Grand Central delays mess up morning rush - 12/23

[Otto Vondrak]

WCBS-AM reported "debris on the tracks at Grand Central" were causing delays up to 20-30 minutes on the New Haven and Harlem Lines, which actually leads me to believe the debris was somewhere beyond Mott Haven if only those two lines were affected. Schedules were indeed FUBAR this morning, as I saw two eastbounds stop at Harrison this morning within 7 minutes of each other that could have been a late 1410 and a 1710 that was asked to make all local stops... 1412 was listed as 13" late, so I hopped aboard whatever showed up at 8:17 this morning. I think a (late?) connecting 1510 showed up right after I arrived in Stamford at 8:37, but I was getting coffee and missed it, so I opted for my usual 1512, which was 15" late.

But enough about me... What caused the huge ripples in the schedule this morning?

-otto-

[bingdude]

I didn't encounter any evidence of debris this morning. But there was Croton bound train that pulled into Hastings around 8:35am. The inbound express and the Amtrak trains went through on time. My train got in on time and in its usual track assignment.

[RearOfSignal]

Pantograph came off of 1508 while going north through CP 106. The pantograph struct the shelter on Melrose platform track 3 and landed in the gauge at the north end of the platform. 1508 had to unload it's passengers at Mt. Vernon East, 1408 and 1410 were delayed behind it, 1410 went local to Port Chester the express to Stamford, 1408 presumably, went local from Port Chester to Stamford. A few other trains were altered or annulled.

[Otto Vondrak]

That would do it! Thanks for the explanation...

[Wayside Observer]

How can a pantogragh come off in 3rd rail territory?

[truck6018]

What a streak, the second time this month a pant' came off.

[Terminal Proceed]

THIRD time in about a month.

[GP40 6694]

How can a pantogragh come off in 3rd rail territory?

Yeah, I don't get that either.

[Tommy Meehan]

I guess a pan that is it not raised can come off the same way that one that is raised would come off. The attachment to the car roof breaks. If that happens the pan will fall off I suppose no matter where it is, raised or not raised.

If it has happened three times in a month, were they all M2s? Are they scaling back on maintenance because they're due to be replaced soon by M8s?

I think I do remember hearing about this happening back in the New Haven days. A 4400 losing a pan. Not actually remember it, but read about it in a news item while browsing historic New York Times pages on-line.

Better it fell off at Melrose than at Larchmont. Or in the tunnel, right?

[Tommy Meehan]

I did a quick Google search hoping to find a news story link to an incident in the 1950s or '60s when a pantograph fell off a New Haven RR MU but I couldn't find one.

However, I did find a news link reporting a pan did fall off in the Park Avenue tunnel. That happened to a New Haven Line MU this past December 9th.

[RearOfSignal]

It's not so much that the pan fell off, but that it came up for some reason and got ripped off.

[MNR's #1 Conductor]

Pantograph came off of 1508 while going north through CP 106. The pantograph struct the shelter on Melrose platform track 3 and landed in the gauge at the north end of the platform. 1508 had to unload it's passengers at Mt. Vernon East, 1408 and 1410 were delayed behind it, 1410 went local to Port Chester the express to Stamford, 1408 presumably, went local from Port Chester to Stamford. A few other trains were altered or annulled.

AGAIN?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Sheesh, what's the story with Stamford and NH Yard mechanical forces???? Can't they secure and maintain the pantograph locking mechanism properly????

[MNR's #1 Conductor]

It's not so much that the pan fell off, but that it came up for some reason and got ripped off.

I have made an interesting observation!!! Since YOU started working the NH, all of this has happened since!!! DUDE....BACK TO THE HUDSON FOR YOU!!!!!!

[RearOfSignal]

Yeah, I agree!!! I don't think this matters but it was the same engineer involved in both incidents. It was rough over the radio, 'YOU lost your pan again?!!!!'

Also of note, the M2 don't have pan alarms, so there is no evidence that this was anyone's error but just a mechanical mishap.

[GP40 6694]

It's not so much that the pan fell off, but that it came up for some reason and got ripped off.

Ooops. That would be rather comical if it weren't for all the delays it caused.