We're also doing the Fest at this time of year in order to partake of longer daylight, and also it's our last chance to ride the West Hempstead Branch before weekend service is eliminated in September.
We discussed this during the PNW fest and travels, and we do have enough interested parties to make such an event worthwhile. Some others who we didn't see in July have indicated interest to me via e-mail.
Added to the Friday activities, along with a slightly earlier start, is a trip on the M subway line through a connection not recently in revenue service that connects the Sixth Avenue subway to the line over the Williamsburg Bridge. Where we will turn around is not 100% decided, but it is being evaluated now. I believe a round trip over the bridge might be nicer than just turning in lower Manhattan. So the previously proposed Times Square start point on Friday has been changed to Herald Square, namely where we've met before underground by the north end of the 33rd Street PATH station. This location is more convenient to many than Times Square, as it can be approached via Penn Station (a block away) or directly by PATH. We will still ride the 7 train a short distance from 5th Avenue in Manhattan to Vernon-Jackson in Queens, and then walk to the Long Island City LIRR station as we did a few years ago.
Friday we will ride one train from LIC all the way to Babylon, taking in the branch through Hunterspoint Avenue that we have not yet ridden as a group, and also the Central Branch between Bethpage and Babylon. We then will return on an electric train on the Babylon Branch back to Penn Station. Saturday we will do the Oyster Bay Branch, the West Hempstead Branch, and the Long Beach Branch. We will ride small portions of other branch lines to access these lines, with changes at Jamaica and Valley Stream.
Only 19 minutes for the first scheduled Jamaica layover, not much time to go off and do anything. In West Hempstead, we have 45 minutes, during which time one might be able to get lunch. I recall there is a White Castle in the area. In Long Beach, this could be a secondary place to have a late lunch if you choose not to do so around 12 when we're in West Hempstead. We arrive Long Beach 1:42 PM. The scheduled layover there is 44 minutes. However, we have the option to stretch this to one hour 44 minutes and take a later train. This would give people time to walk around, perhaps visit the beach and boardwalk. If enough folks want the longer dwell, I can easily make that official change. We would finish up our day at 4:21 PM, vs 3:21 the other way.
Sorry for the short notice, but with the PNW Fest and getting back to business afterwards, things were a bit busy.
Homepage is here: http://kevinkorell.c...rf2010/home.htm
Please e-mail me and let me know if you can make it, and which (or both) of the days.
Edited by KevinKorell, 31 March 2011 - 09:42 PM.