Third Time's A Charm

NJ Transit; Port Jervis, N.Y.; October 21, 2015

When I visited Port Jervis, New York, a year ago, the old signals from the days of the Erie Railroad still protected the siding leading into town, but replacement signals were standing. A year later, and somehow the Erie signals were still surviving. I made it my mission to capture a photo I didn't get around to doing a year ago.

First some background. The line to Port Jervis is the old Erie Railroad mainline between New York and Chicago. In the merger with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western in the early 1960s the Erie was somewhat chopped up as the new Erie Lackawanna shed redundant trackage. The line took a severe downturn in 1981 when the EL was merged into Conrail. Today the eastern end of the Erie between Hoboken, N.J., and Binghamton, N.Y., sees commuter trains from Hoboken to Port Jervis. Freight service through Port Jervis is down to one trackage rights train from the New York, Susquehanna & Western, which traverses the line westbound on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights, and eastbound on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday nights (although the westbounds usually get to Port Jervis after midnight). The shot I wanted was a Susquehanna train passing the Erie signals.

My first attempt was on October 21, trying to take advantage of the fall foliage. The commuter trains are a joint operation between New Jersey Transit and Metro North Railroad, since the first half the of the journey is primarily in New Jersey (from Hoboken to  Suffern, N.Y.) while the second half is entirely in New York to Port Jervis. Because of the joint nature of the operation, motive power from both railroads can be seen. I shot the 9:27 train that departs east on this evening (above) with the trees showing just a brief bit of color, even this late in the season. The train was pushed by NJT ALP45-DP No. 4527, a dual mode locomotive that can operate as a diesel, but can also operate as an electric from overhead wires where they are present. Alas, for some reason my camera lost its focus, so when Susquehanna showed up at 12:03 a.m., the shot was fuzzy and useless.

The second attempt came on November 4. I got to Port Jervis early to shoot the semi-frequent commuter trains that come in. Expecting Susquehanna after 10:00 sometime, I had some time to try different angles with the commuter trains before moving to the Erie signals. ALP45-DP No. 4524 led a train past the old Erie depot in town (the commuter trains stop at a plexi-glass shelter just west of the old station).

N.J. Transit; Port Jervis, N.Y.; November 4, 2015

The next arriving train had one of Metro North's spiffy F40 locomotives leading.

Metro North; Port Jervis, N.Y.; November 4, 2015

With the station shot in the bag, I moved on to what appeared to be some trees with color still in them just east of the station. Sadly, it looked better in the dark than it did illuminated by flash. Metro North GP40FH-2 No. 4904 led a train into town.

Metro North; Port Jervis, N.Y.; November 4, 2015

Moving up to the signals, the trees were nice and colorful. My test subject before Susquehanna arrived was a train led by Metro North GP40FH-2 No. 4900. I was ready.

Metro North; Port Jervis, N.Y.; November 4, 2015

Somehow once again, though, my camera's focus went astray before Susquehanna rolled through at 12:06 a.m. The resulting shot was once again fuzzy....

Determined to make this work, I went back again five days later, on November 9. I knew Susquehanna was running earlier, and this time I was determined to get it. I set my camera up on a tripod, adjusted the focus and waited. A parade of commuter trains went past my lens, led by NJ Transit GP40PH-2B No. 4206.

NJ Transit; Port Jervis, N.Y.; November 9, 2015

Most of the colorful leaves were gone, but one almost-dead tree was hanging in right near where the locomotives would be for the shot. It was better than nothing... Next up was a westbound behind Metro North F40 No. 4910.

Metro North; Port Jervis, N.Y.; November 9, 2015

The commuter trains run every 30 minutes or so until about 9:00, so I figured Susquehanna would probably not show up until after then. The next commuter train drifted into town just a bit before 9:00 with NJ Transit PL42AC No. 4008 leading.

