Hello again RJR
Thanks for your interesting nostalghia reply ! I can relate to all of it - having been there also. The Gate cars were last used in large numbers on the 3rd Ave EL (Manhattan & Bronx) between late 1949 and mid 1950. They were (many were dead-stored spare train extra consists) re-activated in the late 1949 thru mid 1950 period because the then 1902-3 built ex-subway (center door composite cars) consists, used ONLY as express trains ONLY on center tracks with passengers - were being replaced and retired. Their maximum traction (one motored wheelset in each truck) trucks were slowly being removed from them and installed under newly arriving ex-BMT "MUDC-converted" "Q" Type EL cars from the then IRT operated Flushing-Astoria lines. These were BMT Shuttle EL Car trains operating on those routes.
So the IRT Gate car extra trains in dead storage, were re-activated to replace, in express service, each removed Composite Car express train, one at a time. By April-May 1950, the entire ex-BMT Q-Type fleet had been trucks-refitted, and thus arrived on the 3rd Ave EL to replace the remaining Gates and Composite car fleets in express-ONLY-services on center tracks with passengers.
Composite and Q types were TOO HEAVY to operate on the local tracks (over the spindly 1878 installed lattice EL columns) with passengers.,.. but could operate on them "light" (not in service).
Tho I rode the gates only a few times on 3rd Ave (Mainly Composites, Q's and MUDC's) -- I did ride them a bit more on the Dyre Line Shuttle - enjoying their "open front porch" in my kid-eyes-mentality type view of the tracks !!
Don't you wish we could go back for a few weeks in time and do it all again !
regards - Joe F
