Multi-Level Cars—Delivery/Status

Sorry Nick, it was NOT based on the Comet V. As a member of the design group, we tried damned hard to not make the same mistakes that were made with the V. These cars were wrung out by both engineers and conductors, and there were a lot of mods made because of that.

Ugly? Who really gives a damn? Most of you guys are ugly too, but we still like ya.

TR-00 wrote:Ugly? Who really gives a damn? Most of you guys are ugly too, but we still like ya.

HAHA! I feel loved...

Anyway, hopefully by the time I hit the rails out of "choo-choo-U" I'll be working on these new toys. How are they gonna work? One (or two) conductor(s) for each deck?

I don't think your gonna deal with them for a while '85 once you get out of choochoou - from what I konw, they are supposed to be based on the NEC and MAYBE the NJCL and Midtown direct trains. (im assuming your going to try to get/stay on the Hoboken divison) and that the new yard to be built in Morrisville is mainly for the bilevels.

When you get out, contact me and Ill give ya a "crash course" on C5's - and give ya my tricks on how to get them to do what you want them to do.

Feel free to PM me anyway if you want any help/advice on stuff

Oh yea, btw, im expecting the same thing as it is now, with help on the bilevels - one and a half, but more than likely 2 cars per trainman, and sometimes 3 per trainmen - I don't see NJT putting one TC per bilevel car or anything close to that.

I still think these bi-levels are a waste given that they can't seat many more people than a bathroomless Comet II. A good single level car can hold about 130 people and the extra cost bi-levels hold either the same or slightly less. Why on earth didn't NJT order them with 3-2 seating on both levels? What do passengers expect for their nickle, a first class seat???

Jtgshu wrote:I don't think your gonna deal with them for a while '85 once you get out of choochoou - from what I konw, they are supposed to be based on the NEC and MAYBE the NJCL and Midtown direct trains. (im assuming your going to try to get/stay on the Hoboken divison).

To be honest, I'll work anywhere on the north jersey system, the ACL is what I want to stay away from because It's so far away. But I've been told I'm gonna be on a extras list for about 1 1.2 sop I'll be all over the place

And for the cars, I'm assuming these are designed with the ALP's & PL32AC's in mind only (if the PL32's ever start working).

sullivan1985 wrote:Anyway, hopefully by the time I hit the rails out of "choo-choo-U" I'll be working on these new toys. How are they gonna work? One (or two) conductor(s) for each deck?

RR lesson #1: There's only one Conductor on a train. His helpers are called Trainmen or Asst. Conductors.

True, you PROBABLY will be on the extra list for a while, you might like it, you might hate it.......

But you will have to choose a division, Newark or Hoboken, and NJT determines the number of slots available, and out of your classmates, its decided by seniority who gets to choose what.

As bigC said, One Conductor, One Rear Brakeman, and others are "head brakes" (sounds better to me than TC's - ticket collectors)

Depending on when your class starts, you will be trained on each model of equipment - maybe not the bilevels yet, because its only the prototype there, but sooner or later, you will have bilevel training (hopefully - they will train the rest of us as well)

Back on topic - I can't wait to see the actual interior of these things - how "roomy" they are, and the configuration - I also can't wait to see the "learning curve" with the passengers with them, and how long they will take to load up and unload - are the two doors the "end doors" adn the "center doors" going to lower the dwell times compared to the C2s, which I don't see that happening.....

I hope they have a better introduction to the ridership and crwe members than the C5's were - NJT has to do a lot to redeem themselves after that disaster.

sullivan1985 wrote:And for the cars, I'm assuming these are designed with the ALPs & PL32ACs in mind only (if the PL32's ever start working).[/size]

It's PL42AC.

4 Express wrote:

Nasadowsk wrote:Dang that looks UGLY

I'm with you on that one.

Can't any worse then what those PL42's look like. Not that it really matters anyway. The photo is horrable anyway. If any of you saw the drawing of what they would be like, personally, I think they look pretty good. Can't wait till they hit the rails and I'll be riding them up and down the NEC.

Jtgshu wrote:As bigC said, One Conductor, One Rear Brakeman, and others are "head brakes" (sounds better to me than TC's - ticket collectors).

"Head cases" seems like a more accurate description to me

Wha'ts sad is these things do'nt hold more, and have a higher weight:seat. i.e., they'll be slower and IIRC, can't be in as long a train.

NJT should stop and watch the first wave of them and see how they're accepted by the crews/public/timetables. They might not really want the option afterall...

I don't get the whole bilevel maina around NY. If they actually HELD more people, it'd make sense. But, often, they don't. And they tend to be very cramped and slow loaders. Witness the junk the LIRR has - and the production fleet is much more roomy than the Bi-Tanic was...

Nasadowsk wrote:I don't get the whole bilevel maina around NY. If they actually HELD more people, it'd make sense. But, often, they don't. And they tend to be very cramped and slow loaders. Witness the junk the LIRR has - and the production fleet is much more roomy than the Bi-Tanic was...

From my one trip on the LIRR bi-levels (a few years back), I remember them feeling much smaller than they probably were, due to the necessary seating arrangements where there would be no more than maybe 10 rows of seats together on the lower level before a break. I didn't get a chance to look "upstairs," though.

I have a feeling that despite a (marginal) increase in capacity, there are actually going to be more standing passengers on crowded trains. With a single-level train, walking straight in one direction (forward or back) will probably find you a seat; with bi-levels, how many people are going to take the time and effort to walk up and down each car on one or both levels to find a seat?

Let's stop judging these cars on one little picture. Let's wait till we actually see the car and see how it operates. Let's see how the commuters like them.

Head brake...head brake...mmmmmmmfffff...it's a family site and I can't say it..!

Darn...too bad Sullivan won't get to AC...I love freshly minted trainmen.