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From: rib@desoto.UUCP (RI Block)
Newsgroups: net.railroad
Subject: Re: Turning the Seats Around
Message-ID: <229@desoto.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 23-Jan-86 09:46:25 EST
Article-I.D.: desoto.229
Posted: Thu Jan 23 09:46:25 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 24-Jan-86 22:21:14 EST
References: <1767@brl-tgr.ARPA> <2834@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Liberty Corner
Lines: 38

Suburban services which terminate at Penn Station
in New York (LIRR and NJ Transit) are not turned.
LIRR trains arrive generally arrive on Tracks 19-21 or so,
discharge and proceed to a storage yard just west of
the station. They are moved to Tracks 16-19 shortly before loading.
The "traditional" LIRR coaches (pre M1) had seats which were turned
by carmen (two hands, just walk down the aisle and flip).
I can't remember whether M1 seats are fixed, but I believe they are.

NJ Transit MU service generally use Tracks 1-4 as stubs 
and load from the same platform that they discharge on.
Locomotive hauled trains terminate on tracks which allow the locomotives
to "pass" on an adjacent track and couple to the opposite end.
I don't know which locomotives are used now, but they used to be GG-1's.

Amtrack services arriving from New England via the Hell Gate Bridge
(as in New York, New Haven and Hartford, sigh)
are through services. When the New Haven was in its prime, services
which terminated in New York used to go to Grand Central Terminal.

Amtrack services arriving from South and West can be turned on
a long loop in Sunnyside yard (world's largest ?) in Queens.
The Sunnyside yard is reached through the tunnels under the East River.
To allow for the turning traffic (when Penn station was first built
in 1905 - 1910 or so, trains were "it", no planes, no interstates)
there are 4 tunnels under the East river rather than the 2 under
the North (Hudson) river.  This tunnel capacity is now mostly
used by the LIRR.

Because of NYC tunnel regulations, all underground service
is electric hauled.
Diesel hauled services on the LIRR are now double-headed,
similarly most diesel hauled services on NJ transit are double controlled
if not double headed. This eliminates the labor involved in switching
the locomotives at terminals.

I have no official connection with any of this, so there might be
some inaccuracies.