A shout out must be made to the late Jackie Kennedy, who saved Grand Central. They (developers?) were going to tear this masterpiece down (like they did the old Penn Station), and Jackie galvanized the people of New York and saved this marvelous building.
Concerning Amtrak's move to Penn Station in 1991 this was done for two reasons - 1) To allow a same station transfer between Northeast Corridor trains and Empire service trains. Before that Amtrak operated a shuttle bus service between Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal to avoid having out of town passengers getting lost on the subway. 2) It consolidated operations into one yard at Sunnyside Yard. This allowed Amtrak to stop using a small underground yard at GCT. At the end of this year the majority of LIRR trains will move from Penn Station to Grand Central Terminal when the Eastside Access connection opens. The new LIRR station is in a cavern dug out deep below GCT. This will relieve some crowding at Penn Station. As for the commuter cars that the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority operates, they come in two types. Cars that have only 3rd rail shoes and cars that have 3rd rail shoes and pantographs. Odd cars M1, M3 and M7 only have 3rd rail shoes (strangely enough there never was an M5 series). Even numbered cars M2, M4, M6 and M8 have 3rd rail shoes and pantographs. On Metro North there are only M7's and M8's in service as all the M2's, M4's and M6's have been retired. It is not terribly uncommon to find an M8 set operating on the Hudson or Harlem lines. On the LIRR only M3's and M7's remain in service. Regarding the Metro North P32's they are so slow and under powered when operating on 3rd rail power that the diesel engine is fired up almost as soon as they clear the Park Avenue tunnel or at 125th street station. New Siemens Charger units equipped with 3rd rail shoes are on order to replace the GE P32's.
The other important thing the new Grand Central LIRR terminal will do is increase service on every branch - half hourly everywhere in electric territory, 5am to midnight, is a huge win for LIRR!
The scenery on the train to Albany in the fall is so beautiful with the river and the changing colors of the trees. Really worth a trip, And you get to see West Point across the river.
It's always been on my bucket list to either train or do the Circle line trip in the fall. Circle Line is always booked up when I check and I hate Penn Station.
If you happen to get back to the area, I'd suggest you continue further north than Yonkers. The Hudson line north between Yonkers and Poughkeepsie is really lovely.
A great video. I was hoping you would show the dark spot on the ceiling of the Grand Central ceiling. It's left behind from the 1998 restoration as a reminder of the original colour. I remember visiting the station in 1986 and it was so dark and dismal, and to think it was suggested, at one time, the building should be demolished!
hello, im a Japanese viewer. i enjoy your videos always in may country, and can feel a virtual travels😁 someday i hope you come to Japan🇯🇵,and introduce the Japanese trains.🚆 Japan has many kind of trains. For example Shinkansen,which is famous as a bullet train.🚅
Very impressive and beautiful Grand Central Terminal!! I've ridden the Hudson Line from Peekskill,, the Harlem Line to/from White Plains and the New Haven Line to Bridgeport. Always pleasant journeys and nice scenery!! Only electric powered(third rail) trains are allowed in and out of Grand Central after a horrific accident involving 2 steam trains. Thank you Thibault for this review and bringing back memories.😀😀💚💚
I commuted from Rye to GCT over 30 years on the New Haven Line. I remember what it was like before Jacqueline Onassis set into motion the revitalization of GCT. You can look it up online but the the New Haven Line had barcar we had a tiki bar. There was even smoking car. The New Haven Line trains have outlets to charge.
The only problem with Metro North is they don’t have over night trains. Last train leaving Manhattan is 1:50 am. Miss that and you are stuck until 5:30am. Going to bars and clubs till 2am is normal in NYC but you can’t do that on the Metro North.
@@zappos49 yeah 100% agree I'd like one too. the catenary is usually deenergized then and that's when they do track work. doesn't stop CTDOT from perpetually having one track out of service at all times 😅🙄
It's always been like that but when I was going dancing I went to a club called The Saint. It had a dome with a planetarium starfield projector for the dance floor members had their own lockers it was the original film or east and we danced until 4:00 p.m. the next day. Bars and clubs close at 4:00 a.m. When I used to drive I would drive into the city for some of those things.
You'd think they switch to diesel upon arriving at Croton-Harmon, but that's far from the case. From what I've seen, as well as accounts from crews, the AC-DM's generally only run on electric mode when entering an exiting the tunnels into Grand Central. As early as Harlem-125th St, you can hear their GE engines going. The same is true for the DM30AC's on the LIRR. It's not exactly efficient in terms of pollution, but considering the engines are limited to 60 mph when in electric mode, it makes more sense for them to run on diesel most of the time so they can keep on schedule
It’s how I’ve been getting home (& to Manhattan) since I moved from Brooklyn to Yonkers 16 years ago. Still enjoy the ride, & the soothing scenery. Thanks for the video 👍🏻
Did you notice the #1 subway train at 8:07 crossing the river at Marble Hill Station? Marble Hill is actually part of the Borough of Manhattan, stranded there after the Harlem River/Spuyten Duyvil Creek was straightened.
@@leecornwell5632 I haven't been by there in a long time, but I see some track next to the Major Deegan on Google Maps/satellite view. There even appears to be an engine and some other equipment. Is there still an active switch from the Hudson line? Is it used for anything?
4:46 that actually switch to diesel right after they leave grand central… turns out they’re not powerful on electric mode. So when they enter the park Ave tunnel, they start up the diesel motors.
@@SimplyRailway yeah they can only operate for around 10 minutes in electric mode (while not idling), the maximum speed is only 60mph (compared to 110 in diesel mode), among other limitations. They were designed as diesel locomotives that could pick up third-rail only so they can operate into NYC without causing trouble with diesel exhaust, and as such, they are better as diesels than electrics. Also, track 1 (NB express track) on the Hudson Line isn't electrified for some reason so train have to run in diesel mode anyways if they use that track.
