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| Re: [PHOTOS] The East Bronx IRT Crash of 1957 (1613362) | |||
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Re: [PHOTOS] The East Bronx IRT Crash of 1957 |
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Posted by JOE @ NYCMTS - NYCTMG on Thu Dec 29 23:32:03 2022, in response to Re: [PHOTOS] The East Bronx IRT Crash of 1957, posted by Bill Newkirk on Wed Dec 28 18:55:27 2022. Yes Bill (Newkirk)The Gibbs cars were structurally modified by the IRT when the IRT shops has the new center door opening "cut into" the body center area. The IRT thus installed a slightly longer and a slightly bit deeper fish-belly plate to reinforce the carbody. And the first cars to get a fish belly plate, IRT fabricated. The later Hedley Hi-V and following Low-V cars had a floor sill and frame system built to compensate for the factory installed center doors and required a somewhat bit smaller center fish-belly plate. Note: the IRT's 50 Deck Roof all motor Hi-V cars did not require a fish belly because factory plans for possible installation of a center door at a later date were incorporated into the carbody steel framing and specifically into the more extensively framed under-floor beams and steelwork. . The Gibbs cars were built new as a basic Gondola Car steel body. The end vestibules were ALL STEEL -- their floors, underfloor framing, end and side frames, and the vestibule roof steel bonnet and its sloping clerestory end. The ROOF of the Gibbs Cars had numerous steel side upright frame posts to and across the roof. However, like the wooden EL cars they (and the Composites) were improve-designed from, the Gibbs Car roof itself was sheathed with wood slats like an EL (or the mostly wood Composite) car and those wood sheathed roofs were canvas covered. BELOW is the interior of an IRT Gibbs car I took back in 1957 in the former Starlight Amusement Park just west of the ex-NYW&B Railway 4 Track embankment near E. 174th St Bronx. I shot many more such scrap shots there that (and other) days. This car was set on fire to burn any non steel materials - and note that the wood and canvas clerestory and lower roof is burned away - leaving ONLY the steel portions of the car remaining. Note thet Steel bonnet roof over the vestibule is still intact also!  That was the weak spot in the so called "crash improved" Gibbs carbody. Therefore the Gibbs cars could be telescoped more easily in a fast enough crash. regards - Joe F |
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