Sandboxes

This one was mentioned back in the anatomy post, but it comes up often enough in person that I figured it should get its own post.

Question(s): What are those boxes under the seats on the MAX trains? / What’s that buzzing sound?

These boxes sit above either side of the powered wheel trucks and are filled with sand. When the wheels spin or slide on slippery rail, sand is automatically deployed from these to improve traction. This is the source of the buzzing sound you will sometimes hear on the train. Sand is also released to help slow the train in emergency braking situations.

Anatomy of a MAX car, Part 2

Train Car Anatomy, continued.

Coupler head

This is a Type 2, but the setup looks more or less the same on the Type 1s (and the coupler heads that fit these are folded under the cab of the Type 4s).  Under here you can see the bell, and then at the bottom going horizontally across the tracks is a bumper that prevents something that the train hits from going further under the train. The coupler head (bullnose) is at the end of a deformation tube which allows a coupled train to bend around curves and is collapsible in case of a collision.

This should’ve been straightened out as part of the ground inspection, but if for whatever reason this car needs to be coupled at this end, an alignment check is part of the coupling process that’s done to ensure that the deformation tube is straight

Cyclops

Eastbound approaching the Fair Complex as a westbound train is leaving.
Bonus – rainbow!

The cyclops, sometimes called the railroad light serves two purposes.  One, helps the operator to see in the dark. Two, clearly identifies you as a train! A foot pedal inside the cab lets the operator turn the cyclops off – this is used at night when passing other trains (or buses on the Steel Bridge) the same way you turn your bright headlights off when passing other cars on the road so you don’t blind oncoming drivers. Many operators will also kill the cyclops when they’re stopped at a platform at night so that in the event a train passes through in the other direction, their light is already off.

Anti-climber

I’ve never seen one of these in action, nor do I particularly want to…  in the event of a train-train collision, the anti-climbers theoretically lock together and prevent one train car from climbing the other. The type 4s have these too, but they’re hidden underneath the shell that covers the coupler head. A combination of the ATS magnets, rail operator attentiveness and skill, and good direction from rail control is what prevents these accidents from happening in the first place (and therefore no need to test the integrity of the anticlimbers on our own any more than you want to test the integrity of your car’s airbags on your own)

And let’s take a look at the bottom of the train:

This is from a couple of years ago when a train derailed downtown – ordinarily you won’t see the wheels on a MAX car like this – they’re covered with a panel called a skirt. But the skirts were taken off this train in order to get it back on the rails, so now you can get a nice look at the wheel trucks.  That rectangular thing between the wheels (that in this picture is pressed against the ground) is the track brake. This heavy magnetic brake normally hangs just above the rail.  When the operator uses it, it makes a sort of clunking sound as it drops and a beep that you’ll hear if you’re sitting up by the cab, and it quickly slows the train down, stopping the train if the brake is continuously applied. It’s often used coming into platforms on slippery track surfaces such as leaves, ice, or water to stop the train. And of course, the wheels are found here.

In that above picture, the sanding tube is visible (it’s sort of visible in the first picture in this post of the coupler head just behind the bumper, though on the Type 2s and 3s it looks more triangular). You’ve probably seen the sandboxes on the trains even if you never thought much about them. I’ve been asked a few times what those are for.

Sand boxes in a Type 2 under the seats

Sand is automatically deployed to give the train better traction – it makes a sort of buzzing sound. You’ll notice this when the rails are wet, especially when trying to pick up speed going up a hill (e.g. entering the tunnel westbound from Goose Hollow).

Wheels, track brake, sanding tube (visible on right)

Maybe I’ll add more to this anatomy… maybe not..  there are a few things I didn’t get into but it’s getting harder to find the time to blog these days and there are a lot of other things I want to write about.

Anatomy of a MAX car, Part 1

And now.. a reference post describing a train car in detail, so if I refer to any part of it by its name in another post, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Type 1, 2, and 3:

The cars are symmetrical, so it wouldn’t be helpful to describe them by “front end” or “back end” – so instead there is the A-end and B-end.  C is the section in the middle, because we enjoy being difficult like that.

A cab of 326

B cab of 326

Same car, different ends

Type 4s:

Not symmetrical since there is only one cab per car.  So the cab is always the A-end, and the parlor area where passengers can sit is always the B-end.

Car 412 A-End

Car 420 B-end

On top of the train is the pantograph. In the Type 1s, 2s, and 3s, the elbow of the pantograph points towards the B cab and the open part points towards the A cab – it’s the quickest way to tell when you’re outside the car which end is A and which end is B, which is necessary for some troubleshooting procedures.

Car 304, coupled at its A end

Pantograph on the Type 4 – notice how it points to the cab, which is the A end

In the Type 4s, that’s reversed – the open part of the pan points to the B-end and the elbow points to the A-end, because as I said, we enjoy being difficult. But it’s always easier to tell which end of the 4 is A and which is B, since only A has a cab.

Doors and Bridgeplates

Type 2 with doors open and bridgeplates deployed

Every door in a train car is numbered from 1 to 8, with door 1 being the first door on the left facing the A cab and door 8 being the last door on the right.  On the right side (facing the A cab), doors 4 and 6 on the low-floor cars (Type 2, 3, and 4) are bridgeplate doors, and on the left, doors 3 and 5 are bridgeplate doors.  The bridgeplate is the ramp that can be deployed to assist passengers in wheelchairs or other mobility devices in boarding and exiting the train.

Emergency intercoms

The passenger emergency intercoms are push-to-talk intercoms used if there is an emergency on board the train.

Good things to use this button for – alerting the operator if a passenger has a medical emergency, if something happens that requires police involvement, smelling something burning onboard the train, spotting something that looks like it could be a mechanical failure on the train, etc.

Bad things to use this button for – a shiny thing for your toddler to press, as a means of asking the operator what time it is or if this train goes downtown, or as a means of asking the operator for advice on your romantic life. Yes, that has happened.

In the Type 1s, you can find the emergency intercoms to contact the operator by looking above the seat located to the left of the cabs.

In the Type 2s and 3s, the intercoms are located near doors 3, 4, 5, and 6.

In the Type 4s, there are intercoms at doors 1, 4, 5, and 8.

Reader boards

The reader boards are the displays in the train that show the name of the next stop (connected to the APACU, which is the automated audio/readerboard announcement system, and maybe I’ll give that its own entry in the future)

Type 2/3 Reader board

Type 4 Reader board

Type 1s have no readerboards.

If the readerboards are dark or aren’t showing the right stop, let the operator know – it’s not always obvious from the cab if the readerboards aren’t working right.

More to come..