Flying Yankee RFW ride from Long Beach to Penn Station. 1/13/22

All scenes captured from the passenger section. Safe and smooth ride. Had to zoom in to limit interior objects but view wasn’t too bad. Window was not super clean but the cloudy skies limited glare. Lots of commentary to make the ride more interesting than if there was none at all. At 51:00 I said we were going down the line 2 it’s actually line 4

[@LIMowersAndMore]

That engineer is a great guy, he’s awesome. Lot of the local railfans call him gloveman!

[@FrankClampet]

But I Know His real Name a few rail fans do

[@3985uprr]

I initially referred to him as Gloveman but for the sake of my videos I like to give engineers nicknames. The one I chose is Flying Yankee. That moniker seems to stick with many fans.

[@henryostman5740]

As an olde guy who used to ride the LIRR when it was that, the old cars would run with one power car and an unpowered trailer, AC was provided by opening the windows (if you could). Back when the state took over, Mr. Ronan bought a fleet of new cars geared to go about 100mph (the old ones could do about 60ish), given station spacing on the LIRR that's about all you can do anyhow. Well, these new cars arrived and were put into service and fairly immediately the lights went out, they drew so much more juice from the third rail that engineers were told to go easy on acceleration until the power system could be rebuilt. In those days, DC current for the railroad was made from AC using 'rotary converters" mechanical switches that matched the frequency of the AC so that it looked like DC, these units had their limitations. The result was that the '100 mph Ronan cars' were a bad joke and trains got slower instead of faster and the new cars were a hell of a lot harder to maintain, going fast on a two track RR is kinda like driving on a long 2 lane bridge, you go as fast as the car in front of you or die trying. I'm a LIndy guy, class of '59, from Indiana Ave. I now live at the end of the wire outside of Harrisburg, PA, on a farm. Yeah, they put me out to pasture!

[@flashcar60]

I lived in that apartment building you went under, in Kew Gardens, decades ago. It was nice to see it from this perspective.

[@frankiedee2024]

Even though I'm an active Bus Operator, I am a fan of trains. Thank you for this well-put video!

[@robertames32]

I love trains and the work they do highly respected

[@The.NycStuntMan]

I saw John on track 17 at NYPS two months ago and he let me blow the horn.

[@1960kaktus]

Hi from Poland .I love trains . That was an amazing video. Good job !!!!

[@arthasmenethil89]

Nice video! You may already know but there is a special Penn Station to Long Beach non-stop express service on weekend mornings during the summer season with a westbound return express later in those evenings, kind of line the Cannonball. Great for day-tripping. The runs showcase the EMUs taking the all the grade crossings at line speed which is otherwise rare. On the eastbound service, you'll almost always race with a Babylon train catching up then overtaking you near Valley, the same one that you chase out of Penn Station at the beginning of this trip. A nice bonus, and rare to see them both skipping Valley and Lynbrook at around the same time.

[@mattdiaz1006]

Thanks for such a great video! Very interesting to learn more about the M7 and see more of the engineer's point of view! Cool that you got permission to film in the cab of the head car too.

[@jlovesaimee]

JT!!!!! One of the best engineers!

[@albertringshauser7267]

Thanks for the ride into NYC Penn Station. I have always wanted to see what the approach was like. Awesome. Thanks again.

[@durrelljohnson4726]

Oh dear God, that was an amazing video! 20 years on the railroad, but I'm in the midwest. Nothing like the high density Eastern Seaboard. Thanks for adding the comments regarding the speeds as you were running. The actual motion did not translate well at the zoom level you used, so it was fascinating to see/hear the speeds. I'm going to look for the next adventure!

[@GaryGP40]

Nice narration and talk with the engineer too! Awesome stuff. Nice video!

[@Don-413]

Just love your video's! I grew up in Sunnyside on Skillman Ave. As kids we would run over to the Sunnyside yards and watch the Penn Central trains come in and make a big U turn between 39th and 43rd ave.You definitely have a new fan Sir!

