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Some Empire Service Switched to Grand Central Station

Some Empire Service Switched to Grand Central Station

Old Jul 21, 2017, 4:34 pm
  #16  
 
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Originally Posted by Brighton Line
No storage or staff to restock at NYG.
Ah. Makes sense!
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Old Jul 22, 2017, 5:06 am
  #17  
 
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Originally Posted by Brighton Line
No storage or staff to restock at NYG.
The trains using NYG all originate or terminate in ALB, and do not carry cafe cars.
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Old Jul 22, 2017, 11:42 am
  #18  
 
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Originally Posted by SCEflyer
The trains using NYG all originate or terminate in ALB, and do not carry cafe cars.
This is incorrect. They have the combined business+cafe car, at least train #235 on Thursday did.
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Old Jul 22, 2017, 12:17 pm
  #19  
 
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Originally Posted by physioprof
This is incorrect. They have the combined business+cafe car, at least train #235 on Thursday did.
The Empire Service schedule for train 235 (New York City/Albany) limits "On Board Services" to the following:

(1) Reserved Coaches
(2) Business Class, where non-alcoholic beverages are offered. Were you by chance travelling in business?
(3) Wi-Fi
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Old Jul 22, 2017, 1:27 pm
  #20  
 
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Originally Posted by SCEflyer
The Empire Service schedule for train 235 (New York City/Albany) limits "On Board Services" to the following:

(1) Reserved Coaches
(2) Business Class, where non-alcoholic beverages are offered. Were you by chance travelling in business?
(3) Wi-Fi
Regardless of any of that, it is incorrect that these trains do not have Cafe Cars. Train #235 on Thursday had a cafe car that included the business section, and there was no cafe service in that cafe car.
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Old Jul 23, 2017, 4:44 am
  #21  
 
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Originally Posted by physioprof
Regardless of any of that, it is incorrect that these trains do not have Cafe Cars. Train #235 on Thursday had a cafe car that included the business section, and there was no cafe service in that cafe car.
If I am following your logic, if the train was also hauling a non-operational sleeper, that was not listed as an on board service, you would argue that the train carried a sleeper.
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Old Jul 28, 2017, 5:56 pm
  #22  
 
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I noticed that Amtrak's "line up and wait for no purpose" boarding applies at Grand Central.

The platform (Track 38) is accessible from the north and the south.
The Amtrak train is the only train the entire station that is not Metro-North, and the only one in the entire station that has a color scheme and shape unlike Metro-North trains.
There was an Amtrak crew member near the south entrance to Track 38, directing people where to go.
The train had been serviced and looked ready.

So couldn't Amtrak just let people do as they normally do in Grand Central: just walk up and board?

Of course not. Passengers had to line up at the south end of Track 38 and wait before being allowed to board--even though to do so, for people coming from north of the station, required walking all the way to the south end of the platform just to stand there and wait.

Ridiculous.
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Old Jul 29, 2017, 2:55 am
  #23  
 
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Originally Posted by NYCommuter
... required walking all the way to the south end of the platform just to stand there and wait. Ridiculous.
Haha, sounds like they want to recreate the Penn experience of old...
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Old May 29, 2018, 7:30 am
  #24  
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I took train #244 yesterday from ALB-NYG. Why was there a MARC car on the front of the train, ahead of the locomotive? It was this one, #7745 :



I should have checked to see what was on the back of the train since that's the front of the train on the return trip NYG-ALB.
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Old May 29, 2018, 9:11 am
  #25  
 
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Originally Posted by nerd
I took train #244 yesterday from ALB-NYG. Why was there a MARC car on the front of the train, ahead of the locomotive? It was this one, #7745 :



I should have checked to see what was on the back of the train since that's the front of the train on the return trip NYG-ALB.
As I understand it, the cab car is used as the lead on some trains as a safety precaution. so that the engine crew would be able to exit through the front door of the car in the event of an accident. Amtrak apparently looked at using some retired FL-9's for this purpose, but that would have required that an exit door be cut into the nose of the unit.

You can find more on this subject at the following website, where the Amtrak forum has an ongoing discussion on this subject:

railroad.net
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Old May 29, 2018, 3:36 pm
  #26  
 
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Originally Posted by nerd
I took train #244 yesterday from ALB-NYG. Why was there a MARC car on the front of the train, ahead of the locomotive? It was this one, #7745 :



I should have checked to see what was on the back of the train since that's the front of the train on the return trip NYG-ALB.
Are Amtrak trains utilizing GCT again this summer? I didn't hear anything about this...
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Old May 29, 2018, 4:38 pm
  #27  
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Originally Posted by physioprof
Are Amtrak trains utilizing GCT again this summer? I didn't hear anything about this...
​​​​It looks like an email didn't go out this year.

The booking website at least makes the switch more transparent this year - if you try to book out of NYP it will present itineraries out of NYG along with a message about the station switch. Last year it would just return no trains.
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Old May 29, 2018, 4:52 pm
  #28  
 
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Originally Posted by nerd
​​​​It looks like an email didn't go out this year.

The booking website at least makes the switch more transparent this year - if you try to book out of NYP it will present itineraries out of NYG along with a message about the station switch. Last year it would just return no trains.
Thanks for info! I did a NYG-YNY run last summer just for kicks, will try to fit one in again this summer!
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Old May 30, 2018, 4:50 am
  #29  
 
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Amtrak engines do not have the escape hatch on the nose for the engine. Clearances in the Park Ave tunnel would not allow the engineer to exit the cab in an emergency.
So Amtrak has leased cab cars to be added in Albany while they are modifying enough engines with the escape hatch.
Trains are looped at GCT and have the cab car leading both directions.
ne52 likes this.
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Old Aug 31, 2018, 8:49 am
  #30  
 
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Summer isn't "quite" over, but Amtrak's Empire service will be once again using Penn Station starting Sept 4.

Bob H
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