Archive for April, 2007
Monday, April 30th, 2007
Another One Rides the Bus
A co-worker relocated to Riverdale over the weekend, and started his new life as a commuter today. He has the option of taking Metro-North or an express bus. Today he took the bus. I asked him how it went.
“Fun,” he said. “I enjoyed it.”
I know, weird stuff. I told him as much.
“It’s a nice spring […]
No Comments » - Posted in New Commuter, Riverdale by TJ
Monday, April 30th, 2007
Ask Engine Bob
Q: If my Metro North train is on the underground level, why do I have to go to street level from the (underground) subway, only to descend again for my Metro North train? Shouldn’t I be able to stay underground when going from the subway to the Metro North?
A: Well, if you think about it, […]
3 Comments » - Posted in Ask Engine Bob, Engine Bob, Shuttle, William J. Wilgus by TJ
Friday, April 27th, 2007
An Old Commuting Veteran Shares
As promised, with Dad in town, we poked and prodded for a few tales from commuting into the city from decades past. Some highlights:
* The woman who boarded the train with a crowbar in the summer to open those sticky windows on the old Erie Lackawanna cars. (Air conditioning was limited to the ice in […]
No Comments » - Posted in Erie Lackawanna, M7, Uncategorized by TJ
Friday, April 27th, 2007
See You Next Year, Kiddies!
As Bring Your Child to Work Day wound to a close yesterday, one defining image of the day will stay with me. The 6:10 to Mount Kisco was somewhere between Valhalla and Hawthorne when a dad attempted to lead his young son from one car to the next as the train hurtled ahead.
Mind you, it […]
2 Comments » - Posted in Bring Your Child To Work, Uncategorized by TJ
Friday, April 27th, 2007
Straphanger Joe Ponders Train Delays While Stuck at O’Hare
O-Hairy
O’Hare Airport is not a happy place right now. Because of thunderstorms, all flights heading eastward have been cancelled. There were over 400 people on line at the American Airlines counter waiting to find out why they had been put on flights scheduled to leave Chicago the following evening.
I’m one of them.
I […]
No Comments » - Posted in Ranchero, Starbucks Story, Straphanger Joe by TJ
Thursday, April 26th, 2007
Explaining “Catenary Wires” To Your Kid
I spotted a few thigh-high tykes on the train this morning, and remembered it was Bring Your Kid To Work Day (formerly Bring Your Daughter To Work Day).
That got me thinking: If yesterday’s Great New Haven Line Debacle had happened a day later, or Bring Your Kid To Work Day had happened a day earlier, […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Bring Your Child To Work, New Haven Line, Rye by TJ
Wednesday, April 25th, 2007
There but for the grace of God sit I
My first glimpse of the Mamaroneck platform this morning told me something was wrong. There were way too many people standing around looking even less happy than usual.
While I’m used to standing on the ride home, not getting a seat in the morning is not something I can recover from easily so to preserve my […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Catenary, Mamaroneck, Metro North, New Haven Line, delay, getting a seat, sleep by G. Francis
Wednesday, April 25th, 2007
Commuting on New Haven Line Back to Merely Irritating
After this morning’s full-tilt debacle, the MTA says commuters on the New Haven Line can expect a normal commute. The problems this morning, which involved 90 minute delays, stemmed from a catenary wire that runs above the train (The crummy old cars on the New Haven Line rely on the catenary, whereas the sleek chariots […]
No Comments » - Posted in Catenary, New Haven Line by TJ
Wednesday, April 25th, 2007
The Church Witch
I see her maybe two days a week, climbing up a big hill as she mutters along to the rosary beads in her gnarled fingers. I see her when I’m walking to the train, and she’s walking to church, I presume.
She’s a nun. She’s old and wears the nun doo-rag. She’s unfriendly; seeing as we’re the only fools […]
No Comments » - Posted in Uncategorized by TJ
Wednesday, April 25th, 2007
No Haven on New Haven
As if a Noreaster turning Mamaroneck into a giant aquarium last week wasn’t enough, our sources tell us the New Haven Line is positively crawling along this morning. In fact, one beleagured (would-be) rider took it upon herself to seek out Trainjotting for help.
“Deborah” writes:
Can you please tell me if I’m likely to get into […]