Motor Control for Latest New York Transit System Subway Cars

Early in 1948 the Board of Transportation of New York, N. Y., will place in service the first of several hundred new subway cars, marking the post-war revival of one of the oldest and best established branches of the electrical traction industry. Since the year 1900, more than 11,000 passenger cars have been built for the four large cities in the United States having rapid transit systems, a large percentage of which are still in service. An expansion program needs, therefore, to recognize and conform in general to established practices of operation, maintenance, and service conditions. This paper discusses the extent to which modern features of higher acceleration, dynamic braking, and smoother operation are being introduced without any major changes in the existing systems and operating methods.