omgwtf kodak moment

what's happening here

Well, lemme provide the little caption of this photo.

Its two 7 trains, one at the local track, off-loading, while the other one at the Express track, is going by running its Express Service, of course.

Robert Paniagua wrote:Well, lemme provide the little caption of this photo.

Its two 7 trains, one at the local track, off-loading, while the other one at the Express track, is going by running its Express Service, of course.

Hate to be nit-picky, especially since this is my first post here, but -

The photo shows three 7 trains - two on the local track and one on the express. While I don't know why the two locals are pulled up tight, the chains hanging across the storm door is a sure sign of an end-of-consist, as are the illuminated tail lights.

Oh ok, I didn't see that, thanks. I wonder why suchn trainsets would be that close, maybe uncoupling taking shape.

I can't see it!

My guess:

There are 2 trains at the local station (would have been nice if you had stated which station Brian). There was probably a blockage ahead, maybe a BIE or sick passenger, so Control instructed the first train to pull a car length out of the station so that the following train (which was between stations) could key into the station to allow passengers on the 2nd train to get off because the the delay would be continuing for a while.

The train in the middle has a circle rather than a diamond (for Express) so while not knowing the time of day or even if it was a weekday or weekend I would say local trains were then being rerouted via the express track to go around the problem.

The average commuter can't tell a local from an express because the rollsigns (the side ones esp) are not tended to often. Frequently on midday weekdays or in off-peak directions, there would be diamonds on the side rollsigns and the front and back would on occasion have a diamond. It is not uncommon to see express trains with a circle in the front rollsign, and almost always is a circle on the tail end of Manhattan-bound expresses in the mornings.

The reasons? Not sure about the R62A's but for R68's at least, the rollsigns move very slowly for how many times the knob is turned, and is generally a pain to change them.