Home Asides The Taking of Photographs of Pelham 1-2-3 and bridge-crossing trains

The Taking of Photographs of Pelham 1-2-3 and bridge-crossing trains

by Benjamin Kabak

On and off over the last few months, I’ve posted about the remake of The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3. Today, we have some pictures. An intrepid Subchatter with insider access to some of the subway cars used as set pieces posted a whole bunch of neat photos. The photos include an old R62 car dressed up to look like a new R142.

In other nifty subway photography, long-time reader and frequent commenter Marc Shepherd recently spotted something odd: subways on flat-bed trucks crossing the George Washington Bridge. According to Shepherd’s first-hand account, police cleared the bridge so that the subway cars could cross unimpeded. Where these R160s were bound is anyone’s guess.

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9 comments

jefferson.jackson July 3, 2008 - 1:04 pm

two days ago i was at the 59th st columbus circle station round 4pm and i saw a test train on the downtown express track…

maybe the A line is about to get those new subways cars like the L, J, 6, N, etc…

this would make sense then (the train on tn the flatbed heading to the 207st yard)…

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ScottC July 3, 2008 - 1:05 pm

All R-160 deliveries go to the 207th Street Yard. They are then generally towed by a diesel engine to either Coney Island or East NY yards for acceptance and burn testing.

Since it was coming over the GW, it is an R-160A (Alstom) so it is ultimately bound for East NY for service on the J,L,M and Z.

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Benjamin Kabak July 3, 2008 - 1:39 pm

Oh sure. That was more of a poetic gesture than anything else. I’m sure as Marc noted in his post that they’re bound for 207th St.

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jefferson.jackson July 3, 2008 - 2:02 pm

sounds very likely…

i think its either for the J, L, M, Z like scott says or for the A? becuase that would explain the R160 test train i saw tuesday afternoon practicing/testing on the downtown express track at columbus circle…

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The Secret Conductor July 4, 2008 - 6:58 am

Saw te very same thing. Now guess where? Going up Broadway (wait, is that Broadway or St. Nicolas? lol)… well, I was at 207 street on the A and I went to go get a slice of pizza and low and behold a train on a truck headed uptown.

I assume it was to eventually go to the yard or it was coming from the yard near 207.

I also seen 2 160 cars being pulled by a diesel headed south on the A line a few days ago.

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ScottC July 4, 2008 - 7:55 am

There are no plans for R160s on the A. The A will remain mostly R44 and R42 until the R179s are delivered, currently scheduled for sometime after 2011. They test on the A late night because after 11 there is no express service and the A is running local. They also have to test announcements for possible re-routes and for clearance at stations.

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Alon Levy July 5, 2008 - 9:02 am

Why do they tow these cars by diesel instead of using their own propulsion technology?

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ScottC July 5, 2008 - 7:30 pm

That is a good question. I believe there are several inspections and testing that has to take place before the car is officially accepted. At some point in that process, the propulsion is tested, so, until that test takes place, they tow the cars. I also think that the software installation for the computers takes place “on property” in MTA speak. Both Kawasaki and Alstom have techs that help the MTA inspect the cars and fix any bugs during the acceptance testing.

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Jay November 20, 2008 - 9:05 pm

I’ve seen the subway cars on flatbeds many times, i’ve heard about them shutting down lanes on the GWB to give the trucks access on traffic reports too. There’s nothing all that special about it, it’s just the only way to get oversize loads into NYC reasonably.

Even stranger, i’ve seen them coming down I-80 while visiting my parents in the poconos.

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