PENN STATION track layout 1972

Description A track diagram of the switches and signals in Pennsylvania Station made in August of 1972. These were given to brakeman for study purpose in qualifying on characteristics. The with a sharp eye will note the E-60 locomotive seen early on is actually #621. It is an interesting look back considering that the station is in the news lately with trackwork being implemented by Amtrak. Enjoy

[@wildswan60021]

The BEST 11.22 minutes l've spent on KZbin for a long while!

[@tomblack6972]

It’s nice to listen to a guy who REALLY knows what he’s talking about!

[@MarcusAurelius7777]

6:30 Very rare "Circus Train"...Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus closed in 2017...RIP

[@de-fault_de-fault]

In retrospect it's amazing to think that double block "behind" the Post Office never got built over until the 2010s. Every time I go into Penn Station, even now, I expect to break into daylight for that one block between 10th and 9th Avenues. No matter how many times it doesn't happen, I still expect it to happen on the next trip. Memory is a funny thing.

[@martinwhiskee5809]

I ran trains in and out of Penn for 30 years as a LI engineer-Retired now since 2003 -brings back memories I still have a copy of the interlocking map.Thanks..

[@peter_smyth]

It's amazing to think how much railway there is right in the middle of New York City.

[@Ostermond]

All that's covered up now. Real estate developers, you know how they are.

[@shlomoshekelman85]

@@Ostermond yeah just like dictator donnie P.O.S.

[@googlegmail4636]

stupid investors, the cuomo corruption!

[@MarcusAurelius7777]

You'll see more railway soon with East Side Access that connects at Grand Central deep below the station.

[@thedecider1984]

@@shlomoshekelman85 trump lives rent free in your minds, loser

[@carmine313]

That is some great NYPenn video especially the A tower shots. I hired out in 78 with Conrail when Amtrak Turbos were running into GCT. We had A, ,B C, U towers, FL9 engine, m1s m2s and 1100's back then. Seen lots of changes since. Im currently the GCT yard engineer. Several years ago they qualified a few of us on the Hells Gate into Penn for the Meadowlands Football service. Unfortunately they discontinued it, but it was nice to see some new rail.

[@TonyLasagna]

Wow! I’ve never seen video of a turbo liner. How did I miss this video? Glad I come back and re-watch them all the time 😂 Hope you are well, sir.

[@megansinclair2416]

Greta video. I moved in and out of Pen Stations hundreds of times in both directions during my 30 years working in "The Big Apple!" Thanks for the memories!!

[@kevinmulligan2193]

Haha, your a kid! Seriously, my Dad hired on the railroad in the late 1950's. I remember stories of the Sunnyside yard, but when he worked in that yard, it was before he and my Mom were even married. Later (when I was in diapers) we lived in Sunnyside and Dad was working the New Haven out of Grand Central Terminal. Your videos are great and fill in what Dad talked about. Just subscribed. Looking forward to many more videos.

[@woophereigo9755]

You're an old geezer, that makes so much sense.

[@gerardmoran9560]

Thanks for your information! This has real historical relevance.

[@BeCoShooter]

Very interesting. I've been fascinated with Penn Station since my first visit in the early 70's. Thanks for sharing.

[@StevenTorrey]

Fascinating. Bit of Manhattan History development as well. Presumably these views are all in Manhattan and now covered over with buildings, which is sort of one the reasons for the demolition of Penn Station--the air rights were more valuable than the building itself was,

[@jonnyfish76]

I'm so glad i'm qualified in Zone A and i never have to study that again.

[@njmtbiker]

A Tower is still there. My partner was in there the other week

[@grad201187]

Sir, this is amazing! I have always wondered about Penn Station, looked at a dozen of layout diagrams, but this is awesome. Thank you for sharing! :)

[@lawrencekoenig3465]

I heard you call the post office, the William O. Foley post office. It is in fact, the James A. Farley post office. Farley was Postmaster General under FDR.