Nice video. I commute several times a month to NYC using the New Haven line. New-ish trains, very convenient and comfortable if not too crowded. It provides comprehensive schedules , and it is, in general, very reliable. Rain, shine or snow. No matter how many times I have taken this train, I always marveled at GCS once you get out of the platform dungeon. It always lifts your spirits. In sum, not a bad commuter service at all. Not especially cheap, though.
Very impressive video indeed and for the M7A Hudson Line these also exist in Train Sim World 2 Harlem Line. Dovetail games also made the Hudson line for Train Sim Classic meaning this video can be used to compare the train simulator classic version. In some situations DM30AC try running electric up to the last electric station Ronkonkoma services via Central Branch Babylon and Bethpage Montauk Branch via Hicksville Bethpage End Electric start Diesel. Port Jefferson Huntington (October 19th 1970 start of 750v DC Third rail) Oyster Bay East Williston. Harlem 125th Street End Electric mode for P32AC-DM. Toilet is on the Odd Numbered Carriage. Max length for M7A is 10-12 carriages Hudson and Lower Harlem Lines. Upper Harlem Line trips to Southeast are 6-8 carriages the reason for it is to avoid the blowing up the substation. VACMA (SNCF Terminology for Alerter) Switch for the M7A it's located on the back wall panel behind the driver so is the Train control switch. SNCF DB ÖBB CFF positive train control system is ETCS European Train Control System
Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited was leaving from Grand Central relatively recently while they did some track work. Also, they are working on Long Island Rail trains coming into Grand Central. Seven levels down!
An OK video. You should have expanded on your Amtrak comment by stating that their trains use the swingbridge at Spuyten Duyvel to access Penn Station. Will you be returning to GCT in early 2023? The new LIRR terminal beneath Grand Central Terminal is the largest passenger rail terminal to be built in the US since the 1950s and is on schedule to be completed in December this year.
This must have been quite a while ago. Vanderbilt Ave has been open as a pedestrian plaza for over a year now and GCT hasn't been that empty since 2020.
I rode Amtrak from New York (Penn Station) a few years ago, but had to divert to Grand Central as the Amtrak Empire corridor was closed from Penn Station to Sputyen Duyvil (connection to the Metro North line
Next time you’re in New York please take the metro north all the way to Poughkeepsie! Between Croton and Poughkeepsie is where the scenery is best and you get to ride through cute little railroad towns with amazing main streets.
Next stop should be the East Side Connect when it opens in late 2022. It is much deeper under Grand Central and allows travel to Long Island on the Long island Railroad.
Ah memories. I commuted round trip Croton-Harmon to GCT for several years. The distinctive whine of the engine as it takes off is imbedded in my sound memories. I made it a point to sit in the cluster of seats that faced each other on the way in to GST for a bit more leg room, and tried to get the seat that's in every other car that looked like the one next to the engineer on the way home. More leg room, and few people actively looked to sit there. Too bad you didn't take it up to the end point in Dutchess County - the river views are fantastic, especially the Palisades at sunset. The trip in to the city also makes you realize just how close to the water the tracks are at times. PS the cars do have power outlets, usually down close to floor level near the doors. Too often people will string their power cord across the aisle causing a tripping hazard, then get annoyed the cord got pulled by someone walking
🚶🚂✌️👍 ✋ Good job 👏👌🤝 Wow nice view, I like to see new places ✌ Great movie 👍 Bravo 👋 And I have a new movie from a walk around the city 😊 Regards, DJ Janusz from Warsaw Poland ✌ 🇵🇱✋
OK, I’ve been getting trains from Rotterdam CS to various places over the last week and that is a completely different experience (not least because I can just use an anonymous OV-chipkaart).
You missed the opportunity to walk around Grand Central. You saw the main hall missed the amazing wide escalator into what used to be called the Pan Am building. Very impressive and recognizable from dozens of movies. You also missed the floor with the restaurants and bars frequented by countless commuters and featured in such shows as 'Mad Men' etc. Its truly an iconic building.
The State of New York will have to pitch in and pay for that. Amtrak's Empire Service is state subsidized. I work for Amtrak and trust me, that is far from a priority right now.
@@metropod Dual-Mode will most likely be used the same way the P32AC-DM is already used. The only difference is that there’s a high probability that they’ll be battery powered instead.
@@deepnation10009 New York has been pitching in for track upgrades near Albany for years now. The Federal government deems it a important “high-speed” corridor.
I cant wait for the east side access to be completed so I can take the New Have line straight to the LIRR. Right now to get to Hempstead I would have to take the 4 to penn and then transfer to another LIRR at Jamaica.
In my opinion, you reviewed the higher quality train set. The other train set you wanted to review is older and more worn down, similar to the Boston commuter train
But the other train was powered by a bi-mode P 32 locomotive, so he could experience the change of power from auxiliary electric to full power diesel, on exiting the tunnel.
A good review. I would recommend next time you ride all the way to Poughkeepsie because you missed a lot of excellent scenery by getting off at Yonkers. Poughkeepsie you can take the line back or you can get the Amtrak to Albany from where you could go to Chicago Montreal or Boston not to mention Burlington Vermont. Finally don't forget to review the Long Island Railroad and take the train all the way to Montauk.
Hey you came to my neighborhood in Yonkers, if I new I would come say hello. I’m originally from Argentina and loved the two videos you posted from there.
The p32 diesels (maxi-bombs) also make stops at Yonkers early in the morning and late evenings. And some also run semi-express on the weekends making some stops between Croton Harmon and GCT.
Amazing video! I have a suggestion: You should ride one of Metro North’s oldest trains; The M3A, they are soon to retire so I suggest you ride it while you still can!
