"The Window" on Blue Line trains

I have just beens starting to notice that most Blue line train drivers dont close the curtains in the cab. This in turn allows people to see through the cab window. Can anyone tell me why sometimes the curtain is closed and other times it isn't. And is there/wheres the ATO box on the Blue Line cars?

There is no ATO box necessary on Blue Line cars...no ATO like on the Red and Orange lines. Blue Line is all-manually controlled by operators following the wayside signals.

octr202 wrote:There is no ATO box necessary on Blue Line cars...no ATO like on the Red and Orange lines. Blue Line is all-manually controlled by operators following the wayside signals.

That is why the view is obstructed on the orange line and redline cars, except the 01800's, the ATO equipment was installed after. The 01800's have the unobstructed view because they were designed after ATO was already in place and the equipment was installed elsewhere.

I believe the curtain is supposed to be open also due to the fact that the Blue Line trains are run with just a motor-man. Un-like the Red & Orange Lines, there are no guard on the Blue Line trains.

CSX Conductor wrote:

octr202 wrote:There is no ATO box necessary on Blue Line cars...no ATO like on the Red and Orange lines. Blue Line is all-manually controlled by operators following the wayside signals.

That is why the view is obstructed on the orange line and redline cars, except the 01800's, the ATO equipment was installed after. The 01800's have the unobstructed view because they were designed after ATO was already in place and the equipment was installed elsewhere.

I believe the curtain is supposed to be open also due to the fact that the Blue Line trains are run with just a motor-man. Un-like the Red & Orange Lines, there are no guard on the Blue Line trains.

Yes, thank you for the clarification. Regardless, as you point out, even if the Blue Line had ATO, it would probably be a moot point as it would be buried in the car somewhere as in the 01800's.

While we're on this topic. What exactly is the ATO and its purpose? And why would it be hidden by a curtain?

ATO is Automatic Train Operation. I believe it controls the signals without the need of a person/s monitering all the trains' locations. It is not hidden behind a curtain. The cab is hidden by a curtain. On most Red Line trains and all Orange line trains, the ATO acts like a curtain, it prevents people for peering into the cab.

Got it thanks. Wasn't sure if they concealed it due to terrorism or what not. Who knows

ATO boxes arent concealed on the Red Line. Go on a Red Line 015xx, 016xx, or 017xx cars. You will see incredibly large metal boxes near the cab. Those are ATO boxes. They are in wide open space waiting to be tampered with. The Orange Line 012xx cars have their ATO boxes hiding behind the darn system map. As stated before, the Blue Line cars don't have ATO boxes. The signals on the Blue Line are controlled by people, not computer-like things similar ATO.

That is why the view is obstructed on the orange line and redline cars, except the 01800's, the ATO equipment was installed after. The 01800's have the unobstructed view because they were designed after ATO was already in place and the equipment was installed elsewhere.

Yes, except for the top part of the window, which why I do my "01700 seat trick", by sitting on top of the seat-back/rest and circumvent the ATO box. It's impossible on the 015/1600s, since the seat and ato box are a little far apart.

As for the 01800s, the real reason why there's a full-size unprotected window is because they were able to use technology for the ATO box to make it much smaller thus enabling me and you to see thru the front.

As for the 012/1300s and even the ex-01400s, I just stand in my two feet completely, no need to do any "seat tricks"

I believe the curtain is supposed to be open also due to the fact that the Blue Line trains are run with just a motor-man. Un-like the Red & Orange Lines, there are no guard on the Blue Line trains.

You're right, the Blue has not had train attendants since July 1996, because of budget cuts, so now next time I ride in their lead car, I may get to see right behind the motorperson, just like car 01734 over at the Red Line back in January, when the curtain support was broken thus causing the curtan to fall enabling me for an unprecedented view, which I also posted in another thread.

Also, I wonder if the NYCTA's IND/BMT R44 and R46 cars have something foreign in the left side, since they never built a window to the side of the cab door of both cars. They should have done it, just place two sets of glass windows, in the "brown-wood" are of the passenger cabin to enable passengers to peer into the "cab storm door" of both R44/R46 cars.

AznSumtinSumtin wrote:ATO is Automatic Train Operation. I believe it controls the signals without the need of a person/s monitering all the trains' locations..

Each line has someone in charge of it. The difference between ATO and the older signal system on the Blue Line is that there are no signals on the right of way except for at interlockings. Also, the ATO has programmed max speeds for each section of track, and if the train exceeds that speed it is automatically put into emergency, this is one reason why when you see a "express train" going through a station, it slows down while in the platform. On the Blue line a train could go through without slowing down. ATO is it is similar cab signals on the commuter rail and AMtrak

the ATO speed command for most station pits is 25 MPH. that is why train enter and exit at full speed. By rule when travelling light throught a station the motorperson must not exeed 10 MPH. this is also the case when travelling adverse.

willfh wrote:By rule when travelling light throught a station the motorperson must not exeed 10 MPH.

I don't understand why they do that. You can't say for safety reasons either because they certainly don't slow down to 10MPH in NYC.

The MBTA is very reactionary. at some point, could be 50 years ago, some one was hit because they expected the trainto stop. The result is a rule change that forces the MP to slow down so that they couls stop if something happened to appear in fron of them. Adverse train movement requires trains to come to a complete stop, turn on thier head lights and sound the horn. before entering the station adverse. This was the result of a woman at north quincy getting hit by a train while looking down the tracks in the normal direction of travel.

Robert Paniagua wrote: Also, I wonder if the NYCTA's IND/BMT R44 and R46 cars have something foreign in the left side, since they never built a window to the side of the cab door of both cars. They should have done it, just place two sets of glass windows, in the "brown-wood" are of the passenger cabin to enable passengers to peer into the "cab storm door" of both R44/R46 cars.

The left side of the R44/46 [as well as the R40/40m/42/62/68 cars] contains the mechanisms for the route number/letter signs. Therefore no need for a window to be built in the interior of the car on the sides.

For history's sake, the earliest R series [R1, 4, 7, 7a] had left-side windows, but they were covered up. Starting with the R10, there were no left side window, just the window for the motorman.

Despite the full-width cabs, WMATA, MdMTA, CTA, SEPTA Broad St Subway, Cleveland RTA, and LACMTA have the left-side window to see out of their heavy rail cars, and peek into the motorman's area.

Of course if you ride PATH, PATCO, and SEPTA MFSE cars you have the luxury of sitting in a bona-fide railfan seat.

Don't forget MNCRR's M.U.s