Amtrak on Manhattan's West side

[Anonymous]

Whatever you might have heard in NYP, it was not a diesel. At New Haven New York bound trains would change engines from diesel to electric. It took about 20 minutes. There was time to go into the station an make a phone call.

I remember the rows of pay telephone booths in NYP.

[rcdrye]

It turns out (as usual) the answer on shoes is more complex than it looks.

NYNH&H’s first order of FL9s were delivered (or retrofitted) with air-powered movable shoes. EMD came up with a profile that favored GCT’s underrunning third rail but would still work on PRR/LIRR third rail at Penn. I’m not sure if the second order were fitted with the same equipment, but since every possible accessory was left off of the order (GCT roof pans, nose MU, etc.) it wouldn’t surprise me if the movable shoes were left off, too. As maintenance deteriorated on the NH, the movable shoes were victims. After a bunch of shoes got knocked off at Woodlawn by the big C-shaped castings at the end of the third rail SOME of the FL9s were refitted with fixed shoes. The practice of running engines in GCT and Penn had more to do with being afraid of shutting the engine down due to bad batteries and air systems than with third rail.

Amtrak’s P32s were built to have movable shoes that could be usable on both styles of third rail, but are only set up for two positions, up (stowed) and overrunning. MNCRs P32s have fixed position shoes for underrunning third rail.

[John_WR]

No, it was the same FL9’s we had going out of Springfield. I walked to the head end at NYP to watch them be exchanged for the GG1 To Philly.

Who are you gonna believe, Henry? Me or your own eyes?

But I have to say that was an unusual run.

[John_WR]

I remember the rows of pay telephone booths in NYP.

Along with a clerk. You could give her your phone number, she would send you to a phone and you did not need to put coins in the slot. You paid her in cash.

[timz]

Only pics I’ve seen of NH FL9s at NY Penn were circa 1969-- anyone know when they started running there?

[henry6]

Whatever you might have heard in NYP, it was not a diesel. At New Haven New York bound trains would change engines from diesel to electric. It took about 20 minutes. There was time to go into the station an make a phone call.

I remember the rows of pay telephone booths in NYP.

Ironically, Murray…I was going through my “stuff” a week or so ago and found a “Map of New York City Subway & Elevated Lines” distributed by New York Telephone Company with key to street numbers in Manhattan, instructions on how to dial calls from the city coin telephones, a fold of typical rates and another about different types of toll calls, a few other phone company information/advertising including a fold touting “Attended Public Telephones” at the AT&T Building, RCA Building, Port Authority Bus Terminal, Grand Central Terminal and Pennsylvania Station! It is a Hagstrom Map, and is in the late 40’s early 50’s style, is copyright, but no date…