I’ve been to Grand Central thousands of times ever since 2012. I normally take the Harlem line out of Crestwood bound for Grand Central. Sometimes during game evenings and game weekends at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx I would take the Yankee Clipper on the Harlem line which in fact we have two Yankee Clipper services but they run from 3 different locations to Yankees-East 153rd Street: Southeast to Yankees-East 153rd Street, New Haven-Union to Yankees-East 153rd Street, and Grand Central to Yankees-East 153rd Street. On all southbound Harlem line trains going directly to Yankee Stadium they would run completely local to Crestwood but they would run express after Crestwood but instead of making express select stops it would skip Tuckahoe and stop at Bronxville and then straight to Yankees-East 153rd Street but would would run full express up to Mount Vernon West after Yankees-East 153rd Street and then local up to Southeast. The New Haven line would go completely express after Stamford if not originating from Stamford would just go straight to Yankee Stadium from Stamford as for Stamford trains to Yankee Stadium they would go local until Mount Vernon East and then express to Yankee Stadium and same thing coming back. Otherwise I take the train to Grand Central, Croton Harmon, Tarrytown, Yonkers, Southeast, Scarsdale, White Plains, Valhalla, Bronxville, Tuckahoe, New Haven-Union, New Haven-State Street, Harrison, Mount Vernon West, Mount Vernon East, Botanical Garden, Woodlawn, Fordham, Harlem-125th Street, Crestwood, and further more
I am a native New Yorker who no longer resides there. I must say I find it quite strange (and cool at the same time) that someone would get a kick out of taking trains that I took for years for work. I used to live on Long Island and took the Long Island Railroad almost daily. Yes, your Metro North train looks exactly like to the trains on the Long Island Railroad.
Yeah, it becomes very routine taking train daily, to where, me included, get lost in my phone or catch a snooze while no longer paying attention to the actual train or any of the passing surroundings. I took the Grand Central to New Rochelle. Also,, I lived in London for 4 years, and noticed many similarities between the trains in and out of London and the trains in and out of Manhattan
Nice video. I take Metro North from Croton - Harmon to the Yankees 153rd St station several times during the baseball season. I did not know Metro North switch from electric to diesel when the trains get to Croton - Harmon. You should travel north to Poughkeepsie. There is beautiful scenery along the way.
Never travelled by train from Grand Central but did have a very enjoyable dinner there one night many years ago in the Oyster Bar. I wonder if it's still there in the maze of tunnels between the tracks and the concourse. My father also spent a long time finding and photographing Track 29 at Grand Central as that was where he believed (in the song made famous by Glen Miller) the Chattanooga Choo Choo departed from....that is until I told him that if he'd paid more attention to the lyrics he'd have realised that it was "Pennsylvania Station at a quarter to nine" for the infamous "Choo Choo"!
The Oyster Bar is still very much there. It's on the ramp to the lower level, where it has been since 1913. The song is also incorrect: Pennsylvania Station has only 21 tracks. ;-)
@@roastawk Pleased to hear about the Oyster Bar! As far as the mysterious "Track 29" is concerned the lyricist obviously decided to take liberties as "nine" neatly rhymes with "time". Good job I didn't persuade my father to retake the photo at Penn Station though!!
I think you definitely deprived yourself of the amazing Hudson scenery by only taking such a short trip. Is there a trip in the works for the lakeshore limited?
to ease your mind, each car is equipped with a engineers cab (so any car/pair could be used as a head end) the doors should be closed to the cabs in the “belly” however they are often left open as it is not a security concern. once the engineer keys into the controlling cab it renders all the other cabs “useless” it’s impossible to take any sort of control of the train, Even if you had one of the highly secured keys and tried to sit down and key in to any other cab the train would instantly know something is wrong and go into emergency braking and come to a stop until crew corrects the problem. plus anyone who did such a thing would be instantly caught (more cameras then a bank on each car) and definitely do some federal time… so no worries metro just likes to show off their state of the art cabs to passengers 😂
Well i was at Grand Central Station over last summer because my brother and i took the Metro North Hudson Line to Yankees East 153rd street for a baseball games with the New York Yankees.
Nice ride, definitely better than the LIRR’s M7s I wish I could ride it, but I’m to afraid to use the subway to get from Penn to Grand. Once the east side access is ready I can. Remember, you are not allowed to move between the cars when the train is moving so I wouldn’t (suggest) recommend you do it
Howdy this used to be my commuter train when i worked in Midwtown 1.5 yrs prior to COVID. It is a bit of a premium price for public transport but is much better than regular super dirty MTA. It's this or Express buses for me when I use public transport unless i'm only closer to MTA lines and the commute is for a few local stops or going to central park.
*Correctection, the systems that use it are Metro-North, Long Island Railroad, The NYC subway consisting of the 4,5,6,7 and S train, and in the near future possibly NJ Transit and Vision42.
Just wait until we finish the rest of grand central east side Access terminal. It's an expansion for the LIRR. It is WAY deeper underground then the main terminal and subway even. But it is going to look exactly like the hallways in Grand Central with the stores lining the sides and all. I was lucky to be part of that project and it's going to look incredible when it's all complete. I travel these almost daily from Croton Harmon or peekskill(depending on the time) the southbound express trains are the ones that are much older in style and lesser in quality. You had one of the good cars for sure. 👍
Amtrak made the practically correct decision to run only out of Penn station. It’s obviously the only station that connects to the south end of the NEC. It could run Empire Service out of grand central, but then transferring passengers from other Amtrak lines would have to travel between Penn and grand central to catch their other service. Not very convenient.
Having commuted for 30 years that is just fine with me. It does also serve Connecticut all the way to New Haven. A tunnel linking Penn station to Grand Central will be completed within the next year from what I'm told.
I really hate that US tv style 'And this is what's on today's video' before showing parts of the video. I want to be surprised and delighted,not see what happens beforehand.
