How do I get to Track 61 at Grand Central?
So if you were rich and important enough, you could direct your private train car to Track 61, exit onto the underground platform, and take an elevator up to the Waldorf Astoria’s basement. It allowed for guests to access the hotel without ever having to leave the terminal or go outside.
Is Track 61 still used?
This abandoned subway station beneath the Waldorf-Astoria hotel is allegedly used to secretly transport presidents. Unlike other “abandoned” train stations in the New York City area, the infamous Track 61 is supposedly still in use as a secret escape train for presidents visiting the city.
Why is there no track 12 at Grand Central?
Because tracks in the rail yard are tightly spaced, Track 12 was eliminated to make room for a passenger platform servicing Tracks 11 and 13. Track 14 starts farther north than the others and is used by Metro-North for various maintenance jobs.
What is underneath Grand Central Station?
M42 is a sub-basement of Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The basement contains an electrical substation that provides electricity to the terminal and helps power its tracks’ third rails.
How do you sneak in track 61?
How do you get to Track 61? There’s a locked door on 49th Street. If you’re paying attention, you can catch a glimpse of it on the right side of the train when your MetroNorth train is pulling out of the station. If you want to experience the golden age of rail, check out The Soirée on the Railway.
Can you visit Track 61 NYC?
Track 61 in NYC, which was never intended for passenger service, is no longer in use. You can catch a glimpse of the legendary track while riding the Metro-North out of Grand Central Terminal, though the signifying blue railcar is no longer there.
How many tracks are there at Grand Central Terminal?
67 tracks
There are 44 platforms with 67 tracks. The tracks are on two levels, with 41 tracks in the upper and 26 tracks in the lower level. On completion of the Long Island Rail Road in 2016, the GCT will have 48 platforms and 75 tracks.
How do trains turn around at Grand Central?
A balloon loop can also be used to turn around trains. Commonly used in passenger rail and unit freight train networks, balloon loops have a more circular shape, allowing trains to reverse direction without stopping. New York’s Grand Central Terminal houses a balloon loop for this purpose.
What NYC building has a secret subway?
Track 61, an abandoned subway platform that you can find beneath the famed Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Midtown. The hidden track was not originally built for passenger use, and contrary to popular belief, not for the city’s subway either. Rather, it was built to store unused cars for the New York Central Railroad.
What is underneath New York City?
Deep below the streets of New York City lie its vital organs—a water system, subways, railroads, tunnels, sewers, drains, and power and cable lines—in a vast, three-dimensional tangle.
Where is Track 61 in Grand Central Terminal?
The platform is part of the Grand Central Terminal complex. Track 61 is part of the “Lex Yard”, a twelve-track storage yard under the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. It shares a platform with track 63, to its west. A similar platform exists between tracks 53 and 54, to the east.
Where is Track 61 in New York City?
Track 61 is a storage track abutting a private railroad platform on the Metro-North Railroad in Manhattan, New York City. It is located beneath the Waldorf Astoria New York hotel, within an underground storage yard northeast of Grand Central Terminal. The platform is part of the Grand Central Terminal complex. 1 History.
Is there a train track under Grand Central?
New York City legend has imbued the abandoned Track 61 in NYC at Grand Central Terminal with a storied history full of clandestine government movements and illicit affairs.
Who was the first person to use Track 61?
In 1977 William D Middleton’s Grand Central: the world’s greatest railway terminal mentioned Track 61, “ General John J Pershing was the first to use it, on a visit to the city in 1938.