Portal:Trains/Selected article/2018 archive

This is an archive of article summaries that have appeared in the Selected article section of Portal:Trains in 2018. For past archives, see the complete archive page.

Week 1: January 1 - January 7

Howard Beach–JFK Airport is a subway/people mover station complex located in Howard Beach, Queens. The New York City Subway portion of the station is on the IND Rockaway Line and is served by the Rockaway branch of the A train; the AirTrain JFK portion of the station complex is served by the AirTrain's Howard Beach branch. The station was originally a Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) station along the Rockaway Beach Branch. The LIRR station opened in 1913 to replace the nearby Ramblersville station. The LIRR ceased operations at this station in 1950, and the New York City Transit Authority bought the section of the Rockaway Beach Branch that included this station in 1952. The subway station opened on June 28, 1956. Between 2000 and 2003, the subway station was completely reconstructed and a transfer to the new AirTrain JFK was built. The rebuilt complex was completed on December 17, 2003, providing easier access to JFK Airport for large parts of the city.

Recently selected: EMD SDP40F - Electrification of Caltrain - Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue (New York City Subway)

Week 2: January 8 - January 14

The London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Coronation Class is a class of express passenger steam locomotives designed by William Stanier. They were an enlarged and improved version of his previous design, the LMS Princess Royal Class. The locomotives were specifically designed for power as it was intended to use them on express services between London Euston and Glasgow Central; their duties were to include the hauling of a proposed non-stop express, subsequently named the Coronation Scot. The first ten locomotives of the Coronation class were built in a streamlined form in 1937 by the addition of a steel streamlined casing. Five of these ten were specifically set aside to pull the Coronation Scot. The very last of the 38 locomotives was completed in 1948. No. 6220 Coronation held the British steam speed record between 1937 and 1939. No. 6234 Duchess of Abercorn holds the record to this day for the greatest British power output to be officially recorded on an attached dynamometer car, achieved in 1939. Unfortunately the most memorable event in the history of the class was the Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash precipitated by 46242 City of Glasgow. This was the second worst rail crash in British history, the death toll being 112. After a successful decade of operations in the 1950s, the 1960s' modernisation plan was the ultimate undoing of the Coronations. Not only did the increasing use of diesel locomotives make many of the class redundant, but the electrification of the main line between London Euston and Crewe also resulted in their banishment from this important section of the main line as there was insufficient clearance between the locomotives and the live wires. With no useful role to play, the survivors were scrapped en masse in late 1964. Three locomotives were saved for preservation. As of October 2016, two are static in museums whilst the third is fully certificated for main line service

Recently selected: Howard Beach–JFK Airport (IND Rockaway Line) - EMD SDP40F - Electrification of Caltrain

Week 3: January 15 - January 21

Victoria station, also known as London Victoria, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Victoria, in the City of Westminster, managed by Network Rail. The main line station is a terminus of the Brighton main line to Gatwick Airport and Brighton and the Chatham main line to Ramsgate and Dover via Chatham. Southern operates most commuter and regional services to south London, Sussex and parts of east Surrey, while Southeastern operates trains to south east London and Kent. Gatwick Express trains run direct to Gatwick. The Underground station is on the Circle and District and Victoria lines. The area around the station is an important interchange for other forms of transport. Victoria was built to serve both the Brighton and Chatham main lines, and has always had a "split" feel of being two separate stations. The Brighton station opened in 1860 with the Chatham station following two years later. It replaced a temporary terminus at Pimlico and construction involved building the Grosvenor Bridge over the River Thames. It became immediately popular as a London terminus, causing delays and requiring upgrades and rebuilding. It was well known for luxury Pullman train services and continental boat train trips and became a focal point for soldiers during World War I. Despite the end of international services following the opening of the Channel Tunnel, Victoria still remains an important London station.

Recently selected: LMS Coronation Class - Howard Beach–JFK Airport (IND Rockaway Line) - EMD SDP40F

Week 4: January 22 - January 28

Waterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom. It is connected to a London Underground station of the same name and is adjacent to Waterloo East station on the South Eastern main line. The station was first opened in 1848 by the London and South Western Railway, and replaced the earlier Nine Elms as it was closer to the West End. It was never designed to be a terminus, as the original intention was to continue the line towards the City of London, and consequently the station developed in a haphazard fashion. The station was rebuilt in the early 20th century, opening in 1922, and included the Victory Arch over the main entrance, which commemorated World War I. Waterloo was the last London terminus to provide steam-powered services, which ended in 1967. The station was the London terminus for Eurostar international trains from 1994 until 2007, when they were transferred to St. Pancras International. Waterloo is the busiest railway station in the UK. It is also the country's largest station in terms of floor space and has the greatest number of platforms at 24. When combined with the Underground and Waterloo East stations, it is the busiest station complex in Europe.

Recently selected: London Victoria station - LMS Coronation Class - Howard Beach–JFK Airport (IND Rockaway Line)

Week 5: January 29 - February 4

Paddington is a London Underground station served by the Bakerloo, Circle and District lines. It is located on Praed Street to the south of Paddington mainline station and has entrances from Praed Street and from within the mainline station. On the Bakerloo line the station is between Warwick Avenue and Edgware Road and on the Circle and District lines it is between Bayswater and Edgware Road. It is in London Fare Zone 1. The station is in two parts: sub-surface platforms, opened in 1868 and deep-level platforms, opened in 1913. It is one of two separate Underground stations of the same name. The other station, to the north of the mainline station, is served by the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines. Although shown on the London Underground map as a single station, the two stations are not directly linked and interchange between them is via the concourse of the mainline station.

