Green Line Operations Manual?

[MBTAFan]

Hi all,

I was curious if anyone has an operator's manual for the type 7 or 8 trains. If not, could anyone answer these questions?

-How does the driver change the destination sign?
-How does the driver change the announcements?
-I know the type 7s are moved via pedals, but how does the type 8 throttle look/work?

All help and any help is much appreciated. Thanks guys.

[Type 7 3684]

Hi all,

I was curious if anyone has an operator's manual for the type 7 or 8 trains. If not, could anyone answer these questions?

-How does the driver change the destination sign?
-How does the driver change the announcements?
-I know the type 7s are moved via pedals, but how does the type 8 throttle look/work?

All help and any help is much appreciated. Thanks guys.

You'll find a type 8 cab picture on this page: http://web.mit.edu/jdreed/www/t/mbta/ri ... _Trip.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I believe the announcements are automatic and they work depending on the destination sign.
The driver uses a control panel (attached to the farebox, if you've been in the front of a 7/8 you'll know what it is) to change his sign and input his route.
Hope this helped.

[CRail]

The motorman controls the signs with the panel on the far right of the console, pictured above. The farebox is completely standalone.

Announcements are controlled by transponders affixed to ties within the gauge. When we were preparing 3424 for shipment to Maine, they had a bunch of them strewn out along the test track behind the carhouse at Riverside. They were creeping along the test track with a Type 8 announcing a whole bunch of random stations (whatever the transponders were programmed for). It was quite interesting!

[danib62]

The motorman controls the signs with the panel on the far right of the console, pictured above. The farebox is completely standalone.

If we're gonna be nitpicky I think you mean operator :p

[R36 Combine Coach]

-I know the type 7s are moved via pedals, but how does the type 8 throttle look/work?

I wonder if the Type 7s' pedal control is a PCC legacy. The 1981 SEPTA Kawasakis also are pedal operated (these were intended as modern generation PCC replacements)..

[typesix]

A former motorman told me that T personnel were allowed to vote on the Type 7 controls. Hand control like the Boeing LRV or pedals like the PCC.

[diburning]

The following info is from my observations as a (former) daily commuter on the green line, and may not be 100% correct.

The Type 7's pedals are pretty much like a PCC. Left pedal (left foot) is the deadman. Right pedals are like a road vehicle, accelerator on the right, brake on the left, with the acceleration being at a set rate. Foot off pedal = coasting. Brake pedal is pressure sensitive. Hard press = harder braking (also activates track brakes. When track brakes are applied, you hear a long beep until they are released.)

The Type 8's throttle is a two in one. The handle is shaped like a (question mark for lack of a better description) with the handle pointing to the front when idle. The operator has to grasp the handle, and rotate it to the right until it is in the sideways position, which acts as a deadman. The throttle is spring loaded and if it is let go, it will rotate forward, and (presumably) stop the train. I haven't paid enough attention recently to remember whether the throttle position corresponds to power output or whether it's a +/coast/- type of thing.

[CRail]

If we're gonna be nitpicky I think you mean operator :p

What I said is what I meant. If we must be PC, the classification is Motorperson. I'll never understand this generation's aversion to accuracy in vocabulary.

[ExCon90]

I believe on most properties a motorman only operates the car or train; if he also collects fares he is designated an operator and gets a higher rate of pay. Is it different on MBTA? (Introduction of PC terminology can create problems; at one time the language police were trying to have locomotive firemen designated "firefighters" in keeping with approved practice--some basic facts about a locomotive fireman's duties had to be explained to them.)

[Echo33d]

On the MBTA there are various types of Motorperson (including "Motorperson, Streecar" and "Motorperson, RTL"). I believe bus operators are classified as "Operator, Surface." In general, I think the word "operator" with a lowercase "o" is often used to refer to anyone operating a transit vehicle. I would suggest that it isn't really "more correct" to say Motorperson since if you want to be technical about it, a Motorperson isn't the only classification that might be driving a train: Inspectors and some maintenance staff may operate streetcars as part of their normal duties. I would use the term "operator" to simply mean "anyone who might be operating this train."

[CRail]

The point was that they aren't drivers, there is a term for that function and driver isn't it. Operator is a suitable generic alternative but the person operating a subway train or streetcar is a motorman (the classification didn't change when conductors were eliminated). In NYC, to give an alternate example, the official title has changed to Train Operator as a result of the PC police, but they're still commonly referred to as motormen if not "TOs".

Anyways, I intentionally didn't get into it and simply put the correct term in my response and highlighted it so it'd be noticed. Of course, that subtlety was blown when my correct use of terminology was challenged and here we are way off topic.