From: mckenney@cims.nyu.edu (Alan McKenney)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Report on exhibition of prototype NYC Subway trains
Summary: These high-tech cars sound like a maintainence nightmare
Keywords: subway, NYC
Date: 28 Dec 92 15:27:10 GMT
Followup-To: rec.railroad
Distribution: usa
Organization: Courant Institute, NYU, NY, NY, USA
Originator: mckenney@gauss.cims.nyu.edu

In article <JMD.92Dec24143135@lion.bear.com> jmd@bear.com (Josh Diamond) writes:

>Last weekend the NYCTA had both of the New Technology trains (R-110a
>and R-110b) on display ...

>... both are permanently coupled trainsets --
>the R-110a [IRT] having a minimum length of 5 cars, and the
>R110b [IND/BMT] having a minimum length of 3 cars.

    (1)	Does "permanently coupled" mean that the cars share equipment?
	If so, this means less redundancy than with the present
	equipment.  (A complaint about the "slope-front" car-sets
	was that they had only one compressor, so if it went, the
	train was stuck.  Combine this with the TA's idea of
	maintainence ...)

    (2)	5-car trainsets make sense on the IRT -- the platforms take
	10-car trains.  Why 3-car trainsets on the IND/BMT?  The
	platforms there take 8-car trains.

 ...
>Some new features are common to both trains: 
> 
>1) Computerized traction and braking control -- a single lever
>controls both acceleration and braking.

>2) AC Traction Motors controlled using choppers.

>3) Battery powered operation.  Power from the third rail is used to
>charge batteries, ...

>4) Air bag suspension.  Compressors are used to inflate air bladders
>which are used instead of springs.  A computer ...

    As someone who has ridden the NYC subways for over 11 years
    now, all this high-tech stuff (including mention of a CRT
    monitor for all manner of things) makes me a little nervous.
    What makes anyone think that the TA is capable of keeping all
    this high-tech stuff working?

    About 10 years ago, when the R-40's (? with the cab all the
    way across) were the latest thing, I noticed that the cabs
    have speedometers, but they didn't seem to work.  A motorman
    told me that the shops never fixed them, so *no* R-40 has
    a working speedometer.  Newer trains don't have them at all.
    (And the newer cabs look just like the cabs on the oldest
    trains I have seen in service.)

    Generally, the TA seems unwilling to fix anything until it is
    so broken it just won't run any more.  For example, I once
    read (the NY Times, if you can trust them) that trains are
    not taken out of service as long as at least 8 (or is it 7?)
    cars (for a 10-car train) have working motors.

    My own experience with high-tech stuff (e.g., cameras) suggests
    that it is more delicate and has less benign failure modes (esp.
    when abused) than more old-fashioned stuff.  I fear that the
    high level of abuse and poor-to-nonexistent maintainance will
    turn these new trains into ``turkeys'' (cf. the Grumman Busses
    in NYC.)


>5) Passenger alarm system.  A pressure sensitive tape switch is
>mounted throughout the interior of each car.  When pressed, the
>operator is notified, and a light on the outside of the car comes on,
>alerting police as to in which car the emergency exists.  (this has
>already been installed in some cars on the J line).

    How well does this work?  I can imagine problems with abuse.

>6) Door motors are now electronically controlled and use worm drive as
>opposed to the older lever style actuators.  It is now impossible to
>force a door open once it is closed.

    This sounds like a technical fix to a non-technical problem.
    The problem is not people pulling doors open (I've never seen
    that) but people holding the doors, either voluntarily (e.g.,
    so the conductor will open them again) or involuntarily (bags,
    body parts, etc., stuck in the door.)  Unblockable doors may
    discourage voluntary door-holding (especially after a few
    people have been maimed or killed), but won't prevent involuntary
    door-holding.  I predict an upsurge in ``dragging incidents''.

-- 
Alan McKenney        E-mail:  mckenney@cims.nyu.edu         (INTERNET)
Courant Institute,NYU,USA     ...!cmcl2!cims.nyu.edu!mckenney   (UUCP)