Trip to New York City: Need Some Recommendations.

[railroadyoshi]

I'm taking a trip to NYC, and wanted some railfanning recommendations.

I have about 6 hours total time to do railroad related things.
Some of this time I plan to spend visiting Trainworld.

Are there any train rides in the city I should take?

How railfan accessible is Grand Central? Is photography allowed?
How about Penn Station?

Are there any other good railfanning spots I should consider?

Are there any special places I should visit or events I should attend? I'll be in NYC June 22-24.

Thank you in advance for your recommendations.

[Nataraj]

The acela.

When I go to NYC, I will take a "day trip" to Washington DC and see the white house and all the monuments, etc. Try it! Even boston!!!

Umm.....I think there is a NYC subway museum, and Just outside of major stations you should see a lot of main-line action. I live in SF, so others could give you a better idea.

Hope I helped,
Nataraj

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, you won't be seeing much railroading action at Penn Station or Grand Central Terminal.. Mostly you will see just trains parked at the platforms and that's it, because the yards and other facilities are for the most part underground.

Post 9-11, the NYPD has been confiscating cameras in the subway system. It might be less strict at Grand Central Terminal because the main hall is a tourist attraction, but still, be discreet.

If you want to see railroading action, you want to be in Astoria with a good view of the bridges in the morning before 10AM to see CSX freight trains going over the Hell Gate Bridge. Past 10AM there's hardly any action at all except the occasional Amtrak NEC electric train (some Acela action if you are lucky).

If you want to see passenger train action, Spuyten Duyvil in the Bronx is a good spot to catch Amtrak and Metro North trains heading up the Hudson River.

If you want to see Long Island Railroad commuter train action, head to the LIRR main station at Jamaica. 24-hour non-stop action there.

And of course ride the NYC subway. [8D]

[railroadyoshi]

Thanks for your responses.

Nataraj, thanks for the recommendations.

LongIslandTom, thanks. I guess if I am around Grand Central I won't pull out the camera, because the last thing I want is for it o be confiscated.
I know I've heard of Astoria...How should I get there?
Could you tell me a bit more about Sputyen Duivil?
Has there been camera confiscations on the LIRR?

Again, both of you, thanks.

[Anonymous]

Railroadyoshi:

First, you need an NYC subway map. [:D] http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/maps/submap.htm

To see Hell Gate Bridge action, take the N train subway to the very last stop, Ditmars Boulevard. The N train line ends right under the Hell Gate Bridge viaduct.

To get to the LIRR main station in Jamaica, take the E train to Archer Avenue (also the very last stop on the E line) and walk over to the LIRR station.

To get to Spuyten Duyvil, take the 1 train to 225th Street in the Bronx, and walk west to the Metro North station at Spuyten Duyvil (the walk is about a mile though). Spuyten Duyvil is where the Harlem River (which separates Manhattan Island from the Bronx) joins with the Hudson River. Amtrak's trackage goes over a water-level bridge from their Manhattan West Side line (coming from Penn Station) into the Bronx and joins up with the Metro North Hudson line to share the same riverside trackage all the way up to Albany 150 miles to the north. Very scenic area.

As is true everywhere in New York City, be street smart. Always be aware of your surroundings, don't flaunt jewelry or other valuables.

Good luck!

[David_Telesha]

They can't legally confiscate anything...

There is no ban on photography, and any cop who "steals" your camera should be in deep "doo-doo".

[railroadyoshi]

LongIslandTom, thanks again.

Is there any way to get up close with the trackage around Hells Gate Bridge?

David, thanks, although I wouldn't really want to say that to the police officer. :-)

[Anonymous]

Well, the N line's last stop (the Ditmars Boulevard Station) actually passes under the viaduct approaching the Hell Gate Bridge, so when you stand on the platform you are practically right under the viaduct.

To get closer to the bridge itself, you want to get off the N train one stop short of the end-of-line at the Astoria Boulevard Station, and walk down Astoria Boulevard towards the Triborough Bridge. The waterfront area between the Triborough Bridge and the Hell Gate Bridge is Astoria Park, so it offers a nice closeup view.

The neighborhood is a bit rough though, so be careful.

Hope this helps!

[dwRavenstar]

LI Tom,
Thanks for the link to the subway map.
My oldest is starting her Masters studies in NYC this fall. She'll be happy to have this before then.
I'm driving over in July to go to NYC with her, maybe it will help me too! [%-)]

dwRavenstar

[Anonymous]

dwRavenstar:

Excellent! Best of luck to your daughter.

Which borough is the university located in? If it's Manhattan, I wouldn't drive there... It's impossible to find street parking there, and you will be forced to pay exhorbitant fees to park in a garage.

I took the subway for the four years I attended Columbia University for my undergraduate studies. The 1.5-hour subway commute (each way) wore on me after a while, but I had a good time. [8D]

[railroadyoshi]

LongIslandTom, thanks again.

I was also thinking about the Randall Park area on the other side as it might offer some closeups, even though it'd lack the bridge. Is this a good idea or a bad idea?

[jondrd]

[#ditto]
Discretion is the key. If you only have 6 hours in NYC you don't want to get in a protracted verbal discourse with police or security. Photographing in Grand Central was an "iffy" even before 9-11. I experienced a strong advisory from security long, long before 9-11. A confrontation with RR police, security or NYC police may depend upon individual officer as to intensity of discourse. There have been instances where RR security have even confronted photographers shooting from public areas(non RR property). Discretion will maximize the limited time you have to see and shoot above recommended points of interest.

