On Jan 24, 1:44*pm, Neil Williams wrote:
On Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:57:21 -0800 (PST), wrote:
SL-2/3 the situation will improve, but the SL-4 still have manual
traps.

What do you mean by "traps" here?

SEPTA commuter rail has both low and high platforms, as by traditional
US railroad operations. In the train's vestibule, there is a trap
door on a hinge that is raised to allow steps to be used at low
platforms, and lowered to be used at high platforms.

NJ Transit trains have a similar device.

On Jan 24, 3:30*pm, "
wrote:

What about on petrol, or gasoline, what are the taxes on them in New
Jersey? Is it often that people from neighbouring states who live close
to the state line nip across to tank up their automobiles? Can
authorities do anything about that?-

New Jersey's gasoline tax is one of the lowest in the US. People who
live nearby certainly do zip over to fill up--the difference is about
20-30c per gallion so on a fill up it adds up.

On Jan 24, 1:44*pm, Neil Williams 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.


This show shows another view of the doors, traps, steps.
http://world.nycsubway.org/perl/show?52861


Also, on all the older SEPTA trains, the vestibule doubles as the
engineer's cab and the trap becomes the floor.

On SEPTA, the downtown terminals and some busy stations are high
platforms, as are newly refurbished stations. But other stations are
low platform.

NJT has converted many of its stations to high platform, but low
platform remain.

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.


On US railroads, one problem with high platforms is that certain
freight cars are too big to pass a high platform. Sometimes guantlet
tracks are built to allow freights to pass. Also, high platforms may
make emergency servicing more difficult since the platform blocks
access to the underside of the train.

wrote:

New Jersey's gasoline tax is one of the lowest in the US.

You've said that a couple of times. So is there a statewide property
tax for highway spending?

wrote:

On US railroads, one problem with high platforms is that certain
freight cars are too big to pass a high platform. Sometimes guantlet
tracks are built to allow freights to pass.

Several examples on Chicago South Shore and South Bend:

East Chicago, Hammond

The through tracks spread to very wide track centers to get around these
two island platforms with wide loads. The gauntlet is more of a diverging
route to allow the passenger train to berth. Setting the passenger route is
triggered via energizing the catenary near the station.

It'll be a problem once the Little Joes return to freight service...

Gary, sigh. Historically there had been floor-height platforms here,
with pocket tracks, plus gauntlet tracks for freight on both sides. The
pocket tracks were important as trains turned back here. The modern
station has standard platforms and no pocket tracks, even though it's
one of the top three boarding stations.

Ogden Dunes has mini-high platforms for wheelchairs and automatic
platform extensions to bridge the gap, otherwise standard height
platforms. That was an extensive station replacement...

On 1/27/2012 5:06 PM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
wrote:

New Jersey's gasoline tax is one of the lowest in the US.

You've said that a couple of times. So is there a statewide property
tax for highway spending?

No. We just borrow the money until no one will give us any anymore.

This is a big problem. Our infrastructure is falling apart, and the
state transportation trust fund seems to need a bail out every couple of
years.

Besides, we already pay the highest property taxes in the country. I'd
hate to see the state put another levy on top of that. When people in
NJ get upset about taxes, it tends to be about the property taxes.

Michael Finfer
Bridgewater, NJ

On Jan 27, 5:06*pm, "Adam H. Kerman" wrote:
wrote:
New Jersey's gasoline tax is one of the lowest in the US.

You've said that a couple of times. So is there a statewide property
tax for highway spending?

In NJ, there is a large network of roads maintained by the counties
(500/600 routes), which are covered by property taxes. In contrast,
in Pennsylvania, equivalent roads are usually maintained by the state
covered by the gas tax.

On 27-Jan-12 20:27, wrote:
On Jan 27, 5:06 pm, "Adam H. Kerman" wrote:
wrote:
New Jersey's gasoline tax is one of the lowest in the US.

You've said that a couple of times. So is there a statewide property
tax for highway spending?

In NJ, there is a large network of roads maintained by the counties
(500/600 routes), which are covered by property taxes. In contrast,
in Pennsylvania, equivalent roads are usually maintained by the state
covered by the gas tax.

Also, the two major freeways in the state are toll roads, which means NJ
doesn't need to spend gas tax money on them. Freeways cost
significantly more per lane-mile than other roads, so this has to have a
large effect on overall state highway spending.

S

--
Stephen Sprunk "God does not play dice." --Albert Einstein
CCIE #3723 "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the
K5SSS dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking

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.

On Jan 28, 12:08*am, Stephen Sprunk wrote:

Also, the two major freeways in the state are toll roads, which means NJ

Three toll routes--GSP, NJTPK, and AC Expy.

Also, I understand major interstate river crossings in other places
are sometimes free because they were built as part of Interstates.
Most major interstate river crossings serving NJ are toll. The free
ones tend to be small old restricted bridges, and many are covered by
tolls from other bridges. Further, at the southern NJ seashore,
certain bridges serving the barrier islands are also toll.