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Just returned back on Monday the 30th to NY via the Crescent from ATL. As NYC came into vue across the Hudson and the new World Trade Center became visable it got me wondering what it must have been like on 9/11. Did all train traffic stop where they were that day? What did the passengers do? Are there any of you on this forum who were train travelers that day and what was your experience like?
Regards,
Joe
smitty195 Member # 5102
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I can only give a partial answer. My sister lived in NY at the time (Croton On Harmon), and she worked in Manhattan. When the towers were hit, she was at the dentist's office in Manhattan, just a few blocks from the towers. New Yorkers instantly knew what was going on, so she left the dentist and headed straight for the train station (Metro North). She said it was so strange when she got on the train, because a normally empty train was standing room only, and the majority of the people were covered in soot. They were silent and weren't talking--like everyone was still in shock.
I don't know what happened with other railroads or transportation, but I do know that Metro North took her home that day.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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Well, there is only one place this topic is going and that is into a "Where were you on 9/11".
So I shall start the hijack.
Although I had been in New York for my Father's Memorial Service during "our last weekend of normalcy" (airport security was comprised of the five silly questions), I was back at the desk for that Tuesday morning. My morning started with a phone call with a State unemployment auditor who told me they were not going to perform an audit of a client. The gal had no knowledge of 9/11 (even though it had occurred) and neither did I. I then called the client to spread the good news, the office gal answered, she's crying, "Fern, what's wrong?", "Gil, don't you know? New York has been attacked, its war".
Needless to say, it was time for no more work and time for the TV and concern for my immediate family all of whom reside in the New York area. Phone calls to New York? forget it.
When I finally made contact, I learned my Brother in Law, with his office on a lower floor of the North Tower (he would have unquestionably gotten out) was overseas on business. One Nephew was in Charlottesville (UVA Law), the other still residing in London. My Niece, who then resided in TriBeCa (five young women crammed into an area hardly big enough for one - Roomette type beds), was on a Subway en route to her job Uptown; she only learned when she got to work, but her apartment was "off limits", she ended up walking to 125th St from where Metro North was turning all trains and eventually she got out to Mom and Riverside (there; rail related).
I learned about a week later that a "casual acquaintance" grade schoolmate was with Cantor and on a high North Tower floor....nuff said on that (I found his photo in The Times).
When closing out my Father's affairs at the nursing home, I made the remark first that if my Father was to go (92), just as well it was before 9/11. I asked the Administrator how did they handle the matter with the residents. "We told them it was a horror movie sort of like 'The Day After" or the radio production of "War of the Worlds".
To close with some rail related anecdotes; I understand that there was one PATH train that entered the WTC station as the first attack occurred. The doors were never opened, no announcement was made, but the Motorman quickly changed ends and they were bound back for Jersey. I guess if the original plan for the H&M to have a second set of tubes ever moved forth, that train would have simply kept moving right through the WTC station.
I also learned, that SB Auto Train handled passengers with or without autos; CSX never pressed claim against Amtrak for a contractual breach; anyone think they should have?
Otherwise, were coming up on "the eleventh" (ho-hum) and #1 WTC is now the tallest building in NY. But let us not forget....NEVER FORGET.
MDRR Member # 2992
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I was working train #56 that morning enroute to SAB. Somwhere around Trenton, peoples cell phones started to ring with both information and MIS-information, ie Chicago was attacked, LA was attacked, etc. As we were approaching Newark, you could see the black smoke arising across the water. The train arrived in Newark, and at first we were being held for more info. Then train was "terminated". Approx. 1.5-2 hours later the T&E crew received instructions to run engine around to other end and we proceeded back to Wash. DC. We basically took anyone and everyone that wanted to ride. People were just interested in getting to home/or other "safe" place.
George Harris Member # 2077
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I will do my part to continue the hijack. At that time I was working in Taiwan, so it was 12 hours off from US eastern time. I had been somewhat late leaving the office. I walked in the door an saw on the TV this picture of a cloud of smoke rising from what I recognized as a World Trade Center tower. I thought it was a movie. My wife said, don't say anthing, this is real. I do not remember when we went to bed.
There were people I knew that worked there, in fact that I had worked with on more than one job. Our company had an office on one of the floors, and I had been in it for a few weeks in 1995. Much later I learned that they all walked down. One described it later as that it felt like the building jumped several feet sideways. That was probably pretty close to the truth.
