The truth about Arrow III top speed?

GandyDancer wrote:
Yeah, some of us can tell when there are too many "deaders." That's when the engineer starts braking in Colonia to stop at Metropark when we've only been doing 50 or so.

Well, I guess you answered one of the questions I kept meaning ask here. There are times that I miss riding home in an ALP/Comet set, as opposed to, the ususal AIII.

Also Gandy, good job on the GPS speed measurement. After an EXTREMELY slow ride home one day last week, I considered packing my portable Garmin GPS. The ride between Newark and Elizabeth can be tortuously slow sometimes; especially when we're supposed to "express" down to Metropark.

As for the Arrow IV, are those currently in development?? Any pictures yet??

Don't forget that you don't hear the dyamics if you're on the B (pantograph) car I think. The A cars (even numbered) have the grid on the roof.

You better be careful with that GPS, if you really find out the slow speeds that some of htese trains run to keep on time, the NJT Schedule Police will come and kill you!

Sometimes, the train is going slow not becuase of trains head or traffic ahead....but rather to keep from being too early at a stop!!

115 mph on the LIRR to Babylon?! How is that possible? What's the official speed limit, 80 mph? I'm skeptical, to say the least, especially since the LIRR uses third rail, which really isn't conducive to such high speeds.

btw, I've seen 90+ on my GPS while riding an Arrow III recently! :D Between New Brunswick and Princeton Junction, it's actually pretty common.

The whine you hear is the axles turning the traction motors. The grids work like your toaster: silently.

115 mph on the LIRR to Babylon?! How is that possible?

In addition to my friend's brother showing off a bit, I have been on westbound Long Beach expresses (M3's) that have broken 100 (on my GPS - an AvMap EKP III C) for stretches once leaving Lynbrook.

That really surprises me! I wonder what the official speed record is for a train powered by third rail.

Is this more common than I thought? I know Amtrak is pretty strict about the 79 mph limit in non-cab signal territory. I mean, you might see Amtrak doing 82 or 83 mph occasionally, but not much more. I've been told they're pretty strict about speed limits. Is the same not true for LIRR? Obviously, there must not be any automatic overspeed protection.

Also, what about track conditions? I assume the LIRR tracks are maintained to Class 4 (80 mph) standards. What about grade crossings?

thebigc wrote:The whine you hear is the axles turning the traction motors. The grids work like your toaster: silently.

So one should hear this in all cars if they are working, right?

thebigc wrote:The whine you hear is the axles turning the traction motors. The grids work like your toaster: silently.

I don't know bigc. My toaster at home is anything but silent.

Yes but I think only one truck per car is powered so you'd have to be sitting in the correct half to hear any regenerative braking action.

Nick, it's time for a new toaster.

thebigc wrote:Nick, it's time for a new toaster.

Haha! LOL!

Wait, so what's that noise I consistently hear on the A3 westbound between Metropark and Metuchen?? Is that the whining sound you referred to bigc? (Kinda like a low whirring sound immediatedly followed by a higher pitched whirring sound.)

"Is [100 mph] more common than I thought?"

Suspect not.

No grade crossings on the Babylon line, FWIW.

With the married pairs, both trucks on the "A" car are powered, and the truck below the pantograph on the "B" car is unpowered. Thus there are three powered trucks on each married pair. On the single cars, both trucks are powered.

The ATC on the M-7s limits them to 80mph, max, like any other LIRR MU. They might get a big higher due to calibration issues, but not 100mph, and not 115 (Top speed on an ac motored unit is very esy to limit because the inverter frequency is regulated by the computers, and can be kept from exceeding any value you want (within reason)).

FWIW, the BBD says the design speed is 100mph (same as the M-1s).

The controller on the Arrows is sort of like an elevator (where they're called 'carswitch' controls), but not quite. It's a very very very old design that dates to the early 1900's, and was used by the PRR, LIRR, Reading, and a few interurbans. Anyway, the operator on an elevator stands next to the thing, not facing it. Or at least I'd hope so.

My guess is any future NJT MU would be single handle like the M-7s - pull towards you for power, push forward for brake.