PATH Third Rail

Is the third rail configuration for PATH the same as in the NYC subway?

The H&M was designed to be virtually identical to the IRT, so yes.

so that explains the identical similarities to the IRT, including the tight curves, the trip arms and timer signalling. The things that make them FRA is the high speed on the red line i believe, not to mention their connection to Amtrak's NEC. According to FRA, any train having a physical connection to the national railroad network (AMTRAK) is a RAILROAD. Their operating personnel is even called engineer.

According to FRA, any train having a physical connection to the national railroad network (AMTRAK) is a RAILROAD.

The MTA subway has a connection to Long Island Rail Road's Bay Ridge branch (Linden Street). This is where the R142 cars were delivered. The cars were rolled right onto their property. Yet MTA subway is not a "railroad" and has no "engineers".

yea because that is NOT an active railroad, the bayridge branch is no longer used. Also, NYCT is a Transit system with no abilities to become a FRA governed railroad.

that is NOT an active railroad, the bayridge branch is no longer used

The Bay Ridge Branch is used DAILY. In fact it was just rehabilitated. It is owned by the Long Island RR (FRA) and used by New York & Atlantic Railway. Check under shortlines (NYA) for Bay Ridge branch info. You can also check NY&A's website to see all the customers that they service on the Bay Ridge Branch. Trains have run on the branch day & night since 1997.

The MTA's (non-FRA) tracks connect directly to the Bay Ridge (LIRR-FRA) tracks. (Linden Street Yard)

Well, I stand corrected. When you are a customer service representative/PA operator extra, you barely have time to keep up. I appreciate the correction. This reminds me that no matter what, there is always someone who is more knowledgeable. One thing I love about being a railfan, some older and some younger always know more than I do. We can always learn from one another.

MNRR PA OPERATOR wrote:so that explains the identical similarities to the IRT, including the tight curves, the trip arms and timer signalling. The things that make them FRA is the high speed on the red line i believe, not to mention their connection to Amtrak's NEC. According to FRA, any train having a physical connection to the national railroad network(AMTRAK) is a RAILROAD. Their operating personnel is even called engineer.

You're right. I was talking to some people that was here in the Penn Central days and PATH is considered a railroad. Penn Central had ran the PATH line until they branched off. So MNRR youre right in a certain way.

I believe this may go back to the H&M/PRR days. JSQ-HOB-33rd-Hudson Terminal was H&M. JSQ-EWR was PRR trackage, with switches to/from other PRR tracks. The JSQ-Hudson Term track may have been joint.

During the MP-51/Kcar days, the EWR-JSQ segment was operated by the PRR; the trains were all listed with timetable authority in the PRR employee timetable, and the trains had PRR conductors. No turnstiles... you had to have a PRR ticket to ride JSQ-EWR. I still have one of the signs from the Hoboken station that says "Newark Tickets". You'd by a token to ride the H&M, and pay 20 cents more for a Newark Ticket. IIRC, there were no EWR-JSQ-Hudson Terminal through trains till the MP-51s/K-cars showed up. They were half H&M cars, half PRR cars....The PRR cars had Pennsy keystones on them.

Anyway, the point of all this is that EWR-JSQ was very much a part of the PRR at one time, which might be why PATH has has continued to be called and operated as a "Railroad", not a transit system.

Today, I think the PATH tracks are actually pretty much separated from ex-PRR tracks....only interchange tracks for car deliveries, etc., are left.

pdtrains

Back before the PRR electrified with AC in 1935, theoretically, an H&M train could run from Manhattan Xfer to Jamaica over 3rd rail equipped High Line thru Penn Sta.

MNRR PA OPERATOR wrote:According to FRA, any train having a physical connection to the national railroad network (AMTRAK) is a RAILROAD

The "national railroad network" (do you mean "general railway network"?) and Amtrak are not one and the same. Amtrak is part of the general railway network covered by the FRA, not the whole shebang. I think that NS, CSX, BNSF, KCS and UP, never mind the regionals, short lines and cross-border railroads like CP, would be surprised to discover that they were all part of Amtrak…

The façade at the entrance to the Harrison PATH station still has PRR bas-reliefs above the doors.

Is the path third rail of the top,middle or bottom contact type?

You originally asked if the third-rail was the same as the NYC subway uses. We confirmed that it is. Do you know what kind of third rail the NYC subway uses?

Give him a break. Most of us didn't start out as railway gurus.