NJ Transit; Port Jervis, N.Y.; November 9, 2015

Normally after the 9:00 train the eastbound signal would flip to green in anticipation of the departure of the 9:27 train. The signal stayed red, however... Was there something behind the 4008? Susquehanna, maybe? At 9:20 a headlight appeared from around the curve. Show time.... Camera on, wait for it... And fire!

New York, Susquehanna & Western; Port Jervis, N.Y.; November 9, 2015

Got it. Finally. The train headed through town with SD60 No. 3800 leading a matched consist of four Susquehanna locomotives. It was time to pack up the camera and head back home. Mission accomplished!

Photos in this post can be purchased here.

The West Side of the Mountain

NJ Transit on Metro-North; Otisville Tunnel, Otisville, N.Y.; April 12, 2014

In the early spring I had a free afternoon and needed someplace close to home to seek a photographic target. Less than an hour to the northeast is Otisville Tunnel located on the former Erie Railroad in New York. Today the line is primarily used by Metro-North commuter trains coming from Port Jervis (the line turns into a New Jersey Transit line below Suffern, N.Y., so power from both railroads is common); there is limited freight service, mostly a tri-weekly nocturnal through freight for the New York, Susquehanna & Western. Since Otisville Tunnel is kind of out of the way of everything else (you really have to want to go there to get there) it was a good thing to knock off on an otherwise quiet Saturday.

Two trains meet at Otisville on the east side of the tunnel at about 3:00 in the afternoon, so that would be a good time to shoot; the afternoon sun would also be favorable for the shot. First up was an eastbound train with a New Jersey Transit locomotive pushing the train from Port Jervis (above). The train proceeded through the tunnel, made its station stop in Otisville and then headed onto double track. Once clear, the westbound train made its station stop and then headed into the tunnel.

Metro-North; Otisville Tunnel, Otisville, N.Y.; April 12, 2014

After going through the long tunnel, the train popped out into sunlight. revealing it was being powered by one of Metro-North's niftily-painted F40s.

Metro-North; Otisville Tunnel, Otisville, N.Y.; April 12, 2014

From here I drove down the mountain on I-84 into Port Jervis. This is the western end of commuter service on this line. The former Erie roundhouse still stood here well into the 1980s, and the turntable is still there. New York & Greenwood Lake has a small display at the turntable, including an Alco RS3 and an E8 passenger diesel that came from the Erie.

New York & Greenwood Lake; Port Jervis, N.Y.; April 12, 2014

Over at the Metro-North yard, we find the train we just shot with F40 No. 4909 sitting alongside sister No. 4910. The yard will have trains sitting in it for the rest of the weekend, but will be empty come Monday morning after all the trains take New York City-bound travelers to Hoboken.

Metro-North; Port Jervis, N.Y.; April 12, 2014

More photos from the day can be seen here.

Along Shore Line East

Amtrak; New Haven, Conn.; February 23, 2014

The Northeast Corridor is primarily the domain of Amtrak between Boston and Washington, but along the way pieces of it are used by various commuter carriers. In fact, if one were so inclined you could ride the entire corridor on commuter trains, save for a gap between Perryville, Md., and Newark, Del, and another gap between New London, Conn., and Wickford Junction, R.I. One of those commuter carriers is Shore Line East, which serves Connecticut primarily between New Haven and Old Saybrook, with some trains continuing west as far as Stamford and some continuing east as far as New London. New Haven is also the eastern end of Metro-North's New Haven Line from Grand Central Terminal in New York City, with most trains terminating at New Haven's Union Station. Some trains continue one station further east to the small State Street Station. In today's post we're going to explore the trackage that is the core of Shore Line East, starting in New Haven Union Station (above). The Solari board, a train information board made up of flip tiles, is at the far end of the station. This board, and its distinctive clacking noise, is scheduled for removal from the station soon.

Up on the platform, we find an M8 electric multiple unit set for Metro-North has just arrived. Passengers of all kinds wait for the doors to open.

Metro-North; New Haven, Conn.; February 23, 2014

A set of M8s slip out of the station on its way to Grand Central. The train that appears to be from Amtrak is actually a Shore Line East train; SLE has a few former Amtrak diesels on its roster. Shore Line East was started in 1990 as a temporary service to ease congestion during a major construction project on parallel I-95. It proved very successful, however, and has been constantly expanding and improving ever since.