Recently selected: London Waterloo station - London Victoria station - LMS Coronation Class

Week 6: February 5 - February 11

Metropolitan Transportation: A Program for Action, also known as simply the Program for Action or the New Routes Program, was a proposal in the mid-1960s for a large expansion of mass transit in New York City, created under then-Mayor John Lindsay. It was one of the most ambitious expansion plans in the history of the New York City Subway, with 40 miles (64 km) of track miles to be added to the New York City Subway within Queens alone. The $2.9 billion plan also called for improvements to other modes of mass transit, such as the present-day Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad, and further integration between mass transit and the New York City-area airport system. Transport improvements built under the Program for Action were supposed to relieve overcrowding on existing transit modes in the New York City area. However, even though many of the lines and transport connections proposed in the Program for Action were approved, New York City nearly went bankrupt in 1975, causing all but two of these projects to be canceled due to a lack of funds. The remaining projects, the 63rd Street and Archer Avenue lines, were both dramatically truncated from their original lengths, and both lines opened much later than originally projected. In total, only six stations and 15 miles (24 km) of tracks were added under the Program for Action.

Recently selected: Paddington tube station (Bakerloo, Circle and District lines) - London Waterloo station - London Victoria station

Week 7: February 12 - February 18

Roosevelt Island is a station on the IND 63rd Street Line of the New York City Subway. Located in Manhattan on Roosevelt Island in the East River, it is served by the F train at all times. At 100 feet (30 m) below ground, the station is one of the deepest in the system because the line has to pass under the West and East Channels of the East River. In the 1960s, the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) announced that it would build a subway station on Roosevelt Island to encourage transit-oriented development on the island. The station opened in October 1989 along with the rest of the 63rd Street Line. Until December 2001, this was the second-to-last stop of the line, which terminated one stop east at 21st Street–Queensbridge. In 2001 the 63rd Street Tunnel Connection opened, allowing trains from the IND Queens Boulevard Line to use the line. Since the opening of the connection, the line has been served by F trains, and the subway then became the second means for direct travel between the island and Queens, supplementing the buses that had been operating over the Roosevelt Island Bridge.

Recently selected: Program for Action - Paddington tube station (Bakerloo, Circle and District lines) - London Waterloo station

Week 8: February 19 - February 25

St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and officially since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus located on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden. It is the terminal station for Eurostar continental services via High Speed 1 and the Channel Tunnel. It also handles East Midlands Trains main line services, Southeastern high-speed trains, and local Thameslink suburban services. It stands between the British Library, Regent's Canal and King's Cross railway station, with which it shares a London Underground station named King's Cross St Pancras. Built by the Midland Railway (MR), the station was designed by William Henry Barlow and constructed with a single-span iron roof. Following the station's opening on 1 October 1868, the MR built the Midland Grand Hotel on the station's facade, which has been widely praised for its architecture and is now a Grade I listed building along with the rest of the station. By the 1960s, St Pancras was seen as redundant, with services being diverted to King's Cross and Euston, and there was fierce opposition against proposed closures of the station and hotel. It was reinvented in the late 20th century as the terminal of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link as part of an urban regeneration plan across East London. The complex was renovated and expanded from 2001 at a cost of £800 million, reopening on 6 November 2007 by Queen Elizabeth II. A security-sealed terminal area was constructed for Eurostar services to continental Europe via High Speed 1 and the Channel Tunnel, with platforms for domestic trains to the north and south-east of England. The restored station has 15 platforms, a shopping centre, and a coach facility. St Pancras is owned by London and Continental Railways (LCR) and is managed by Network Rail (High Speed), a subsidiary of Network Rail.

Recently selected: Roosevelt Island station - Program for Action - Paddington tube station (Bakerloo, Circle and District lines)

Week 9: February 26 - March 4

University of Washington is a light rail station located on the University of Washington campus in Seattle, Washington, US. The station is served by Sound Transit's Link light rail system and is the current northern terminus of Central Link, which continues south towards Capitol Hill station and Downtown Seattle. The station consists of an underground island platform connected to a surface entrance by elevators and escalators. The station was built as part of the University Link Extension, which began construction in 2009 and opened on March 19, 2016. The Northgate Link Extension, scheduled to open in 2021, will extend Central Link service through the University District to Northgate. Light rail trains serve the station twenty hours a day on most days; the headway between trains is six minutes during peak periods with reduced frequency at other times. The station is served by a major bus hub; King County Metro and Sound Transit Express bus routes connect the University District to the Eastside region.

Recently selected: St Pancras railway station - Roosevelt Island station - Program for Action

Week 10: March 5 - March 11

The 42nd Street Shuttle is a New York City Subway shuttle train service that operates in Manhattan. The shuttle is sometimes referred to as the Grand Central/Times Square Shuttle, since these are the only two stations it serves. The shuttle runs at all times except late nights, connecting Times Square to Grand Central under 42nd Street. With two stations, it is the shortest regular service in the system by number of stops, running about 2,700 feet (820 m) in 90 seconds. The line was constructed and operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), and is currently part of the A Division of New York City Transit. The tracks that it uses opened in 1904 as part of the first subway in the city. In order to distinguish it from the other shuttles in the system, NYCT Rapid Transit Operations internally refers to it as the 0 (zero). Its route bullet is colored dark gray on route signs, station signs, and rolling stock with the letter "S" on the official subway map.

Recently selected: University of Washington station - St Pancras railway station - Roosevelt Island station

Week 11: March 12 - March 18

Charing Cross railway station (also known as London Charing Cross) is a central London railway terminus between the Strand and Hungerford Bridge in the City of Westminster. It is the terminus of the South Eastern main line to Dover via Ashford. All trains are operated by Southeastern, which provides the majority of commuter and regional services to south-east London and Kent. It is connected to Charing Cross Underground station and is near to Embankment Underground station and Embankment Pier. The station was originally opened by the South Eastern Railway in 1864. It takes its name from its proximity to the road junction Charing Cross, the notional "centre of London" from which distances from the city are measured. During the 19th century, the station became the main London terminus for continental traffic via boat trains, and saw several prestigious international services. It was badly damaged following an engineering accident in 1905 and extensively rebuilt, including the construction of the tube lines. It became an important meeting point for military and government traffic during World War I. The station was bombed several times during World War II, and was rebuilt afterwards, re-opening in 1951. In the late 1980s, the station complex was redesigned by Terry Farrell and rebuilt to accommodate a modern office block, now known as Embankment Place.

