Acorns and oak leaves, the symbols of the Vanderbilt family, can be found throughout Grand Central Terminal.


Kennedy Onassis, the protest went all the way to the Supreme Court, where it was decided that Grand Central’s his- toric landmark status would protect it from certain demolition. With Penn Central unable to develop


its most valuable property, the venera- ble Grand Central was left to decay in place. By the 1970s the terminal had become a de facto homeless shelter, as its once grand spaces were overrun with transients. The old New Haven Railroad ticket windows in the main concourse were converted into a betting parlor. To call it “seedy” was charitable in those days. Two scant years after the merger, Penn Central was bankrupt. Folded into Conrail in 1976, Grand Central had acquired yet another reluctant steward. The one bright spot during Conrail’s tenure was the exteri- or restoration of the Terminal, thanks to a deal between the state of New York and real estate developer Donald Trump. When Trump had taken over the adjacent Commodore Hotel (which was renovated as a Grand Hyatt) in the late 1970s, all sales tax derived from


36 FEBRUARY 2013 • RAILFAN.COM


TOP: Diners now congregate in front of what was once the ticket windows on the Lower Level of Grand Central Terminal. Popular sit-down restaurants as well as take-out counters line the perimeter of the elegant space. OTTO M. VONDRAK ABOVE: Grand Central’s high-level platforms and ramps allow for quick unloading of commuters from the hundreds of trains that use the ter- minal daily. PATRICK YOUGH


his renovation of the hotel was re- served for Grand Central.


Amtrak had taken over the nation’s long-distance passenger trains in 1971, and for twenty years maintained two


stations in New York City. Passengers traveling from Chicago and Montreal were forced to make an awkward cross- town transfer if they were continuing their journey south. In 1991, Amtrak


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