Jon

[MisterBeasley]

I would bring a couple of cheap one-use throwaway cameras, so you won't be out much if they get confiscated or stolen. New York is a lot better on street crime than it used to be, but it's still a big city. If there are no cops around, someone may decide to run off with your camera. Of course, if there are cops, they they may take your camera!

You might also carry around a copy of Model Railroader magazine. If they realize that you really are just a train fan, they may cut you some slack. Besides, you might meet other MR types that way.

[Anonymous]

A nice easy train watching excursion from Manhattan is to take the LIRR out of Penn Station to Jamaica Station., Disembark and enjoy the busiest commuter station in the nation as it is billed. With all the improvements being done on the LIRR you have a good chance of catching some MOW type equipment coming thru the station. If luck is really on your side you may catch a New York & Atlantic Freight Train coming thru the station also. Once finished there you can walk across the platform to the south and take the AIRTRAIN to JFK. A nice scenic ride for five dollars. When done take the LIRR Back into Manhattan. If time allows you can exit the LIRR train at Woodside walk downstairs and to the west and enjoy a great meal at Donovan's Restaurant. A nice Irish pub with good food and drink for very reasonable prices.

[dwRavenstar]

Heya Tom,

She'll be attending the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, studying Criminal Psychology.
Guess she saw Silence of the Lambs thirty times too many and thinks/knows she's Jody Foster. [8D]

dwRavenstar

[Anonymous]

Railroadyoshi:

Randall Island can be a bit of a PITA to get to.. If you are coming from Queens, the best way is to do it by car (drive across the Triboro bridge and take the Randall/Ward Island exit). If you are coming from Manhattan, you take the 1/2/3 subway train to 103rd Street, and walk east to the river, where there is a pedestrian bridge to get across. This is going through some rough neighborhood (Harlem) though so I'd be careful.

BTW if you have seen the movie The French Connection from the 1970s, the final chase scene (where Gene Hackman chased the perps across a bridge onto an island with a railroad viaduct above it) was on Randall Island. That'll give you a good idea of how the place looks like. [:D]

dwRavenstar:

Cool! John Jay is right smack in Lower Manhattan-- Very lively part of town. Your daughter will have a good time as long as she stays street-smart. (There was a well-publicized incident back earlier this year when a female JJCCJ student was murdered after she stayed out until 4AM hanging around some unsavory types at a bar in the area, so do advise your daughter to stay street-smart and don't do dumb things like that.) Definitely not a car-friendly environment though-- Stick with public transportation there.

Good luck guys, and I hope my hometown leaves a good impression on yas.

[Anonymous]

Yoshi, If you want to see what Spuyten Duyvil looks like you can go to my web site www.skyandtrains.com go to Trains of the Hudson, Spuyten Duyvil Chapter. That was my start, i'm working my way slowly up thru all stations and stops taking pics. I hope to get to Canada by next year. As for your trip to the city, if it's a nice day hop on the Circle Line. You can see photos of it in my Spuyten Duyvil site. The Circle line is a large fleet of basicly the same boat and it circles manhattan Island. It goes up the east river and you'll see Yankee Stadium, in front and over a little is a train yard. The trachs lead all the way up the banks to spuyten Duyvil where the boat has to wait for a swing bridge that used to be NYCentral freight but is now Amtrack passenger. After it goes thru the bridge it mahes a left turn onto the Hudson River following the train tracks and West Side highway under the George Washington Bridge and docks again. It's a couple of hours long and gives you a nice look at the island and the trains that ride the banks. We have lived here all our lives and when we go to the hobby shops in times square my wife hangs out the car window getting pics for our website. If you have any questions I can help you with contact me off the list at [e-mail] and i'll give you my phone #.

[Anonymous]

bionicworm:

YEA That's what I'm talking about! Nice gallery of Spuyten Duyvil you got there! It's a domain ruled by the General Electric P32AC-DM, and I see you got shots of the loco in both Amtrak and Metro North paint jobs. [8D]

I didn't click through far enough yet in your album but I assume you probably got a P32AC-DM in the New Haven paint job in there somewhere too. [:D]

[Anonymous]

With the limited time you have your best bet is to take a ride from Times Sq on the NYCTA # 7 line. It stops at Grand Central Terminal which is a must see. Get back on the 7 (to Queens) It comes out on the el structure along Amtraks Sunnyside Yard in Queens . Take some shots as you go by on the train. Run it out to 61st St/Woodside for the LIRR rail station downstairs. Plenty of action there. Head back on the 7 to Manhattan and transfer at Queensboro Plaza for the N / W to Astoria. Some good shots of the Hells Gate at the Astoria Blvd station or Ditmars Blvd which is right under the viaduct.
Forget about Trainworld, Too far to get to and not worth the trip. Try Manhattan Trains if you are going to be in Midtown.

http://www.manhattantrains.com/index.cfm

Manhattan Train & Hobby
14 West 45th Street,
New York NY 10036.
Hours:
Monday-Friday 10AM-7:30PM;
Saturday 10AM-6PM.

[railroadyoshi]

Thanks for all your recommendations!