24-07-01 PHOTOS: NYC Tourist Traps

Although I live on the Northeast Corridor I don't tend to visit New York City as much as one might expect. It's still pretty expensive to get there, even more expensive to stay there and with recent modernizations, the transit scene there is increasingly bland and pointless. However in the summer of 2024 a friend visiting from Arizona requested a day in NYC to so see a basket of NYC sights they had not seen on an earlier trip. Round trip Amtrak tickets were purchased and an itinerary established. Although I didn't get a ton of rail related photos, you can view them all here ( mirror ).

Day trips to NYC from Baltimore involve getting up early. Fortunately at this time of year its light out before 6am, so catching an Amtrak Regional at 545am wasn't all that uncomfortable. While waiting for our Amtrak train and ACS-86 #616, a southbound MARC commuter run with SC44 #80 stopped on the opposite platform.

While passing Philadelphia's Penn Coach Yard, I noticed that Acela II power car #2111 had been detached from first class car #3255. Also Amtrak Phase 2 heritage P42DC #130 was at the Race Street Engine Terminal.

Approach span beams were going up on the new Portal Bridge.

At New York Penn Station, ACS-86 #616 wound up platformed opposite Phase 3 heritage painted P32AC-DM #708.

Our trip downtown was made possible by R211 #4064 running on an A service.

We'd stumbled upon a great day weather-wise with the blue sky creating some interesting effects at the WTC memorial site.