Well today about four minutes before noon I (on a tip from the MTA’s website) was at Grand Central waiting for this, with quite a few other people (and members of the press, I am slightly annoyed at not having my website identified):
It was this train:
Running in this Service:
I got on to what was a very crowded train, later learning that Mayor Bloomberg was waiting at 86 Street for it but didn’t get on, finding the train too crowded for a fast ride up to the stadium:
There I hopped on the next 4 train to 167 Street and just got this shot as the train headed down the middle track south:
The train then stopped here for the better part of an hour right outside the stadium:
I gave up waiting for it and started getting the stretch of the lower 2/5 line that I had been meaning to do, doubling-back to get the artwork (taking full advanced of an Unlimited Ride card I was borrowing). I was on the street at Simpson Street when I heard that distinctive whistle and couldn’t run up the stairs in time for a photo. I took the next 5 train right behind it, running into another railfan to E 180th Street where we assumed it was going into one of the yards there. A cop there told us the train had gone by and he had missed getting a photo of it too (The opposite of many of my conversations with cops, asking me what I’m doing). There two more 5 trains came through before a 2 came in, we didn’t see it in the East 180th Street Yard or Unionport Yards and continued up to Wakefield-241 Street. There we descended from the street and could just make out the Low-Vs behind the security fence in back of the McDonalds.
At that point it was time for my second goal of the day, getting some more of Metro-North’s Lower Harlem Line. I realize that the extremely infrequent (about every 75 minutes) Bee-Line Route 26 is leaving in five minutes. I rush down and across the Bronx River Parkway just making it, I take it Bronxville and do my photo essay there (with the station closed!). Next is probably my nicest between stations walk ever, up the bike path along the Bronx River to Tuckahoe where I get my photo essay including stopping for a drink and getting some pictures inside the Starbucks-turned depot. I continue my nice walk up the river to Crestwood and walk over to White Plains Road just catching the 40 bus down to Mount Vernon East where I do a full photo essay including walking to the second exit from both platforms. I am still figuring out the where buses stop situation in downtown Mount Vernon to get me to the subway (and have realized that I might as well just walk one of these days) and see the infrequent (maybe six trips a day 54) and take this oddball route that doesn’t really enter the Bronx but follows the boarder street (Muddy Lane) and get off at 241 Street, walking by the yard again, not seeing the Low-Vs.
It is a disaster getting home and I should have just taken the subway south all the way. The 2 train is fine to Pelham Parkway but than I forgot just how bad the Fordham Road traffic (especially going across the University Heights Bridge) would be on the Bx12SBS and it took me over an hour in total to get back to 181 Street.