R-1/9 where the conductor stands question.

[Kamen Rider]

Save for the Standards, which developed a bit of a flaw once they became MUDCed because they had next to no visibility, the R15s were the first to have the CRs in the cab. Considering the R10s made it all the way to 1989, the subway has been operating without outside riding CRs for a lot less time than we tend to think. Heck, I'm old enough to have possibly ridden them while on their last legs. I admit I would have been a tiny baby with no memory of it, but it's possible.

Another though I just had was having the conductor in the car with the passengers probably makes them more approachable, which might be part of the reason PATH still does it (the no distinct CR cab part).

[Head-end View]

Does anyone know if the conductor's door panel on the BMT Standards had "local-door" control so he could leave one door open to lean out of while closing up the rest of the train, like some commuter cars have?

[Gerry6309]

Been studying the Gibbs Hi V cars in their early years. Those cars had "Armstrong" levers to operate the doors up high in the center. The conductor couldn't operate the door if he was leaning out. He had some view of the door through the end window if the platform wasn't crowded. Having a conductor on every platform cured door blocking though.

In Boston the 'guards" didn't have elevated ledges to stand on. they just leaned out on the pantograph gates. About 1912, six button door control was introduced, allowing each conductor to operate six doors with switches. Each car had two buttons for each door "open" and "close". Boston's cars always had center doors. they were opened in rush hours only, by platform men with keys. That's added up to six men on every platform, and five on every train. Cambridge Tunnel cars introduced "Six button" control and East Boston Tunnel cars introduced MUDC. In each case, some but not all el cars were modified to match. As late as the early 1950s, there were still a few el trains where conductors still passed bell signals along.

Boston installed MUDC in the 1920s. Each car now had a toggle switch on each end which could operate all doors forward or back. The Carmen's Union fought the use of MUDC and won, it was not activated until the 1980s.

[railfan365]

Does anyone know if the conductor's door panel on the BMT Standards had "local-door" control so he could leave one door open to lean out of while closing up the rest of the train, like some commuter cars have?

Unlike most other cars that each conductor spot has 2 sets of door controls, one for doors to the left and one for doors to the right, the standards had a slightly different set up. The conductor had 3 sets of door buttons: 1 for doors to the left, one for doors to the right, and one for the set of door that he was standing ny so that those doors would be closed last after stepping or looking out on the platform to look for the other doors being clear.

[Head-end View]

Thanks railfan365. So there was "local-door" control. Hard to believe there was a conductor in every car in those days.

[railfan365]

Thanks railfan365. So there was "local-door" control. Hard to believe there was a conductor in every car in those days.

I'd have to check on when, but the Standards were modified to have all the doors work off of a central control panel.

[Kamen Rider]

probably about the same time they were made into two and three car sets, and was rather early in their operating lives. Some sets (BT, two car motor units) had their door controls cut out totally. They needed to be MUed to a deferent type of set for their doors to be opened and could not run in service by themselves.