Happy 100th Grand Central Terminal!!!

Of note, Grand Central Terminal turned 100 years old last Saturday - the second of February.
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Thank you architects, Charles Reed, Allen Stem, Whitney Warren, Charles Wetmore and Alfred Fellheimer for a great design that is still immensely successful as it was in 1913. It’s too bad Penn Station did not make it to 100. Would be interested in member’s past experiences/recollections of GCT and even some pics.

Thanks Mike

Great link with great pics.

Chuck

The February issue of Railfan & Railroad has a cover story on the 100th anniversary of Grand Central Terminal.

http://www.railfan.com



-otto-

Thanks Otto. I will definitely pick up a copy. Great looking cover too.

My attached picture is another new revelation for me. The photo was taken in 1923 and shows the New York Elevated on 42nd Street in front of most of the terminal. I was unaware of this history. I’m sure the architects for GCT were happy to see it eventually demolished as well as the local property owners.

Chuck-

Nice photo!

Chris I know you didn't ask but by the time the new Grand Central opened the spur off the Third Avenue El (which is the line pictured) was part of the Interborough Rapid Transit aka the IRT. The spur was removed in 1923.

The IRT had acquired the Third Avenue El (and the Grand Central spur) in 1902 on a long-term lease (I think 500 years) from the original operator, the Manhattan Railway Co., which had taken over New York Elevated Co. (the builder) soon after the Third Avenue line opened in the late 1870s.

Just ran across this in the PRRT&HS chronology while looking for something else and felt that I had to post It somewhere:
On Jan. 7, 1929 the eastbound 20th Century Limited ran in 7 sections, and the Southwestern Limited in 4 sections for the New York Automobile Show. In all, 266 sleeping cars arrived in GCT between 5.00 and 9.50 am (Railway Age). Just another day ...

That is amazing. Thanks for posting that ExCon90.

Two comments, first, as I saw on a NY Central-produced film, operating the Century in multi-sections was a tough job. Because Central tried mightily to ensure each section was Century-worthy, with equivalent dining cars, menu, club cars etc.

The other thing is, according to some former Central employees Grand Central was partially responsible for the amount of sections operated. The short platforms made it difficult to handle overflow by adding cars and lengthening consists.