Today is the day I've been dreading
Subject: Today is the day I've been dreading
...the day the roll the new trains out on the Q line. I've ridden these things occasionally on other lines and I hate them.There are a few good things about the new trains, I guess. The color scheme is a bit less McDonald's-in-1982, and the signage is clearer.
But whoever designed those things apparently loathes short people, of which I am one. There seem to be fewer vertical poles and the horizontal ones are inconveniently located over the seats, recessed from where you're actually standing. I can barely "reach" them with my fingers (I can't reach high enough to wrap my thumb around). Stretching this way, my jacket becomes uncomfortably bunched over my shoulders and my shirt comes untucked.
Alternately I can shimmy closer to the seats, inserting myself between the thighs of some unknown man who's sprawled there, so I can reach the pole in a more directly vertical fashion. Charmed I'm sure.
Of course, if I could sit down, this wouldn't be a problem, but the new trains have many fewer places to sit. Plus, there is no demarcation of the number of seats at all, so people feel totally free to splay their legs and put their bags on the seats and whatever else they feel like.
On the train I rode today, the lights went out--completely out, pitch black--for several seconds between De Kalb and Atlantic, which I've never seen on an old train. The woman sitting next to me had also apparently lost a chunk of her hair which had been caught in the grommet behind her seat and gotten yanked out.
I'm sure these trains have many other fabulous qualities which I'll be discovering in the weeks and months to come. In the meantime, I guess I'll try to read all my hardcover books on vacation, since I won't be able to do it on the train anymore. I'll try to grow three inches taller, too, while I'm at it.
Comments
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sony e-ebook reader - lighter than the average paperback and apparently easy enough to use with a windows emulator on linux. you can hold it in one hand and flip pages with that same hand. saved my life every time I got stuck on standing-room-only trains. you know, back when I was working.
and yeah, while I can sorta reach the horizontal bar without forcing myself between someone's legs on the new trains, I apparently frequently accidentally tread on the feet of tall men in business suits who have a seat. shocking, I know. and I do, eventually, have to switch hands b/c I've lost the feeling in whichever hand is gripping something at the end of my reach-range. -
Ummmm try being six feet two. Get used to it......
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Sorry to hear ya had such a crappy time on it. I for one however love the new R160 cars they've had on the N/W and have been waiting anxiously for them to start running on the Q. Of course I'm only gonna be a regular Q rider for three more days :? So hopefully I'll get a few of em between now and friday!
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I remember when i first arrived here in the early 80´s and the train cars all covered in Grafftti!
Miss those..
Just watched this really cool movie on Reel New york(pbs). I can´t remember what it was called but it was made in 1959 and what all shot in Black and White. It was all shots of people sleeping on the subway and in the stations. It was really cool to see it. -
So... have you considered a pair of tall flared platform shoes?
Or how about this: food is expensive, you consume a fraction of the calories I do to maintain the same weight, you can spend that saving on a car service once or twice a week. (My previous partner was your height, and we were poor, and I was spending 50-100% more on food). -
I love the new trains. Brighter lighting, I love the LCD map and clear announcements. Glad to hear they are coming to the Q line finally.
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I like the new trains too. I'm 6'3", so I don't have the reach problems you do, but I love the new seats. People never used all the seats in the old formation anyway. How many middle seats or inside/sideways seats just sit there taking up space? The announcements should get better, and so should the ventilation.
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I've been taking the Q for the past several weeks now (temp gig) and have yet to see the new trains. I like the old ones though because I can get a window seat at 57th street and enjoy the view going over the bridge. It's so pretty and I find that introspective rumination I can only get when I'm in that seat, on that train, going over that bridge.
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Got a new R160 Q train this morning, dig it. I also noticed (dunno if this is on the R160 cars on other lines, havent noticed atleast) there is a rectangular set of grab bars attached to the ceiling in the center section of the cars. Pretty nice! These cars ride to much smoother though than than the old R68s they had before.
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Got to ride on a new one the other day, it was awesome. The best is that its a smooth ride. I barely had to hold on to the bars, usually its a holding for dear life thing. Plus the air quality is wonderful
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are these the same trains as the ones that replaced the old N trains? if so, i can't wait. airbag suspension, man... airbag suspension! quiet, smooth rides... more space in each car... awesome.
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Plucky Purcell wrote: are these the same trains as the ones that replaced the old N trains? if so, i can't wait. airbag suspension, man... airbag suspension! quiet, smooth rides... more space in each car... awesome.
Yes indeedy they are. Similar to the R143s that run on the L but these are the same models as the ones on the N with the full color monitor for visual announcements and the LCD stop map (which is awesome for folks not familiar with the subways). And all the air bag suspension you can handle! -
Cool...do they go any faster over the bridge? That whole stretch from Canal to DeKalb seems to last forever...or maybe I'm just impatient.
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I'm with those who like the new trains. They run smoother and look cleaner, and, best of all, the announcements are automated, so I don't have to endure the loud, abrasive voices of the idiots who operate the transit system. Never has a computerized voice sounded so soothing. I can't wait until the entire system is comprised of these new cars.
