I would appreciate any help you can give me about New York City. I will be going to NYC on business and wonder specifically if the Roosevelt Hotel (which is across the street from Grand Central, is a 4 star, a flop house or something in between? I plan to railfan at Grand Central ( assuming that’s still possible given the terrorist situation) and would appreciate any suggstions regarding hobby shops, model railroad clubs etc. etc that are convenient to this location. If the Roosevelt isn’t all that great, does anyone have any suggstions for better accomodations? Any help/suggestions would be greatly apprecited
You will want to be a bit more discreet when taking photographs… Here in New York City, the NYPD has been confiscating cameras whenever they see people shooting photos in the subways or train stations due to the whole post-911 situation. [:(]
You should be able to see some Metro North trains sitting in the terminals in the publically-accessible areas of Grand Central, but there won’t be much observable action though.
For mass-transit railfans, riding the NYC subway is a must. [;)]
There are no good hobby stores in Manhattan.
I would not try to railfain Grand Central Station as it is not easy to do with complete access, and, you won’t have complete access. I don’t find New York to be a good railfanning place in the city and there are other things to do when I have been there to keep me busy.
I don’t know that hotel but hotels in the New York are very hit or miss. Search the internet for reviews and pictures.
Red Caboose and Train Shop on 45th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues… I used to buy a lot of hard-to-find stuff from them (loco detail parts, scratchbuilding supplies, drills, etc.) when I used to commute into the city. I haven’t been there in years though so I don’t know if they are still good places to visit…
As far as railfanning goes, in Queens one can walk on the streets adjacent to the Sunnyside yards and see some Amtrak/LIRR/NJTransit stuff… It’s a rough neighborhood though. Sometimes you can also see Amtrak and Metro North action in the Bronx at Spuyten Duyvil… Very scenic area. There is also Fresh Pond in Central Queens where one can see some NY&A and LIRR action, but canbe hard to get to.
Railfanning on any MTA Metro North/LIRR property is legal so long as you stay in and on areas designated for the public. I know I received a letter stating the MTA’s photo policy. I know taking pictures in the main room of Grand Central is no problem since tourists do it all the time.
As for hobby shops, the Red Caboose and Manhattan Trains on 45th are okay. I only go into browse. The best store in terms of prices is Trainwold in Brooklyn. Take the F train to Ditmas Avenue and the store is right there.
Thanks guys, I appreciate it. We have been looking at B&Bs on the “Upper East Side” one in particular on 77th between York and the River. Is that a good area?
Yup, the Upper East Side is a nice area of Manhattan. As is true everywhere else in New York City though, you need to be street-smart-- Always be aware of your surroundings, don’t flaunt your valuables, stay in well-trafficked areas, etc.
Thanks for the help - We also have to get from NYC to Harford, Connecticut but I don’t seem to be able to locate an Amtrak connection that will get us there at the right time. Are there any other commuter railroads that go between these two places. I assume the LIRR runs only to Long Island.
One of the most interesting (and cheapest) railfanning trips you can make is to take Metro North from Grand Central to Poughkeepsie and back, preferably NOT during rush hour of course !! I took the trip in 1996, think it was about $17 for a round trip then. It uses the old New York Central mainline along the Hudson, so you get to see Harmon (where they used to change from steam to electric), Sing Sing prison (that’s why the term “sent up the river” came into use), West Point military academy, and many other very scenic sites. Takes about an hour+ one way, maybe a 2.5 hour round trip.
Yep, LIRR is Long Island only. To go north of New York City by train, you have to take either Metro North or Amtrak. Metro North doesn’t go to Harford though… It will take you only as far as Waterbury. Amtrak does have trains that go from Penn Station in NYC all the way to Hartford though. When you search in Amtrak’s schedule, search for Penn Station (NYP) to Hartford (HFD).
Hope this helps!
The Roosevelt Hotel is a nice older hotel. “Older” usually means small rooms, but it is still a nice place, and in a very good and very convenient midtown neighborhood.
I second the comments above about hobby shops
Well we finally nailed down a hotel - Millenium UN Hotel in Midtown across from the UN. We’re getting in on Saturday and plan to do the sight-seeing thing Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I have all day on Tuesday to bum around so I’d like to check out Trainworld if I can figure out how to catch the F Line to Ditmas in Brooklyn - Thanks DJLPhantom. I didn’t realize the NYSME was in New Jersey, since the 1950’s no less…I must not have gotten the memo. I was hoping there would be a club with evening hours on Tuesday so that I could attend an operating sesssion. The Model train Club, Inc in Union operates on Tuesdays but apparantly it’s for members only. Rats! I’ve been wanting to see that layout since the 70s when they first started at Union. The idea of aisleways that go under the railroad to avoid duckunders is super. Any other ideaas for operating sessions or clubs that allow visitors during the week?
Easy, you can catch the F train at 42nd Street in the center of Manhattan. Here’s a link to a map of the subway system. (Click on the map to enlarge it). You’ll see the route letters in small circles. The F train is one of the orange lines.
http://www.nycsubway.org/maps/route/
Regards
Ed
In Grand cental there is a rail museum and you can also check with the station master
There were tours of Grand central that were pretty good I don’t know if they still do them
they were only on certain days and times. Call them up now and find out If and when they still have them before you leave. OH by the way the tours were free.
There used to be two tours one was about the design of the building and the other mechanical how they operate and control the trains.
Good Luck and welcome to New York.
Mike
And about going to Hartford you could do it by commuter rail but you’ll need alot of time to make all the connections?
Thanks, guys.
Within the past three years, I have enjoyed these three attractions with my wife and two young girls:
Hell Gate Bridge, when viewed from Astoria Park, is a spectacular site in a nice setting. Here is a forum link about getting there and safety concerns: http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=63388
New York Transit Museum has an impressive display of equipment and other artifacts. They are located in an old subway station in Brooklyn Heights, another nice area of New York City.
A tour of Grand Central Station is fun and worth the time. I was a bit disappointed with it, however, becasue we did not spend much if any time out on the track platforms.
While we have ridden several times on Amtrak between Albany and NYC, someday, I would like to ride Metro North’s Hudson Line to Cold Springs. The view along the Hudson is gorgeous, and the town sounds very pleasant to stroll. I also understand that there are locations within hicking distance that are great vantage points for rail photography of the activity on the line.
I highly recommend getting around the city with with an unlimited-ride all-day fare card. Its cost is equivalent to about three single rides on the subway. So, it is a good deal, and it saves you the hassle of paying multiple fares in a day.
My only other advice is that when you are on a crowded street or subway train, carry your wallet in your front rather than back pocket. Take a couple security precautions, and throughly enjoy the city. It is a great place.
I wonder if that is now Manhattan Train & Hobby store (http://www.manhattantrains.com) advertised on p.93 of the 04/2006 issue of MR? They are located at 14 West 45th Street. I think that that falls right off of 5th Avenue.
The Red Caboose is the store in the basement on the northside of the street. Manhattan Train and Hobby is across the street. There was a January 15, 2005 NY Times article about the two stores. Apparently the owner of Manhattan Trains use to work at the Red Caboose. The guy left over some “differences” and opened his store across the street from his old boss. When i get bored, I sometimes drop into the two stores just to look around.