Legend has it that a guy in to tower once accidentally sent a commuter train to the tracks for the 20th Century Limited, resulting in a hoard of baffled commuters getting the red carpet treatment…
Great Video! Grand Central is such a strange mix. One of the most magnificent booking halls in the world, but the place where you actually get on and off the train is a grim, depressing, claustrophobic concrete bunker
I have noticed this pattern in many of his videos about the USA. Gorgeous and huge classic station halls that lead to shockingly dark and depressing underground platforms. As a European it's certainly striking. Our best station halls pale in comparison to the American ones, but at least the platforms tend to be in open, luminous spaces
@@osasunaitor Train stations like Grand Central, and Penn Station in New York City were opened in the early 1910s, and much of the platforms were built underground as real state above the platforms were valuable in large cities like New York City and Chicago to name a few. And in the example in Grand Central Station, the platforms had to be built underground due to lack of space above ground. Similar to Penn Station but the much of the platforms were underneath Penn Station itself, and exposed inside the station house. Which made the platforms less claustrophobic than the current incarnation of Penn Station.
@@osasunaitor I wouldn't necessarily say this is truly exclusive to the USA and more that these stations have underground tracks when most are build overground. Even in Europe, many older underground stations (particularly covered and shielded from daylight) have a similar appearance as the Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal platforms. Grand Central Madison, the newest part of Grand Central, has a much brighter design than that of Terminal.
The plan is to have some Amtrak rerouted to Grand Central in the coming years. This will be a relief, ,so I don't have to use the subway after I come down the Hudson River and need to transfer to a MNR train to get to a NYC area concert.
@@ellenfalls1330 That plan already happened. It only happened for about a month a couple years back due to track work. There currently aren’t any plans for the services to come back.
lol, the station looks like a big station with many long distance train services but the longest you can get from there on a direct train is New Haven State Street!😂
Hi - This is my commuter train from Poughkeepsie to NYC. The views are very nice, but it looks like there is different seating for train that stop at Croton-Harmon. The northmost trains to POK have VERY OLD seats. MTA should upgrade these. Overall, good rides and their on time performance is excellent.
Soon there will be some long island rail road trains coming into Grand Central also. But still all commuters. I would love to get the Amtrak to Albany or Chicago out of Grand Central! It also houses a great food/veg/fruit market where you can pick up great breads, fresh pasta, cheese, etc. And just like the long island rail road, during normal times those bathrooms are never clean, never work, and you're better off to just wait if you can :)
A shout out must be made to the late Jackie Kennedy, who saved Grand Central. They (developers?) were going to tear this masterpiece down (like they did the old Penn Station), and Jackie galvanized the people of New York and saved this marvelous building.
I just made the same comment about Jacqueline Onassis when she passed away they had a book you can sign in her memory.
The destruction of Old Penn was a crime. Didn't know they were going to do the same to Grand Central. Wow.
I thought u said Jackie Chan lol my bad
Damn
I don't understand why they would tear it down, alot of people still use the commuter trains in and out of Manhattan
Concerning Amtrak's move to Penn Station in 1991 this was done for two reasons -
1) To allow a same station transfer between Northeast Corridor trains and Empire service trains. Before that Amtrak operated a shuttle bus service between Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal to avoid having out of town passengers getting lost on the subway.
2) It consolidated operations into one yard at Sunnyside Yard. This allowed Amtrak to stop using a small underground yard at GCT.
At the end of this year the majority of LIRR trains will move from Penn Station to Grand Central Terminal when the Eastside Access connection opens. The new LIRR station is in a cavern dug out deep below GCT. This will relieve some crowding at Penn Station.
As for the commuter cars that the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority operates, they come in two types. Cars that have only 3rd rail shoes and cars that have 3rd rail shoes and pantographs. Odd cars M1, M3 and M7 only have 3rd rail shoes (strangely enough there never was an M5 series). Even numbered cars M2, M4, M6 and M8 have 3rd rail shoes and pantographs. On Metro North there are only M7's and M8's in service as all the M2's, M4's and M6's have been retired. It is not terribly uncommon to find an M8 set operating on the Hudson or Harlem lines. On the LIRR only M3's and M7's remain in service.
Regarding the Metro North P32's they are so slow and under powered when operating on 3rd rail power that the diesel engine is fired up almost as soon as they clear the Park Avenue tunnel or at 125th street station. New Siemens Charger units equipped with 3rd rail shoes are on order to replace the GE P32's.
The other important thing the new Grand Central LIRR terminal will do is increase service on every branch - half hourly everywhere in electric territory, 5am to midnight, is a huge win for LIRR!
You forgot about the MNRR M3A
The LIRR M3 isn't back in revenue service yet, they might come back to revenue service when LIRR comes to GCT.
@@TBF_1J They will. there are cutrently not enough M7s
@@thechickenstew3716 Did you forget M9s exist? The M9s can help the M3s too. M7s will also be in the case.
The scenery on the train to Albany in the fall is so beautiful with the river and the changing colors of the trees. Really worth a trip, And you get to see West Point across the river.
It's always been on my bucket list to either train or do the Circle line trip in the fall. Circle Line is always booked up when I check and I hate Penn Station.
If you happen to get back to the area, I'd suggest you continue further north than Yonkers. The Hudson line north between Yonkers and Poughkeepsie is really lovely.
I agree, it is.. It is nice all the way to Albany. And the line continues on to Utica, Syracuse, and Buffalo
A great video. I was hoping you would show the dark spot on the ceiling of the Grand Central ceiling. It's left behind from the 1998 restoration as a reminder of the original colour. I remember visiting the station in 1986 and it was so dark and dismal, and to think it was suggested, at one time, the building should be demolished!
The Long Island Railroad will use the station by the end of the year.
yeah but not nj transit 😔
Well a new station under gct technically
@@the.abhiram.r NJ Transit can keep Penn Station, the LIRR going to GCT is gonna cut 50% of congestion in Penn Station.