Recently selected: 42nd Street Shuttle - University of Washington station - St Pancras railway station

Week 12: March 19 - March 25

Court Square–23rd Street is a New York City Subway station complex on the IND Crosstown Line, the IRT Flushing Line and the IND Queens Boulevard Line. The complex is located in the vicinity of One Court Square in Long Island City, Queens. The complex comprises three separate stations, formerly known as 23rd Street–Ely Avenue (Queens Boulevard Line), Long Island City–Court Square (Crosstown Line), and 45th Road–Court House Square (Flushing Line). The Flushing Line station was the first to open, in 1916. The Crosstown Line station opened in 1933, followed by the Queens Boulevard Line station in 1939. They were all originally separate stations. Two passageways were built to connect the three stations. The first was built in 1990, following the opening of the Citigroup office tower at One Court Square. In December 2001, this passageway came into greater use when G trains started to terminate at Court Square. A second passageway was completed between the Crosstown and Flushing Line stations in 2011. The Crosstown and Flushing Line stations were renamed "Court Square" with the latter being made fully ADA-accessible. The Queens Boulevard Line station, which is not ADA-compliant, was renamed "Court Square–23rd Street".

Recently selected: Charing Cross railway station - 42nd Street Shuttle - University of Washington station

Week 13: March 26 - April 1

The Kate Shelley High Bridge, officially called the Boone Viaduct when it was completed in 1901, was one of the highest and longest double-track railroad bridges in the United States. It is located approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Boone, Iowa. It was nicknamed for the Iowa railroad heroine, Kate Shelley. In 1881, when she was 17 years old, Kate Shelley risked her life to warn a passenger train by crossing the Des Moines River Bridge near Moingona at night, during a thunderstorm. Her goal was to warn the passenger train that the next bridge was out. That train had already been stopped. She then led rescuers to two men still in the swollen, flooded Honey Creek near her house, and they were saved. The bridge was designed by George S. Morison for the Chicago & North Western Railway and was constructed from 1899 to 1901. It stands 185 feet (56 m) above the Des Moines River and is 2,685 feet (818 m) long. The bridge was never officially renamed for Kate Shelley, but there were many commemorations there to honor her as if it carried that name. Gradually it became better known as the Kate Shelley High Bridge, or just the Kate Shelley Bridge, and the popularity of the Boone Viaduct name faded.

Recently selected: Court Square–23rd Street - Charing Cross railway station - 42nd Street Shuttle

Week 14: April 2 - April 8

Kochi Metro is a metro system serving the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. It was opened to the public within four years of starting the construction, making it the fastest completed metro project in India until the Lucknow Metro overtook it. The Kochi metro project is the first metro in the country which connects rail, road and water transport facilities. Then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone for the Kochi Metro rail project in 2012, construction work was started in June 2013 and a 13.4 km (8.3 mi) section of the line from Aluva to Palarivattom was opened to passengers on 17 June 2017 by Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India. A second 5 km (3.1 mi) section from Palarivattom to Maharaja's College Stadium was inaugurated on October 3, 2017. Kochi metro was lauded for its decision to employ Kudumbashree workers and also members of the transgender community and is also involved in sustainable initiatives with the introduction of non-motorized transport corridors in the city, installation of solar panels for power and vertical garden on every sixth metro pillar. Every Kochi Metro station is designed on a specific theme around Kerala culture and geography.

Recently selected: Kate Shelley High Bridge - Court Square–23rd Street - Charing Cross railway station

Week 15: April 9 - April 15

The Pittsburgh railway riots occurred in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as part of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. It was one of many incidents of strikes, labor unrest and violence in cities across the United States, including several in Pennsylvania. Other cities dealing with railroad strikes were Philadelphia, Reading, Shamokin and Scranton. The strikes followed repeated reductions in wages and sometimes increases in workload by railroad companies, during a period of economic recession following the Panic of 1873. Between July 21 and 22 in Pittsburgh, a major center of the Pennsylvania Railroad, some 40 people (including women and children) were killed in the riots; strikers burned the Union Depot and 38 other buildings at the yards. In addition, more than 120 train engines and more than 1,200 rail cars were destroyed. Due to track damage, trains did not run for a week following the cessation of violence. Estimates of losses ranged from $2 million to $5 million, according to the railroad company and an 1878 report by a state legislative investigative committee. Pittsburgh was the site of the most violence and physical damage of any city in the country during the Great Strike.

Recently selected: Kochi Metro - Kate Shelley High Bridge - Court Square–23rd Street

Week 16: April 16 - April 22

Pioneer Square is a light rail and bus station that is part of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel in Seattle, Washington. The station is located under 3rd Avenue at James Street, between University Street and International District/Chinatown stations. It is served by the Central Link, part of Sound Transit's Link light rail system, as well as buses from King County Metro and Sound Transit Express. The station also provides a connection to Colman Dock, a major ferry terminal serving areas west of Seattle. The station consists of two side platforms situated under street level, with two mezzanines connecting to the surface at James Street and Yesler Way in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood. It opened on September 15, 1990, and was used exclusively by buses until 2009. The tunnel and stations closed for almost two years, from 2005 to 2007, for renovation and modifications to accommodate light rail trains. Link light rail service to Pioneer Square station began on July 18, 2009, the first day of Central Link operations. Trains and buses serve the station twenty hours a day on most days; the headway between light rail trains is six minutes during peak periods, with less frequent service at other times.

Recently selected: Pittsburgh railroad strike of 1877 - Kochi Metro - Kate Shelley High Bridge

Week 17: April 23 - April 29

Droxford railway station was a small station on the Meon Valley Railway, built to a design by T. P. Figgis and opened in 1903. It served the villages of Droxford, Soberton and Hambledon in Hampshire, England. Although the station was built in an area with only five houses, it was designed with the capacity to handle 10-carriage trains. It initially proved successful both for the transport of goods and passengers, but services were reduced during the First World War and the subsequent recession, and the route suffered owing to competition from road transport. In 1944 Droxford station was used by Winston Churchill as his base during preparations for the Normandy landings. After the war, with Britain's railway network in decline, services on the Meon Valley Railway were cut drastically. A section of the line north of Droxford was closed, reducing Droxford to being the terminus of a short 9+3⁄4-mile (15.7 km) branch line. In early 1955 the station closed to passengers, and in 1962 it closed to goods traffic. Following its closure, Droxford station and a section of its railway track was used for demonstrating an experimental railbus until the mid-1970s. It then briefly served as a driving school for HGV drivers, before becoming a private residence and being restored to its original appearance.

