Every day for the past 3 years I have had the pleasure of taking the train to and from work ...all the way from Montauk 118 miles to Long Island City...and back. I live about 5 minutes away from Montauk station and I've had some questions that I've been wondering about lately:
Montauk Yard
When is it used? I see it filled on summer weekends and other occasions (I live just south and east of the station, so I don't pass by it too much) but I don't know when it's used outside that time.
Babylon or Central?
My inbound train uses the Central Branch to get the Mainline 99% of the time, as it stops at Hicksville and Mineola (it's always interesting when the train gets diverted down the Babylon Branch, but that doesn't happen all too often). My outbound train makes it's first stop at Bay Shore and usually takes the Babylon Branch. However, sometimes we are sent down the Mainline/Central branch. What gives? I imagine if there were delays/problems on one line they would just send us down the other. How much flexibility do they have as far as routing the trains? Can they slide a Montauk train in on either one of the branches relativity easily or do they only switch a train when they absolutely have to?
Meets
Where do train meets occur along the line? I know of trains that meet east of Mastic Shirley, but I was wondering where else it occurred in single-track territory.
Freight
On some very rare occasions I might see sometimes some freight cars sitting in the yard (sort of like in this picture). I haven't seen too much lately out here, though. What are these cars for? I don't believe NYAR has a customer out this far.
Train 2712
This train used to run every day and it was great if I wanted to sneak out form work early (I could get home by 8). It was the 4:30pm Hunterspoint Av Departure, now it's been bumped to Fridays only during the summer. This train went away around September 2010, so I assume it went with all of those budget cuts that were happening around that time.
Track Information Monitors
How are they set up as far as when they come on and when they go off? When I pass by the station (and all of the other east end stations) in one of the gaps in service I'll see these monitors off, showing nothing. But every time I show up at the station getting on/off the train, I find them on. Do they come on x amount of minutes before a train comes?
The Cannonball Going West
What happens to the Cannonball when it finally gets to Montauk? Is it (A) deadheaded back to Speonk/Babylon/Jamaica, (B) sent back on Sunday as one long train, or (C) split up into 2 trains and sent back on Sundays? In the off-season I'll take the winter version of the Cannonball (which some of my friends and I have nicknamed the Snowball) home early on Friday during the winter and it doesn't run the full 12 car set at that point. (I wish they'd run 2708, the 1:49pm Hunterspoint Av departure year-round too, I love that train in the summer)
Train 2705
Is this Monday-morning only train peak or off-peak? It arrives Hunterspoint Avenue at 9:57a, but the connections don't arrive until 10:05a/10:29a, so that leads me to believe it's off-peak, kinda like the Cannonball's connections leaving before 4p, making that train off-peak. It doesn't really matter to me, as I have my $500 monthly, but wondering out of curiosity.
C3 Outlets?
My battery life is currently degrading to the point where it will no longer last the entire ride. Are there outlets in the C3 cars that I could charge my laptop with? I presume because I can't see them in any of the obvious places that there are none for passengers to use, but I was just wondering anyway. (I'll just have to remember to print stuff out before I leave my house!)
Any of these questions you could answer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Montauk Yard
When is it used? I see it filled on summer weekends and other occasions (I live just south and east of the station, so I don't pass by it too much) but I don't know when it's used outside that time.
Babylon or Central?
My inbound train uses the Central Branch to get the Mainline 99% of the time, as it stops at Hicksville and Mineola (it's always interesting when the train gets diverted down the Babylon Branch, but that doesn't happen all too often). My outbound train makes it's first stop at Bay Shore and usually takes the Babylon Branch. However, sometimes we are sent down the Mainline/Central branch. What gives? I imagine if there were delays/problems on one line they would just send us down the other. How much flexibility do they have as far as routing the trains? Can they slide a Montauk train in on either one of the branches relativity easily or do they only switch a train when they absolutely have to?
Meets
Where do train meets occur along the line? I know of trains that meet east of Mastic Shirley, but I was wondering where else it occurred in single-track territory.
Freight
On some very rare occasions I might see sometimes some freight cars sitting in the yard (sort of like in this picture). I haven't seen too much lately out here, though. What are these cars for? I don't believe NYAR has a customer out this far.
Train 2712
This train used to run every day and it was great if I wanted to sneak out form work early (I could get home by 8). It was the 4:30pm Hunterspoint Av Departure, now it's been bumped to Fridays only during the summer. This train went away around September 2010, so I assume it went with all of those budget cuts that were happening around that time.
Track Information Monitors
How are they set up as far as when they come on and when they go off? When I pass by the station (and all of the other east end stations) in one of the gaps in service I'll see these monitors off, showing nothing. But every time I show up at the station getting on/off the train, I find them on. Do they come on x amount of minutes before a train comes?
The Cannonball Going West
What happens to the Cannonball when it finally gets to Montauk? Is it (A) deadheaded back to Speonk/Babylon/Jamaica, (B) sent back on Sunday as one long train, or (C) split up into 2 trains and sent back on Sundays? In the off-season I'll take the winter version of the Cannonball (which some of my friends and I have nicknamed the Snowball) home early on Friday during the winter and it doesn't run the full 12 car set at that point. (I wish they'd run 2708, the 1:49pm Hunterspoint Av departure year-round too, I love that train in the summer)
Train 2705
Is this Monday-morning only train peak or off-peak? It arrives Hunterspoint Avenue at 9:57a, but the connections don't arrive until 10:05a/10:29a, so that leads me to believe it's off-peak, kinda like the Cannonball's connections leaving before 4p, making that train off-peak. It doesn't really matter to me, as I have my $500 monthly, but wondering out of curiosity.
C3 Outlets?
My battery life is currently degrading to the point where it will no longer last the entire ride. Are there outlets in the C3 cars that I could charge my laptop with? I presume because I can't see them in any of the obvious places that there are none for passengers to use, but I was just wondering anyway. (I'll just have to remember to print stuff out before I leave my house!)
Any of these questions you could answer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