[@musicforaarre]

FINALLY, I SAW TRACKS B & C FOR THE EAST SIDE ACCESS !! (that was on the left side at 50:22) I thought that they would never get done because of the electrical transformers in the way that had to be removed. I can't even see B & C in Google Map satellite view yet, as Google only updates once or twice a year. THANK YOU !!! And this is the first time that I rode the Atlantic underpass at Hall Junction. Yes !! It was also interesting how the track switched off to the left just 10 feet before the curved end of platform at Penn, in order to keep the last front door of the train close to the platform ? Aarre Peltomaa of Mississauga, Ontario

[@kevinbrooks6078]

Great video thanks for narrating. Please video more railroad and subway routes, Thanks.

[@TheHighRiseElevatorLover]

Heck, getting it to accelerate really fast would be a fun ride.

[@KofCFrank06511]

Thanks for the Narrative along the line Sir... Great job

[@AA_8184_1]

This was really interesting to get this perspective. Well done!

[@believer5497]

Always nice to see you outthere. Especially with the superb engineer Flying Yankee!

[@jaminova_1969]

What a fun trip We lived in Woodside & Flushing till I was around 10. Riding the LIRR was always exciting!

[@Railoffroader2]

Nice video. Great Engineer, I remember him when I used to be an Engineer there.

[@Conan500]

As a Londoner, it seems unusual to me to see a train driver that is dressed liked it’s his day off!

[@3985uprr]

I know in UK they wear uniforms but railroads here they wear street clothes unless they are running goods trains, then they have to wear a reflective vest over their clothes.

[@TheBeagle58]

Yassss and this man knows how to not only run I quick but also silky smooth!!! Nice video!!

[@richardeginesiv3849]

Very enjoyable...I went from subway fan to LIRR cheerleader while learning to renavigate NY 6 yes ago after 30+ yrs away. My only disappointment? Your train did not take Montauk branch thru St. Albans...I used to walk to that station. Laurelton/Rosedale/Green Acres/Sunrise Highway(I try to pretend Belt Pkway doesn't exist) were quite enjoyable though. THANKS!

[@gabrielcolon8900]

This is a perfect combo video. The M7, RFW and announcements that aren’t muffled.

[@MalcomB516]

Thanks for the vid!! Ronkonkoma branch lifer here. Shocked at how slow this branch is to start and realize it's cause how close center Ave, e. Rockaway and oceanside stations were. Seems like E. Rockaway could remain open and close the other two. Just seems inefficient. And the speed. Babylon branch races through stations it doesnt have to stop at (at speeds i was quite shocked at when i experienced it once), surprised how slow this train went. Would love a live Q&A with the MTA one day, can ask all these types of questions.

[@Chris-po9lk]

those stops are used a-lot during rush hour, if they closed east rockaway wouldn’t be able to accommodate all those passengers, plus there is devloptement in the area

[@Chris-po9lk]

also oceanside is a big town with almost 30,000 people.

[@doctorvoiceover6582]

Love the chats with the Flying Yankee, not to mention your knowledgeable play-by-play. The M7 is available in Train Sim World 2. I drive it regularly.

[@metronorthrailfan2244]

Honestly DTG did a very good job with the M7. It’s cool how he got to go into the cab just like in the game. I don’t know if you heard but the Harlem line is also coming to Train Sim World 2

[@mattdiaz1006]

@@metronorthrailfan2244 Yeah, I'm very excited for that! I live right next to the Harlem Line.

[@metronorthrailfan2244]

@@mattdiaz1006 no kidding. My first time on the Harlem line was late 2014 when I was in fifth grade

[@NickyD]

@@metronorthrailfan2244 what holy shit yess

[@mattdiaz1006]

@@metronorthrailfan2244 I've lived here my entire life, so I've done many many trips into Grand Central.

[@rrtrain5706]

Retired Railfan seems to be rail fanning every day, nice work. Ex Islander and Amtrak MOW Project Engineer, would really like to see an update on the third track project from the headend. Thanks for your video's. RR

[@3985uprr]

Not quite every day. Railfanning can take a lot out of me sometimes so it is imperative that I railfan every other day.

