Just a question.(Green Line central subway)

I saw an unmodified single type 7 in the subway between I think park and boylston. It's sign said NO PASSENGERS and it was not moving. I was just wondering why it would be there not doing anything.

They often store cars (for any number of reasons) on the extra tracks between Park & Bolyston. Most likely it suffered a mechanical problem, and was left there until it can be worked on in place or hauled out to a shop at a less disruptive time.

I thought they used to store a "rescue train" there, but the last time I saw it was probably like 10 years ago. Time flies...

You may be thinking of the converted Boeing car on the extended crossover between Boylston and Arlington. That's still there.

The approach to the Boylston outer track stores cars that died during rush hour. They clear them out and dead-end up the D-line to the carhouses during off-peak hours. If there's something really wrong with it they may move it backwards onto the Park St. stub-end by the loop so the inspectors can go down the stairs and take a look underneath.

That pocket track was in, ahem, *very* regular service during Type 8 burn-in...to the point where they sometimes got parked back-to-back all the way up into Boylston's outer platform behind the wire car. But mostly you'd see one or two Boeings that quit for typical wonky-Boeing reasons. Now that they're almost gone and the Bredas are somewhat reliable, you may actually go a whole week's rush hour without seeing any casualties there. Although watch out for the first early-A.M. commute after a sub-zero cold snap or major snowstorm...the Type 7's really suck at staying in-service during winter weather extremes.

That section of track is referred to by the T as the Tremont Rail.

Oh, I think I've seen that one. Is it the normal colored one, or the really weird-colored one that looks pinkish-orange?

Unrelated to the previous question, but it is just a random question so this thread seemed fitting.

Are the switches at the yards all manually operated with the crow-bar tools, or some kind of electronic system? Also I would imagine if they are manual the commonly used ones are run-through, as to limit the amount of time an operator has to leave the cab or have someone standing out there, am I correct?

I believe that Reservoir Lower, Lake Street, and Lechmere are 100% strong-arm.
I think that there is at least one electronic switch at Riverside (not including 2 switches inbound of the platform)
The switches into Reservoir Upper from the Riverside are all electronic. The switches from Cleveland Circle into Reservoir Upper are strong-arm. I'm not sure about the switch onto the snow-plow track and the third track where 3448 spent a lot of the spring on.

The revenue trackage with electronic switches that I can think of off of the top of my head are:
North Station interlocking, Brattle Loop, Government Center Loop, Park Street approach from Government Center, Park Street Loop, Copley Junction, Kenmore merge switches, Kenmore Loop, Beacon Junction, Reservoir Upper from Highland Branch, and Riverside Switches. (I'm not sure if these are the technical names of each of them, but I did my best to describe the location of each of these switches)
I don't think that the Blandford or Northeastern pocket tracks are electronic, but I'm not sure.

FP10 wrote:Unrelated to the previous question, but it is just a random question so this thread seemed fitting.

Are the switches at the yards all manually operated with the crow-bar tools, or some kind of electronic system? Also I would imagine if they are manual the commonly used ones are run-through, as to limit the amount of time an operator has to leave the cab or have someone standing out there, am I correct?

If you mean the line itself, there is a box on the cars the signal which line they are and which direction the switch is too be before the trolley hits the junction(In the tunnel). The yards such as BC, Lechmere, Cleveland Circle, and I believe Riverside are manuallly operated except for switches listed by Philip Wirth. Switches above ground are usually manual. But the switch at Coolidge corner is electronic.

On a sort-of related note:
Does anybody know what the history of the third parallel track on the Riverside Line inbound of Reservoir station is (the one where 3448 spent most of the spring)? Is it a remnant of the old Reservoir loop track? Does it have an actual purpose?

Philip Wirth wrote:On a sort-of related note:
Does anybody know what the history of the third parallel track on the Riverside Line inbound of Reservoir station is (the one where 3448 spent most of the spring)? Is it a remnant of the old Reservoir loop track? Does it have an actual purpose?

That has nothing to do with the loop. I recall that in the early '90s on a somewhat regular basis either for storing OOS trains or as a passing track. On rare occasions it still gets used for the former purpose.

I believe the wheelchair ramp from the busway uses part of the loop ROW.