Metro-North and Shore Line East; New Haven, Conn.; February 23, 2014

Amtrak; Guilford, Conn.

All of the Shore Line East stations are new construction, with roomy parking lots. Most are located on the fringes of the towns they serve. After leaving New Haven we pass through Branford and arrive in the interesting town of Guilford. Another feature of Shore Line East stations are overhead pedestrian bridges, and most have nice clear plexiglass that allows for photography. We get a nice look at a New York-bound Acela train as it rolls on the center express track through the station.

Also in Guilford is a remnant of the past. The water tank that once quenched the thirst of steam locomotives on the New York, New Haven & Hartford still stands, and the town is in the process of stabilizing it for future restoration (albeit not as a functioning water tank -- there are no more steam locomotives visiting Guilford). The old New Haven freight house still stands as well, just beyond the water tank.

And speaking of remnants, the ex-Amtrak diesel pulling a westbound Shore Line East train is a bit tattered. It has an SLE decal stuck to the nose and has had its Amtrak logo removed from the side. The patchy silver paint sort of makes it look like the unit is held together with bondo.

Shore Line East; Guilford, Conn.; February 23, 2014

Old Saybrook is the final destination for many Shore Line East trains. The new station sits just west of the old New Haven wood frame station; the old station is now a pizza parlor. One of Amtrak's sleek Acela trainsets passes through the station at over 100 miles an hour. One feature of Shore Line East stations is you always know when a train is coming. An announcement comes over the public address system warning that you should stay behind the yellow line. It's an announcement worth heeding, because that approaching train may be from Amtrak, and they don't slow down.

Amtrak; Old Saybrook, Conn.; February 23, 2014

Shore Line East is funded by the Connecticut Department of Transportation, which also owns the equipment. In a nod to history, ConnDOT's official railroad paint scheme is the New Haven "McGinnis" red, white and black. The scheme is informally named after Patrick McGinnis, president of the New Haven from 1953-1956; his wife Lucille designed the scheme. It features the blocky NH logo designed by Herbert Matter. Some of the Shore Line East locomotives wear the timeless scheme that looks as good now as it did when introduced.

Shore Line East; Old Saybrook, Conn.; February 23, 2014

Of all the commuter railroads on the Northeast Corridor, Shore Line East is one of two that is diesel powered (Boston's MBTA is the other; MARC, SEPTA, NJ Transit and Metro-North all use electric power). Electrification historically stopped at New Haven until Amtrak extended it to Boston in 2000. There has been some talk that perhaps Metro-North electric service should be expanded beyond New Haven to New London, replacing the diesels of Shore Line East (especially once all of Metro-North's new M8 cars are delivered). For now, we'll finish our tour of Shore Line East with another look at GP40-2H No. 6697 in the Old Saybrook station. More photos from this day can be found here.

Shore Line East; old Saybrook, Conn.; February 23, 2014

Favorite Photo From Each Month 2013

On my personal Facebook page for the past 12 days I posted my favorite photo I took each month during 2013. For those who saw that, here's a recap. For those that didn't, here they are. And this site also has its own Facebook page and you can "like" us here.

January

New York City Transit Authority; 168th Street, New York, N.Y.; January 29, 2013

We start off with a shot from January 29 on the New York City subway system. Near the north end of Manhattan on the 1-Line are three of the deepest stations on the system, located in the Washington Heights Mine Tunnel. The middle of those three stations is 168th Street which, with its arched ceiling, is considered to be the most architecturally interesting station open to the public (City Hall station, now closed, is certainly tops on the list of architectural interest).

February

Tavares, Eustis & Gulf; Tavares, Fla.; February 9, 2013

February saw a trip to sunny Florida, where a visit to the Orange Blossom Cannonball at Tavares was in order (covered in a post here). After a day of shooting the wood-burning steam locomotive, we did three night photo setups, including this one where we briefly blocked traffic at a rotary near the Tavares depot.