@@the.abhiram.r you do realize that their getting an upgrade at NYP too……
@@SomeRamdomAhole still doesn't change the fact that we have to take two subways to get to grand central
hello,
im a Japanese viewer.
i enjoy your videos always in may country, and can feel a virtual travels😁
someday i hope you come to Japan🇯🇵,and introduce the Japanese trains.🚆
Japan has many kind of trains.
For example Shinkansen,which is famous as a bullet train.🚅
Very impressive and beautiful Grand Central Terminal!! I've ridden the Hudson Line from Peekskill,, the Harlem Line to/from White Plains and the New Haven Line to Bridgeport. Always pleasant journeys and nice scenery!! Only electric powered(third rail) trains are allowed in and out of Grand Central after a horrific accident involving 2 steam trains.
Thank you Thibault for this review and bringing back memories.😀😀💚💚
I commuted from Rye to GCT over 30 years on the New Haven Line. I remember what it was like before Jacqueline Onassis set into motion the revitalization of GCT. You can look it up online but the the New Haven Line had barcar we had a tiki bar. There was even smoking car.
The New Haven Line trains have outlets to charge.
The trains goes in to diesel mode right after they clear the Park Avenue tunnel before it gets to 125th st
The only problem with Metro North is they don’t have over night trains. Last train leaving Manhattan is 1:50 am. Miss that and you are stuck until 5:30am. Going to bars and clubs till 2am is normal in NYC but you can’t do that on the Metro North.
tbh most are open til 4am and most of those people just chill til the 5:30 train
@@connecticutmultimodaltrans8226 oh we definitely did that many times but catching a 3 or 4am train would have been way more convenient some times
@@zappos49 yeah 100% agree I'd like one too. the catenary is usually deenergized then and that's when they do track work. doesn't stop CTDOT from perpetually having one track out of service at all times 😅🙄
It's always been like that but when I was going dancing I went to a club called The Saint. It had a dome with a planetarium starfield projector for the dance floor members had their own lockers it was the original film or east and we danced until 4:00 p.m. the next day. Bars and clubs close at 4:00 a.m. When I used to drive I would drive into the city for some of those things.
Grand Central has a model train store
Finally Metro North, I was waiting for this one
You'd think they switch to diesel upon arriving at Croton-Harmon, but that's far from the case. From what I've seen, as well as accounts from crews, the AC-DM's generally only run on electric mode when entering an exiting the tunnels into Grand Central. As early as Harlem-125th St, you can hear their GE engines going. The same is true for the DM30AC's on the LIRR. It's not exactly efficient in terms of pollution, but considering the engines are limited to 60 mph when in electric mode, it makes more sense for them to run on diesel most of the time so they can keep on schedule
I have heard the reason they switch early is due to issues with gaps in the third rail as well as arcing
I hear the same engine roar when I get off at Yankees/E153 street station when the train departs for Grand Central.
That ceiling in Grand Central has a semi-secret, it’s backwards… East and West were accidentally flipped when it was painted!
I used to ride up to Tarrytown quite often. It was a genuine pleasure, especially compared to the subway 😆
The views a truly incredible
It’s how I’ve been getting home (& to Manhattan) since I moved from Brooklyn to Yonkers 16 years ago. Still enjoy the ride, & the soothing scenery. Thanks for the video 👍🏻
Did you notice the #1 subway train at 8:07 crossing the river at Marble Hill Station? Marble Hill is actually part of the Borough of Manhattan, stranded there after the Harlem River/Spuyten Duyvil Creek was straightened.
You definitely know that they still have the remaining of the old Putnam railroad switching towers and half train tracks.
@@leecornwell5632 I haven't been by there in a long time, but I see some track next to the Major Deegan on Google Maps/satellite view. There even appears to be an engine and some other equipment. Is there still an active switch from the Hudson line? Is it used for anything?
4:46 that actually switch to diesel right after they leave grand central… turns out they’re not powerful on electric mode. So when they enter the park Ave tunnel, they start up the diesel motors.
Metro North should work on having USB ports in its railroad cars. Many buses already have them.
The New Haven Line does.
Actually the P32s switch to diesel as soon as they exit the tunnels because they are insanely limited in electric mode.
Really ?
@@SimplyRailway yeah they can only operate for around 10 minutes in electric mode (while not idling), the maximum speed is only 60mph (compared to 110 in diesel mode), among other limitations. They were designed as diesel locomotives that could pick up third-rail only so they can operate into NYC without causing trouble with diesel exhaust, and as such, they are better as diesels than electrics. Also, track 1 (NB express track) on the Hudson Line isn't electrified for some reason so train have to run in diesel mode anyways if they use that track.
I thought it was at Harlem
@@jg-7780 no it's an on-the-fly transition. by the time they reach 125th they're already in diesel mode
Nice video. I commute several times a month to NYC using the New Haven line. New-ish trains, very convenient and comfortable if not too crowded. It provides comprehensive schedules , and it is, in general, very reliable. Rain, shine or snow. No matter how many times I have taken this train, I always marveled at GCS once you get out of the platform dungeon. It always lifts your spirits. In sum, not a bad commuter service at all. Not especially cheap, though.
Rye to GCT years ago was $3.50 one way.
Very impressive video indeed and for the M7A Hudson Line these also exist in Train Sim World 2 Harlem Line. Dovetail games also made the Hudson line for Train Sim Classic meaning this video can be used to compare the train simulator classic version. In some situations DM30AC try running electric up to the last electric station Ronkonkoma services via Central Branch Babylon and Bethpage Montauk Branch via Hicksville Bethpage End Electric start Diesel. Port Jefferson Huntington (October 19th 1970 start of 750v DC Third rail) Oyster Bay East Williston. Harlem 125th Street End Electric mode for P32AC-DM.
Toilet is on the Odd Numbered Carriage. Max length for M7A is 10-12 carriages Hudson and Lower Harlem Lines. Upper Harlem Line trips to Southeast are 6-8 carriages the reason for it is to avoid the blowing up the substation.