Recently selected: Pioneer Square station - Pittsburgh railroad strike of 1877 - Kochi Metro

Week 18: April 30 - May 6

The Metropolitan Railway (also known as the Met) was a passenger and goods railway that served London from 1863 to 1933, its main line heading north-west from the capital's financial heart in the City to what were to become the Middlesex suburbs. Its first line connected the main-line railway termini at Paddington, Euston, and King's Cross to the City. The first section was built beneath the New Road using the "cut-and-cover" method between Paddington and King's Cross and in tunnel and cuttings beside Farringdon Road from King's Cross to near Smithfield, near the City. It opened to the public on 10 January 1863 with gas-lit wooden carriages hauled by steam locomotives, the world's first passenger-carrying designated underground railway. Electric traction was introduced in 1905 and by 1907 electric multiple units operated most of the services, though electrification of outlying sections did not occur until decades later. Unlike other railway companies in the London area, the Met developed land for housing, and after World War I promoted housing estates near the railway using the "Metro-land" brand. On 1 July 1933, the Met was amalgamated with the Underground Electric Railways Company of London and the capital's tramway and bus operators to form the London Passenger Transport Board. Former Met tracks and stations are used by the London Underground's Metropolitan, Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, Piccadilly, and Jubilee lines, and by Chiltern Railways.

Recently selected: Droxford railway station - Pioneer Square station - Pittsburgh railroad strike of 1877

Week 19: May 7 - May 13

The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) was a railway company that operated in north-east England from 1825 to 1863. The world's first public railway to use steam locomotives, its first line connected collieries near Shildon with Stockton-on-Tees and Darlington. The movement of coal to ships rapidly became a lucrative business, and the line was soon extended to a new port and town at Middlesbrough. The S&DR was involved in the building of the East Coast Main Line between York and Darlington, but its main expansion was at Middlesbrough Docks and west into Weardale and east to Redcar. It suffered severe financial difficulties at the end of the 1840s and was nearly taken over by the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway, before the discovery of iron ore in Cleveland and the subsequent increase in revenue meant it could pay its debts. At the beginning of the 1860s it took over railways that had crossed the Pennines to join the West Coast Main Line at Tebay and Clifton, near Penrith. The company was taken over by the North Eastern Railway in 1863, transferring 200 route miles (320 route kilometres) of line and about 160 locomotives, but continued to operate independently as the Darlington Section until 1876. Much of the original route is now served by the Tees Valley Line, operated by Northern.

Recently selected: Metropolitan Railway - Droxford railway station - Pioneer Square station

Week 20: May 14 - May 20

Brockton station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Brockton, Massachusetts. It serves the MBTA Middleborough/Lakeville Line and is a stop on the CapeFLYER seasonal line. The station consists of a single full-length high-level platform which is fully handicapped accessible. It is located adjacent to the BAT Centre, the primary hub for Brockton Area Transit Authority local bus service. The first station in the town (then called North Bridgewater) opened in 1846 on the Fall River Railroad. The railroad helped Brockton grow into a major manufacturing center. In the 1890s, Brockton was the site of the state's first major grade crossing elimination program, which included the construction of a massive stone viaduct and a pair of station buildings designed by Bradford Gilbert. Passenger service ended in 1959, and the station was demolished during an urban renewal program in the 1960s. After two decades of planning, the modern station was opened for commuter rail service by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in 1997.

Recently selected: Stockton and Darlington Railway - Metropolitan Railway - Droxford railway station

Week 21: May 21 - May 27

Edmonds is a train station serving the city of Edmonds, Washington, in the United States. The station is served by Amtrak's Cascades and Empire Builder routes, as well as Sound Transit's Sounder North Line, which runs between Everett and Seattle. It is located west of Downtown Edmonds adjacent to the city's ferry terminal, served by the Edmonds–Kingston ferry, and a Community Transit bus station. Edmonds station has a passenger waiting area, a single platform, and a model railroad exhibit. The station was opened by the Great Northern Railway in 1957, replacing the city's older depot from 1910. It was transferred to Burlington Northern (later BNSF Railway) in 1970, but passenger service ceased when Amtrak took over Burlington Northern's passenger routes in May 1971. Amtrak began operating passenger service from Edmonds station in July 1972. Sound Transit began operating Sounder trains to Edmonds station in 2003, and later rebuilt the station and transit center in 2011.

Recently selected: Brockton station (MBTA) - Stockton and Darlington Railway - Metropolitan Railway

Week 22: May 28 - June 3

Amtrak has used a variety of liveries on its rolling stock since taking over intercity passenger rail service in the United States in 1971. A series of six schemes termed Phases, first introduced in 1972, have seen the widest use. Phases primarily use geometric arrangements of red, white, and blue (the national colors of the United States) - part of Amtrak's patriotic visual identity. Amtrak began operations in May 1971 with a mixture of equipment still painted in the distinct liveries of its predecessor railroads. That period was later known as the Rainbow Era. To build the brand of Amtrak as a unified passenger railroad, the rolling stock was gradually repainted into system-wide Phases starting around 1972. The three routes under the Amtrak California branch - the Capitol Corridor, Pacific Surfliner, and San Joaquin - use equipment painted in several custom schemes, as do the Cascades and Piedmont. Amtrak has repainted equipment in unique livery for special uses, including its 40th anniversary in 2011 and to promote the Operation Lifesaver safety campaign. Equipment has also been wrapped for advertising promotions. When testing equipment from other railroads, Amtrak has mostly kept existing livery, though some longer-term tests used Phase schemes.