[@mrjoeljf]

I'm also glad to see a new video especially with the east side access all done. The last video done by anyone was about two years ago because they removed to M3 trains. Thanx!

[@MrMaster767]

That Signal before the bridge must have recently been installed!

[@jsunflyguy]

Was a pedestal until last year. Interlocking refurbished, should be the last local operation on the railroad once JCC gobbles everything up.

[@MrMaster767]

@@jsunflyguy Valley isn't far off from closing. They are keeping Lead as that's Marine controlled I believe. PSCC will definitely stay and West Side.

[@babyswheels54]

Loved the knowledgeable commentary.

[@adm_ackbar4899]

Brook, Babylon, Lead, and Valley, and if you want to count West Side Yard are the only manned block towers. Babylon and Valley are planned to be going to JCC at some point.

[@musicforaarre]

56:57 I've noticed on another video also, that the track has to be switched to the left, or the forward part of the forward coach would have to have a huge gap to jump across to get to the platform!! Aarre Peltomaa (again)

[@musicforaarre]

45:06 I can see the moribund south and north most bridge spans for the Rockaway branch. Where did the 6 tracks merge into 4 to get through Woodside ??? Did the outside Jamaica tracks also have turnouts to get into the inner two Jamaica tracks to avoid conflicting Rockaway trains on the merging outside tracks ?? Aarre Peltomaa; your track layout nut !

[@georgemurphy2579]

I remember qualifying. Reminds me of those days.

[@georgemurphy2579]

@Lighthouse in the Storm Did fine, but that is the most daunting part of the training program (60 - 70 weeks). You have to know every square inch, besides signals and speeds, and then of course there is the operation of the equipment itself. The full length of each branch or line has to be committed to memory. The LIRR has many lines.

[@RichardNickels-ot6iq]

Great job 💯💯😊

[@keonikaig9247]

Thank you

[@musicforaarre]

Because of this video, I saved it to my 'New York' folder, and I subscribed. Aarre Peltomaa

[@bigburs1]

I delivered the new city transit bus you guys in Long Beach got last year from the factory in Livermore, California that's if you are a resident. Took my ride back to JFK from that terminal.

[@lexlayabout5757]

Wow, some really tight curves! I'm used to the London Underground and I thought their curves were bad enough.

[@rickn501s]

Thanks for a great narrated train ride!

[@frankdurham51]

Nice Video…. LIRR speed has been neutered.. I remember growing up in Laurelton, Queens; those M1’s and M3’s would rumble by at 80mph.. Now all you see are these speed limits.. 60mph.. shame.. same thing has happen on the subways with all those timers…

[@NickyD]

yeah because of that subway accident on the bridge in 1995 is why

[@frankdurham51]

@@NickyD Are you referring to the Williamsburg Bridge Crash? Metro-North can reach speeds of 90mph on express run to Stamford on some sections...

[@Railoffroader2]

@@frankdurham51 Used to. Highest speed for a short portion of NHV line was reduced to 80mph.

[@billvila152]

Is there any particular reason why trains are limited to 5mph over Reynolds Channel?

[@johndonohue2168]

Love the video. This was the training took daily from Island Park to Penn

[@davethornton2930]

Great video and the commentary was vey nice Enjoyed

[@jimmymakmta]

That was a exciting and informative ride great video

[@deepnation10009]

I love this video. I give it a 95%. The zoom stopped me from giving you 100%. Zoom makes the train appear to be going slower than what it is.

[@3985uprr]

I had to zoom to eliminate seeing too much of the car interior. If I didn’t zoom you would see more of the car interior than the railroad. I think my viewers want to see the railroad.

[@ariesarethebest271]

@@3985uprr You did great. You're one of the best (if not the best) railfans around.

[@3985uprr]

@Lighthouse in the Storm Not at present but rumors fly they may return someday.

[@westwasbest]

My brother is an Amtrak engineer and I used to ride with him on occasion in the cab down the Hudson line to New York and back, but this was definitely more interesting.

