# DC Metro's Extra Long Train



## The Davy Crockett (Jan 25, 2012)

It has been reported ( http://www.wtop.com/?nid=654&sid=2719590 ) that a Washington DC Metro train traveled the entire distance of the Red Line with ten cars - two more than the station platforms can handle - before any Metro employee noticed that there was a problem. Three employees have been suspended and slapped on the wrists for basically sleeping with their eyes open. :wacko:

Did this ever happen in NJ? :giggle:


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## NY Penn (Jan 25, 2012)

Which genius coupled more cars onto an 8-car train?

As for NY (I don't think there is a subway system in NJ except for PATH), no, I don't think we have accidentally had extra-long trains. As a test, yes, but not accidentally.


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## Ryan (Jan 25, 2012)

That seems to happen about once a year...


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## Anderson (Jan 26, 2012)

Well, that's _one_ way to deal with the "Orange Crush".


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## George Harris (Jan 26, 2012)

As long as the same two cars are beyond the end of platform at every stop, no big deal so far as passengers looking out an ope car dorr at a tunnel wall.


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## Anderson (Jan 26, 2012)

NY Penn said:


> Which genius coupled more cars onto an 8-car train?
> 
> As for NY (I don't think there is a subway system in NJ except for PATH), no, I don't think we have accidentally had extra-long trains. As a test, yes, but not accidentally.


They probably coupled them onto a 6-car train (I think the DC Metro does run some trains "short" at off-peak hours to save on wear and tear); also, they _do_ seem to run some 2-car trains on occasion as well.


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## Ryan (Jan 26, 2012)

They run mostly 6 car trains off peak, and maybe half and half during rush hours. They would need to upgrade a lot of traction power stations (and have more rolling stock) to run all 8 car service. No 2 car trains except for the money train.


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## Anderson (Jan 26, 2012)

Ryan said:


> They run mostly 6 car trains off peak, and maybe half and half during rush hours. They would need to upgrade a lot of traction power stations (and have more rolling stock) to run all 8 car service. No 2 car trains except for the money train.


I'm guessing that four cars got hooked onto a 6-car train that they were lengthening for rush hour, given the time that this happened.

Every-so-often I see a two-car train show up on one of the boards in the Union Station Metro stop. By the way, what's the money train?


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## The Davy Crockett (Jan 26, 2012)

Anderson said:


> Every-so-often I see a two-car train show up on one of the boards in the Union Station Metro stop. By the way, what's the money train?


There was a period of time when 2 car trains ran on the Yellow Line. It was a cost cutting measure that was implemented in the late '80's or early 90's, lasted for a few years. and ended about 15(?) years ago. As I recall, there was concern with running them because there wasn't a second power unit aboard if the only one failed.

I don't believe everything the station message boards say. They are rather unreliable. I wonder what car count the message board displayed for the ten car train? :wacko:

The 'money train' is the train that is used to collect the money out of the fare machines at the stations.


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## NY Penn (Jan 26, 2012)

So what's up with this?


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## George Harris (Jan 26, 2012)

Ryan said:


> They run mostly 6 car trains off peak, and maybe half and half during rush hours. They would need to upgrade a lot of traction power stations (and have more rolling stock) to run all 8 car service. No 2 car trains except for the money train.


During the mid 1970's when the first part was under consturction there was a period of time when it was decided that the system would never go beyond about 65 miles, adn would never need to run trains over 6 cars, and 4 would be adequate most of the time. Therefore as a cost saving measure, stub offs for future extensions were eliminated from construction contracts and the capacity of the electrical system was reduced. Use of stairs instead of escalators for short down escaltors, such as mezzanine to platform was alos part of these changes. there was also discussion about shortening stations to only be able to handle 6 cars. this did not happen as the time taken for the redesigns would have lengthened the schedule well beyond the already hopelessly behind schedule condition already prevailing.

Obviously the nay-sayers were wrong, as the system is already longer than the ultimate 98 mile system of the early 1970's conception, and is still growing.


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## Ryan (Jan 26, 2012)

The 2 car trains that you see on the PIDS displays are 8 car trains that show up incorrectly.


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## fairviewroad (Jan 26, 2012)

NY Penn said:


> (I don't think there is a subway system in NJ except for PATH),


Unless you count PATCO.

http://www.ridepatco...s/routemap.html


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## NY Penn (Jan 26, 2012)

Ryan said:


> The 2 car trains that you see on the PIDS displays are 8 car trains that show up incorrectly.


Do you know why they show up as such?


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## Ryan (Jan 26, 2012)

NY Penn said:


> Ryan said:
> 
> 
> > The 2 car trains that you see on the PIDS displays are 8 car trains that show up incorrectly.
> ...


Not past the usual "WMATA is more screwed up than a soup sandwich", no. 

A little more on the money train - all the money from the fare machines at all the stations is collected and put into carts that are the rolled onto the money train that roams the system and collects it. In between Judiciary Square and Gallery Place/Chinatown is a door into the basement of the Jackson Graham building (WMATA HQ) that the trains stop at and offload the cash.

I was wrong, the money train runs as a 4 car set. One pair is the actual "money train" that is an unrehabbed 1000 set of cars that still have the original roll signs on the exterior. The other pair that makes up the train can be any married pair they have laying around. I've read that this is because there are places on the system where a 2 car set can get stranded without a collector shoe touching the 3rd rail. No idea if this is true, though.


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## Anderson (Jan 26, 2012)

Ryan said:


> NY Penn said:
> 
> 
> > Ryan said:
> ...


While it makes perfect sense operationally...is it just me, or does this feel like something out of a bad Western movie? I'm now getting images in my mind of some gang from Anacostia deciding to try and stick up the WMATA money train as the plot for a movie.


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## trainman74 (Jan 27, 2012)

fairviewroad said:


> NY Penn said:
> 
> 
> > (I don't think there is a subway system in NJ except for PATH),
> ...


Or the Newark City Subway -- "subway" is right there in the name!

(Yes, I know, it's "Newark Light Rail" now.)


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## benjibear (Jan 29, 2012)

I am seeing a future heist movie on the money train.


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## Ryan (Jan 29, 2012)

You're seeing in the past:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113845/


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## NY Penn (Jan 30, 2012)

Key phrase in the description of that movie is 'New York'.


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## Trogdor (Jan 30, 2012)

Timely topic, because I just saw the money train last week during my 35-minute wait for an in-service Red Line at Union Station at 10 pm, which then became so packed that I had to fight my way off, and it left people on the platform at Farragut Square. Of course, two "No Passengers" trains went by while I was waiting. "Why-MATA."

Anyway, the money train (heading in the other direction) stopped at Union Station. Don't remember if it had two or four regular cars in front of the two money cars. Total dwell at the station was less than a minute. Best part was hearing the old-school "doors closing" bell that they used to have until a couple of years ago when it was replaced with the obnoxious nagging voice and chime they have now.


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## DET63 (Jan 31, 2012)

Ryan said:


> I was wrong, the money train runs as a 4 car set. One pair is the actual "money train" that is an unrehabbed 1000 set of cars that still have the original roll signs on the exterior. The other pair that makes up the train can be any married pair they have laying around. I've read that this is because there are places on the system where a 2 car set can get stranded without a collector shoe touching the 3rd rail. No idea if this is true, though.


I don't know if BART runs a "money train." I do know that it does not run any 2-car trains (except possibly when hostling in the yards). Two-car trains are illegal (or at least never run) because the computers that detect trains need at least three cars to be certain they "see" them.


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