daylight savings time on the train

As some folks know, the Transit Authority installed new trains for the N line about 5 months ago in its systematic upgrade. The new trains are well air-conditioned, run faster and smoother and provide a bevy of information for the casual idiot. This morning was interesting though.

As I waited at the 59th Street station, in comes one of these new trains. The first car's lights are out and brought back a fleeting memory of older trains with spotty lighting. But the second, third, fourth and fifth cars' lights were also out. The only light that was on was in the door conductor's booth.

The silver lining I found was that I could get a 15-minute nap instead of reading the paper as usual. The ride seemed a bit nouveau-tech as the LED displays of time, next station and other stations along the route seemed a bit futuristic with the occasional passing of tunnel lights to indicate that we were moving.

I'm sure the other commuters at the 36th Street station had similar thoughts that I did. However, before heading out, the lights came on.

So I chuckled, read my paper and, upon the sweet caffeine finally hitting my nervous system, I realized that these new trains were conserving power. How green!