Recently selected: Edmonds station - Brockton station (MBTA) - Stockton and Darlington Railway

Week 23: June 4 - June 10

Broadway Junction is a New York City Subway station complex shared by the elevated BMT Canarsie Line and BMT Jamaica Line, and the underground IND Fulton Street Line. It was also served by trains of the Fulton Street Elevated until that line closed in 1956. The station is adjacent to the East New York Yard and a complex junction between the tracks leading to the yard, the Canarsie Line and the Jamaica Line. The structure of the elevated station still contains the ironwork for the trackways used by the old Fulton Elevated. The station has a single exit and entrance through a fare control building located at the eastern end of the Fulton Street Line station. The station opened as Manhattan Junction as part of the BMT Lexington Avenue Line in 1885. Although Broadway Junction ranked 166th in the system for passenger entries in 2016, with 3,085,401 total entries, it is Brooklyn's third-busiest station in terms of passenger activity. It sees 100,000 passengers per day as of 2017^[update], the vast majority of whom use it to make transfers. In 2017, the New York City Economic Development Corporation started studying options to rezone the surrounding area as a transit hub.

Recently selected: Amtrak paint schemes - Edmonds station - Brockton station (MBTA)

Week 24: June 11 - June 17

Auburn is a train station in the city of Auburn, Washington, United States, served by Sounder commuter rail. It is located southwest of downtown Auburn and consists of two train platforms, a bus station, a parking garage, a public plaza, and a pedestrian bridge. The station has 633 parking spaces and is also served by Sound Transit Express, King County Metro, and Pierce Transit buses. Auburn station opened in 2000 and was built on the site of a former Northern Pacific Railway station that was demolished in 1979. The parking garage and pedestrian bridge opened in 2003, and a second parking garage is planned to be built by 2023.

Recently selected: Broadway Junction (New York City Subway) - Amtrak paint schemes - Edmonds station

Week 25: June 18 - June 24

Blackfriars, also known as London Blackfriars, is a central London railway station and connected London Underground station located in the City of London. It provides local Thameslink services from North to South London, and limited Southeastern commuter services to South East London and Kent. Its platforms span the River Thames, the only one in London to do so, along the length of Blackfriars Railway Bridge, a short distance downstream from Blackfriars Bridge. The main line station was opened by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway with the name St. Paul's in 1886, as a replacement for the earlier Blackfriars Bridge station and the earlier Blackfriars railway bridge. The Underground station opened in 1870 with the arrival of the Metropolitan District Railway. The station was renamed Blackfriars in 1937 to avoid negotiation with St Paul's tube station. It was rebuilt in the 1970s, which included the addition of office space above the station and the closure of the original railway bridge, which was demolished in 1985. In 2009, the station underwent major refurbishments to improve capacity, which included the extension of the platforms across the railway bridge and a new station entrance on the South Bank. The underground station was rebuilt at the same time, and work was completed in 2012.

Recently selected: Auburn station (Sound Transit) - Broadway Junction (New York City Subway) - Amtrak paint schemes

Week 26: June 25 - July 1

The British Rail Class 700 is an electric multiple-unit passenger train built between 2014 and 2018 for Thameslink as part of the Thameslink Programme in the United Kingdom. A fleet of 60 eight-car and 55 twelve-car trains have entered service between Spring 2016 and 2018. Maintenance depots have been built at Hornsey and Three Bridges. The first train was delivered in late July 2015. In 2011, the consortium Cross London Trains (XLT) consisting of Siemens Project Ventures, 3i Infrastructure and Innisfree was announced as preferred bidder with Siemens to manufacture the trains. The decision was politically controversial as the trains were to be built in Germany, while the competing consortium led by Bombardier Transportation had a train factory in the UK. Both the procurement process and final close of contract were significantly delayed, resulting in the expected first delivery date moving from 2012 to 2016. The £1.6 billion contract to manufacture and provide service depots for the trains was finalised in June 2013. The first unit, 700108, was introduced on 20 June 2016. Following the withdrawal of Class 319s, Class 700s operate on all routes across the Thameslink network.

Recently selected: Blackfriars station - Auburn station (Sound Transit) - Broadway Junction (New York City Subway)

Week 27: July 2 - July 8

The East Link Extension is a future light rail line serving the Eastside region of the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It will be part of Sound Transit's Link light rail system, running 14 miles (23 km) from west to east and serving 10 stations in Downtown Seattle, Mercer Island, Bellevue, and Redmond. East Link is scheduled to open in 2023 as part of the Blue Line, which will continue into the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel and share stations with the Red Line. A 3.7-mile-long (6.0 km) extension to Downtown Redmond with two additional stations is scheduled to open in 2024. The line will use part of the Interstate 90 floating bridge, constructed in 1989 with the intent to convert its express lanes to light rail. The proposed alignment of the East Link project was debated by the Bellevue city council in the early 2010s, with members split on two different routes south of downtown Bellevue; city funding for the downtown segment's tunnel was also debated and ultimately included in the final agreement. The alignment was finalized in 2013, after more than two years of debate, and delayed the beginning of construction to 2016 and the completion of the project from 2021 to 2023. The line will be the first railway constructed on a floating bridge and is expected to carry 50,000 daily riders by 2030.

Recently selected: British Rail Class 700 - Blackfriars station - Auburn station (Sound Transit)

Week 28: July 9 - July 15

The Grizzly Flats Railroad (GFRR) was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge heritage railroad owned by Disney animator Ward Kimball at his home in San Gabriel, California. The railroad had 900 feet (274.3 m) of track, and was operated from 1942 to 2006. It was the first full-size backyard railroad in the United States. The GFRR was notable for helping Walt Disney rediscover his childhood fascination with trains, which led him to build the Carolwood Pacific Railroad, a ridable miniature railroad in his backyard. The GFRR also influenced the design of the Disneyland Railroad within the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California. The GFRR's rolling stock, including the two steam locomotives owned by Kimball, are now on display at the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, California. The railroad's depot building and water tower were moved to the Justi Creek Railway, a private railroad owned by John Lasseter.