March

Altamont Commuter Express; Alatmont, Calif.; March 7, 2013

In March it was off to California for Winterail, the big railroad photography exhibition in Stockton. On the way there from San Francisco I traveled over Altamont Pass and shot the Altamont Commuter Express with its locomotive in "push" mode heading from San Jose to Stockton. The sun had just set, and a set of strobes were used to provide a hint of fill lighting. The train is on the former Western Pacific; the Southern Pacific also crossed Altamont Pass, but the dirt trail under the bridge is all that remains of the Espee.

April

Norfolk Southern; Falls Mills, Va.; April 8, 2013

A weeklong trip that included visiting Cincinnati and Chicago also resulted in backtracking to the Pocahontas coal fields in between the two cities. Norfolk Southern's heritage units (locomotives painted in classic schemes of the predecessor roads of NS) had been assigned there, and two were found pushing a train up the grade from the coal fields of West Virginia into Bluefield. The colorful unit is painted in the scheme of the original Norfolk Southern, a small railroad that operated in Virginia. The blue unit is painted for the Norfolk & Western, one of the largest railroads to be merged into Norfolk Southern 30 years ago.

May

Nickel Plate Road 765; MG Tower, Altoona, Penn.; May 27, 2013

While I hadn't chased a main line steam trip in several years (preferring photo charters instead), I got out and chased Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765 when it made its runs over the former Pennsylvania Railroad on Memorial Day weekend (covered in a post here). The trips ran from Enola Yard near Harrisburg to Altoona and beyond, traversing famous Horseshoe Curve before turning back east. Just beyond Horseshoe Curve on the climb up the Allegheny Mountains is MG Tower that once controlled movements along the line. MG is long closed, but the tower still stands, and getting 765 passing there would be perfect. It's a mile and a half hike uphill to the tower, but it was worth it to getting two icons of railroading together. By the way, two more of Norfolk Southern's heritage units are trailing 765 -- one painted for the Pennsylvania Railroad and the other for Conrail, two of the railroads that at one time called Horseshoe Curve home.

June

Norfolk Southern; Elkton, Md.; June 29, 2013

The month of June was a stay-near-home month, other than a quick trip to Ottawa that didn't see a lot of photography. Towards the end of the month, two more of the Norfolk Southern heritage units headed my direction, this time one painted for Penn Central and the other painted for Illinois Terminal. The pair were leading an oil train from Harrisburg down the Port Road to Perryville, Md., then over Amtrak's Northeast Corridor to Newark, Del., before diverting to the refinery. I set up on Amtrak at the abandoned station at Elkton, Md., at around 8:00 p.m. I then heard from a friend that the train had hit a downed tree on the Port Road and was delayed. Finally, just past midnight, the two came through Elkton.

July

Virginia Museum of Transportation; Roanoke, Va.; July 12, 2013

July started off with a trip to Ohio to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Cedar Point & Lake Erie Railroad at the famous roller coaster park near Sandusky. Shortly after that I headed for Roanoke, Va., for a photo shoot at the Virginia Museum of Transportation hosted by Lerro Productions (and covered in this post). From that session my favorite photo is of museum volunteer Charles Hardy dressed as a Pullman porter, looking out the coach window at Norfolk & Western 2-6-6-4 No. 1218.

August

Canadian National; Stony Beach, Saskatchewan; August 27, 2013

August saw not one, but two trips to Ohio -- one for Summerail, a photography exhibition in Cincinnati, and the other back to Cedar Point for more steam and roller coasters -- but the highlight of the month was a trip to the Canadian prairies of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Getting this shot of a Canadian National train passing the classic Saskatchewan Wheat Pool elevator at Stony Beach took some persistence (see the entire story behind the shot here), but it became one of my favorite photos of the entire year.

