Cool Cabride Video of the Empire Connector

[lo2e]

I've seen here on AU and other places people describing what the inside of the Empire Connector tunnel (used by LSL and Empire Service) into the west side of NYP looks like - just found this Youtube cabride video that takes you all the way from Spuyten Duyvil down through the connector and into NYP. The video was shot in 1994, has it changed much (if at all) since then? And is the speed of the train in this video typical? I'd imagine it is because of the tight corner in the tunnel, but wasn't sure. Doesn't look like a whole lot of room from the sides of the train to the wall!

Fast forward to about 13:20 to see just the entrance to the tunnel leading into NYP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7EblXyJh2g

 

[NY Penn]

Thanks! Awesome video.

The speed of the train seems typical for the tunnel. It's rather slow.

 

[TimePeace]

Very cool ... thanks

 

[jis]

The video was shot in 1994, has it changed much (if at all) since then? And is the speed of the train in this video typical? I'd imagine it is because of the tight corner in the tunnel, but wasn't sure. Doesn't look like a whole lot of room from the sides of the train to the wall!

The only major change is that the open space between about 8:15 and 9:15 is now mostly in tunnel under the Trump development. And of course the higher HP P32ACDMs accelerate a bit quicker than the woefully underpowered FL9s.

The cut under GW Bridge for a while had 20mph speed restriction due to loose rocks. This was fixed within the last 5 years restoring the speeds that you see in this video.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Nice video! Cab ride vids are always fun!

 

[Anderson]

The most interesting bit to me is the implied guaranteed Lake Shore-Meteor connection ("the Florida train will be on track twelve", and the implication that a lot of passengers may have been worried about making that connection...which the last few seconds show was a bit close...7:10 or so into Penn and then right back out at 7:25) in the 1990s, along with the LATE departure time for 49 (three hours later than today; of course, this was when the Broadway still ran, and I do recall that Amtrak synced them so that the Broadway ran earlier both ways, meaning that if you needed relatively early connections both ways, you could take the Broadway...and if you were connecting late, you could take the Lake Shore).

It's also amusing (to me, at least) that Amtrak did not seem happy about how tight 49 and 48 wre going to be.

As to the tunnel itself, that is /not/ as well-lit as I tend to remember it on most of my runs. I always remember it being rather a bit darker when looking out from my roomette. Of course, it's also nifty to see a clear view of the whole platform at Penn Station...I'm used to just seeing Penn from inside my roomette or coach.

When the train pulls into the station, there appear do be some coaches a few tracks to the left that I don't recognize the designs on (look about 16:13 and beyond; lots of windows and a red stripe below). Could I get a hand, or am I seeing things on the wall?

 

[trainviews]

Just curious - has it ever been considered to put in a north Manhattan station on that line? (like 125th st. being close to both subway and Columbia). Even if it is not far from NYP Manhattan is very dense, and a station for the Empire trains on the way down might see a fair amount of traffic.

 

[jis]

When the train pulls into the station, there appear do be some coaches a few tracks to the left that I don't recognize the designs on (look about 16:13 and beyond; lots of windows and a red stripe below). Could I get a hand, or am I seeing things on the wall?

The train that you describe is to the right, not the left, and it is a Turboliner used back then on the Empire Corridor Albany service.

Just curious - has it ever been considered to put in a north Manhattan station on that line? (like 125th st. being close to both subway and Columbia). Even if it is not far from NYP Manhattan is very dense, and a station for the Empire trains on the way down might see a fair amount of traffic.

Metro North has a plan to construct a couple of stations on the Empire Connection as part of their access to Penn Station plans.

 

[user 683]

Cool video! Many interesting details. Saw one of the Turbo consists on the right side as the train approached platforms.