On 27/01/2012 21:35, wrote:
On Jan 24, 1:44 pm, Neil wrote:
What do you mean by "traps" here?

Here is a photo which hopefully will illustrate. It's an older train,
but the principle remains.

http://world.nycsubway.org/perl/show?42183

Notice the front door in the corner of the train. Underneath are the
steps, and there is a metal plank "the trap" above them. At this
station, it is a low platform, and the trap would be raised at this
station.

Nice picture, actually, it reminds me of the older rolling stock that
was still operating in the early 90s on Montreal AMT's Deux-Montagnes Line.

On LIRR and Metro North, they decided to convert most of their
electric zone stations to high platform in the late 1960s so the
incoming Metropolitan/ Cosmopolitan cars wouldn't need traps at all
and be high platform only.

I remember hearing that the M1/1a had a feature that once allowed
passengers to open the doors at stations, rather than have the conductor
do it, though this was removed. One conductor told me that too many
mishaps with passengers using that feature brought about its removal.

I know that the conductor's door panels on those trains retained that
feature -- there was a set of buttons labelled "Pass. Release" between
the open and close buttons. But it seems that any passenger-operated
buttons for that feature either on the M1/1a's exterior or by the
internal vestibules were removed, however.

Does anybody have any information about this or are there any pictures
of it?

This feature is widely used in Europe, I should add. As well, the the
new rolling stock on the London Underground's Metropolitan line has it.

Unlike the Central, Northern and Jubilee lines, however, it works on the
Metropolitan line.