railfaned wrote: ↑Fri Jun 05, 2020 9:14 am Far to many cars for the bike excursions. Montauk AFB was 1-upgrading it's equipment and 2- they were bring up their Texas Tower which was in service until 1963. It was decommissioned then after a hurricane sank and killed the staff of the New Jersey Tower.
“REX” Trains = Trains consisting of all REA and/or baggage cars. According to the late retired engineer Herb Doescher (via Robert Sturm), the REX trains were the fastest under steam on the road. The lack of scheduled station stops saw speeds in excess of 100mph not unusual. The men clocked the number of telegraph poles passed per minute to determine their speed. And yes, they could go thru the tunnels passing thru Penn Station.
Is it possible that the former Navy base north of the station was being disassembled and "stuff" shipped via Railway Express, rather than a convoy of trucks in LI traffic?? A better ride at higher speeds with RPO cars. They could go through PENN Tunnel on to other locations (if the military wanted material shipped elsewhere)? Maybe “Sensitive” military hardware, thus move it via RPO…. Conjecture on my part here.