September

Alaska Railroad; Fairbanks, Alaska; September 15, 2013

No sooner was I back from Saskatchewan than I was back on a plane again, this time heading to Alaska for the convention of the National Railway Historical Society. The convention began in Fairbanks, where I shot a passenger train jointly operated by the NRHS and Alaska Railroad passing a splash of fall color on the outskirts of town. The NRHS had arranged for a locomotive painted in the old black Alaska Railroad scheme to lead the train.

October

Western Maryland Scenic Railroad; Cumberland, Md.; October 22, 2013

With two huge trips behind me, early October was spent close to home looking for fall colors. Later in the month I headed to Cumberland, Md., for two days of photo charters hosted by Lerro Productions on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. The trips included sunset and night photos, as well as plenty of action in daylight, but my favorite shot came just after sunrise on the second day as Western Maryland Scenic 2-8-0 No. 734 (renumbered to 729 for the charter) took water from the spout in downtown Cumberland.

November

Metro North; Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.; November 23, 2013

With the days getting shorter and cooler, November was another month with no long-ish distance travel. Throughout the fall I had been shooting at various locations on Metro North in New York and Connecticut (and presented many of those photos here). The evening of November 23 was a bit overcast, but the air at ground level was clear with no city haze. I spent the cool evening at Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., which provides a nice view looking down the Hudson at New York City. As the sun set, I shot many different trains under different lighting conditions, but my favorite was this scene of an electric multiple unit train heading towards the Big Apple as the last bit of orange peeked under the cloud cover.

December

CSX Transportation; Jesup, Ga.; December 15, 2013

I returned to Florida in December, driving one way and flying back. During the drive down I spent an evening in Jesup, Ga. (covered in this post) shooting Amtrak and CSX trains after dark. My favorite shot from that trip was taken in Jesup, but it wasn't even a shot I had set up for. I was set up for a southbound train to come through town, passing the railfan platform where folks can watch trains. However, before the southbound got to Jesup a northbound was given clearance on the single track through town. Knowing the southbound would be through shortly after the northbound, I knew I wouldn't have time to reposition my strobes between trains. I thus settled for this going away shot of the northbound, using the same light set-up as I would use for the shot I really wanted of the southbound. As it turns out, the shot I "settled" for I wound up liking better than the shot I was after! Not a bad way to wrap up a busy year!

Counting Down the Year on Metro North

Metro North; Ansonia, Conn.; October 12, 2013

During the fall I started exploring some of the Metro North commuter lines I had been ignoring. There are some interesting locations on the East-of-Hudson routes -- the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven Lines. The exploration started on October 12 on the way to a night photo session in Willimantic, Conn. A diesel-powered train on the Waterbury Branch (which comes off the New Haven Line at Bridgeport) made for a nice view, even if the autumn colors were changing late.

The following day I followed the New Haven Line, pausing to check out the new station at West Haven, which just opened this year. A set of General Electric M2 "Cosmopolitan" cars -- the oldest operating cars on the New Haven Line -- made a nice scene going through the new station.

Metro North; West Haven, Conn.; October 13, 2013

Moving west that day I made a pleasant discovery -- the moveable bridge at Westport, Conn., actually has a public walkway along the tracks. The bridge crosses the Saugatuck River near where the river empties into Long Island Sound. A set of M6 cars, built by Morrison-Knudson, were seen passing the bridge operator's cabin.

Metro North; Westport, Conn.; October 13, 2013

By October 19 the colors were beginning to change in the Hudson Valley. A northbound Metro North train passed a small pond just north of Cold Spring, N.Y., behind a General Electric P32AC-DM diesel. Storm King Mountain across the Hudson provided the backdrop; the geese seemed unimpressed.

Metro North; Cold Spring, N.Y.; October 19, 2013

There is probably no better photo location in the Hudson Valley than off the Bear Mountain Bridge north of Peekskill. It provides good views of the Metro North track (also used by Amtrak and the rare CSX freight) on the Hudson's east shore, while the fairly busy CSX River Line is on the appropriately named former West Shore line. A northbound train circled Anthony's Nose (the mountain at the east end of the bridge) on the mid-fall day.