[@metta2432]

Lucky bastard

[@westwasbest]

@@metta2432 It's over rated

[@metta2432]

@@westwasbest I'm still jealous

[@rodeliot]

Excellent video

[@arniegreenberg2719]

I noticed that the LIRR uses a lot of the automatic FROG points with their switch tracks. They seem to be quieter and smoother. So why don't I see them as much on other transit and commuter lines?

[@3985uprr]

They are putting those in at mainly at new switches.

[@patformicola850]

After Jamaica u saw a diesel train going to Port Jeff that’s train # 656.

[@edpeak6847]

Great stuff enjoyed.

[@ShottaGarv]

So Beautiful I love trains.

[@musicforaarre]

51:21 I notice the dip to get under Queens Blvd. I also notice that there are gaps in the damn metal shield on the side of the bridge, so that you would actually be able to see the trains from the bridge!!! Yahoo !! You can't do that from 39th St. worth a damn anymore; I remember in 1974, I used to have a clear view from the 39th St bridge when I visited. I could clearly see most of the trains do that stupid jog 1 track to the north to get the tunnels (at your 50:48). That's just because of the Port Washington branch (and Amtrak) track to the right. Why didn't they make the Port Washington trains, a minority, switch into the majority (Jamaica trains) track, instead of vice versa. Daaaahhh ! Aarre Peltomaa from a less interesting place, Mississauga, Ontario. We do, however, have a lot of rail expansion in the Toronto area, though.

[@freddienz]

Excellent. Enjoyed that.

[@artiebreland7162]

Great ride and video. Oh by the way. It was informative and educational 2. Thanks.

[@RxClyde]

Lead Tower can only control 6 out of the 11 switches in the yard. 39:30 - That's the old Jay Tower. 42:30 - The train is leaving Jay Interlocking. Nice video.

[@robertames32]

Salute Flying Yankee

[@TexasRailfan21-RailfanRyan]

Wow you are so lucky I've never had a cab ride on a train like that in my life

[@3985uprr]

It wasn’t a cab ride. I was up front in the passenger compartment but the engineer said it was ok. I couldn’t go in his cab

[@sandydennisbrody4742]

@@3985uprr With M-7's you could close off the entire front of the car or close the door to just the engineers operating portion, which was the case here. Bad for railfan videos, but was better for the engineer. I can't count the times on M-1's and M-3's that a passenger opened the door on me thinking it was the bathroom!

[@3985uprr]

@@sandydennisbrody4742 Yeah I’m sure.

[@AguadillaCGN]

super nice video, so sad no one took the time and clean the windows while in the yard, would not be so difficult

[@clarkdigital]

That's what I was thinking.

[@3985uprr]

Chance you take.

[@blacknationalfreedomfighte6682]

I play a Train Simulator That has the NY long Island Rail on it and I play it a lot and when I looked in where the Driver is the Simulator has the same thing inside Many Thanks for Posting this video

[@metronorthrailfan2244]

I believe the game you’re referring to is Train Sim World 2

[@thecooltrainguy5920]

Nice! Hoping to see the LIRR again soon.

[@trainking076]

I love the flying yankee videos

[@ThumperKJFK]

Happy New Year. Yes I have seen a few signal aspects on the LIRR that do flash. Both flashing position, and the new color aspects. At the signal bridge just before Valley by the Mall during the night I will see the bottom light flashing for a switching move. And on the main line at the signal bridge at Hollis, Queens, the new crossover signals between Queens and that Belmont. Yep be there at the right time you will se them flashing. I still have not been able to find out just what they are for. I do know that the Hollis signal bridge on line 1 as far back as in the 60's Queens would set it flashing to call attention for them to stop and call the tower. An engineer had told me that a long time ago. Back when both ends of Hollis had a signal bridge with aspects. All of that is now gone. only Line 1 signal still stands, and every now and then I will be passing and find it Flashing. Thank you and a thank you to the Flying Yankee. Great video. 👍👍👍

[@WestAirAviation]

Flashing signals are for track cars. It means there's an absolute block between interlockings.

