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all the way up the “West Coast” from North Ben- nington through Rutland and on to Burlington. The new service is likely to be an extension of the existing state-supported Ethan Allen Ex- press, which runs between New York Penn Sta- tion, Albany, and Rutland via Whitehall, N.Y
Berkshire Scenic Railway
EXCURSIONS TO RETURN IN 2014: The Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum plans to move its mothballed excursion operation from Lenox to North Adams, Mass. In partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Trans- portation, the City of North Adams and the Town of Adams, the railroad plans to operate its new Hoosac Valley Service between North Adams and Adams over Pan Am Southern’s five-mile Adams Industrial Track, which fol- lows the Hoosic River. The branch originally ran between North Adams and the Boston & Al- bany main line at North Adams Junction, just east of Pittsfield. Conrail sold the remaining northern stub to Guilford in 1991 and now, Guilford successor Pan Am Southern will sell the line to MassDOT while continuing to pro- vide freight service to existing customers. The line currently ends in Renfrew; a mile of track will be restored to bring trains into the center of Adams. Service is expected to begin next year. Berkshire Scenic had run excursions over the Housatonic Railroad between Lenox and Stock- bridge since 2003, but operations ended in 2011 after HRRC refused to renew the operating con- tract for the 2012 season. BSRM will continue to maintain its museum and rolling stock collection at the Lenox depot. In January the group leased the Stockbridge station from the High Meadow Foundation. The museum will establish displays in Stockbridge and plans to rent the depot for events such as weddings and parties.
CSX Transportation
ADDING MORE CAPACITY: In response to growing oil, merchandise, intermodal, and auto- motive traffic, CSX will continue to add capacity to the system between now and 2015. This spring the company will begin work to add 18 miles of second track to the River Sub between Selkirk, N.Y. and North Bergen, N.J., at Ravena- Coxsackie, Catskill and Haverstraw, N.Y. The railroad expects the line to handle up to five ad- ditional daily unit oil trains in the coming years. CSX will also improve clearances on the for- mer Reading between Morrisville and Philadel- phia., Penn., to accommodate double-stacks; this route is already cleared between Morrisville and Conrail Shared Assets at Bound Brook, N.J. In Virginia, expect to see up to another 12 miles of sidings or third main track added to the former Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac. Mean- while in Florida, upgrades continue to be made to the S Line between Baldwin and Lakeland to accommodate the eventual diversion of freight traffic to that route after the SunRail commuter line begins operating over former CSX trackage in the Orlando metropolitan area next year.
BAY STATE DOUBLE-STACKS START: On January 24, 2013 CSX opened New England’s first double-stack cleared intermodal route on the former Boston & Albany between the New York state line and the newly-expanded inter-
ABOVE LEFT: Invited guests and members of the media enjoyed presentations and performances on a special stage set up in the Main Concourse to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the opening of Grand Central Terminal on February 1, 2013. TOP RIGHT: MTA Metro-North president Howard Permut accepts a ceremonial key to Grand Central from Alfred G. Vanderbilt II and Paul Pzapary, descendants of the family that built the terminal and assembled the New York Central railroad empire. ABOVE RIGHT: What's a birthday party without cake? Eric Bedoucha of Financier Patisserie is the pastry chef behind this amazing rendition of Grand Central's famous information booth clock. It was served later that evening at a special dinner for invited guests of the railroad.
“Crossroads of the World” Grand Central Terminal Turns 100
A HUNDRED YEARS AGO AT MIDNIGHT ON FEBRUARY 2, 1913, a brass band struck up a rousing rendition of Star Spangled Banner as the doors to Grand Central Terminal were thrown open to the public for the first time. In keeping with that tradition, the West Point Cadet Brass & Percussion Band welcomed visitors to a special rededication ceremony on February 1, 2013, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of what is arguably the most famous train station in the world. The busy commuter rail hub was more crowded and bustling than usual as so many turned out to celebrate this important cultural icon. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg called Grand Central “a treasure for New Yorkers,” and how “this building has been a vital part of this city’s growth.”
Constructed by the New York Central to cope with increased commuter and long-distance passenger traffic, the future of the busy midtown terminal was not always secure. When Grand Central was a target for leveling and redevelopment in the 1970s, it was the late Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and other preservationists who spoke up not only for Grand Cen- tral, but all landmarks. Her daughter Caroline Kennedy recounted her mother’s impassioned plea to the city: “If we don’t care about our past, we cannot hope for the future.” To save the terminal, Kennedy joined forces with Ed Koch, the influential congressman who went on to become one of New York City’s legendary mayors. In an ironic twist, Koch passed away early on the morning of the centennial festivities, of which he was an honorary committee member. Other presenters included New York Mets baseball star Keith Hernandez, who called Grand Central “New York’s other great playing field.” The ceremonies continued throughout the morning with remarks from former Metro-North president Peter Stangl, interim execu- tive of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Tom Predergast, as well as current Metro- North president Howard Permut. In a brief ceremony, representatives of the Vanderbilt fami- ly presented Permut with a new “key to Grand Central.” The terminal was also bestowed with honors from the Guinness Book of World Records, the National Park Service, the U.S. Postal Service, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the National Railway Historical Society. Entertainment continued throughout the day into evening with live music and dancers. Many shops and restaurants throughout the terminal had special promotions where they were offer- ing goods and services at “1913 prices.” The New York City Transit Museum opened a new ex- hibit in Vanderbilt Hall called “Grand by Design” that highlights the development of the ter- minal and how it shaped New York City, and also how it continues to serve today. Special events will continue throughout 2013, including a special “Parade of Trains” that will exhibit a yet to be determined roster of vintage railroad equipment inside the terminal on May 11 and 12. For complete details about commemorative events, please visit Grand Central’s official web site at
www.grandcentralterminal.com. —OTTO M. VONDRAK
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THREE PHOTOS: EMILY MOSER
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