Metro North; Bear Mountain Bridge, Peekskill, N.Y.; October 19, 2013

A week later I was on the Harlem Line. While the Hudson Line has diesels on its north end and a mix of diesels and electric multiple unit cars on the south end, and the New Haven Line has electric cars with some diesel trains, the Harlem Line is entirely the domain of multiple unit cars. A set of M7A cars, the newest on the Harlem Line, crossed the through truss bridge amid late fall colors just north of the Scarsdale station on October 26.

Metro North; Scarsdale, N.Y.; October 26, 2013

A month later, on November 23, the fall colors were still hanging in there in spots on the Hudson Line. A set of M7A cars paused at the Phillipse Manor station just north of Tarrytown. The splash of yellow is a teaser that says I have to get back next year.

Metro North; Phillipse Manor, N.Y.; November 23, 2013

The late fall air had pushed the summer haze out of the Hudson Valley, opening visibility down to New York City. At Dobbs Ferry a southbound set of M7A cars headed towards the bright lights of Gotham with the George Washington Bridge providing a gateway arch over the Hudson River.

Metro North; Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.; November 23, 2013

We're back on the Harlem Line as the Christmas season begins to gear up on December 7. At White Plains, N.Y., people are dressed festively as a southbound train rolls into the station. Even on weekends the railroad remains busy.

Metro North; White Plains, N.Y.; December 7, 2013

We'll finish off our journey through the end of 2013 on Metro North with a ghostly apparition. Metro North had purchased several self-propelled cars from the Budd Company in the 1980s. Officially known as Self Propelled Vehicles (SPV's), they were quickly dubbed Seldom Powered Vehicles. Unreliable working on their own, most became coaches hauled by diesels. An SPV ghost seems to be coming out of the darkness.

Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum; Willimantic, Conn.; October 12, 2013

Actually, this SPV is preserved at the Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum in Willimantic. True to its historic reputation, this car is not powered.

And with that we complete our journey to 2014. Happy New Year!!!!

You can see a gallery of all of my favorite photos from 2013 by clicking here.

Cool Chromes -- More Cabs

Cool Chromes is a semi-regular feature where we dig out some old slides and run them through the scanner.

Norfolk Southern; Vaughn, Va.; July 29, 1987

A few weeks ago in Cool Chromes we looked at "cab" units -- the streamlined four-axle F-units and six-axle E-units from the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors (other locomotive manufacturers had their own versions of cab units). Today we'll look at a few more, starting with a trio of Southern Railway FP7s at Vaughn, Va., on July 29, 1987. FP7s took the four-axle concept, usually used on freight locomotives, and added features to make them more usable on passenger trains (primarily a steam generator for steam heat for the coaches) -- thus the "P" in FP7. The photo above shows the three Southern units (at this time employed by Southern successor Norfolk Southern) hauling a trip to the National Railway Historical Society convention in Roanoke. This trip departed Alexandria and headed across northern Virginia on the former Southern "B" Line between Manassas and Front Royal, where it  diverged onto the Norfolk & Western's Shenandoah Line down to Lynchburg. The position light signals give this away as being on the N&W.

Metro North; Roa Hook (Peekskill), N.Y.; August 22, 1992

Up next we have the oddball cab unit -- the five-axle FL9. Designed with two axles in the front and three in the back, it was originally intended for long-distance passenger service in the west where a large tank for water for steam heat would be needed. It was never used in that service, however, and instead found a home on the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad in short-distance passenger service. The New Haven made them dual mode locomotives, capable of operating as conventional diesels most of the time, but equally capable of operating as electric locomotives off of third rail for use into New York City's Grand Central Terminal. where diesel fumes were not wanted in the terminal or the long Park Avenue tunnel leading to it. The duo above is seen in service of New Haven successor Metro North on the former New York Central above Peekskill, N.Y., at a location known as Roa Hook. That's the Hudson River off to the right.

