O/T—Emergency Escape train for President under MSG

I read in the NY Post that there is a train on standby as one of many alternatives should there need to be an evacuation of the President or other high officials from the Republican National Convention. I recall that there was such a train a few blocks above Grand Central Station at the Waldorf Astoria when the President was in that part of NYC. The Post mentions that also.

Interesting. Which company would it be (NJ TRANSIT, AMTRAK? etc.) I would think they'd have an Amtrak Train as the standby train.

If it were me in charge? An LIRR train. Here's why:

• Who's going to suspect it? It's the President. You'd expect him to be on Amtrak. You've immediately put him where he's not expected to be. This is good.
• 4 tunnels to LI, plus potentially being able to back to NJ to the ends of the rail there. Very flexible.
• Can go to Ronkonkoma, and will get lost in the LIRR's typical traffic. Makes it hard for the bad guys to track it. Ronkonkoma is next to an airport that's 'good enough' to get him out of the area, if air service is shut down in the immediate NYC area.
• The LIRR's service reliability would thwart even the best terrorist attempts - it's just too random (j/k guys )
• If it was ever needed, there'd inevitably be a stuck Amtrak train in both tunnels... *rolls eyes*
• There's always plenty of room onboard those Ronkonkoma trains!
• There's always a few LIRR trains in there anyway. Just pick one and GO.

Get the president to the nearest frieght yard and put him and his crew in a box car. Now nobody would expect that. You probally wouldnt even have to move it either. lol...

And if you had to, just slap it on the end of a local frieght or something simple...

whatever, probally a bad idea but ive been up a long time today so im not all 100% here...

Most of the week, it has been an ALP46 and a P40 or P42 or whatever they are, in the low 100 series, and an Amfleet coach or two.

The train has been parked either on track 3 or 4, but mainly track 3. Access to that plafrom has been forbidden, adn all the entraces are taped off, with lots of various police agencies being close by in the concourse areas....

I read the article too, it stated that the train was provided by Amtrak. It also stated that the train was always ready to go in case something happened, but needed to be changed out regularly because "trains can't be left on for long periods of time." In a case like this, does a crew need to sit in the train and wait?

In the event that the President needed to use the train, it would have traveled to New Jersey via the Hudson River Tunnels, so it is interesting that there were P40s down there.

One day, I think it was monday night, it was a hhp8 and the p40. But all other times i saw it, it was a '46.

My guess would be that there was a diesel because incase the power was shut down or damaged, they would just power through it with the diesel. With the president trying to get out of town in an emergency like that, I would think all rules would be out the window, and if they had to, they would run the diesel through the tunnel.

Sounds like a good job to pull. Bring along a good book and a pillow.

Don't have to worry about the DS stabbing you or anything like that...

I can see the form D issued for that train

"To C and E - Pres Xtra"

"All rules and regulations pertaining to the operation of this train are suspended for this train only. Proceed at fastest safest speed to safest location. Disregard all signal systems, railroad will be lined for this train, regardless of signal indication, to a predetermined location"

Jtgshu wrote:I can see the form D issued for that train

"To C and E - Pres Xtra"

"All rules and regulations pertaining to the operation of this train are suspended for this train only. Proceed at fastest safest speed to safest location. Disregard all signal systems, railroad will be lined for this train, regardless of signal indication, to a predetermined location"

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If the President travels on Air Force One (the jets), Marine One (the exec helicopters), and Navy One (Naval aircraft) when he visits them, do you suppose this would be "Amtrak One?"

No, wait. Amtrak 1 is the Sunset, ithe often 10-20 hours late transcon. Terrorists would never get to him, then...

It would be ironic if the wires came down, or the engine crapped out or the car had flatspots or the drawbridge got stuck or something.

I bet he would be thinking to himself at that point in time, "boy, i really wish we gave Amtrak all that money they wanted...."

So the president had an Amtrak back up plan.....so does that mean that Amtrak REALLY IS IMPORTANT??? Maybe they REALLY DO PROVIDE A NECESSARY SERVICE???? Maybe we REALLY SHOULD GIVE THEM A DECENT AMOUNT OF MONEY TO OPERATE??

Nah..........

I wonder if John McCain would have gotten on that Amtrak train too.......

I wonder if John McCain would have gotten on that Amtrak train too?

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I doubt the President even knew the train was down there. Those who needed to know, Secret Service knew.

Hahaha. Amtrak 1. Wires falling on El Presidente's train cause of lack of funding. Great stuff!

ftmprob wrote:I read in the NY Post that there is a train on standby as one of many alternatives should there need to be an evacuation of the President or other high officials from the Republican National Convention.

Jtgshu wrote:Most of the week, it has been an ALP46 and a P40 or P42 or whatever they are, in the low 100 series, and an Amfleet coach or two.

The train has been parked either on track 3 or 4, but mainly track 3. Access to that plafrom has been forbidden, and all the entrances are taped off, with lots of various police agencies being close by in the concourse areas....

Jtgshu wrote:I can see the form D issued for that train

"To C and E - Pres Xtra"

"All rules and regulations pertaining to the operation of this train are suspended for this train only. Proceed at fastest safest speed to safest location. Disregard all signal systems, railroad will be lined for this train, regardless of signal indication, to a predetermined location"

Glad the emergency train for evacuation of the President or other officials didn’t have to be used…

What could have happened here did happen in 1861, as documented by an article about railroads protecting President Lincoln (President-Elect Lincoln at the time):

http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/
cops_others/pinkerton/3.html?sect=18

Midnight Trains

Excerpts:

“In January, 1861, Samuel Felton, president of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad…feared subversives might attack his train line, the major rail route in the East.” “… agents began to pick up dribs and drabs from here and there that, when pieced together, hinted at a plot to assassinate the new Chief Executive…at Baltimore's Calvert Rail Station.”

" '… we get you out of Harrisburg expediently on a chartered train to Baltimore. The tracks are to be kept clear so that we can move full-throttle the whole way. At Baltimore, we move you through the station – it will be after midnight and hours ahead of your anticipated arrival -- where an express will be waiting – I've already made arrangements for that – which will break all speed records to get you to Washington City before sunrise.' "

Woo Hoo!!!