VACMA (SNCF Terminology for Alerter) Switch for the M7A it's located on the back wall panel behind the driver so is the Train control switch. SNCF DB ÖBB CFF positive train control system is ETCS European Train Control System
Amtrak’s Lake Shore Limited was leaving from Grand Central relatively recently while they did some track work. Also, they are working on Long Island Rail trains coming into Grand Central. Seven levels down!
The trains in New York City and USA are massive. And yeah lots of leg room and comfortable seats as well.
An OK video. You should have expanded on your Amtrak comment by stating that their trains use the swingbridge at Spuyten Duyvel to access Penn Station. Will you be returning to GCT in early 2023? The new LIRR terminal beneath Grand Central Terminal is the largest passenger rail terminal to be built in the US since the 1950s and is on schedule to be completed in December this year.
The jackhammer at the opening sequence, brought back NYC memories :)
This must have been quite a while ago. Vanderbilt Ave has been open as a pedestrian plaza for over a year now and GCT hasn't been that empty since 2020.
He told us that it was 2020, early in the pandemic, when he recorded the video. He explained that was why the train was almost empty.
You were on the Poughkeepsie line. Next time take it all the day to the last stop. The best views arguably from GrandCentral.
The Hudson Line.
I rode Amtrak from New York (Penn Station) a few years ago, but had to divert to Grand Central as the Amtrak Empire corridor was closed from Penn Station to Sputyen Duyvil (connection to the Metro North line
Next time you’re in New York please take the metro north all the way to Poughkeepsie! Between Croton and Poughkeepsie is where the scenery is best and you get to ride through cute little railroad towns with amazing main streets.
Next stop should be the East Side Connect when it opens in late 2022. It is much deeper under Grand Central and allows travel to Long Island on the Long island Railroad.
Do you have a date by any chance? I will be returning NYC and Long Island first time in a couple years in October 2022.
Ah memories. I commuted round trip Croton-Harmon to GCT for several years. The distinctive whine of the engine as it takes off is imbedded in my sound memories. I made it a point to sit in the cluster of seats that faced each other on the way in to GST for a bit more leg room, and tried to get the seat that's in every other car that looked like the one next to the engineer on the way home. More leg room, and few people actively looked to sit there.
Too bad you didn't take it up to the end point in Dutchess County - the river views are fantastic, especially the Palisades at sunset. The trip in to the city also makes you realize just how close to the water the tracks are at times.
PS the cars do have power outlets, usually down close to floor level near the doors. Too often people will string their power cord across the aisle causing a tripping hazard, then get annoyed the cord got pulled by someone walking
🚶🚂✌️👍
✋ Good job 👏👌🤝
Wow nice view, I like to see new places ✌
Great movie 👍 Bravo 👋
And I have a new movie from a walk around the city 😊
Regards, DJ Janusz from Warsaw Poland ✌ 🇵🇱✋
I was very disappointed when the bar cars were eliminated on the New Haven line.
Remember the Tiki Bar car?
@@SicilianStealth Wish I could attach a Tiki photo I posted on Facebook✌️
Commuters can buy weekly or monthly tickets, which greatly reduces the cost of a single ride purchased for just one ride.
OK, I’ve been getting trains from Rotterdam CS to various places over the last week and that is a completely different experience (not least because I can just use an anonymous OV-chipkaart).
You missed the opportunity to walk around Grand Central. You saw the main hall missed the amazing wide escalator into what used to be called the Pan Am building. Very impressive and recognizable from dozens of movies. You also missed the floor with the restaurants and bars frequented by countless commuters and featured in such shows as 'Mad Men' etc. Its truly an iconic building.
I wish this line had more electrification. The entire water level route up to Albany should be electrified.
The State of New York will have to pitch in and pay for that. Amtrak's Empire Service is state subsidized. I work for Amtrak and trust me, that is far from a priority right now.
Heavy investment for that section of line might not be worth it. Those new Dual Mode Chargers are coming soon, after all.
@@metropod Dual-Mode will most likely be used the same way the P32AC-DM is already used. The only difference is that there’s a high probability that they’ll be battery powered instead.
@@deepnation10009 New York has been pitching in for track upgrades near Albany for years now. The Federal government deems it a important “high-speed” corridor.
@@banksrail If you truly think this going to happen anytime in the near future, you're in for an extremely looooooooooooooooooooong wait.
Dude! You have GOT to take Metro North Hudson Line up to at least Beacon. The river views are amazing!
I cant wait for the east side access to be completed so I can take the New Have line straight to the LIRR. Right now to get to Hempstead I would have to take the 4 to penn and then transfer to another LIRR at Jamaica.
In my opinion, you reviewed the higher quality train set. The other train set you wanted to review is older and more worn down, similar to the Boston commuter train
But the other train was powered by a bi-mode P 32 locomotive, so he could experience the change of power from auxiliary electric to full power diesel, on exiting the tunnel.
A good review. I would recommend next time you ride all the way to Poughkeepsie because you missed a lot of excellent scenery by getting off at Yonkers. Poughkeepsie you can take the line back or you can get the Amtrak to Albany from where you could go to Chicago Montreal or Boston not to mention Burlington Vermont.
Finally don't forget to review the Long Island Railroad and take the train all the way to Montauk.
Hey you came to my neighborhood in Yonkers, if I new I would come say hello. I’m originally from Argentina and loved the two videos you posted from there.
LETS GO! IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!!!
As soon as you're out of the tunnel, everything looks so nice 😁
Thanks Thibault! It reminds me of the Metro in D.C., which wasn't a bad way to get around when I was visiting...
Fun fact: did you know Grand Central has a hidden staircase?
P32s only service Poughkeepsie to Croton Harmon (as well as Ossining and Tarrytown)
Congrats as a Blues fan.