Looking at how the plane hit off center, I fully expected the top to rotate to that side when it fell. I regard it as miraculous that it went straight down. The death toll was no more than about 1/10 of my first guess. As you hear the stories of the people that were not at work that day that should have been, and know that neither plane was full, it becomes clear than the death toll could be much, much higher.
Ocala Mike Member # 4657
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I was working for the Florida Dept. of Revenue in Ocala on 9/11, having retired from NY State some five years earlier. We all watched the horror on tv, which hit home to me a little more than most as I knew the NY State Dept. of Taxation and Finance (my old unit) had offices on the 86th and 87th floors of Two World Trade Center, the South Tower.
I couldn't help thinking about the times I had been there in the past (it wasn't my duty station) and the people I knew who probably weren't going to make it. Came to find out later that a good friend, Jerry Ahern, who I had trained as a pari-mutuel auditor at the race track and who was a Corporate Tax Auditor on that fateful day, was one of the many victims as well as scores of other people from the Tax Dept.
Vincent206 Member # 15447
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I was scheduled to fly to Chicago on 9/11 and I was packing my bag, getting ready to go to the airport when I heard on the radio about an airplane colliding with the first tower. I turned on the TV to watch the news and when the second airplane hit the second tower I stopped packing and went to work.
TwinStarRocket Member # 2142
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My daughter's wedding was on 9/15/01. Some of her bridesmaids lived in California, and some close family were traveling and due home. Of course none could get here. It was also hard to feel festive in the midst of such tragedy.
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
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While unrelated to railroad affairs, and addressing a population considerably younger than most around here, this article appearing in the Journal's weekly Review section, could help formulate thoughts for some who wish to share same at this topic:
The conflict in Afghanistan has dragged on so long that the young Americans fighting on the front lines today often have little personal memory of the event that sparked it in the first place. Since the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush has completed two terms and retreated to private life. The World Trade Center is again New York's tallest building and Osama bin Laden has been dead for almost exactly one year.
mr williams Member # 1928
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Being five hours ahead of you I'd been at lunch with clients when the attacks took place. We were strolling the couple of hundred yards back to the office when one of the client's cellphones rang to tell her the news. A very dear friend of hers worked for Cantor Fitzgerald (but fortunately was not in the building at the time).
When I got back to the office at first it appeared deserted. I wandered around the far side to find everybody standing in silence, crammed into the rest area where there was a television.
67 Brits died in the attacks, the biggest total of any other nation.
smitty195 Member # 5102
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That's interesting mr williams. I have never heard anyone relay a story from a different country. Was it carried live with no commercial interruption for several days, or did they do all of the TV programs as usual with live updates every so often? Over here, the cable news channels were constant with no commercials, and some of the local affiliates tapped into their coverage as well, so there really wasn't any "regular" TV programming for quite some time. I remember back then how we all felt "together" and we knew what happened and we knew who the enemy was. Today, things have gotten ridiculous and there are, unfortunately, people who have been severely misguided and misinformed who believe it was a controlled demolition, orchestrated by our own government. My stomach goes in knots whenever I hear that, because of the absolute ridiculousness of the whole thing. Anyway, I'm glad that Bush 43 put so many things into place to help prevent another attack, and that enhanced interrogation techniques helped lead to the killing of Bin Laden. (But I'm not happy about Bush creating the TSA!! Big mistake).
jcepler1 Member # 33281
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In the Amtrak 40th Anniversary book, the then-head of the Miami crew base says that on September 11 they created a 'super-train' with every piece of equipment that they had in Miami at the time, to accommodate the scores of travelers who would not be able to fly for a few days.
canaveral Member # 15138
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Coming out of my morning college science class, we had a potential hurricane moving off of Tampa that I knew nobody would be paying attention to, so I figured I better. Maybe that eased comprehending what had happened.
palmland Member # 4344
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I guess everyone remembers where they were on that morning. Just as I recall the JFK assassination (just finished class and was in the frat house with lunch - hot dog and a beer - and Walter Cronkite came on the news.
For 9/11 I had called our state relations mgr about something and he told me about it. I had to call on a few customers about some operational problems and everyone was watching TV in their office - no business was transacted that day. About then I figured I had better head for home.
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