[@steveeasterday7795]

Thank you. Amazing video packed full on insightful information.

[@joecies]

Love how you narrate this! Great work and thanks!

[@300pnl]

Would love to get a hold of one of those track diagrams

[@njmtbiker]

Cool to see old footage of Penn Station work there now

[@irasilverman6834]

A great explanation. Too bad digital wasn't in existence at the time.

[@kellingc]

Thank you for posting. That was really informative and enjoyable.

[@danielribeiro2113]

This is super interesting. I worked at West side yard and now the walk from Penn to Westside is so different how times change. Also that mechanical interlocking is a fine piece of work it's amazing how these things work . They are all gone now. Kinda sad.

[@grad201187]

Old makes way for the new! I am a millennial, but what amazes me is the quality of the work in those days!

[@shlomoshekelman85]

@@grad201187 good old American Pride 🗽🚂 too bad it's gone now 😪

[@skyhawk212cva19]

Excellent narrative, thanks for sharing this.

[@thomasabramson100]

Just wanted to say thanks i rode through Penn Sta on the LIRR for years great to actually see how it works

[@je19662008]

I miss those old RTLs. They were a nice ride; quiet and comfortable.

[@nancyboots3862]

The RTLs were a pain in the ass operating...the 3rd rail gear not always worked so had to run turbo power sometimes. One weekend one unit caught fire and they proved what a mess they were....the old UA 5 car turbo train sets were a worse mess when and if they worked RTLs didn't come to Penn Station until 4-7-1991 when Empire Connection was opened

[@jvohanian]

Great video and interesting history lesson! I'm actually qualifying Penn Station and Sunnyside at the moment for NJT as a conductor and it was a blast comparing the current track diagram with the old one. I remember the open air between the station and the tunnel; too bad it's covered over now. And I learned that little tidbit about 11 track from this video. Looked down at the map and sure enough, makes perfect sense.

[@tfman54]

jvohanian Always nice to hear from a fellow conductor one of these days I will post a videos on my time qualifying from New York to Washington in the 1980s... my hand drawn track diagrams of interlocking track speeds breaks in the rail we’re a thing of beauty if I can say so. Retired in “13” after 36 years and still miss it at times.

[@gladstone4steve]

I REALLY enjoyed this. Thank you!

[@redthepost]

Are those maps for sale? Fascinating tour. I love the vocabulary.

[@glendenig9962]

That was really cool and informative. Thank you!

[@trainluvr]

Good work. We need more educational train videos.

[@tomb4575]

Amazed me that Penn Station had so fewer platforms than that of Grand Central, considered that three major railroads, Amtrak, NJ Transit and LIRR. One of the biggest failure of The PRR was the lack of real estate development west of station. In the '50's the open railroad yard was offered to the owner of baseball NY Giants owner the site to build a new Polo Grounds. The fact subway lines only ran north and south further hindered real estate development, for all its grandeur, Penn Station was isolated until Madison Square Garden was built. In fact if MSG had relocated west as was discussed in the '80's, would require a long walk from Penn.

[@gumball3D]

So strange to see this open cut no longer exist.

[@popiscoolnow]

Thanks for posting. That was good stuff

[@cookode]

love your vids, very interesting. keep it up

[@frankortolano5886]

Totally enjoyed it

[@Tsass0]

Thank U - Very interesting

[@Salty_reviews]

Excellent video

[@glitch4465]

Funny how New York has third rail too. Over here in South West London the former British Rail Southern Region lines, which run southwards out of London to the Channel Coast are all third rail too. Growing up around multiple units means you don't appreciate the complexity of running a railway with majority locomotive haulage. Unfortuantley most loco hauled trains have been replaced by MUs or push-pull sets in the British Isles. It might be boring to some but I do love my third rail EMUs

[@lefty126]

Who are you? I was the Train Director at A Tower from 1977 to 1994.

[@acernoks]

The Pin !

