by CLamb
What route to New England was used before the Hudson River tunnels were constructed? I assumed passengers were ferried with Exhange Place as one terminal but where was the other ferry terminal?
Railroad Forums
Nacho66 wrote:That looks like an amazingly slow train!Well, I claim this was pretty fast. This was 1892. Before the northeast corridor (NY to Washington) was electrified by the PRR around 1936, the best PRR train Washington to NY (e.g. the Congressional) took about ~4:15. Anyway, I don't have the Washington to Phil time, but by milepost this is 3/5 of the distance (~135 out of ~225 miles). So Washington to PHil. would be 3/5 of 4:15 which is about 2:35. And in 1892, over 40 years earlier, the schedule we were talking about (via the B&O route) it took 3:05 one way and 3:35 the other. Not that much worse for over 40 years earlier. (even today Amtrak takes between 1:30 and 1:50 to get Wash. to Phil -- 1892 was only twice this time).
I mean, leaving Philly around 6PM and not arriving into Boston until 8:20 the next morning?
And, taking almost 4 hours to go from Wash. DC to Philly?
I'd bet the PRR/New Haven train was faster even with ferries/car floats at Manhattan.
Anyone know?
fredct wrote:Related question... kinda...if I understand the question, you're talking about two different routes and services. The West Side Manhattan line is used only by the Empire Corridor services (NY-Albany-Buffalo), and Hell Gate by the NE Corridor (DC-NY-New Haven-Boston, etc.). The twain don't meet, although technically they could in a pinch, using the West Side-Spuyten Duyvil-Mott Haven-Woodlawn-New Rochelle route.
I was on the Triboro... nee RFK... Bridge last night and I saw a passenger train running south over Randall's Island (south of the Hell's Gate bridge, etc). Just curious about how Amtrak decides to use the West Side tracks or go via the Queens/Hell's Gate route. Do they split the traffic for capacity reasons? Is one used for south and the other north? Is one used for some routes and the other for others?