Rapid Transit Compatibility

[alloboard]

Does the NYC Subway cars use standard railroad Couplers ? I now aknowelge that there are diffrent form of rapid transit systems. i.e lightrail/trolley monorail etc, but it's now obvious that the the NYC Subway is a railroad type and in fact is a mass transit railroad system with railroad type cars/coaches i.e R44, but does not operate under the FRA, and has it's own right of way, signals, and operate more frequently.

[al-in-chgo]

A terrific question!  And I'm sure great answers are out there among TRAINS cybernauts!

But you should probably also post your question in "TRAINS Forums - Railroading" because it gets many times the traffic of this TRAINS.com site. 

Best, al-in-chgo

 

[daveklepper]

Blundering into this forum by error (really headed for Trains Magazine.Railroading), I'll still answer your questions.  No North American transit system uses standard railroad MCB couplers on their mu cars or even couplers compatible with standard "Janey"-derived couplers.  Various coupler types inlcude the Tomlinson (typical for MBTA light rail cars and possibly San Francisco), Westinghouse (older New York equipment), Sharfenberg, and others, with some systems using two or even three types, depending size and weight of equipment, usually segregated to different lines.   (Example:  Philadelphia's two main rapid transit lines are even different in gauges, Market Street's Frankfort - Upper Darby line using smaller cars but the wider Pennsylvania "trolley gauge" and Broad Street using larger cars but standard gauge.)

 

Usual features including electrically contolled uncoupling what would be "lifting the pin" on a Janney-type MCB coupler, electrically controlled doors that protect electrical contacts, and automatic connection between cars of all electrical contacts and, if applicable, train air-line as well.   And all the standard gauge systems carry adapter couplers for their work and emergency equipment, often allowing coupling mu passenger equipment to regular railroad equipment.   This often includes vertical offsets to compensate for different coupler heights.

[artpeterson]

Hi -

Further to Dave's response to you, the Chicago (CTA) cars are all-electric (no air brakes) and have mulitple-pin electric couplers below the mechanical coupler to pass the propulsion, braking and door controls (as well as other necessary signals) between the cars of a consist.  The mechanical coupler used in Chicago is the Ohio Brass Form 5 design.

When a car is not coupled to another car, there's a spring loaded cover that protects the electric pins from dirt, snow, ice, debris, etc.  In the early 1950s before the spring-loaded covers were adopted, the couplers on the uncoupled ends of the PCC-type cars were bagged in the winter.  That practice lasted less than a year on CTA, though. 

Hope this helps!

Art