Thx
The p32 diesels (maxi-bombs) also make stops at Yonkers early in the morning and late evenings. And some also run semi-express on the weekends making some stops between Croton Harmon and GCT.
Amazing video! I have a suggestion: You should ride one of Metro North’s oldest trains; The M3A, they are soon to retire so I suggest you ride it while you still can!
The M9AS will replace all the M3AS on the metro North railroad. Just like the Connecticut metro North M8S are replacing all the M2 M4S and the M6S
I love Grand Central
I’ve been to Grand Central thousands of times ever since 2012. I normally take the Harlem line out of Crestwood bound for Grand Central. Sometimes during game evenings and game weekends at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx I would take the Yankee Clipper on the Harlem line which in fact we have two Yankee Clipper services but they run from 3 different locations to Yankees-East 153rd Street: Southeast to Yankees-East 153rd Street, New Haven-Union to Yankees-East 153rd Street, and Grand Central to Yankees-East 153rd Street. On all southbound Harlem line trains going directly to Yankee Stadium they would run completely local to Crestwood but they would run express after Crestwood but instead of making express select stops it would skip Tuckahoe and stop at Bronxville and then straight to Yankees-East 153rd Street but would would run full express up to Mount Vernon West after Yankees-East 153rd Street and then local up to Southeast. The New Haven line would go completely express after Stamford if not originating from Stamford would just go straight to Yankee Stadium from Stamford as for Stamford trains to Yankee Stadium they would go local until Mount Vernon East and then express to Yankee Stadium and same thing coming back. Otherwise I take the train to Grand Central, Croton Harmon, Tarrytown, Yonkers, Southeast, Scarsdale, White Plains, Valhalla, Bronxville, Tuckahoe, New Haven-Union, New Haven-State Street, Harrison, Mount Vernon West, Mount Vernon East, Botanical Garden, Woodlawn, Fordham, Harlem-125th Street, Crestwood, and further more
I am in Conn with a MNR station about 3 mins from my home. I love GCT, been there many times, mostly to visit MSG. Let's go Rangers !
I am a native New Yorker who no longer resides there. I must say I find it quite strange (and cool at the same time) that someone would get a kick out of taking trains that I took for years for work. I used to live on Long Island and took the Long Island Railroad almost daily.
Yes, your Metro North train looks exactly like to the trains on the Long Island Railroad.
Yeah, it becomes very routine taking train daily, to where, me included, get lost in my phone or catch a snooze while no longer paying attention to the actual train or any of the passing surroundings. I took the Grand Central to New Rochelle.
Also,, I lived in London for 4 years, and noticed many similarities between the trains in and out of London and the trains in and out of Manhattan
You should do a review on GO transit in Toronto Ontario
Nice video. I take Metro North from Croton - Harmon to the Yankees 153rd St station several times during the baseball season. I did not know Metro North switch from electric to diesel when the trains get to Croton - Harmon. You should travel north to Poughkeepsie. There is beautiful scenery along the way.
Never travelled by train from Grand Central but did have a very enjoyable dinner there one night many years ago in the Oyster Bar. I wonder if it's still there in the maze of tunnels between the tracks and the concourse. My father also spent a long time finding and photographing Track 29 at Grand Central as that was where he believed (in the song made famous by Glen Miller) the Chattanooga Choo Choo departed from....that is until I told him that if he'd paid more attention to the lyrics he'd have realised that it was "Pennsylvania Station at a quarter to nine" for the infamous "Choo Choo"!
The Oyster Bar is still very much there. It's on the ramp to the lower level, where it has been since 1913. The song is also incorrect: Pennsylvania Station has only 21 tracks. ;-)
@@roastawk Pleased to hear about the Oyster Bar! As far as the mysterious "Track 29" is concerned the lyricist obviously decided to take liberties as "nine" neatly rhymes with "time". Good job I didn't persuade my father to retake the photo at Penn Station though!!
I think you definitely deprived yourself of the amazing Hudson scenery by only taking such a short trip. Is there a trip in the works for the lakeshore limited?
Empire Service ;)
@@SimplyRailway right on!
great video
to ease your mind, each car is equipped with a engineers cab (so any car/pair could be used as a head end) the doors should be closed to the cabs in the “belly” however they are often left open as it is not a security concern. once the engineer keys into the controlling cab it renders all the other cabs “useless” it’s impossible to take any sort of control of the train, Even if you had one of the highly secured keys and tried to sit down and key in to any other cab the train would instantly know something is wrong and go into emergency braking and come to a stop until crew corrects the problem. plus anyone who did such a thing would be instantly caught (more cameras then a bank on each car) and definitely do some federal time… so no worries metro just likes to show off their state of the art cabs to passengers 😂
Well i was at Grand Central Station over last summer because my brother and i took the Metro North Hudson Line to Yankees East 153rd street for a baseball games with the New York Yankees.
Nice ride, definitely better than the LIRR’s M7s
I wish I could ride it, but I’m to afraid to use the subway to get from Penn to Grand. Once the east side access is ready I can. Remember, you are not allowed to move between the cars when the train is moving so I wouldn’t (suggest) recommend you do it
Howdy this used to be my commuter train when i worked in Midwtown 1.5 yrs prior to COVID. It is a bit of a premium price for public transport but is much better than regular super dirty MTA. It's this or Express buses for me when I use public transport unless i'm only closer to MTA lines and the commute is for a few local stops or going to central park.
Most of the notes that I had have already been made. But, I do want to give you credit for knowing to call it "Grand Central TERMINAL."
*Correctection, the systems that use it are Metro-North, Long Island Railroad, The NYC subway consisting of the 4,5,6,7 and S train, and in the near future possibly NJ Transit and Vision42.
