Hmm... I don't know of any previous connection, and in any case, a change in locomotives due to the electric power for the tunnels would have been required even if a connection existed.
Perhaps they were referring to the Hudson Tubes (Hudson & Manhattan RR, now PATH). There is an underground route from Hoboken directly to Herald Square (6th Ave & 33rd St), which is about 1 long block from Penn Station (at 7th Ave).
~100 years ago what is now the Herald Sq station was one block further south I think, but that's still 1 long block to Penn Station, more or less.
STrRedWolf wrote: ↑Tue Jan 12, 2021 7:58 am
pumpers wrote: ↑Mon Jan 11, 2021 4:53 pm
I'm catching up here. STrRedWolf, Is "Hoboken" a typo? 13 miles from NY Penn Station puts you just past the Newark Airport stop (which didn't exist a century ago, of course).
JS
Nope, not a typo. Per Wikipedia, there was a Hoboken to Penn trip, non-stop. Secaucus Junction didn't exist then, so I'm assuming there *was* a connection that allowed it to hook up to what is now the NEC in the direction heading from Hoboken to Penn.
I like to do a bit of research for my posts.