21-05-01 PHOTOS: Moynihan Train Hall and TWA Hotel

A lot of people were talking about that new Moynihan train hall so when presented with a need to pick someone up from JFK Airport I decided to make a side trip one block to the west to see what all the fuss was about. Once I was in the mood for retro travel experiences I also killed some time in the new TWA Hotel built in the old TWA Flight Center structure. The full set of photos can be found here ( mirror ).

Starting off at BWI Airport Rail Station with Amtrak ACS-86 #654 leading Train 20, the northbound Crescent at speed on the center track through the BWI Airport Rail Station. The lack of LD service to BWI is a bit of an annoyance after I moved out of the city.



This was followed by my northbound Regional arriving with Amtrak ACS-86 #610 in the lead.

SEPTA Silverliners IV #433 and #440 at 30th St Station.

Here we have east and westbound PATCO trains arriving simultaneously at 8th and MARKET.



PATCO Rebuild #1071 at Haddonfield.

RiverLINE LRV #3518 southbound at Bordentown.

Amtrak ACS-86 #656 pushing a Keystone set out of Trenton.

SEPTA Push-pull set at Trenton with cab car #2408 and ACS-86 #906.

The east facade of the Farley Post Office building was still under renovation, but branding for the Moynihan Train Hall had been applied.

Inside, the Moynihan Train Hall was very nice, but still pretty empty as COVID was still holding back travel.

The distance of the waiting room from the boarding escalators where passengers are still expected to queue will likely discourage people from actually waiting in the waiting room.

Overall the hall was very high quality, but not somewhere I would actually wait due to the disadvantages in securing a reasonable boarding position.

Across the super-block the Hotel Pennsylvania was still standing and the LIRR's new esclator headhouse was complete.

LIRR M7 #7424 at Penn Station.

LIRR MP15AC #153 with M7 #7473 arriving inbound at Jamaica.

HALL tower and interlocking looking eastward.

Jamaica stations new track 11 at Platform F.

The new south side storage yard with three sets of M7's.

The Jamaica station concourse.

On the AirTran AirTrain I opted to video the run between Jamaica and Terminal 5.



the TWA Hotel was the solution to preserve the historically significant TWA Flight Center terminal at JFK Airport. Left unoccupied for over a decade, the dated terminal was built in a time before security and jet bridges and was completely unsuited to modern air transport.

The theaming was spot on with not only the building restored to its 1960's appearance, but also applied to hotel operations and a liberal sprinkling of artifacts and vehicles.

The original split flat displays have been restored to working condition and now display a simulated period schedule.

The landmark Tubes lead to the hotel wings, one of which featuring a rooftop pool that provides a front row seat to JFK airport operations.

The pool deck also provides a view of the AirTrain's Terminal 5 station and the historic Flight Center Plane Hall..

Perhaps the most interesting artifact was a Lockheed Constellation that now serves as a cocktail lounge.

The escape from New York was made via automobile and the Outerbridge Crossing, but I did get these photos of Coney Island Yard and Shoppes from the Belt Parkway with some historic subway cars in view.

Well I hope you enjoyed the set because next week I'll be back with another as my houseguest would require a return trip to JFK.