Author: homealonesimon

Interested in Transport and Currency (UK)

The story of Metro’s Royal opening in 1981

The Royal opening of Metro was part of a three-week transport festival on Tyneside, designed to encourage people to try the new Metro system.

There was a huge fireworks display, a transport treasure trail, competitions – including one with a first prize of a Spanish holiday – a balloon race, a public transport cavalcade and exhibition, specially commissioned souvenirs, and cheap fares.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh came to carry out an official opening ceremony on Metro on the morning November 6, 1981. 

Her Majesty would officially declare the Metro system open.

The new QEII Metro Bridge – the sixth across the Tyne – would be officially dedicated by the Queen, allowing passengers to travel into Gateshead, and beyond to Heworth.

David Howard was Director General of the Tyne and Wear Passenger Executive, now Nexus, when the Metro project was completed, and it was Mr Howard who had the job of showing the Queen around the new Metro system.

The Royal visit marked the opening of the of Metro’s underground route from Haymarket through Monument and Central Station, continuing across the Tyne into Gateshead and on to a new southern terminus at Heworth Interchange.

At 10.15am on a chilly but sunny autumn day, thousands of people lined Grey Street, and many waved Union Jacks, as the Royal limousine pulled up in the shadow of Grey’s monument.

All police leave in the city had been cancelled and street cleaners had made sure the area was spick and span.

The Queen took a ticket to ride, travelling on the Metro driver on the new line between Monument and Gateshead.

The Royal party and the invited guests travelled on Metrocars 4020 and 4007 from Monument to a specially erected gantry at the north end of the new Metro bridge. 

Her Majesty officially named the structure the Queen Elizabeth II Metro bridge. This continued a long tradition of Tyne crossings being opened by royalty, stretching back to 1849, when Queen Victoria opened the High Level Bridge. 

Even a bomb scare failed to halt the visit, though it was sped up on security advice as a result of that incident.

Meanwhile, the Metro Royal train was delayed further because Prince Philip had strolled short distance into the middle of the new bridge to admire the view of the Tyne. 

Once in Gateshead, the Metro was officially opened by the Queen who made a short speech before unveiling a plaque.

The Royal party then got back on the train to Heworth. On arrival there, in another unrehearsed move, Prince Philip spoke to the Metro driver, Jack Hall, and ended up sitting in his cab asking questions.

The visit then concluded with a lavish reception at Newcastle Civic Centre, where the Royal party and their guests dined on smoked salmon mousse, roast beef in truffle sauce and peaches flamed with brandy.

Tyneside’s rapid transport system revolution was officially underway. 
 

This blog was made by simon schofield

With the Train Sim World 2 Harlem Line coming soon, we take a further look at this remarkable and bustling Metro-North route.

The Harlem Line: It is one of Metro-North Commuter Railroad’s interlinked “Big Three” routes. Along with MNCR’s Hudson and New Haven Lines, the Harlem Line serves the pulsing urban areas north and east of New York City. Second only to the New Haven Line, the Harlem Line is Metro-North’s busiest commuter artery, alive with the hustle and bustle of Big Apple railroading!

And soon, the Harlem Line: Grand Central Terminal – North White Plains route is coming to Train Sim World 2, so let’s take a closer look at this busy and historic commuter railroad line.

The route:

As created for Train Sim World 2, the upcoming Harlem Line: Grand Central Terminal – North White Plains route extends from New York City to North White Plains, New York. The line begins at the bumper posts of legendary Grand Central Terminal (located at 42nd Street in Manhattan), then passes through the Park Avenue Tunnel until, at 97th Street, it bursts into the open air and rides atop the Park Avenue Viaduct to Harlem 125th Street Station.

Once past 125th Street, the route crosses the towering “DB” moveable bridge over the Harlem River to reach Mott Haven (milepost 5.4) in the Bronx. Between GCT and Mott Haven, Metro-North’s busy Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven lines all share common trackage. Then, at Mott Haven, the MNCR Hudson Line diverges (the upcoming Train Sim World 2 route will also include a short stretch of the Hudson Line extending to Yankees 153rd Street Station). Running largely in open air but below the surrounding street level, the four-track route extends through the Bronx with station stops such as noted Botanical Gardens (home to the famed Bronx Zoo). At Woodlawn Junction (milepost 11.8), the Metro-North Harlem and New Haven lines separate, and the Harlem Line begins a journey, much of it along the Bronx River, through a patchwork of urban and suburban territory to White Plains (milepost 22.4) and North White Plains (milepost 23.9), the latter of which is host to a large staging yard.

Electrified throughout via third-rail D. C. power, the multi-track Harlem Line: Grand Central Terminal – North White Plains route will include 18 stations, of which Grand Central Terminal, Harlem 125th Street, and White Plains are the busiest, and the line will offer a captivating and challenging mix of express, semi-express, and local commuter runs that are brought alive in five scenarios and more than 260 timetables services.

The Equipment:

The upcoming Train Sim World 2 Harlem Line: Grand Central Terminal – North White Plains will feature two generations of notable Metro-North electric-multiple-unit (EMU) trains, the venerable Budd-constructed M3A and modern Bombardier-built M7A.

Metro-North’s Harlem and Hudson Lines were long owned and operated by the great New York Central. During the NYC (and later, Penn Central) years, the Harlem Line was host to NYC’s own EMUs, the last of which were the railroad’s Pullman-Standard 85-foot-long 4600- and 4700-series cars which arrived in the early- to mid-1960s and then served into the Metro North era. In assuming control of the line, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and later Metro-North inherited the challenges of replacing the aging ex-NYC equipment. That process began in 1968 with the purchase from the Budd Company of 770 EMUs for use on the Long Island Railroad, which was followed in 1971 with a purchase of 178 similar M1A cars for use on the Harlem and Hudson lines of what is today Metro-North. In the early 1980s, more new equipment acquisitions followed, including the M3 for LIRR and M3A for Metro-North. The M3As were quite similar to the earlier M1As, and MNCR received 142 8000-series, silver-and-blue-clad M3As in 1984-85. The M3A were constructed in married pairs and train lengths on the Harlem Line are typically up to eight cars in length. While the M3As will eventually be replaced by MNCR’s newest M9 cars, the veteran M3As are expected to remain in service for some time.

Today’s workhorse EMU on the Harlem Line is the flat-faced Bombardier-built M7A. Like its predecessors, the M7A is a kindred spirit to Long Island Rail Road equipment, in this case the LIRR M7. Long Island M7s began arriving in 2002 and M7As made their appearance on Metro-North in 2004. Eighty-five feet in length and with a capacity of up to 110 passengers per car, the M7As are equipped with 265-horsepower traction motors on each axle of their four axles. A total of 336 M7As entered MNCR service by 2006. Also configured in married pairs and authorized for 80 mph operations on MNCR, the M7As serve both the Harlem and Hudson lines.

With a masterfully created and highly detailed route and two generations of EMUs which will offer authentic controls and realistic operating characteristics, together with a bevy of timetabled services and scenarios, the upcoming Train Sim World 2 Harlem Line: Grand Central Terminal – North White Plains route will deliver the full and varied experiences of American commuter railroading around the “Big Apple” – and it’s coming soon to Train Sim World 2!

By Simon Schofield