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From: alcock@csse32.DEC (Bruce G. Alcock)
Newsgroups: net.railroad
Subject: More on third rail and overhead
Message-ID: <483@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Date: Thu, 16-Jan-86 00:11:31 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.483
Posted: Thu Jan 16 00:11:31 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 20-Jan-86 04:00:35 EST
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Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
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GCT at one time had overhead rail for the small pantographs on top of
the NYC electics.  But they used third rail, you might ask?  Right,
except that Grand Central Station has long double slip switches, and
the engines would have to cost through them since there was no third
rail within reach of the pickup shoes.  But since speed is restricted
going through these switches, and the the trains were just pulling away
from the platforms, there wasn't enough momentum, so they devised the
overhead pickup method.  So all NYC electrics opeating into Grand Central
Station had both pickup shoes and pantographs.

And now for a few questions:  Do engineers in the UK sit on the right
hand side also?  Going along with that, does anybody know the real
reason why engineers sit on the righthand side?

I still haven't heard from any New York Central fans out there - does
that mean that there are none?

bruce alcock