Hoboken Division Questions

Irish Chieftain wrote:Wow...not only lame but dangerous. Better off having them closed; otherwise we may end up seeing a Darwin Award candidate trying to clamber into or out of a low-platform open door at a high platform, e.g. Paterson, Secaucus, Dover et al.

Yeah, it is pretty unbelievable. Luckily it doesn't happen all too often, but it happens all to often enough.

Correction Nick, The Low Comet 1 (aka Sliders) are not allowed to be operated with the doors open at any time as per our handy dandy rule book. If a train is operating with low or high C1 and C2's, the door may be open while the train is moving on the high C1's and C2's. Also, there is a restriction on that.
On Hoboken Division, trains may operate with the doors open Mon-Fri (No Holidays): Eastward-On trains arriving between 6AM and 9:45AM, Westward-On trains leaving Hoboken between 6:15AM-8:45AM and 3:30PM-8:30PM.
On Newark Division, trains may operate with the doors open Mon-Fri (No Holidays): Eastward-on trains arriving at New York, Newark or Hoboken between 5:50AM and 10:00AM.
Westward-On trains leaving Newark between 3:30PM and 8:30PM. All trains originating at Long Branch operate with the doors close (supposed to).
Also, if the trains is to bypass a high level station (for example, the train stops at South Amboy and expresses to Hazlet, when it was low level) the doors must be closed because you bypass Matawan which is high level. That scenario doesn't play out anymore on the NJCL anymore, but it does on the Main Line @ Paterson (and soon at Route 17), the Raritan Valley Line, the M&E at Summit for the Gladsone train that skips Summit (if it ever operated with C2's and High C1's).

I apologize Nick for the "Correction", I misread the beginning of your post (With the older equipment, (the High and Low C1s, MN Comet IIs, Comet IAs, IBs and the Arrows) the doors are able to stay open.).

^No problem. Thanks for the info. I didn't know that in the rule book that low C1s are supposed to have their doors closed at all times when in motion (although I would have I hoped that would be in the rule book.) Well, Gladstone Trains only use Comet Is when there is a fluke or when the line is de-engergized on weekends. But there are Arrow III Hoboken trains that might skip Summit. The crew would have to close the door for this. Just out of curiosity, I also guess in your rule book that it states that the Arrows operating on the NEC must have their door safetys on (with the exception of Jersey Ave.)

And while I'm at it, were crews who used the original unrebuilt Comet IIs on the NEC required to have the safetys on (with the exception again at JA) as well (I wasn't a railfan 2 years ago when the unrebuilt C2s were around so I never got to experience them.) I realize they must have had the safetys off when operating on the Midtown Direct Dover and Gladstone as the only high stops back then were NYP, Summit, Dover and Gladstone.

You are correct, the unrebuilt C2's were SUPPOSED to have the safety feature on with the exception of JA. On theMidtown Directs was most likely off back then if they used C2's.

mb wrote:You are correct, the unrebuilt C2's were SUPPOSED to have the safety feature on with the exception of JA. On theMidtown Directs was most likely off back then if they used C2's.

I know they used C2s for the MidTOWN direct Dover but I am not sure about Gladstone. I would presume so though at one time or another. Can anyone confirm for sure? The C2s were also used quite a bit on the NJCL IIRC and back then, there were less high level stops so they'd have to turn the Safetys off south of Woodbridge.

yes, the engineer would put the trian in end door bypass leaving Woodbridge going west, and leaving Perth Amboy going east, they would have to be returned to normal.

This applies to not only the former unrebuilt C2's, but also for MU's. As mb said above, the doors have to be closed if passing through a high level station, and the doors couldn't be opened until the train has already cleared a high level stop. For example, going west, out of Middletown, the doors could not be opened and the traps raised for Red Bank until the train has cleared the entire Middletown platform.

Jtgshu wrote:yes, the engineer would put the trian in end door bypass leaving Woodbridge going west, and leaving Perth Amboy going east, they would have to be returned to normal.

This applies to not only the former unrebuilt C2's, but also for MU's. As mb said above, the doors have to be closed if passing through a high level station, and the doors couldn't be opened until the train has already cleared a high level stop. For example, going west, out of Middletown, the doors could not be opened and the traps raised for Red Bank until the train has cleared the entire Middletown platform.

Thanks for the extra info. Well, all of that is now over for the NJCL (with the exception of the South Amboy local which occasionally is an MU train.)

Nah, Comaro sets still run from Bay Head to and from Hoboken, and the regulations would affect them too

Jtgshu wrote:Nah, Comaro sets still run from Bay Head to and from Hoboken, and the regulations would affect them too

Yeah, wasn't clear enough sorry. What I meant is that the Comaros always run with the doors in overide because they are diesel so the engineer wouldn't put the doors in overide south of Woodbridge. (And if anyone wants to see a solid comaro train picture, I posted one in the NJT photo forum last night- it is crossing the Raritan. Photo taken about a month or so ago.)