Springfield is Here! plus a points run on early #236 from Yonkers down to Penn Station

Greetings from the ClubAcela in Penn Station where I’ve arrived after completing a YNY-NYP points run on the first Empire Service Train of the day to stop at Yonkers #236 to set up my day-trip to Philadelphia tomorrow and enjoy a second breakfast before a noon time appointment in midtown.

First I’ve rebuilt, and added tons of photos to Springfield–(142 Photos added) from my long stopover on Friday and the trip I made there a few weeks ago on my via Inland Route trip. These photos include the four platforms, stations both the modern one and facade of the historic one, plus two of the Heritage Locomotives (virtually my only photos of them stopping at station)

Todays Trip:

Getting to Yonkers I realized I was cutting it just a bit close, I leave the house at 9:00 on this Summer-like morning and decide to walk to 191 Street and get the 1 train through the tunnel to avoid dealing with 181 Street’s overcrowded elevators.

I get to 191 Street at 9:19 and just miss the 1 train. at 9:24 the next one comes and I get to 242 Street-Van Courtlandt Park at 9:33. I was hoping for the 9:30 Bee-Line bus to have a little more time. Luckily combined service is every 10 minutes during weekdays from 242 st to Yonkers on all the various incarnations of Bus Route 1 and Route 2 and peak-hour Route 3.

Route 2 pulls up at 9:40, schedule says I’ll arrive at 10:00 on this very warm day.

9:44 – Still in the Bronx. and delayed for a wheelchair. Bee-Line is high floor buses and I forgot how slow the lifts are. The Driver gets up to move seats, goes back to his seat to operate the lift, back to wheelchair at the potion to secure. We finally leave at 9:48. Wheelchairs have every right to be on the bus, I’m a big proponent of the ADA, it is just another reason to miss the train.

9:49 – arrive at the border in Yonkers. The ride is a bit slower than yesterday’s discharge only trip. The bus becomes standing room only.

We arrive 10:02 at the stop closest to the train station. I have a nice walk down to the station and stop to photograph the artwork, a Metro-North train arrives at 10:14 and my Amtrak train #236 comes in early right behind it.

Arrival time is 10:16, The usual two rear doors open. I’m the only passenger boarding or discharging and the conductor doesn’t bother to scan my ticket, simply checking me in via his iPhone. The train is so early that two people step off to quickly smoke. I see quite a few people in the cafe car. I find one open set of seats, its a bit more crowded then my afternoon trip yesterday. We leave on time at 10:18. I’m in a previously occupied seat with a New York post in the seat pocket that I glance at during the ride. The overhead luggage rack is empty, most passengers are day trippers into the city. The train feels quite well dressed.

10:25 – Pass track workers and over the Duyvil bridge. The path along the Hudson south of dyckman looks like its going to Just be a stub with a loop at the end and no legal connection further south.
10:31 – Northbound #281 passes us as we pass fairway and we go under riverside park.
10:38 – Go trough the tunnels of the west side line. At 38th st I notice an Amtrak owned (Bear, DE registered) fuel truck down on the tracks.
10:40 – reach the main electric tunnels, lights off entering the station on track 5 and we arrive 10 minutes early. I walk up to the ClubAcela as the usher is gathering passengers taking the silver star.

Just heard train 125, the Regional Train to Washington, DC and onto Norfolk, Virigina. That’s a new announcement! Then the Vermonter is announced and the ClubAcela attendant first announces it as Regional Train #56 before correcting herself saying the Vermonter to St. Albans, Vermont.