Need specifications for NYC Subway Tunnels

The best source for this type of information is nycsubway.org.  There is a section on signals.

 

There is information on the architecture of the original IRT subway.  There are numerous articles in the history section of nysubway.org, some of which have cross section diagrams of the tunnels.

Unless someone else chimes in, I will be in NYC on the 8th Dec and will take a few measurements. 

The stTion girders are 15 feet apart.  The tunnel girders are. 5 feet apart

Bill:

 

Thanks for this.  I couldn't find the cross-section diagrams of the tunnels, but I'll look later when I have more time.

 

SJS

 

Do you mind if I ask the source of this?  Both of these seem closer than I would have expected.  At 15 feet apart, if two 6' men stood next to each other with their arms fully extended and their fingertips touching, it would mean that a girder would be about 18" from each of them on the outside.  This isn't my recollection of, for example, the interior of the 8th/34th Street Station underneath Penn Station.  I could CERTAINLY be wrong, and I won't have the opportunity to go back any time soon, so I would be interested to hear more.

 

The other girders could be 5' apart, and this would translate to 1.25" apart in 1/48 scale, but that seems kind of close too.  If you look at the gray girders in the first photo above, they look further apart than 1.25", although admittedly, there is no easy reference in the photo to make that determination.

 

Again, I would be interested to learn your source.  I might very well be seeing what I want to see and ignoring the hard data you're generously providing.

 

SJS

Ben, is there as an Operator every work day, and knowing him, he already asked and or measured to find it out!

I can't name the source, but the five-foot column center figure is listed in a number of accounts of the construction of the NYC system. The station columns line up with every third support column between tracks. That was the data I used on my ancient website* detailing aspects of NYC subway station platforms.

 

---PCJ

 

*The copyright dates say '2009', but that was when an acquaintance of mine rewrote the site into a blog format. The actual information was first posted sometime in the 1990's.

 

Wow!  Thanks so much for replying.  You "ancient" website is great and the pictures at this link http://railride.site.aplus.net/subway1.htm#struc make the 5'/15' arrangement very clear, particularly this shot:

 

My only remaining question is: Is the 5' spacing of the vertical girders maintained inside the tunnels (i.e., not in the platform areas), or is it something different in there?

 

Thanks again for your helpful, helpful reply.

 

SJS

 

To the best of my knowledge, it's maintained throughout the system. I've never heard of any exceptions to the standard, and I've rummaged through some pretty obscure sources.

 

---PCJ

Interestingly, there's one small exception on your website.  The caption under the photo is something like "do not model this section...".  

Seriously, this is all great info and I do appreciate it.

SJS

 

It's fact on that spacing throughout the system.  As part of cut and cover construction that is the engineering for support.  I am in the system every day and we use the columns as points of reference for clearances.

Joe P would be a great person to ask.  He's an expert and his subway tunnels are the best Ive seen yet

Thanks.  In fact, he posted the pictures I included above.  I would have asked directly, but his email is not listed on the forum...

I guess the rest of us are just schlubs that don't know anything

bluelinec4 is correct ,,by the way im a c/r on the 4 line woodlawn to utica