Archive for February, 2007
Thursday, February 8th, 2007
World Record In 15-Block Dash
Lordy, what an ordeal in catching the 6:33 yesterday. I left the office with 13 minutes to spare, two minutes less than I prefer. I got to the 28th Street station just as the 6 train was ready to depart. I ran to the turnstile. So did another guy, and we both paused in an […]
2 Comments » - Posted in 28th Street, 6 train, 6:33, Grand Central by TJ
Thursday, February 8th, 2007
New Haven Line Hell
Rough week for our New Haven line brethren. First, a train jumps the tracks in Grand Central, leaving several hundred commuters stuck on the train in the bowels of Grand Central. Then several trains bypassed Mamaroneck and Larchmont this morning after a car hit a train in Rye, leaving commuters waiting…and waiting…and waiting… in the 15 degree […]
No Comments » - Posted in Larchmont, Mamaroneck, New Haven Line, Rye by TJ
Wednesday, February 7th, 2007
“I’m a Widow and I Have Children”
I hadn’t seen this in forever. A beggar on the subway, like it was 1996 and Rudy G hadn’t yet banished the squeegee men to wherever it is that squeeguee men go. “I’m 36 and I’m homeless,” she said on the uptown 6 train at 5:58.
She was white, with mousy brown hair. She wore a […]
2 Comments » - Posted in 28th Street, 6 train by TJ
Wednesday, February 7th, 2007
Ask Engine Bob
Q: Engine Bob, Why does my morning train take 48 minutes, while my evening train—with the exact same stops—takes 42 minutes? Does it take longer for people to get on than get off?
A: First, pat yourself on the back for picking up on a detail that 99.98% of commuters have never noticed. We’re going to […]
No Comments » - Posted in Engine Bob, Grand Central, Schedule-padding, Stamford by TJ
Monday, February 5th, 2007
Westchester’s Wintry Mix
As I left the office at 5:30 on Friday, cold rain was landing on Manhattan. As the 5:46 climbed into the Bronx, sleet was befalling our Boogey-Down brethren. But up in Westchester, the white stuff was falling. As if the county wasn’t white enough!
If you were wondering exactly where the sleet turned to snow, it was between […]
No Comments » - Posted in Bronx, Westchester by TJ
Monday, February 5th, 2007
Word of the Week: O.Seat.D
O.SEAT.D. \Oh Seet Dee\ noun: Obsessive-compulsive affliction affecting the neurosystems of many longtime commuters in which they need to sit in the same seat on the train each day, and become highly agitated should another rider be in “their” seat.
3 Comments » - Posted in Word of the Week by TJ
Sunday, February 4th, 2007
About Those Pants-Ripping Armrests…
We’re hearing a lot about the armrests on the new M7 cars, and the rip job they do on unsuspecting commuters’ trousers. The NY Times Westchester section had an editorial wondering if it was fiscally wise to spend $5.7 million to replace them, pointing out that it would take to the year 2294 to reimburse […]
3 Comments » - Posted in Armrest by TJ
Friday, February 2nd, 2007
“Stephen”
“Stephen” rides my train. He’s a husky fellow, in his mid 30s, and he’s eating a muffin most times I see him. He looks a bit like that actor Richard Kind, who you’ve seen on Spin City and Mad About You. He gets off in White Plains. Stephen is mentally handicapped. (Of course, Stephen is not […]
No Comments » - Posted in White Plains, iPod by TJ
Thursday, February 1st, 2007
Ask Engine Bob
Q: Engine Bob, I got used to seeing those old-style diesel locomotives pulling my train and then suddenly a few years ago they all disappeared. What happened?
A: Those old engines were among the last relics of post-WWII railroading still in regular passenger service anywhere in America. The official name for the locomotive you remember […]
No Comments » - Posted in Amtrak, Engine Bob, Metro North by TJ
Thursday, February 1st, 2007
Budget Woes For MTA
According to yesterday’s Times article, the MTA is some $1.4 billion over budget on a five-year plan to overhaul subway and commuter stations, extend the 7 train line, and build the elusive 2nd Avenue subway (the ETA for the latter is around 2096, according to Trainjotting estimates).
Perhaps the only positive is that the budget woes […]