New York City Transit will roll out the Lo-V Nostalgia Train for an afternoon ride up to Yankee Stadium. (Photo via NYCTSubwayScoop on Twitter)
With tonight’s and Friday’s 6:07 p.m. start for the first game of the American League Division Series between the Yankees and Minnesota Twins, the MTA is facing something of a logistical challenge. In the past, playoff games have started toward the end of the evening rush, and the MTA never really had to juggle service. This week, though, Metro-North is beefing up its pre-game service, and New York City Transit is rolling out the Nostalgia Train for a ride to the Bronx.
We’ll start with the fun news. At 3:45 p.m., the four-car Lo-V Nostalgia Train will leave Grand Central Terminal en route to the Bronx. It will make all express stops along Lexington Ave. and should arrive at Yankee Stadium at around 4:20 p.m.
These Lo-V cars were first put in service in 1917, six years before the first Yankee Stadium opened its doors. They were retired in the 1960s and have been retrofitted for Nostalgia Train rides. They provide quite the counterpoint to the R142 series cars in use along the 4 line. The ceiling fans and rattan seats are far cries from air conditioners and molded plastic.
“Taking the subway is always a great way to get to the ballgame, but being able to travel there on the nostalgia train makes an already enjoyable trip extra special,” Steven Feil, senior vice president of subways for NYC Transit, said. “These cars were in operation back when Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth were wreaking havoc on the American League and now they’re back again for fans to see Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez patrol the Yankees’ infield.”
Meanwhile, to meet demand, Metro-North is adding special direct stadium trains along the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines tonight and Friday. Three extra Yankee Clipper trains will run on the Hudson Line, and the Harlem and New Haven Lines will both see one extra direct Yankee Clipper train. The stadium shuttle from Harlem/125th St. will run every 20 minutes starting at 4 p.m.
Howard Permut, Metro-North’s president, noted the difficulties of scheduling these extra trains. “Despite a game time that is in the heart of Metro-North’s evening rush hour, the railroad wants to give fans the opportunity to try our great game day service and experience the ease of beating stadium traffic,” he said. “Although the railroad does not have a lot of extra train cars or a lot of extra track capacity on a weeknight at 6 o’clock, we felt that this playoff home stand series will allow us to attract fans who we hope will become regular customers.”
The times for these special trains follows:
- Hudson Line: Depart Croton-Harmon at 3:55 p.m. and 4:57 p.m. from Poughkeepsie at 3:30 p.m.
- New Haven Line: Direct train departs from New Haven’s Union Station at 2:45 p.m. and makes major New Haven Line stops and then runs express from Stamford to Yankees – E. 153rd, arriving at 4:21 p.m.
- Harlem Line: Direct train departs Southeast at 3:20 p.m. and makes all local stops to Mount Vernon West at 4:31 p.m. then operates non-stop to Yankees – E. 153rd Street, arriving at 4:52 p.m.
For up-to-date information, check out Metro-North’s Playoff Schedule website, and for all of your Yankee needs, you can find me at River Ave. Blues.
8 comments
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I think this is the train I rode to the last game at Yankee Stadium last year. If so, this was an awesome experience. Get on this if you have a chance!
“At 3:45 p.m., the four-car Lo-V Nostalgia Train will leave Grand Central Terminal en route to the Bronx. It will make all express stops along Lexington Ave. and should arrive at Yankee Stadium at around 4:20 p.m.”
Why does a train, even a Lo-V, leaving Grand Central on the express track require 35 minutes to get to Yankee Stadium? Am I missing something?
Slower acceleration, lower top speed and longer breaking come to mind – this equipment is nearly 100 years old after all. Imagine a Model T vs a current Crown Vic Taxi going to The Stadium from 42nd street – which would get there faster?
No, “slower acceleration, lower top speed and longer breaking” have nothing to do with it. In fact, those attributes aren’t even true. The 1917 Lo-V cars do not accelerate slower, have a lower top speed, or brake longer than the current subway cars. In fact, they probably even have a HIGHER top speed. The Lo-V cars made the trip in a time that was only 3 minutes longer than what is scheduled for the (4) train, and that 3 minute delay was due to longer station dwell times, and nothing to do with the amount of time the train was in motion.
Forget 35 minutes. It is scheduled to take a normal (4) train 16 minutes to do this trip at that time. On Wednesday it took the Lo-V train about 19 minutes. The reason for the delays were longer station dwell times. This was due to the fact that there were only four cars and people didn’t know what to make of it. Also, the doors can be troublesome and they need to be checked often to make sure they are securely closed before leaving each station.
Do you know if the MTA is rolling out the Nostalgia Train this year for the holiday season? Last year it ran Sundays for the month of December.
[…] Transit, the playoff nostalgia train has become an annual tradition. Last year, a four-car set of Lo-Vs ran the same route. Those cars, said the agency at the time, […]