, properly re-routed, on their way to the upper level ramp of the BERGEN Cutoff Line, towards the 3rd Avenue EL mainline. (3) -- Thats WHY the BMT Elevated system NEVER used the safety wooden high backboard on their EL style 3rd rails on ANY of their EL lines, and mainly so NOT on EL lines of which both steel subway trains and wooden EL trains ran in joint-route operations...using their single one and only "EL" style 3rd rail at trackside for use by BOTH train types to collect power ! Regards - Joe F |
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