Railroad Forums 

Discussion relating to the past and present operations of the NYC Subway, PATH, and Staten Island Railway (SIRT).

Moderator: GirlOnTheTrain

 #1141580  by 25Hz
 
Head-end View wrote:That's why it's a good practice to carry a Mini-Maglite or similar small flashlight when riding, in case the lights go out in a station or a tunnel.
No kidding. After sandy i'm never leaving the house without at least a pocket flashlight.

Speaking of lights going out, it must have been interesting down at the WTC as the water flooded in from the streets and the power suddenly going out. I know 1 wtc had generators, but the station, church, veesey, w broadway & broadway were all dark. Not a place i'd want to be!!!
 #1145456  by michaelk
 
Head-end View wrote:That's why it's a good practice to carry a Mini-Maglite or similar small flashlight when riding, in case the lights go out in a station or a tunnel.
aren't there battery operated emergency lights in stations like basically all other public spaces?

In a tunnel- i wonder how long the battery lights work in a rail car? I've never been on long enough without power to know when they konk out. Once you left the car then the people evacuating you should be providing appropriate lighting to safely get you to an exit. But I supposed waiting around in a pitch back rail car for someone to rescue wouldn't be all that fun.

Then again, in this day and age I would assume half the car would have the 'flashlight app' for their phones so you would get lighting from that for some time.
 #1145546  by Head-end View
 
Flashlight app..........I like that! Seriously though, I wouldn't count on any of those emergency lighting systems to be well maintained and function as intended. So, I carry the mini-mag. That's alway's well maintained! I'd carry a bigger flashlight if there was a convenient way for me to do it.
Last edited by Head-end View on Sun Feb 10, 2013 7:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
 #1145704  by umtrr-author
 
lirr42 wrote:^But there's nothing more confusing than a stationary escalator, plus there are some people who could not manage to walk up a set of stairs by themselves...
Couldn't help but be reminded of this... actually used in one of my work classes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47rQkTPWW2I
 #1146438  by michaelk
 
Head-end View wrote:Flashlight app..........I like that! Seriously though, I wouldn't count on any of those emergency lighting systems to be well maintained and function as intended. So, I carry the mini-mag. That's alway's well maintained! I'd carry a bigger flashlight if there was a convenient way for me to do it.

I can't speak to a publicly operated railroad- but I can say that in private industry any such systems are regularly tested and maintained. Try explaining to the fire inspector exactly what happened when he pressed the test button on your emergency lights and they dont work. Explain to your insurance company that most of the damage from a rubbish fire happened becasue you didn't maintain your sprinkler system. Never mind explaining it to "the man"- but picture you're the guy responsible and you have to sit down with a man's wife and explain to her that her husband died becasue the fire extinguisher, safety shower, or emergency respirator that he tried to use to save himself didn't work. I have some such responsibilities at my workplace and I do everything in my power never to have to worry about that conversation. I doubt in this day and age there is wholesale systemic ignoring of safety systems, even at an entity that doesn't have to worry about "the man" fining them. If anything could even be that after the sept 11 attacks that public transit agencies are more vigilant as a whole than private industry.

That said- If you want a crazy bright medium sized flashlight- try a streamlight strion. Fits in your pocket, a little bigger than a AA maglight, yet seems to have the power of the sun- lol.
 #1146448  by Head-end View
 
MIchaelk, thanks for your post. A good comparison of the way the business world maintains its equipment vs. government maintenance in their facilities is this: How often do you see an escalator out-of-service in a large department store or shopping mall? Then ask yourself how many escalators you see O.O.S. in MTA operated facilities. And compare the amount of time a store or mall takes to repair a broken escalator vs. how long MTA takes to do the same. I rest my case.

And I'll check out that Streamlight Strion. Thanks!
 #1146464  by michaelk
 
Head-end View wrote:MIchaelk, thanks for your post. A good comparison of the way the business world maintains its equipment vs. government maintenance in their facilities is this: How often do you see an escalator out-of-service in a large department store or shopping mall? Then ask yourself how many escalators you see O.O.S. in MTA operated facilities. And compare the amount of time a store or mall takes to repair a broken escalator vs. how long MTA takes to do the same. I rest my case.
..
very good point.

Hopefully their emergency equipment isn't maintained as poorly, but if they dont take care of what you see than who knows what they do behind the scenes
 #1146662  by litz
 
This type of failure is what is technically known as a "rollback" .... basically either the drive or brake (or both) fail, and the system freewheels ... with gravity pulling the "load" (e.g. the people onboard) down to the bottom. Incidentally, it also has happened with skilifts/chairlifts.

It can happen either as a reversal of direction (up becomes a very fast down) or a sudden increase in down speed.

- litz
 #1147815  by 25Hz
 
These escalators get a daily beating with all the crush of people using them. That plus possible salt water damage is likely the culprit.
 #1182097  by drumz0rz
 
Old thread but since it's still at the top I thought I'd add my 2-cents. I was about 1/4 the way up the escalator when it went backwards. It definitely felt like the brake mechanism never engaged. It just suddenly stopped, and accelerated backwards, I think from the weight of all the people (when rush hour trains arrive, literally hundreds of people pour out and nearly all take the single escalator instead of the 8 flights of stairs). Since I was close to the bottom I didn't want to get trampled so I jumped onto the divider between the two escalators. The far one was under construction though, so it was just an empty pit. The handrails were not moving backwards. I was afraid people sliding past me were going to knock me into the open pit. The video that wound up making the rounds comes in about 10 seconds after the incident began. That's why you see people calmly walking down it. The person filming was high enough up that he didn't see the initial chaos at the bottom. Police and bystanders were at the bottom helping people get up from the initial pile of people knocked down that formed. As the weight on the stairs decreased it slowed down and eventually came to a stop.
 #1236372  by ryanov
 
Let's be real: the private industry is far more likely to scrimp on safety protocols than public enterprises. There's money to be made by not doing something. PATH doesn't "make" money, does it?
 #1236772  by 25Hz
 
ryanov wrote:Let's be real: the private industry is far more likely to scrimp on safety protocols than public enterprises. There's money to be made by not doing something. PATH doesn't "make" money, does it?
After the final fare hike pricing is reality, it will just about break even, as far as i've read. That was the intention of the fare hike, to let it sustain itself more realistically.
 #1244191  by Nasadowsk
 
ryanov wrote:Let's be real: the private industry is far more likely to scrimp on safety protocols than public enterprises. There's money to be made by not doing something. PATH doesn't "make" money, does it?
Yeah, that explains the TVA and Brown's Ferry...