Recently selected: East Link Extension - British Rail Class 700 - Blackfriars station

Week 29: July 16 - July 22

Kennington is a London Underground station on Kennington Park Road in Kennington within the London Borough of Southwark. The station is at the junction of the Charing Cross and Bank branches of the Northern line. Its neighbouring stations to the north are Waterloo on the Charing Cross branch and Elephant & Castle on the Bank branch; the next station to the south is Oval. The station is in Travelcard Zone 2. The station was opened in 1890 as part of the world's first underground electric railway and its surface building remains largely unaltered. In the 1920s, the underground parts of the station were reconstructed so that the line could be extended and larger trains could be used. Two additional platforms were provided for interchanges between the two branches.

Recently selected: Grizzly Flats Railroad - East Link Extension - British Rail Class 700

Week 30: July 23 - July 29

Kew Gardens is a station on the Main Line of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in Kew Gardens, Queens. The station is located in the City Terminal Zone, part of LIRR fare zone 1. It contains four tracks and two side platforms for the outermost tracks. The Kew Gardens station was built on the site of a station named Hopedale, which operated from 1875 to 1884 and served the Maple Grove Cemetery nearby. Another station named Maple Grove was built even closer to the cemetery in 1879. The station closed in 1909 as the LIRR was rerouted onto a more direct alignment with the construction of the Maple Grove Cut-Off. Maple Grove was replaced by the current Kew Gardens station. The Kew Gardens train crash took place nearby on November 22, 1950, which killed 78 people and injured 363 others in the worst crash in the LIRR's history. One of the Kew Gardens station's unique features is the Lefferts Boulevard Bridge, which has one story commercial buildings on both sides for local businesses. The stores were built over the tracks in 1930. The bridge been under threat of demolition multiple times. Since the bridge is deteriorating, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which operates the LIRR, has proposed demolishing the bridge. However, local residents and politicians strongly opposed the bridge's demolition.

Recently selected: Kennington tube station - Grizzly Flats Railroad - East Link Extension

Week 31: July 30 - August 5

Lakewood is a commuter rail station in Lakewood, Washington, United States. It is the terminus of the South Line of the Sounder commuter rail network, operated by Sound Transit in the Seattle metropolitan area. The station, located along Pacific Highway Southwest, includes a 620-stall parking garage and several bus bays served by Intercity Transit and Sound Transit Express. Lakewood station was originally scheduled to open in 2002 as part of a Sounder extension, but plans were delayed due to funding issues and the state government's work on the Point Defiance Bypass project. Construction on the $33 million station and garage began in March 2007 and it opened for use by buses on September 18, 2008. Sounder service to Lakewood began in October 2012 and the pedestrian bridge opened a few months later.

Recently selected: Kew Gardens station (LIRR) - Kennington tube station - Grizzly Flats Railroad

Week 32: August 6 - August 12

Puyallup is a train station in the city of Puyallup, Washington, United States. It is served by the Sounder South Line, a commuter rail line operated by Sound Transit that runs from Pierce County to Seattle. The station is located northwest of downtown Puyallup and includes two platforms, several bus bays, and 640 parking spaces. Puyallup station opened on February 5, 2001, on the site of the city's original train depot, which was built in 1877 and demolished in 1974. Sound Transit plans to expand the station's park and ride by building a new parking garage in 2021. In addition to train service, the station is also served by Sound Transit Express and Pierce Transit buses that connect Puyallup to nearby cities.

Recently selected: Lakewood station - Kew Gardens station (LIRR) - Kennington tube station

Week 33: August 13 - August 19

Artist's conception of the Lebanon Valley Bridge fire during the riot

The Reading Railroad Massacre occurred on July 23, 1877, when strikes in Reading, Pennsylvania, led to an outbreak of violence, during which 10 to 16 people were killed and between 20 and 203 were injured. It was the climax of local events during the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 towards the end of the Long Depression of 1873–1879, following arson and riots against local facilities of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad. Units of the Pennsylvania State Militia were brought in by train. Near nightfall, one unit was marched into the Seventh Street Cut, a man-made ravine three blocks long with 20-or-30-foot (6.1 or 9.1 m) walls, to free a train that had been stopped by rioters. The soldiers were bombarded from above with bricks, stones, and gunshots, and some of the soldiers fired rifle volleys into a crowd at the far end of the Cut. Between 10 and 16 civilian deaths resulted, along with dozens of injuries. Most rioting ended that night, and tense quiet prevailed the next day. Ultimately, the arrival of federal troops restored order to Reading. A coroner's inquest following the massacre did not blame the militia for the deaths, but pointed to the overall upheaval in the city at the time. Blame was laid upon the local sheriff for failing to keep the public order.

Recently selected: Puyallup station - Lakewood station - Kew Gardens station (LIRR)

Week 34: August 20 - August 26

Roosevelt is a future light rail station located in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is situated in the Roosevelt neighborhood in North Seattle and is being built as part of the Northgate extension of the Link light rail system, operated by Sound Transit and scheduled to open in 2021. The underground station will consist of a single island platform connected to the surface via a mezzanine and two entrances along 12th Avenue Northeast at Northeast 65th and 67th streets. Construction on the Northgate extension was approved by voters in a 2008 ballot measure and began in 2012. Two tunnel boring machines used to build the light rail tunnels arrived at Roosevelt station in 2015, on their way between Northgate and the University District.

Recently selected: Reading Railroad Massacre - Puyallup station - Lakewood station

Week 35: August 27 - September 2

Stanwood is an Amtrak train station in the city of Stanwood, Washington, United States. It is served by intercity Amtrak Cascades trains and consists of a single platform and an adjacent parking lot. The station is located in downtown Stanwood, near the intersection of State Route 532 and the Pioneer Highway, and is also served by Community Transit and Island Transit buses. Stanwood station opened on November 21, 2009, as an infill station on the Cascades route after several delays in design and construction. The $5 million project to build the station was approved in 2006 and began construction in March 2009 alongside a siding expansion. Stanwood was previously served by intercity passenger trains on the Great Northern Railway until 1971.

