M7 sights and sounds

I took a few mini-videos with my digital camera.

1st one: See and hear the door open and automated station announcement
http://members.aol.com/mncommuter/m7vid1.rm

2nd one: Hear the "whine" of the train as it pulls away.
(there's also a Genny/Bomb train getting ready to depart on the other track, which you'll hear)
http://members.aol.com/mncommuter/m7vid2.rm

What is with that "whine" sound, anyway?
And the door opening sounds funny, too!

Seems like sometimes, the conductors prefer not using the automated announcements or LED sign (shown working here). They just announce the stations manually, the old fashioned way, which I actually prefer. The computer voice gets annoying after a while.

What's this for?
It says "brake cylinder cut out cock" and "service brake cut out cock", and it's located behind a seat near the vestibule across from the bathroom.
Is it the same as the "hand brake" on the older equipment?

The lights you are referring to are for brakes applied (yellow) and brakes released (green) on the truck associated with those lights. There should be a set of those lights near the front of the car, and another set towards the rear of the car.

The SBCO and BCCO cutouts are behind the locked door you have depicted in the photo.
SBCO will cut out the electropneumatic brakes on the associated truck. The truck will still have brake in an emergency brake application only.
BCCO cuts out all brake in the truck. The brakes will never apply in that truck with BCCO cut out.

The "hand brake" is replaced with a "parking brake". It is applied and released via compressed air and springs. No more train crew pulled backs while applying hand brakes. It is controlled from the Engineer's cab. A red light (LED array) on the side of the car, near the front end of the car, blinks on and off when a parking brake is applied in that car.

mncommuter,

I work at the LIRR. Last week a defect on a train was turned in for the automated station announcement system making MetroNorth station announcements. Pretty weird, since the system is tied in to GPS.

The whine on acceleration comes from the AC traction motors.

Tom

Haha, that must have been funny. "This is the train to...Croton-Harmon" "Damn I need the train to Babylon!!!"

N340SG wrote:mncommuter,

I work at the LIRR. Last week a defect on a train was turned in for the automated station announcement system making MetroNorth station announcements. Pretty weird, since the system is tied in to GPS.

The whine on acceleration comes from the AC traction motors.

Tom

Why would the LIRR M7's have Metro north annoucements stored?

N340SG
Did they use MNCR 4001/4002 for that stunt we did not know why that pair is over at LIRR, maybe their checking for PA compatibility.

We have to consider the possibility of it being a prank somewhere along the line.
I've looked through the list of stations, and there are no MN stations listed in the LIRR system. Also, the announcements are supposed to be triggered by GPS when in proximity to the station.
There is a way to manually enter information into the system. Perhaps someone was being funny.

Tom

Dutch,

I haven't given up trying to find out why 4001/4002 were on LIRR property. I am on vacation 'til July 7, though.
Someday, we'll have an answer....maybe.

Tom

The "hand brake" is replaced with a "parking brake". It is applied and released via compressed air and springs. No more train crew pulled backs while applying hand brakes. It is controlled from the Engineer's cab. A red light (LED array) on the side of the car, near the front end of the car, blinks on and off when a parking brake is applied in that car.

Thanks for the info. What are the other lights for?



How do the conductors like the automated announcements?
Seems like when they want to make a regular annoucement, they have to wait for the "ding-dong" before they can talk. That must be annoying. Sometimes, the first few words of a conductors announcement get lost.

mncommuter,

Green = air brakes released in that car
Yellow = air brakes applied in that car
White = trainman controlling doors from that door panel
Red (blinking) = parking brake applied in that car
Blue = Automatic Speed Control active (Controlling car)


One does have to wait for the tones before speaking on the PA. It is annoying, but the crews will get used to it quickly.
Crews can carry on a normal conversation amongst themselves on the crew intercom, with no ding-dongs. (Pax will not hear IC conversations.)

Tom

DutchRailnut wrote:N340SG
Did they use MNCR 4001/4002 for that stunt we did not know why that pair is over at LIRR, maybe their checking for PA compatibility.

Any updates as to why MNCR 4001/4002 is/was at Hillside?

maby its about the bathroom modifications on the m7's

What are the bathroom modifications?
I've noticed Some of the sliding doors are already not sliding smoothly.