On Thu, 22 Dec 2005 13:33:22 GMT, Alex L I don't know what the current TA subway car console has nowadays, but I am very familiar with the San Francisco BART cab car console that has a big button ("mushroom switch") labeled "Emergency Stop". 20 years ago ago I got to observe a neat stunt that a T-O did on a special inspection train during non-revenue hours (like 3 am...) incident to the (first) upgrade of their radio communication system. We had to stop at milepost 4.3 on the M-Line which was opposite a radio vault in the tunnel under the Bay. Here we were, hurtling along in Automatic mode at 80 mph when he hits the "mushroom" and the 5-car train coasted to a stop directly under the "4.3" marker! He said that he practiced that a few times in anticipation of our tour! What that switch does is to trip out the third-rail power to the motors, switches in the dynamic brakes at full action, and applies the hydraulic disk brakes when the speed drops to 5 mph - exactly what the T-O would do with the brake section of the one-hand (P-wire) control. I've given up wondering why the BART design never used air brakes even though it was upgraded some time ago to replace the electronic horn with a genuine air horn. -- Phil Kane -- Beaverton, Oregon PNW Milepost 754 -- Tillamook District
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