single standard

[Head-end View]

Pat, in most cases the trippers will be at the right-front of a cab-car, right under the operator's cab by the front wheel-truck. So for example, on a single-unit type car (not many of those left) with an operator's cab at both ends, the trippers will be diagonally opposite each other; one on each side of the car. Get it now?

[Patrick Boylan]

Revenue rolling stock on NYS don't have trip levers on both sides, so they MUST remain in their division unless hauled by a locomotive through another. The only cars that have trip levers installed on both sides are your non-revenue work service cars and locomotives.

According to a few other posters, New York subway rolling stock DOES have trip levers on both sides, just at diagonally opposite ends, so if a right hand car were to visit a left hand division it wouldn't engage the track tripping arm until the back of the car went over.
When I get a chance I'll have to pay attention to where Philly has its trip arms and levers. I had always assumed it was random, kind of necessetating that each car, or married pair, would have 4 levers, one on each side of each end truck.

Of course I'll also try to pay attention next time I'm in New York too, and will post a reprimand if I notice any of you have tried to pull wool over eyes.

[Kamen Rider]

having trip levers on both sides means having trippers on both sides of the leading truck, which some cars, such as the Low Vs and the 33WFs do have. the Flushing cars were given them so that they could travel to and from the Coney Island shops without being lead by a B divison car. I've been on the Low-vs when they got tripped 5 times (4 on one day on the IRT and once on the IND).

If a normaly congifured car ran a signal outside it's home division, it wouldn't trip for the extra distance, which could mean life or death depending on the block in question.

[railfan365]

My reference to identical sigalling between A and B divisons is based not on which side of the track the tripper arm is but on how it works and what parts are required for maintenance.