| LAST Public Run Day of 2009 October 25th. |
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| Long Island Live Steamers public run season has begun with a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Steam, Diesel and Electric trains were bringing our visitors from Southhaven to Jamaica Station. We welcome you to join us on our next public run. |
  | Hot Stations and Hotter Cars: The Subways - Cont.Looking out the front window you got an education on the signal and track systems. You see an abundance of signal boxes showing red, yellow and green lights. The subway signals are not a passive signal but an aggressive one. On each subway car truck there are two trip bars hanging down. Directly next to the track rail is another trip bar, about 12 inches high, in the shape ofa'T". Each trip is connected to a signal box. If the trip is straight up, the signal is red, if it is down or going down its either yellow or green. If the truck trip bar hits the "T" bar on the track, the train brakes automatically engage. And do they ever. |
| They are set in series based on speed, track changes and other conditions. If there is an occasion for a red signal to be bypassed, the engineer must call the tower and then get permission to "key" into that signal to bypass. The signal system is designed to cover all variables to avoid any collusions or derailments. When coming to a switch, there were always a couple of sets of signals protecting the tracks from both directions. | |
| The track roadbeds could vary. On the EL the tracks were laid across and secured to steel cross beams, on the concrete EL's or embankments or on the ground they were laid on a roadbed of gravel. In the underground subway they could be laid on a gravel roadbed or set in a concrete pad with a drain running down the middle of the track. There always were a few sections of unused rail lying between the tracks. Continued Next Page - Click Here. | |