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Jack Krohn wrote: ... best of all, the announcements are automated, so I don't have to endure the loud, abrasive voices of the idiots who operate the transit system. Never has a computerized voice sounded so soothing.
Some of them are ok. I'm partial to the conductor on the Q who picks up from 7th avenue around 10am (and other times, I'm sure). His trademark is "transfer is available for the Looooooooooooong Island Railroad at Atlantic." And he follows up with "have a nice day". -
i'd like to have some native/local celebrities record announcements for the MTA. say... Christopher Walken.
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Hah, just like the "Buckle Up!" taxi cab recordings a number of years ago.
+1 for Walken suggestion. Just watched "The Dogs of War" last night. -
arches wrote: [quote=Jack Krohn]... best of all, the announcements are automated, so I don't have to endure the loud, abrasive voices of the idiots who operate the transit system. Never has a computerized voice sounded so soothing.
Some of them are ok. I'm partial to the conductor on the Q who picks up from 7th avenue around 10am (and other times, I'm sure). His trademark is "transfer is available for the Looooooooooooong Island Railroad at Atlantic." And he follows up with "have a nice day".
I'm with you on that one. He makes me smile every time. -
How about Samuel L Jackson?! "Mother F'cker, step aside for the people to get off!" That would rule!
(PS - hope that was edited enough for posting... can't help it) -
pnlop wrote: [quote=arches][quote=Jack Krohn]... best of all, the announcements are automated, so I don't have to endure the loud, abrasive voices of the idiots who operate the transit system. Never has a computerized voice sounded so soothing.
Some of them are ok. I'm partial to the conductor on the Q who picks up from 7th avenue around 10am (and other times, I'm sure). His trademark is "transfer is available for the Looooooooooooong Island Railroad at Atlantic." And he follows up with "have a nice day".
I'm with you on that one. He makes me smile every time.
I vote "Yeah!" for the New Q trains too, but I will miss the Looooooong Island railroad announcer as well. Did anyone notice that the new Robot-Q voice mispronounce DeKalb? -
Is it a "kahlb," "kalb" or "cab" thing, or is it a "Duh" or "Dee" (Kalb) thing?
DeKalb Avenue & the Great Pronunciation Debate -
I can't believe everyone else likes these trains so much! Well, if you see someone teetering in the aisle with a hardcover book, you'll know it's me.
On the new train, they say DEE kahlb. I think a long A in Kalb makes more sense from a any-Germanic-language-but-this-one perspective, but if you're going to do it that way, I don't think you can put the emphasis on the DEE. Either say DEE kalb or deh KAHLB. -
maybe the mta should flip for one of these for their short sightedness.
http://www.shortsupport.org/Health/Leg-Lengthening/hospitals.html -
Emily wrote: I can't believe everyone else likes these trains so much! Well, if you see someone teetering in the aisle with a hardcover book, you'll know it's me.
you did get my agreement! -
poppy13 wrote: How about Samuel L Jackson?! "Mother F'cker, step aside for the people to get off!" That would rule!
Are you new?
(PS - hope that was edited enough for posting... can't help it)
You wouldn't believe the filth that some members force their fingers to type.
I'm not gonna mention names-MamacitaWhatchuwantAlafairnadiaSweetteaCarnivore x2 double violation for questionable pics,BigguyWhyfiIdlewild-Yeah, a lot potty mouths running around here.You know who you are. For shame. FOR SHAME , I TELL YOU! [-X
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BrookSignal wrote: Ummmm try being six feet two. Get used to it......
try 6'8
i have to duck every single time i enter/exit any subway car
I can't stand up straight on either end of the subway cars where the ceiling is lower
most of the time i have to duck in the stations or i will hit my head on overhanging signs on the platforms, same goes for the bottom of the stairs while entering a station
I literally have to bend my body sideways and duck
and while on the train short people apparently find it ok to stand directly underneath my armpits (lucky for them i use deodorant every single day)
as for the Q train.. its impossible for me to fit in the seats that face towards the front of the car... my knees don't even come close to fitting
but hey i cant really complain i do always get an awesome view at concerts! -
Em26 wrote: You wouldn't believe the filth that some members force their fingers to type.
What's this shit all about?
I'm not gonna mention names-MamacitaWhatchuwantAlafairnadiaSweetteaCarnivore x2 double violation for questionable pics,BigguyWhyfiIdlewild-Yeah, a lot potty mouths running around here.You know who you are. For shame. FOR SHAME , I TELL YOU! [-X
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WhyFi wrote:
What's this shit all about?
I don't....... know. :scratch:
It was last nite , after 9pm.
I can't be held accountable for anything that happened after 9pm. [-( -
motherfucking rain ruined my fucking towel that was drying!
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:sunny:
Leave it out there!
I woke up to the rolling thunder. :?
Then I heard the shampoo bottles that I had sitting on the window sill go BAM BOMP BOMP! Into the tub.
I hate when that happens. :x
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