Empire Service

[Mike M]

Yesterday we took Empire Service Train 236 from Rensselaer NY to Penn Station. On our return we took Train 241. As we arrived and departed from same gate, I was interested in a)is it the same train that provides Empire Service back and forth to Albany, and b)if yes, where does the train get turned around for the return service to Rensselaer?

Thanks

 

[jis]

The train gets turned around on the Sunnyside loop in Queens NY.

 

[lstone19]

Empire Service trains must use Tracks 5 through 8 (9 in a pinch) at Penn Station as they are the only ones that can access both the Empire Connection on the west end and Sunnyside Yard in Queens on the east end. The locomotives used in Empire Service are unique to that service (dual diesel and third rail power). While an arriving Empire Service train could have cars switched around at Sunnyside, generally what comes in as an Empire Service train will be turned at Sunnyside and go back out as a later Empire Service train. That you arrived and departed at the same "gate" (or did you mean track) was co-incidence but with the limited tracks for Empire Service, there was a 1 in 2 chance of arriving and departing the same platform (each platform serving two tracks) and 1 in 4 of it being the same track.

 

[Mike M]

So does the Lake Shore Limited train into Penn Station become the Lake Shore Limited train which then returns to Chicago?

I stand corrected, I should have said departed from same "track".

 

[jis]

Yes. There may be some substitution of cars and occasionally the consist might be exchanged with a Florida train with some requisite shuffling of cars, but in general, yes.

 

[pvd]

Just to clarify that a bit, the LSL leaves NYP @ 3:40P, arrives around 6:30P, so today's arriving LSL (usually) becomes tomorrow's departing.