Recently selected: Roosevelt station (Sound Transit) - Reading Railroad Massacre - Puyallup station

Week 36: September 3 - September 9

Wickford Junction station is a commuter rail station located in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, United States. It is the southern terminus of the MBTA Commuter Rail Providence/Stoughton Line and serves as a park and ride location for commuters to Providence, Rhode Island, and Boston, Massachusetts. The station consists of a single high-level side platform on a stub-end siding next to the Northeast Corridor mainline. The first station at the site opened in 1844. In 1870, a branch was opened from the station to Wickford Landing, where it connected with steamships to Newport, Rhode Island. The station was rebuilt in 1871, expanded in 1887, and rebuilt again around 1890 after a fire. Branch service ended in 1925, but the station remained open until 1981. A new station and parking garage opened on the same site on April 23, 2012, as part of the South County Commuter Rail project, which also included the new T. F. Green Airport station.

Recently selected: Stanwood station - Roosevelt station (Sound Transit) - Reading Railroad Massacre

Week 37: September 10 - September 16

World Trade Center is a terminal station on the PATH system. It is located in the World Trade Center complex, within the Financial District neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is served by the Newark–World Trade Center line at all times, as well as by the Hoboken–World Trade Center line on weekdays, and is the eastern terminus of both. The World Trade Center station is located on the site of the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad (H&M)'s Hudson Terminal, which opened on July 19, 1909. In 1961, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey bought the bankrupt H&M system, rebranded it as PATH, and redeveloped Hudson Terminal as part of the World Trade Center. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, a temporary station opened in 2003 while the World Trade Center complex was being rebuilt. Work on a permanent station building commenced in 2008. The main station house, the Oculus, opened on March 3, 2016, and the terminal was renamed the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, or "World Trade Center" for short. The $4 billion Oculus station house consists of white ribs that interlock high above the ground. The transportation hub connects the various modes of transportation in Lower Manhattan, from the Fulton Center in the east to the Battery Park City Ferry Terminal in the west, through the station house. The new station has received mixed reviews: although the hub has been praised for its design, it has also been criticized for its high costs and extended delays.

Recently selected: Wickford Junction station - Stanwood station - Roosevelt station (Sound Transit)

Week 38: September 17 - September 23

181st Street, once also known as 181st Street–Fort Washington Avenue, is a station on the IND Eighth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. It is served by the A train at all times. 181st Street opened on September 10, 1932, and has two tracks and two side platforms. It is located deep below the surface due to the area's hills. The station has three separate entrances. Two are on Fort Washington Avenue: one at 181st Street at the foot of Fort Washington Hill; and one at 184th Street in the Hudson Heights neighborhood atop the hill opposite Bennett Park, the highest natural point in Manhattan. The third entrance is at 184th Street and Overlook Terrace, also at the bottom of the hill. The entrance from 181st Street connects to the station via escalators, while the entrance from the top of 184th Street connects to the station and the Overlook Terrace entrance via an elevator connection that is free to the public.

Recently selected: World Trade Center station (PATH) - Wickford Junction station - Stanwood station

Week 39: September 24 - September 30

The EMD F40PH is a four-axle 3,000–3,200 hp (2.2–2.4 MW) B-B diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in several variants from 1975 to 1992. Intended for use on Amtrak's short-haul passenger routes, it became the backbone of Amtrak's diesel fleet after the failure of the EMD SDP40F. The F40PH also found widespread use on commuter railroads in the United States and with Via Rail Canada. Additional F40PH variants were remanufactured from older locomotives by Morrison-Knudsen and MotivePower Industries between 1988 and 1998. Amtrak retired its fleet of F40PHs in the mid-1990s in favor of the GE Genesis, but the locomotive remains the mainstay of Via Rail's long-distance trains and is a common sight on many other commuter railroads throughout the United States. A few F40PHs have been modified for freight service as well. In addition, Amtrak has kept a number of de-engined F40PHs in use as cab cars.

Recently selected: 181st Street (IND Eighth Avenue Line) - World Trade Center station (PATH) - Wickford Junction station

Week 40: October 1 - October 7

The Gateway Program (originally Gateway Project) is the planned phased expansion and renovation of the Northeast Corridor (NEC) rail line between Newark, New Jersey, and New York City, New York. The right-of-way runs between Newark Penn Station and New York Penn Station (NYP). The project would build new rail bridges in the New Jersey Meadowlands and new tunnels under Bergen Hill (Hudson Palisades) and the Hudson River, and expand NYP through conversion of part of the James Farley Post Office into a train station and construction a terminal annex. The existing two-track rail line used by both Amtrak (AMTK) and New Jersey Transit (NJT) has reached its full capacity of 24 trains per hour. Once completed, the improvements would double train capacity across the Hudson River to 48 trains per hour, allowing for additional high-speed rail service. Gateway was unveiled in 2011, one year after Governor Chris Christie's cancellation of the somewhat similar Access to the Region's Core (ARC) project. Some previously planned improvements already underway were incorporated into the Gateway program. The need for the Gateway Program increased after Hurricane Sandy damaged the existing North River tunnels. Funding for the project had been unclear for several years due to a lack of funding commitments from state and federal government. As of March 2018, up to $541 million for the project was provided in the Consolidated Appropriations Act.

