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COLUMNISTS THE MAIN CONCOURSE AND INFORMATION BOOTH IN NEW YORKʼS GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL, 2013. PHOTO BY EMILY MOSER The iconic Grand Central Terminal


IT IS THE ULTIMATE EXPRESSION of the power and prestige of the railroad in American his- tory. It is the living heart at the center of the nation’s greatest city, and therefore on some level the heart of everything. It is Grand Central Terminal, located in New York City. Even though I haven’t yet stepped foot in this the grandest of American passenger stations, it is hard to escape the influence of this most famous station on our culture. Stand beside any main line, anywhere in


the country. If you look left, you will see the tracks receding towards the horizon in an inevitable journey to the Pacific Ocean. This westward journey has been the integral theme of railroad development in both the United States and in Canada since the ear- liest days, advancing civilization and indus- trialization towards the frontier. But look right now, look towards the east, where these lines originated from. Sure, railroads began their push west from a vari- ety of places: Boston, Philadelphia, or Balti- more are prime examples. Yet in the grand scheme of things, New York City was the ul- timate eastern origin. Its massive popula- tion, its role as financial center and primary entry point for immigration, its vast harbors all made it so. Milepost 0 is indeed the bumping block on Track 29.


As a station, there is no question that it deserves the descriptor “grand.” The exteri- or of the Beaux Arts station, with its high columns, stone friezes, and imperial crown of sculpted figures is among the most recog- nizable symbols in the world. The interior, and especially its Main Concourse, in many ways define everything we expect a grand urban station to be: high-ceilings, vast spaces, marble finish, and a compelling sense of mystery and drama. Like all great things, progress was not well received by everyone. One grumpy New Yorker of 1913 told the New York Times that the station was an imitation of “a mausoleum or a na- tional bank,” and complained bitterly about his travels being inconvenienced by the rail- road’s pandering to riff-raff commuters.


4 FEBRUARY 2013 • RAILFAN.COM


Commuters, however, are the bread and butter of Grand Central today. As of 2012, more than 700,000 passengers use the sta- tion every weekday. To put this into per- spective, that’s 2.5 times more than the vol- ume of daily passengers at the nation’s busiest airport in Atlanta. All of them ride Metro-North, a commuter railroad. The miracle of Grand Central’s continued existence is in part due to the volume of pas- sengers pumped through the station every day. Designed to handle all of New York Central’s commuter and long-distance traf- fic on two levels, today the terminal remains well equipped to handle the tidal flow of sub- urbanites through its gates. Credit also the unfortunate destruction of Penn Station by a Pennsylvania Railroad that was teetering on the edge of insolvency in 1963. The wan- ton act shocked the city and the nation and helped launch the modern historic preserva- tion movement that ultimately saved Grand Central Terminal from the wrecking ball. And so the centurion was not vanquished by highway culture, by the Jet Age, or by ur- ban renewal. It languished for many years, its interior architectural splendor largely hidden by advertisements and, where not, often dirty and worn. It was not, however, destroyed, and a long renovation undertak- en by Metro-North in 1996 returned these interior spaces to their original glory. Today, you can walk through the same Main Concourse as the mighty Vanderbilts who ordered it, you can touch the same walls as millions of immigrants, servicemen, and commuters have before you. Unlike so many other city terminals, it remains a vibrant hub of railroad activity. If, like me, this is an hon- or you have yet to experience, then pages 28- 37 will let you virtually visit the grandest ter- minal of all, Grand Central Terminal.


Alexander B. Craghead is a writer, photog- rapher,


watercolorist, and self-described “transportation geek” from Portland, Ore. You can reach out to Alex on our web site at www.railfan.com/departures.


ALEXANDER B. CRAGHEAD THOMAS KELCEC GREG MONROE GEORGE M. SMERK JEFFREY D. TERRY WES VERNON


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