When would you actually want to pull the emergency stop handle on a subway train?

[vshah]

Train takes a wrong turn down an old path that's been bricked up at the end. Somehow the tracks are still electrified, so the train doesn't lose power. Oh and the conductor has had an allergic reaction to the raisin bran he had that morning and gone into anaphylactic shock, causing him to be unable to stop the train himself. You've had the misfortune of boarding with the students of a local school for the deaf and blind and they are completely unaware of the danger. The train and everyone on it are depending on you to pull the emergency stop before it crashes into the brick wall at the end of the derelict tunnel.

well done

 

[amdhunter]

lol, when I was in high school, the e-brake was pulled at least once a month when going home. Good times.

 

[PlasmaBomb]

This thread made me think of this so I dug it out of the ATOT archive, enjoy:

From the time Charlie was a little kid he wanted to drive a street car. He dreamed about it, talked about, had pictures of street cars in his room, read books about them, everything in Charlie's world was street cars. On his 21st birthday, Charlie went down to the public works department and took the driver's exam. He flunked. So Charlie spent the next six months studying night and day to pass the exam. He flunked again. Now Charlie was desperate. If he failed the exam a third time, that was it, he could never be a street car driver. So Charlie studied all the more. He read every manual over and over. He memorized the routes, knew all the rules. Yet on his third try he flunked for good. Charlie was heart broken. He wandered the streets in anguish.

Then, one day Charlie saw a driver hop off the street car to fetch a soda. Charlie thought "Here is my chance". Charlie jumped in the driver's seat and took off. Charlie was in heaven, he was driving a street car! He laughed aloud in absolute joy. He slammed into a crowd of pedestrians, killing fourteen. The police lead him away in cuffs as he screamed that it wasn't his fault.

Charlie was found guilty of fourteen counts of negligent homicide and sentenced to death. On the day of his execution Charlie, still pleading his innocence, was strapped into the electric chair, and the switch was thrown. The power surged yet nothing happened to Charlie. The warden came forth and told Charlie that he was free to go. Under the rules of the state, if an execution failed the prisoner was freed. Charlie broke down in utter despair, sobbing and cursing his fate. The warden, puzzled to say the least, asked Charlie why he was so sad. Charlie replied "I just realized that I really am a bad conductor."

 

[vshah]

also, don't trains have multiple conductors? it seems stupid to give access to the e-brake to any idiot with an arm

 

[PlasmaBomb]

EMERGENCY STOP - NEVER USE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk7VWcuVOf0

Win!

 

[Brainonska511]

also, don't trains have multiple conductors? it seems stupid to give access to the e-brake to any idiot with an arm

These days, subway trains usually just have an operator.

 

[manlymatt83]

A few weeks ago, I got on the green line subway in Park Street. I jumped on the train as the doors were closing. I made it just in time, but my bag got stuck in the door. But since it was a thin bag, the door closed all the way on it, even though half of it (including a 6 pack of beer inside) was hanging outside the door. Had the train left the station, my stuff would have been toast. I screamed to the driver as the train started moving, and she heard me, and stopped (so did the rest of the train, who helped pass the message up to the driver). However, I was about 1 second from pulling that emergency break.

 

[vshah]

These days, subway trains usually just have an operator.

in nyc there's one at the front and one at the middle, at least.

A few weeks ago, I got on the green line subway in Park Street. I jumped on the train as the doors were closing. I made it just in time, but my bag got stuck in the door. But since it was a thin bag, the door closed all the way on it, even though half of it (including a 6 pack of beer inside) was hanging outside the door. Had the train left the station, my stuff would have been toast. I screamed to the driver as the train started moving, and she heard me, and stopped (so did the rest of the train, who helped pass the message up to the driver). However, I was about 1 second from pulling that emergency break.

i hope you shared that beer...

 

[Brainonska511]

in nyc there's one at the front and one at the middle, at least.

Oh. It's been a while since I've been on a NYC subway. The CTA only has a train operator at the front. I never noticed the conductor in the middle of the train on NYC subways.