25-08-09 PHOTOS: One For the Road

In August of 2025 there was a lot of change afoot in the northeast from new Acelas, to new infrastructure to new NYCT Subway rolling stock.  An invitation to visit the International Photography Museum in Manhattan gave me the opportunity to catch a lot of this change in progress and ostensibly say farewell to many long time staples of the region (even if the actual retirement dates were still one or more years in the future). 

This was going to be a single day trip so my day started quite early at the BWI Airport Rail station where ACS-86 was leading my 6am Regional train to New York City.

The track #1 platform at BWI was in the midst of a partial reconstruction. 

Passing by the Penn Coach Yards were for Acela NG trainsets were awaiting their entry into service later that month,.

The Acela NG power cars are numbered in the 2100-series like #2133 seen here.

The new Amtrak Hackensack River bridge as seen from the 1910 PORTAL movable bridge. All structural work had been completed on the new crossing and work had shifted to completing the trackbed, overhead catenary and signaling. 

Despite platform access issues, the new Penn Station train hall has been a pretty resounding success since it opened. 

A brand new R211 on the A. The International Photography Museum was located near the Essex Street station which meant a fairly simple transfer to an F at W. 4th St.

Unfortunately a service disruption/weekend change forced me to take a D train to Grand St instead. Here a pair of north and southbound D trains meet at West 4th. 

The reason for the service disruption became evident on the return trip when I found work equipment blocking the local track at West 4th. The equipment included R47 #67, R41 #59 and deicing car #RD439. The locomotives were built by General Electric in 1968 and 1975 as extensions of their popular 45-ton series. 

23-11-04 PHOTOS: Grand Central Madison

In 2023 the opening of East Side Access, partly rebranded as the name of its new terminus Grand Central Madison, was all the rage. While the excitement would soon turn to disappointment as the LIRR completely botched the resulting service changes, the new GCM remained a must see, so myself and a friend arranged a day trip to NYC with plans to visit PORT interlocking and tower in Freeport, Long Island, traveling into GCM and getting some clean up photos at the M Cabin drawbridge in Long Island City. On the day of the trip I even achieved an unanticipated bonus goal of getting an extended amount of rear facing NEC photos from the back of my NJT train into Penn Station. You can see the full set of photos here ( mirror ).

First up we have an NJT NEC line train comprised of single level stock and a leading Comet V cab car, stopped at MENLO interlocking to wait for my train to pass by and platform at Metropark while a southbound Amtrak Regional train led by ACS-86 #637 pulls away on track #4..

Westbound signals at UNION interlocking with an NJT ALP-46 just visible at the Rahway platform on Track #B.

The DOCK drawbridges, tower and PATH ramps.

Amtrak MoW MP15D at Manhattan Transfer.

PORTAL bridge with the new bridge construction to the right.

NJT ALP-45 #4516 at ALLIED interlocking.

Video from the rear window of the entire North River tunnel from BERGEN interlocking to Penn Station.



Arriving New York Penn Station.

Heritage painted Amtrak P32AC-DM #713 waiting to depart with an Empire corridor train.

LIRR M7's #7692 and #7448 adjacent to Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad milepost zero.

LIRR Babylon Branch M7 #7565 passing the 2E position light mast signal at PORT interlocking. PORT was re-signaled around 2005, just before the LIRR stopped installing new position light type signals.

An inbound Babylon Branch train bracketed by M7's #7739 and #7188 arrives at Freeport.

23-01-15 PHOTOS: Elmont

As the LIRR steps up its efforts to replace its position light signals with Metro-North-like dwarfs I scheduled a trip up to NYC to visit the new Elmont station that conveniently provided a vantage point from which I could photograph more parts of QUEENS interlocking, that was in the midst of bring reconfigured for the Main Line Third Track Project. An additional plan to travel out on the Port Washington branch was thwarted by another re-signaling project being completed so instead I took the 7 line out to Willets Point for Corona Yard and LIRR photos there. The full set of photos can be found here ( mirror ).

My day got off to a bang with my first ever ride on an LIRR M9, #9034 to be exact. As expected the UX was no different than an M7 with the same union-friendly blind cab doors. Maybe I'll finally get something better with the M11's in 2040.

Pulling into Jamaica I spotted a train of M3's adjacent to JAY tower.

LIRR M7's #7366 and #7848 passing in JAY interlocking.

LIRR M7 #7595 and #7492 at Jamaica Station.

HALL tower and M7's #7573 and #7727 passing in HALL interlocking.

LIRR MP15AC #165 on one of the HALL storage tracks.

LIRR DE30 #423 passing through HALL's eastern approaches en route to Jamaica.

Due to the lack of Elmont service outside of events I got off and Queens Village and walked the remaining distance. Even if trains had been stopping I would have been inclined to do the same since Elmont is across the border with Nassau County where my $5 ShittyTicket wouldn't apply. Here is a video of my outbound LIRR M7 train departing Elmont and heading through QUEENS interlocking towards Hempstead.