[@alykahn]

Everybody became a train director, Phil???? Nice to hear you are doing well.

[@nancyboots3862]

We ALL were....some things are a constant "slug"

[@jepcorp]

Awesome video

[@jasongreene303]

Thank you for sharing the information, it was fascinating to watch. Unfortunately, the music gave me a headache.

[@JoeSmith1962]

Those Jersey Arrows (MU's) @ 2:30, with the NJ Transit logo, didn't debut until '82/'83. NJT didn't exist before 1979. How is this footage from 1972?

[@tfman54]

Good point, the title of the video answers your question. The track layout refers to the track diagram which indeed shows the station layout in 1972. The video images were added to show the locations indicated in the diagram...they were recorded over the years while working in the station.

[@AVeryRandomPerson]

The first Arrows were the Arrow Is, introduced in 1969. The Arrow IIIs were 82/83

[@IcelanderUSer]

They still use the metro liners. Now they’re regional rail. They’ve even redone the interiors.

[@AVeryRandomPerson]

Some Metroliners were rebuilt into Amfleets, but most that were rebuilt became Cab Cars for California, Illinois, and Keystone services.

[@cehayes74]

@@AVeryRandomPerson-They’re mainly on the Keystone Service now, haven’t seen any metroliner cabs out here in the midwest since the late 1990’s !!!

[@MidnightAspec]

Good info.

[@PositionLight]

The Model Board in A that the camera lingers on is actually the one for catenary power.

[@alykahn]

And it was non-functional when I started there in 1967.

[@travelsonic]

I wonder, what was track level for what is today the west side yard relative to track level on the platforming tracks height wise, or relative to sea level for something easier to figure out? Trying to make a simulation of the NY area railroads in a train sim game/program, and getting the approach to the west side yard for Penn Station is proving to be a pain in the ass. XD

[@TheMetroologist]

The West Side Yard is about 5 feet higher than the platform tracks, and the Hudson tunnels start to decent at around the same point the West Side track leads begin to accend.

[@brianmohammed1790]

I love the Sunnyside yards now is the yard for the lirr to grand central terminal

[@alykahn]

Jumbo Jimbo … if that don't beat all....and the original hippie yardmaster !

[@nancyboots3862]

Yeah, he just "looks like he's doing work:" as always "Speeder"

[@conantdog]

Very interesting video but I can only get through a minute or two with a beating drums in the background

[@Transporter_Not_Statham]

Was this at an ERA meeting?

[@calvincorrigan9925]

you need to do more train related videos

[@stitchstudios2404]

Around 3:18 that ahem-7 was a metroliner?

[@maciekkra539]

After the actual original Metroliners were taken off the Washington run, it was the AEM7 with Amfleet cars that were put on "Metroliner Service". If you notised those cars even had stickers on their red, white and blue stripes and were specially assigned to that service. This lasted to about mid 90s when corporate gurus came up with ugly "Northeastern" scheme used until now.

[@KabukeeJo]

Never knew Amtrak used it's Acela engines to pull circus trains.

[@mikeythesoulace]

No those are HHP-8 locos which look similar to the Acela power cars

[@TEMPLE7D]

Yeah those HHP-8s had 8000HP each. perfect for the heavy circus trains. It was either that or ACS64s (before the circus closed last year).

[@StevenTorrey]

Why are they called circus trains?

[@AVeryRandomPerson]

@@StevenTorrey Because that's how circuses would travel.

[@ricksadler797]

Puzzle switches

[@trussell8510]

Love your vids but the music gets in the way of this one

[@johnnyso1979]

I don't think it's been improved since then.

[@junkyarddogFO4]

Thought I was going to seeing an instructional video, instead is was a music video.

[@Bamaji2]

great video but god almighty that music needs to go, can't concentrate on what you're saying with that junk going on in the background!

[@spl1011]

What the fuck is this music for? Its terrible.

[@whiskey5jda]

Too much lip smacking