24-12-29 PHOTOS: Holiday Crowds

It's that time of year again for the NYCT Subway Holiday train and unfortunately it seems that the NYCTA is running out of ideas when it comes to potential routes as for 2024 the train was running a split F-Q service between 2nd Ave and...2nd Ave (at 96th St). As the NYCT Subway Holiday Train has broken away from being just a thing for train nerds, the result has been crowds of riders that have impacted the user experience with all sorts of crowds and cosplayers that, while interesting, might be better off confined to whatever the art deco version of the Jacob K Javitts Centre is. Anyway, I don't get up to New York City as much as I should so this was my excuse. You can check out the full set of photos here ( mirror ).

This year I would be starting off from Baltimore as I had to return after Christmas for an event. The process started out with the good open of catching SEPTA's Conrail heritage Silverliner IV set in the middle of an outbound train at 30th St Station. My train to Market East was headed by Silverliner V #733.

To save on transport and parking costs I would drive to Bordentown to then take the RiverLINE to Trenton and connect with the NJT NEC line. To catch the 10am Holiday Train departure puts me at Trenton around dawn where I found my train waiting on the South High track. Don't let this westbound Medium Approach fool you, this signal was just displayed for PTC purposes.

This year's Holiday Train had R9 #1802 appropriately on the rear and R1 #381 on the front.

It will be interesting to see if this time traveling news man warns the past about the rise of fascism or the decline of print media.

Even the last car of the first run was pretty crowded starting off from 2nd Ave. All those urbanists who fawn over density need to go fuck themselves. In 2008 one could have had most of the car to themselves. Not even attempting to fight for space at the front window, I barely managed to get some rear facing video on one of the southbound trips.

This situation extended all the way to 96th St where the crowd filled up most of the double-wide island platform.

It was interesting to see the R1-9s paired with the R46's that both replaced them and were the process of being replaced.

The cosplay crew was now performing photo shoots on the platform stairs and inside the cars.

The Transit Museum even supplied a cosplay conductor as the road conductor had to wear an anachronistic high vis vest.

Crowing in the center cars could best be described as "crush".

First of many, NYCTA R1 #100.

Back at Penn Station I was book to Trenton on a Keystone that was actually cheaper than an NJT ticket. Power was ACS-86 #619 and the Metroliner cab car was #9646.

Amtrak Phase III heritage painted P32AC-DM #701 was on the adjacent track with an Empire service train.

Amtrak #619 at Trenton along with Silverliner V #830 and SEPTS ACS-86 #907.

The return trip to Bordentown was courtesy RiverLINE LRV #3501.

On one hand its great that the Holiday Nostalgia train has proved to be so popular, but on the other what's the point if the user experience is so degraded putting them in the same bin with activities such as Broadway musicals, skiing and bemusement parks. :-(