QUEENS interlocking is the junction where the Hempstead branch and Belmont spur split from the Main Line to Hicksville and points east. Until recently this involved a 4-track wb local-wb express-eb express-eb local configuration turning into an wb Main eb Main wb Hempstead eb Hempstead via a series of 80mph high speed turnouts that were installed when the QUEENS tower was first re-signaled in 2005. Looking west from the Elmont ADA overpass we can see two of the 2005 HST's as well as the old QUEENS medium speed crossovers used by Belmont and some westbound Hempstead trains.

The Elmont station was a political project championed by Governor Cuomo as an alternative to direct service to the UBS Arena via the Belmont Spur. It's placement in the middle of QUEENS interlocking and the new crossovers needed for Hempstead locals to serve the Elmont platforms resulted in there being insufficient space for a new set of 80mph HST's planned to support the new Main Line 3rd track. As a result new standard speed crossovers were installed and the #3 Signal Bridge was replaced by ground mounted signals due to altered switch locations.

The silver lining is that the Elmont platform provides a photo vantage point for the previously inaccessible westbound position light cantilevers that were installed in 2005.

22-10-14 PHOTOS: City Position Lights - Part 2

In part one of my fall 2022 LIRR Main Line position light trip I traveled to New York City and visited three PRR style amber position lit signal locations between Q Gardens and Woodside on the LIRR Main Line. In part two I will continue on to the Hunterspoint Ave area to check out M CABIN on the "temporarily" out of service Main Line Cutoff over Dutch Kills in addition to late afternoon action at the Hunterspoint LIRR station. I'll then wrap things up by catching an outbound peak period <6> Express train to Parkchester. You can find the full set of photos here ( mirror ).

After getting back on the Queens Blvd line at Grand Ave, I transferred to R188 #7261 on the (7) at 74th St and took it to Hunterspoint Ave.

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Back on surface streets I caught sight of an R188 train on the (7) ramp adjacent to the LIRR yard full of brand new M9's including #9093.

I also caught Amtrak ACS-86 #618 with a southbound Regional entering Line 2 en-route to Penn Station.

The LIRR Main Line freight cutoff served the old Sunnyside freight yards, allowing trains to reach the non-electrified Montauk Branch in an eastbound direction and avoid trying up the high density Main Line. With the decline in NYC industrial customers and the replacement of the Sunnyside freight yard with passenger yard and shoppe facilities, the Cutoff has been functionally abandoned. Previously accessed by ramps from F interlocking (part of the former PRR Sunnyside Yard complex), today the single remaining track has been largely reclaimed by nature as seen here under the Large Island Expressway.

Nevertheless, the line's movable bridge over the Dutch Kills, is still an active, although out of service, interlocking station. The westbound distant signal stands at the top of the F interlocking ramp and, despite the colorful artwork, is still lit and was displaying a PRR manual block Caution indication.

This section of the cutoff had also been commandeered by a local urban farm.

22-10-14 PHOTOS: City Position Lights - Part 1

As the supply of interesting signaling rapidly dries up I have been looking to the New York City region where, despite its best efforts, the LIRR still operates a large amount of amber style PRR signaling. Of course getting signal photos in an urban environment comes with its own set of challenges with restricted right of way access and frequent service. In the fall of 2022 I ventured out to get photos of LIRR position lit automatic signal locations on the Main Line between Woodside and Jamaica (covered here in Part 1) in addition to the quasi-abandoned M CABIN near Hunterspoint (covered in Part 2). I also hit up some towers on the NYCT Subway as well as a <6> express run between Route 125th St and Parkchester. The gallery of photos can be found here ( mirror ).

I started things off at the BWI Airport Amtrak station with an Acela train to NYC led by power car #2035.

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Departing 30th St Station, three Acela II sets were in the Penn Coach Yard awaiting their 2023 entry into service.

At New York Penn Station was ACS-86 #646, numbered as a tribute to New York (or New Jersey's?) most famous area code.

Amtrak Phase III heritage P32AC-DM #715 also at Penn Station.

If you have lounge access or a pass, the new Penn Station lounge has is a great way to avoid paying for costly city food. I stopped by while connecting between Amtrak and the LIRR.

Down on the NYP wide platform my LIRR train to Q Gardens arrived with #7482 on the rear end.

After arriving at Q Gardens I got this photo of LIRR M7 #7219 passing one of the new pedestal signals for the new ESA related extension of JAY interlocking that consisted of a new trailing point crossover between Main Line tracks 1 and 3.

<6>Here is an eastbound train of LIRR M7's passing through the Q Gardens station with #7504 on the front and #7285 on the rear as it slows for the work crew and signals at JAY.

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