[@Railoffroader2]

@@WestAirAviation Certain signal aspects contain flashing that aren’t an absolute block, and not just for track cars. (Approach Limited, Limited Clear, Medium Approach) The absolute block is also used for passenger trains running with a cab signal failure.

[@WestAirAviation]

@@Railoffroader2 I apologize. I knew Greg would likely only have seen an Absolute, so I tailored my comment to what he'd have seen to keep it short. You're right that there are far more answers. In Queens it could also have been a Flashing Slow Approach or an Absolute Slow Clear on the low homes exiting Belmont. The actual answer to his question (that the tower has messages) is that a train order light was flashing underneath the actual signal. Finally there are a bunch of other signals that are not possible in Hollis or Queens as of Feb 2nd, 2022: Red over flashing red (Stop and Proceed), color lights displaying Slow Approach, the restricting in both Grand Central and on reduced aspect signals, all types of Medium Approach, Approach Limited, Limited Clear, Advanced Approach, and Absolute Proceed. I dunno how many of those were around back when the Hollis SB had more than 2 signals. This place changes too rapidly to even imagine those days! 😂

[@Railoffroader2]

@@WestAirAviation No apology necessary. The position/pedestal light signals had a separate red bulb attached to the side or bottom that would flash as a note to call the tower. The newer ones may have it too.

[@WestAirAviation]

@@Railoffroader2 The newer ones are missing the train order light. Honestly a block operator giving you a train order light and meeting you outside the tower with orders on a stick is mostly a thing of the past. Almost all the towers are in Jamaica, now. Lead, Brook, Babylon and Valley are all that's left to give orders the old way. Nowadays they just call you over the radio and have you write down your form L's. I haven't seen a single train order light on any of the new reduced aspect signals they're putting up all over the mainline. It's sort of sad.

[@panacea407]

Needed some Windex for the dirty glass you were shooting through. Good intentions, poor results.

[@captainjohn787]

Didn't occur to anybody to at least clean the window before embarking on this run?

[@lonsworth]

Liked putting the Engineer in the story mix!!

[@antoniocognato5023]

m7s are fun to operate!

[@RichardNickels-ot6iq]

Awesome Amen Thank you God 😹😂

[@taquangrosvenor1997]

Lirr m3 still in service

[@theleadlifereloading5742]

That was mind numbing.....

[@trainman927]

5:21 wouldn't that be too dangerous with the third rails?

[@jslasher1]

It takes patience adapting to North American dating [month/day/year] because elsewhere it's day/month/year [ie. 13/01/2022]. In most English-speaking countries Engineers are referred to as Engine Drivers or Train Drivers. Oh, and yes, it's Celsius as opposed to Fahrenheit, used only in the USA and nowhere else.

[@CherCherico]

We like to stand out.... we use miles, inches, and we drive on the right.

[@jslasher1]

@@CherCherico Stand out, eh? LOL.

[@antoniocognato5023]

can you get to moynihan building from here?

[@brendanlynch2138]

Always said I would have stayed an engineer, but with railroads that use full PTC/ATC just pushing a button is unbearable. He’s a real engineer.

[@CMDRSweeper]

"Retired Railfan"? I suspect that must be wrong... How can you retire from being a railfan? That sounds very strange :D

[@stephengrybowski9573]

Isn’t it frustrating when you have the best seat in the house and the windows are dirty!?

[@johndonohue2168]

I remember when the conductors would call the stops

[@radanju3]

??

[@AlexieChinea]

This is a very slow train. Subway run alot faster. How long it takes them get to the city? 3 hours? or the video made look like that?

[@3985uprr]

It seems slow because I zoomed in. I prefer to do that rather than zoom out and show too much of the car interior.

[@Yo_Its_Matty_ice]

Dumb question but what does 'Flying Yankee' refer to?

[@3985uprr]

He’s a Yankee fan and he likes to run trains fast when possible. That was also an old Boston to Portland B&M train

[@Yo_Its_Matty_ice]

@@3985uprr Ah right on! I had heard of the B&M train but was confused as to what it had to do with LI haha. Thanks!