Just wait until we finish the rest of grand central east side Access terminal. It's an expansion for the LIRR. It is WAY deeper underground then the main terminal and subway even. But it is going to look exactly like the hallways in Grand Central with the stores lining the sides and all. I was lucky to be part of that project and it's going to look incredible when it's all complete. I travel these almost daily from Croton Harmon or peekskill(depending on the time) the southbound express trains are the ones that are much older in style and lesser in quality. You had one of the good cars for sure. 👍
Finally a report on the Hudson Line. You can't be a railway enthusiast and not travel this line.
Whoa, easy there... I could say the same about so many lines in so many countries
Amtrak made the practically correct decision to run only out of Penn station. It’s obviously the only station that connects to the south end of the NEC. It could run Empire Service out of grand central, but then transferring passengers from other Amtrak lines would have to travel between Penn and grand central to catch their other service. Not very convenient.
Road the Hudson line many times lived in Tarrytown now in the Ossining area it’s a beautiful ride
I know this route VERY well
The line is only electrified to Croton-Harmon so if you buy a ticket for a longer ride than to Croton-Harmon, you get a P32 and Comet coaches.
The reason very few trains go to Grand Central is because it doesn’t have connections to everywhere
Having commuted for 30 years that is just fine with me. It does also serve Connecticut all the way to New Haven. A tunnel linking Penn station to Grand Central will be completed within the next year from what I'm told.
I really hate that US tv style 'And this is what's on today's video' before showing parts of the video. I want to be surprised and delighted,not see what happens beforehand.
No outlets or USB ports, but of course, this rolling stock was built long before such things were necessary.
But have you taken a Greyhound on the Hudson river line, seeing as you seem to be in a New York state of mind, and all...?
Legend has it that a guy in to tower once accidentally sent a commuter train to the tracks for the 20th Century Limited, resulting in a hoard of baffled commuters getting the red carpet treatment…
😀I Always wanted to meet you and you literally take the train right by my apparent in the BX.
If you would of walked to the front of the platform in Yonkers you would of saw the Kawasaki plant where the M7a's were made
The M7 and M7As were made by Bombardier. The M8 and M9 are made by Kawasaki.
The deffinley gonna make the M9AS from Kawasaki Yonkers or Nebraska I'm telling you that right now.
The shot for the preview of this video, where is that? Such a goos view.
Can you ride on the GO Transit train from Union Station in downtown Toronto to Barrie on the blue line (E)?
I like how the M7A seats in the big seating areas are set up like the way the M3's seat arrangement are/were unlike LIRR M7 cars
You should have went to the end of the platform at Yonkers and see if there were any M9 trains at the Kawasaki plant
Ok, why did you keep blurring stuff out?
I take the train to Poughkeepsie almost every Thursday.
Nice I love your videos so I’m going to subscribe
Great Video! Grand Central is such a strange mix. One of the most magnificent booking halls in the world, but the place where you actually get on and off the train is a grim, depressing, claustrophobic concrete bunker
I have noticed this pattern in many of his videos about the USA. Gorgeous and huge classic station halls that lead to shockingly dark and depressing underground platforms.
As a European it's certainly striking. Our best station halls pale in comparison to the American ones, but at least the platforms tend to be in open, luminous spaces
@@osasunaitor Train stations like Grand Central, and Penn Station in New York City were opened in the early 1910s, and much of the platforms were built underground as real state above the platforms were valuable in large cities like New York City and Chicago to name a few. And in the example in Grand Central Station, the platforms had to be built underground due to lack of space above ground. Similar to Penn Station but the much of the platforms were underneath Penn Station itself, and exposed inside the station house. Which made the platforms less claustrophobic than the current incarnation of Penn Station.
@@osasunaitor I wouldn't necessarily say this is truly exclusive to the USA and more that these stations have underground tracks when most are build overground. Even in Europe, many older underground stations (particularly covered and shielded from daylight) have a similar appearance as the Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal platforms. Grand Central Madison, the newest part of Grand Central, has a much brighter design than that of Terminal.
Bom dia simply metrô north railroad grad centro terminal in wew York
The plan is to have some Amtrak rerouted to Grand Central in the coming years. This will be a relief, ,so I don't have to use the subway after I come down the Hudson River and need to transfer to a MNR train to get to a NYC area concert.
What routes by amtrak
@@s125ish Don't 'member. If I find the info I'll paste.
@@ellenfalls1330 That plan already happened. It only happened for about a month a couple years back due to track work. There currently aren’t any plans for the services to come back.
@@banksrail Dissed-appointing. 😐
Been there many times and that station still amazes me
I’ve never been to New York so I’ve never been on any MTA vehicle
Excellent Sir as usual !!! :):):)
Nice video
+ 1 suscriber 😉
I saw the main hall in a madagascar film.
Great trip. It's sad to see this beautiful and enormous station currently only serving Commuter Trains.
until this isn’t a stub-end terminal (which won’t happen), that’s all GCT can really serve
I'm happy it doesn't I commuted for 30 years but Grand Central at the moment is a terminal no trains go beyond that point.
lol, the station looks like a big station with many long distance train services but the longest you can get from there on a direct train is New Haven State Street!😂
PS: You were wrong, some trains on the Danbury Line and New Canaan Line also depart from the Grand Central Terminal.
Metro north is my daddy bro
Yees. Tren.
4:51 Croton-on-Hudson Lol
Hi - This is my commuter train from Poughkeepsie to NYC. The views are very nice, but it looks like there is different seating for train that stop at Croton-Harmon. The northmost trains to POK have VERY OLD seats. MTA should upgrade these. Overall, good rides and their on time performance is excellent.
Soon there will be some long island rail road trains coming into Grand Central also. But still all commuters. I would love to get the Amtrak to Albany or Chicago out of Grand Central! It also houses a great food/veg/fruit market where you can pick up great breads, fresh pasta, cheese, etc. And just like the long island rail road, during normal times those bathrooms are never clean, never work, and you're better off to just wait if you can :)