Did I read that right...the cars come a permanently coupled sets of five? That makes each train at least 300 feet long-what is/are standard platform lengths? I'm used to Chicago's CTA equipment that is (IIRC) only in pairs.
Interesting.
The five car sets are not permanently coupled. The only difference between the intermeidate three cars and the two end cars for each five-car set is that the end cars have a cab. For all I know, the intermediate cars may have small hostler conrols at one end or another or both for slow speed yard operation. But the regular automatic couplers with built-in air and electrical control and communcations and sound connectors are on both ends of all cars. And each car has its own air-compressor and battery, unlike the CTA cars which share for a married pair.
IND subway platforms, first line opened in 1932, were designed for ten-car 60-foot car trains and are pretty uniform at 620 feet. BMT platforms, first SUBWAY line opened in 1915, were designed for 7-car 67-foot cars, and were standardized at about 500 feet, with most now lengthened to IND standards, since the two systems are now integrated into the one "B Division". These are all ten-foot wide cars. The only 67-foot cars left are in museum or nostalgia service. Lots of 75-foot cars running in eight-car trains. Still some early post-WWII R-32's, R-36's, R-40's, R-40M's, R-42's running, all 60-foot cars like the newest stuff, up to ten-car trains.
The A-Division is the old IRT with narrower and shorter cars, the famous Red-Bird fleet, now phased out. About the same size as CTA equipment, perhaps a bit longer.
Patrick Boylan
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Some lines do cut trains for off-peak service, particularly on weekends, and some do run full-length trains all the time. I THINK (NOT ABSOLUTELY SHURE) that the L cuts trains at least for weekends, as does the C, G, and the R. For a while they ran some trains with full lengths and let people use only the middle four cars for better safety. I am not sure what the current status is, and I will try to get an answer. Maybe somebody else can answer better.
But train lengths on both the A and B division are not the same for all trains. Typically, on the A division, most lines run 10-car trains as full-lenth trains. But the 7 Flushing has at times ran 11 car trains and may do so now. (They had single car units in the red-bird fleet and may have some similar in what is running now.) The Times-Square - Grand Central can acocmodate only 4-car trains. On the B division the normal is for ten-car trains of 60-foot cars and 8-car trains of 75-foot cars. But the B historically ran with only 8 60-foot cars and occasionally used trains of 6 75-foot cars. The Franklin shuttle has run with two- and four-car trains. The Q ran with eight 60-foot cars but then started using eight 75-foot cars.
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