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Metro New York RailFest 2003 - Final Update


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#1 KevinKorell

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Posted 02 October 2003 - 08:40 PM

Metro New York RailFest 2003

October 4-5, 2003

This is probably the last update before we leave for Metro New York RailFest 2003.

Small Group!

It is going to be a small group, as I expect no more than 5 or 6 people at any given time on Saturday, and fewer on Sunday. We have two people we expect to join us later in the day on Saturday, and another who plans to leave the group early. Of course it's never too late to join the group, or just show up and catch us at one of our transfer points.

Saturday Breakfast

Breakfast on Saturday is on your own.

Saturday Meeting Location and Time

We will meet in Grand Central Terminal, near the center information kiosk in the main hall, around 8:45-8:50 AM. We will try to stand there in a manner as to not block the information clerks from doing their jobs, so please look for the group of railfans nearby. After 8:50, we are subject to leaving that location and boarding the train as soon as the track is announced, so that we can get seats together. The train is the 9:07 AM express train to New Haven (first discharge stop to Stamford). We will try to sit as close to the front of the train as possible, so that if others join us later they can have an easier time of meeting us. Please allow enough time before 8:45 to purchase your tickets for the day, or at least your first one for the Bridgeport one-way trip. Others can be bought during the layovers in Bridgeport or Stamford if you are short for time.

Saturday Lunch

Lunch on Saturday will be at the Stamford Town Center food court. The weather should be satisfactory, but if it is not, the minimum walk we have to make outdoors is about four blocks. We can then duck into a side entrance to the Filene's department store and access the mall through there.

Saturday Dinner

We will try to have dinner in Manhattan Saturday evening upon our return to Manhattan. Depending on the mood of the group, we can either eat in the vicinity of Grand Central Terminal (plenty of fast food places on Lexington Avenue and 42nd Street), or else Herald Square, since those staying in hotels in New Jersey will be boarding the PATH train there.

Sunday Breakfast

Breakfast on Sunday is again on your own. If you get to Hoboken very early, there may be time for you to walk 4-5 blocks over to McDonald's on Washington Street for breakfast there.

Sunday Meeting Place & Time

Meeting place in Hoboken is the doorway to the main waiting room, in the vicinity of the ticket windows. Again we will stand in such a manner as to not block the doorway or the ticket windows. The time will be 9:10-9:15 AM. Once again, when our train is announced anytime after 9:15, we will leave that area and prepare to board. This train is the 9:30 AM Main Line train to Suffern. Leave some time before 9:15 to purchase your ticket.

Important information about buying your NJ TRANSIT ticket

An important note about your NJ TRANSIT ticket purchase: My "costs" page says that the fare is $1.80 for Hoboken-Secucus-New York, and that is true. But I found out about a small caveat when I bought my ticket earlier this week at Hoboken Terminal on my way to work. The ticket vending machines are not yet programmed to handle such a trip. If you go through the procedure to purchase a ticket and put in the New York-Penn Station code (000), it will only sell you a Hoboken-New York ticket via either Newark-Penn Station or Newark-Broad Street; both of which cost over $3.00.

There is a handwritten note pasted to the machine, telling passengers going to Secaucus or New York Penn to put in the station code 704 as the destination. This code belonged to the former Harmon Cove station until it closed on August 1st. It will now apply to Secaucus Junction, once the machines are reprogrammed. The ticket still says Hoboken to Harmon Cove, but with the special discount in effect while the Secaucus Junction station is open on weekends only, it supposedly will be honored all the way into New York Penn Station. Make sure you keep your ticket after showing it to the conductor on the first train.

Sunday Lunch & Ticket Purchase

Lunch will be at New York Penn Station. We have about a one-hour layover there. It is a little early for lunch, but the early hour is necessary due to the pre-noon departure from New York City for Montauk. Besides having lunch, please allow some time to purchase snacks to eat on the train. We will not be near anyplace selling food until we return to Penn Station at 6:33 PM. Also allow some time while in Penn Station to purchase your round trip ticket to Montauk. In both directions make sure you retain the ticket on the first train so that it can be presented on the second train.

Sunday Dinner?

After we get back from Montauk on Sunday evening, we will be hungry. I will leave it up to the group whether we have dinner together, or split up to begin heading home.


Beware of other transit costs

Please keep in mind with regard to transit costs that you should add $1.50 per trip for any PATH train trip that might be necessary in getting to or from the Fest start and end points, and $2 per trip for any MTA/NYCT subway trip you will have to take before and after our official Fest events.

And finally....
My web pages for costs, places to eat, scanner frequencies, and the guest list are up-to-date. Since there will be no written material given out to participants this time, please feel free to print these pages and bring them along. There was simply not enough lead time before this Fest to create route guides. There are links to all of these pages from my home page: http://pages.prodigy...nyfest/home.htm

I will contact separately the individual members on the guest list so that we can share cell phone numbers in the event somebody is running late or has to cancel out at the last minute.

And that should be all the last-minute details. Hope to see you all on Saturday and Sunday!


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ





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