[@NickyD]

@@3985uprr him being a yankee an makes he love him even more then i alreday do

[@bobrech3661]

Really liked the video and the commentary. Just a thought for the future, cleaning that window before departure would have made it even better.

[@3985uprr]

I had absolutely no control over that

[@JRSideProject]

Your narration sounds like the same person who narrated those old Railroad Video Productions VHS tapes... you wouldn't be the same guy would you? Thanks for the video!

[@3985uprr]

I am.

[@JRSideProject]

@@3985uprr Wonderful! It's great to hear your voice again just like before. 😄 Thank you; looking forward to more of your videos.

[@Saxshoe]

Why do both the Atlantic Branch and Montauk branch have separate ROWs into Jamaica? Moreover, why does the LIRR used both of them? It seems that it would be better off triple-tracking one and abandoning the other.

[@rrrglynn]

To triple track one of those lines it would cost probably billions. For what benefit? It would be more of a bottleneck.

[@ariesarethebest271]

This is some of your best work! How was this possible without the engineer getting into trouble with the MTA? Heard the MTA was against stuff like this.

[@hornshowrailfan2554]

I would think with engineer permission it really wouldn’t matter.

[@3985uprr]

I wasn’t in the cab otherwise it would not be possible. I was in passenger area and engineer had no objection. The door to the engineers area was closed. I shot thru the door window.

[@ariesarethebest271]

@@3985uprr Ah, ok. Thanks.

[@NickyD]

train wasnt moving is why its fine

[@Railoffroader2]

@@NickyD Train wasn’t moving entire video? LoL

[@Alphakilo84]

was that an electric train?

[@CherCherico]

Yep

[@hope8612]

the window is so dirty

[@robertpreston2220]

its new york, everything is dirty

[@3985uprr]

Had no control over that.

[@NickyD]

wonder how simler the M9's are? has ever operated a M9 yet

[@Lirrfilmer2004]

Ever plan on visiting the far rock line ?

[@brianmohammed1790]

cool video and do a ststion tour of lefferts blvd a train

[@NYCSKYSCRAPERS-hp6pm]

Great video my friend, question why is the bridge over Reynolds Channel single track? I have been wanting to know this for a while.

[@3985uprr]

Been that way as long as I know. I think it was a cost cutting measure so only one bridge span could be built.

[@jsunflyguy]

Many a people have wondered it as far back as the 1800s. The answer is probably that The Beach just isnt worth a double span.

[@philzablocki7909]

Why the 5 mph speed limit coming out of long beach? Can that bridge handle 10 or 15mph?

[@philipquigley1746]

Was a consultant to LIRR. Put nearly all m7s in service from 2002 to 2006.. how they holding up?

[@wallaceday3843]

Filthy front window ready spoils an otherwise excellent video!

[@gogetthegoose1]

What does 12 'MU' stand for ? I know its 12 cars but what is 'MU' Thanks

[@3985uprr]

Multiple unit car

[@vuelosbaratos18]

What happen when the platform short??? Can the people walk through between the cars?

[@3985uprr]

Yes

[@henryostman5740]

Why does the motorman wear a mask, he's in a closed cab away from the passengers?

[@TEMPLE7D]

26:25, I was like hmmmm. Ain’t that a medium clear lmao

[@jslasher1]

How unfortunate that the window is so filthy, thus muting a clear view looking forward.

[@richekay]

Great video. I have a quick question about the power supply for these electric engines. Can they switch from ground to overhead power or are they strictly one or the other? Thanks in advance for the response.

[@metronorthrailfan2244]

They actually do not have any pantographs for overhead wires. These M7s are strictly third rail only. The only exception to that would be the Kawasaki M8 that you would find on the New Haven line

[@richekay]

@@metronorthrailfan2244 Thanks. I was wondering because a couple of times there is both third rail and overhead wires. So there are some engines that could switch from one to the other, just not the one in the video.

[@metronorthrailfan2244]

@@richekay also the overhead wires are used for Amtrak. It’s what the ACS-64 utilizes