Canadian Pacific; Old Ottertail (Field), British Columbia; September 2000

Next we'll head north of the border to the Canadian Pacific. Here we have FP7s again, but this time we have an FP7A and an FP7B -- the "A" has a cab for the locomotive crew, while the "B" is a cabless booster unit (normally, the "A" is implied when referring to cab units and is often dropped from the model designations). This train is the Royal Canadian Pacific, a luxury train that carried about two dozen passengers who were pampered by about two dozen crew members as the train did a multi-day tour of the Rockies and Selkirks of western Canada. The RCP no longer runs, but the trainset is still used by CPR for business purposes. The train is seen here at a classic CPR location known as Old Ottertail near Field, British Columbia, in September 2000.

Erie 834; Hoboken, N.J.; June 1991

We finish off our look at cab units with a set that has appeared on this page before. We see "Erie 834" at Hoboken Terminal after pulling an excursion for the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey in June 1991. No. 834 is an E8, but it never worked for the Erie in real life (it actually worked for the New York Central); it was painted by the URHS in the Erie scheme as a tribute to a railroad that once served the Garden State. As such, it and sister 835 (actually a former Pennsylvania Railroad unit) were given the next highest numbers after the E8s that the Erie actually operated (833 was the highest).

It's Christmastime In the City

All the photos from this trip can be found in Photo Lines here.

Grand Central Terminal; December 7, 2013

I've been traveling into Grand Central Terminal in New York a lot this year -- after all, this is the building's centennial year. I've been there to shoot exterior night shots, there for the centennial on February 1, back for the Parade of Trains in May, and probably another couple of trips. So it's only fitting as the year winds down I headed back into GCT for the final big event of the year -- the Centennial Holiday Light Show.

Naturally the best way to get into GCT is by train, and I picked a place to leave my car that was both convenient and provided a photo angle I had not tried before. So, after leaving my car on the fifth floor of the parking garage at White Plains, N.Y., I headed up to the eighth floor to shoot a northbound set of Metro North M3s in the low afternoon sun.

Metro North; White Plains, N.Y.; December 7, 2013

After shooting this I headed down to the platform to catch a southbound into the city. Despite the fact that this was a local train (which makes more stops and is much slower than the frequent express trains), the platform was fairly crowded with shoppers, sightseers and Santa's helpers heading in.

Metro North; White Plains, N.Y.; December 7, 2013

On board Metro North

Grand Central Terminal; Dec. 7, 2013

Arriving at Grand Central with a few minutes to spare before the start pf the light show, I toured the holiday sales area in Vanderbilt Hall which seemed to be a very crowded mall with really tiny stores. Then it was off to the east balcony to set up for the light show, which would be projected in the windows on the west side (top photo in this entry).

The half-hour show repeats continuously from 5:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m., so once it was underway I took advantage of a behind-the-scenes tour that was offered by a friend. In each of the windows in the arch there is a scrim with a light bar below it. These are in the walkways that go across the archways at each end of the terminal. The third floor passageway is seen in the photo above. In all, there are 350 window panes in each of the archways. As the lights change colors, they can make designs, rough pictures and even letters.

GCT; Dec. 7, 2013

Heading to the east archway, I had the chance to look out from the third floor on that side of GCT at the light show across the main concourse. With its ceiling of constellations, towering arched roof and massive pillars, this is one of the grandest (and perhaps most famous) rooms in all of railroading.

GCT; Dec 7, 2013

The light show is also visible from the outside of Grand Central along Vanderbilt Avenue. I set up a tripod on 43rd Street (tripods are not permitted in the building -- I used a railing to steady the camera for the lead photo in this story and a combination of low shutter speeds, high ISO's and a steady hand for the other interior shots) and captured the light show with the Chrysler Building overhead.

Finally, it was time to head back to White Plains. The light show, which is sponsored by Toshiba, runs through December 26. Naturally, once I got home and looked at the photos on my computer I noticed a lot of things I would do differently, so a return trip may be in order. Grand Central Terminal is always impressive -- you won't have to twist my arm very hard.

For a more detailed look at the light show itself check out this story here.