Hudson Line Private Charter Special Train 1/22/05

It is my understanding that Metro North will operate a charter special train, from GCT to Poughkeepsie and return, on Saturday January 22nd.

Consist will be Metro North motive power and three leased (off-line) private cars. Back to back Genesis or FL-9 locomotives would allow pulling the train in both directions, with an observation car properly pointed on either end of the consist. This will be an afternoon event ... maybe 1:00 PM out of GCT and 5:00 PM return to GCT.

The passenger cars are supposed to move Sunnyside Yard to SHELL to GCT on Thursday 1/20; return move GCT to SHELL to Sunnyside Yard is immediately after the trip on Saturday evening 1/22.

Looks like a photo opportunity if you are trackside in the right place at the right time.

I will try to be somewhere since I resume my second semester at Mercy. However, I will be going up to Albany by train to visit some family friends on Friday morning and returning on Saturday in early afternoon.

Where did you read about that?

Jondude11 wrote:Where did you read about that?

I did not read about it anywhere. Readers of this forum are among the first to know about this event.

Who do we contact to sign up? M-N Group Tours?

The cars are a private charter, not open to public.

jhdeasy wrote:

Jondude11 wrote:Where did you read about that?

I did not read about it anywhere. Readers of this forum are among the first to know about this event.

And I, for one, appreciate your information.

http://www.transitspot.com/gallery/Bobs ... 05_01_05_7

As do I, thank you.

jhdeasy wrote:It is my understanding that Metro North will operate a charter special train, from GCT to Poughkeepsie and return, on Saturday January 22nd.

Consist will be Metro North motive power and three leased (off-line) private cars. Back to back Genesis or FL-9 locomotives would allow pulling the train in both directions, with an observation car properly pointed on either end of the consist. This will be an afternoon event ... maybe 1:00 PM out of GCT and 5:00 PM return to GCT.

The passenger cars are supposed to move Sunnyside Yard to SHELL to GCT on Thursday 1/20; return move GCT to SHELL to Sunnyside Yard is immediately after the trip on Saturday evening 1/22.

Looks like a photo opportunity if you are trackside in the right place at the right time.

Does anyone know if this train is going to be running today? The weather forecast might force them to cancel. We live next to the former Garrison Train Station , a great spot for a photo. I will post them online if it does run.

The train is indeed running. At Croton Harmon while awaiting my MN connection coming off of a very late Amtk from ALB, I saw the move. It consisted of two genesis units in mta paint, and those three cars. It should be passing Garrison within 45 min from now.

Yes, I missed it going north, but caught it on the return trip. I snapped a couple of photos of it going through the Garrison Station during the blizzard. I will try to post them here if I can figure out how to do it.

TW1976 wrote:Yes, I missed it going north, but caught it on the return trip. I snapped a couple of photos of it going through the Garrison Station during the blizzard. I will try to post them here if I can figure out how to do it.

I'd love to see your shots of this train. To post photos on this forum, you need to host them some where, and then link to them (with img tags). If you don't have that ablity, you could just post them on webshots or another photo server, and post the links.

I did submit them to someone from the website. The quality wasn't the best but I can e-mail them to you if you would like to see them.

Leased private cars ALEXANDER HAMILTON (lightweight parlor obs), MOUNT VERNON (lightweight bedroom lounge) and KITCHI GAMMI CLUB (heavyweight Pullman sleeper obs), powered by a pair of Metro North Genesis locomotives, were the consist of a Metro North charter special train from GCT to Poughkeepsie and return on Saturday afternoon January 22nd.

After boarding about 50 guests, the special departed from track 34 about 1:15 PM and ran non-stop to Poughkeepsie ... engines were cut off, run north to CP 75, crossed over, run south to ? and then backed against the south end of the cars ... there was some delay in awaiting the arrival of the guest of honor (the birthday boy) by car ... departed around 4 PM and arrived track 42 by about 5:45 PM. Guests detrained and proceeded to a catered private party in the east side of GCT's Vanderbilt Hall. Metro North and Mother Nature teamed to provide an afternoon of Winter wonderland railroading thru a snowy windy blizzard on the Water Level Route!

Due to inclement weather, Amtrak cancelled the planned Saturday night return move of the 3 cars from SHELL to Hudson Tower, so the 3 passenger cars are now parked on track 7 in the GCT coach yard ... they may return to NJ tonight or Wednesday night. Mr Hamilton, meet Miss Snow ... Phoebe, say hello to Alexander ... x-PRR parlor observation ALEXANDER HAMILTON is now coupled to x-DL&W tavern lounge observation 790 (now Metro North 2), observation end to observation end, on track 7 in the GCT coach yard. I suspect that such a meeting has never happened before.

Who was the birthday boy?