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My Saturday Summary


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#1 Long Train Runnin'

Long Train Runnin'

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Posted 16 January 2010 - 10:34 PM

Allow me to share my reflections on day 1 of the Metro New York Railfest 2010.

My day started at 5 AM, allowing me to catch the 6:15AM NJT North Jersey Coastline train in Little Silver. I was one of the 3 passengers boarding there that morning. I met Piotr when he boarded in South Amboy. He was excited that he got a chance to use the new platform at South Amboy. We had a pretty uneventful trip up to Elizabeth where some track work had the local track closed which meant 2 cars were picking up passengers on bridge plates.

We made it to New York Penn Station with plenty of time. Where we met up with Jishnu on the LIRR concourse. After 1 more stop the 3 of us headed into the Club Acela. We waited in the Club Acela for a little longer, then headed to meet the assembling group. I met several new people and saw other familiar faces. We milled around until the track announcement came.

The first train of the day was an EMU set departing from track 19. We walked to the first car of the train where we fanned out to get window seats. I took a 2 seater on the right side. Once we got through the tunnels I realized the sun would be blaring in my face. I thought about moving so I could take pictures. It wasn't the sun that would ruin the shots it was the FILTHY windows! The interior of the train was very nice and I had no complaints about ride quality and comfort, but all the windows were very dirty. The ride to Huntington passed quickly with some good conversation.

When we arrived in Huntington it was time to change trains to continue or trip Port Jefferson. Our original train pulled up out of the station and on to a holding track. Just a minute or 2 later our diesel powered train pulled up. It was made up of LIRR multilevels. I sat backwards for the run to Port Jefferson which was a bit more scenic then the run to Huntington.

At Port Jefferson we had about a 45 minute layover. I stayed inside the Port Jefferson station although several people wandered to various food establishments. About 20 minutes before departure most of us got onboard the same train we arrived in. Some people in the group elected to sit downstairs. I sat upstairs with the other part of the group.

We pulled out of Port Jefferson and rolled toward Huntington again. We had a discussion about the expansion of light rail, and start up costs. Then our focused turned to our stomachs, and we began planning lunch in Jamaica. Alan provided a map of the area with its various eateries. That discussion carried us almost to our arrival in Huntington.

Once in Huntington we detrained and waited to switch trains. The EMU set that would carry us to Jamaica came down from the holding track, and our diesel train pulled forward into its storage track. We boarded one of the last cars and had our choice of seats. We made an extra stop at a support facility for the LIRR, before we arrived in Jamaica.

We had 48 minutes to get lunch in Jamaica, so as soon as we stopped at the platform everyone began moving toward their desired eatery. I went with Kevin and Jishnu to a Mcdonalds just a half block from the station. It was your standard fast food meal. Once we finished eating we headed back to the station. I was surprised how tiny Jamaica station was. I guess its primary purpose is for people to switch trains, but the station is downright dismal. A few ticket windows, a newsstand, and tiny waiting area. A far cry from NJT transfer station at Seacacus Junction :lol: . The bathrooms in Jamaica were filthy and smelled absolutely terrible. Needless to say I simply waited until we got back on the train.

The rest of the group slowly filtered in, and we all congregated around the departure board. All expect one, we would leave Sloan behind :o . When the track was posted for our outbound Hempstead train we all headed for the platform. We stood on track 8 and a few minutes later our train arrived.

The outbound Hempstead train was another set of EMUs. The ride felt almost like an elevated subway since the stops were very close together. We made a stop every 2 or 3 minutes until we reached Hempstead.

Once in Hempstead we had roughly 40 minutes to kill. Some folks ventured over to the adjacent bus terminal. I stayed near the station and talked to various people. It was a pretty nice day considering it was the middle of January. 15 or so minutes before departure most of us headed toward the front of the train for our inbound ride to Flatbush Ave. in Brooklyn.

The train left on time, and we made the same local stops to Jamaica. After Jamaica the ride became a little more interesting. We rode for awhile in a tunnel, and then ran on an elevated track. It was an interesting ride through Brooklyn. We made a few stops before arriving at Flatbush Ave.

After detraining we spent some time looking at the new terminal they just opened. It was a very nice area, and let in a lot of natural light. From there we tried to set up dinner reservations at a Pizzeria in times square.

The group then headed to the subway, where we took an inbound R train to South Ferry. We spent a few minutes in the new South Ferry station, then boarded the first car of a 1 train. A few people left the group at 34th street penn station to make connections home. A group of 9 headed for the time square station.

I won't bore you with all the details. Our original plan didn't work out when upon arrival we were given a 40 minute wait time. A group then walked to Penn Station where we ate at a pizza place in the LIRR concourse.

After dinner everyone split up, except for Piotr, Jishnu, and myself. We planned to head back to the Club Acela where almost 12 hours prior we started the day. Piotr and I then boarded a Coatline train together. Piotr got off at South Amboy, and I made it to Little Silver on time.

Thanks for reading! :)

My reports are a fry cry from Kevin's so please over look any errors in grammar, mechanics, usage…

Looking forward to tomorrow!

my pictures are here

Edited by Long Train Runnin', 16 January 2010 - 10:55 PM.


#2 jacorbett70

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Posted 16 January 2010 - 11:12 PM

Nice summary. Regarding the filthy Jamaica restrooms, I fled to another set of restrooms at Air Train just outside the entrance. A huge difference.




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