Recently selected: EMD F40PH - 181st Street (IND Eighth Avenue Line) - World Trade Center station (PATH)

Week 41: October 8 - October 14

The GE E60 is a family of six-axle 6,000 hp (4.5 MW) C-C electric locomotives made by GE Transportation Systems (GE) between 1972 and 1983. The E60s were produced in several variants for both freight and passenger use in the United States and Mexico. GE designed the locomotive for use on the Black Mesa and Lake Powell Railroad (BM&LP), a dedicated coal-hauling route in Arizona, which began operation in 1973. That same year GE adapted the design for high-speed passenger service on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. The largest customer was Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (NdeM), the state-owned railroad in Mexico, which bought 39 for a new electrification project in the early 1980s. The E60s were successful in the coal-hauling role. They ran on the BM&LP for decades and remain in use on several mining railroads in the Western United States. The passenger variants failed in their intended role. Problems with the truck design caused derailments above 90 miles per hour (140 km/h), rendering the locomotives unusable for high-speed service. By the end of the 1970s Amtrak abandoned the E60 in favor of EMD AEM-7 locomotives manufactured by Electro-Motive Division. In Mexico, the NdeM's project was delayed into the 1990s, then scrapped after three years of use. Most of the NdeM's electric locomotives never ran and were traded back to GE for diesels. Some were sold to various mining railroads.

Recently selected: Gateway Program (Northeast Corridor) - EMD F40PH - 181st Street (IND Eighth Avenue Line)

Week 42: October 15 - October 21

Green Park is a London Underground station located on the north side of Green Park, with entrances on both sides of Piccadilly. It is served by the Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria lines. The station was opened in 1906 by the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway (GNP&BR) and was originally named Dover Street due to its location in that street. It was modernised in the 1930s when lifts were replaced with escalators and extended in the 1960s and 1970s when the Victoria and Jubilee lines were constructed. The station is near The Ritz Hotel, the Royal Academy of Arts, St James's Palace, Berkeley Square, Bond Street, the Burlington Arcade and Fortnum & Mason, and is one of two serving Buckingham Palace (the other being St James's Park).

Recently selected: GE E60 - Gateway Program (Northeast Corridor) - EMD F40PH

Week 43: October 22 - October 28

Harlem–148th Street (also signed as 148th Street–Lenox Terminal) is a New York City Subway station on the IRT Lenox Avenue Line in Harlem, Manhattan. It serves as the northern terminal station of the 3 train at all times. The station contains two tracks and one island platform, and is located at ground level. Despite its name, Harlem–148th Street is located at the intersection of 149th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard. Although the Lenox Avenue Line was constructed in 1904, the Harlem–148th Street station was not part of the original line. The station was first proposed in 1940, and was opened in 1967 within the confines of the preexisting Lenox Yard. The station was intended to replace 145th Street, the next stop south, as the northern terminal of the Lenox Avenue Line. However, the 145th Street station remained open as a result of community opposition.

Recently selected: Green Park tube station - GE E60 - Gateway Program (Northeast Corridor)

Week 44: October 29 - November 4

London Bridge is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Southwark, south-east London. It occupies a large area on three levels immediately south-east of London Bridge. The main line station is the oldest railway station in London fare zone 1 and one of the oldest in the world. It is the fourth-busiest station in London, handling over 50 million customers a year. The station was originally opened in 1836 by the London and Greenwich Railway. It subsequently served the London and Croydon Railway, the London and Brighton Railway and the South Eastern Railway. It was rebuilt in 1849 and 1864 to provide more services and increase capacity. The station was extensively rebuilt by British Rail in the 1970s, along with a comprehensive re-signalling scheme and track alignment. It was further developed in the 2010s to better accommodate the Thameslink route. London Bridge is now served by Southeastern services from Charing Cross and Cannon Street to destinations in southeast London, Kent and East Sussex and is a terminus for many Southern commuter and regional services to south London and numerous destinations in South East England. Thameslink services from Bedford, Cambridge and Peterborough to Brighton and other destinations in Sussex and Kent began serving the station in 2018.

Recently selected: Harlem–148th Street (IRT Lenox Avenue Line) - Green Park tube station - GE E60

Week 45: November 5 - November 11

Mangotsfield railway station was a railway station on the Midland Railway route between Bristol and Birmingham, 5.1 miles (8.2 km) north-east of Bristol Temple Meads and 82 miles (132 km) from Birmingham New Street, serving what is now the Bristol suburb of Mangotsfield. The station was opened in 1845 by the Bristol and Gloucester Railway, but had very little in the way of passenger amenities. The station was resited in 1869 to serve the new Mangotsfield and Bath Branch Line, and became an important junction station with extensive facilities and six platforms. Passenger footfall however failed to match the station's size, though at its peak eight staff were employed. The station closed in 1966 when services to Bath ended as part of the Beeching cuts, and the line through the station closed in 1969. The railway became a cycle path in the 1980s, and is a popular resting point on the route as several of the station's walls and platforms are still in situ.

Recently selected: London Bridge station - Harlem–148th Street (IRT Lenox Avenue Line) - Green Park tube station

Week 46: November 12 - November 18

The AEM-7 is a twin-cab four-axle 7,000 hp (5.2 MW) B-B electric locomotive built by Electro-Motive Division (EMD) and ASEA between 1978 and 1988. The locomotive was a derivative of the Swedish SJ Rc4 designed for passenger service in the United States. The primary customer was Amtrak, which bought 54 for use on the Northeast Corridor and Keystone Corridor. Two commuter operators, MARC and SEPTA, also purchased locomotives, for a total of 65. Amtrak ordered the AEM-7 after the failure of the GE E60 locomotive. The first locomotives entered service in 1980 and were an immediate success, ending a decade of uncertainty on the Northeast Corridor. In the late 1990s, Amtrak rebuilt 29 of its locomotives from DC to AC traction. The locomotives continued operating through the arrival of the final Siemens ACS-64 in June 2016. MARC retired its fleet in April 2017 in favor of diesel operation; SEPTA expects to replace its fleet with ACS-64 locomotives in 2018.

Recently selected: Mangotsfield railway station - London Bridge station - Harlem–148th Street (IRT Lenox Avenue Line)

Week 47: November 19 - November 25

Goat Canyon Trestle is a wooden trestle in San Diego County, California. At a length of 597–750 feet (182–229 m), it is the world's largest all-wood trestle. Goat Canyon Trestle was built in 1933 as part of the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway, after one of the many tunnels through the Carrizo Gorge collapsed. The railway had been called the "impossible railroad" upon its 1919 completion. It ran through Baja California and eastern San Diego County before ending in Imperial Valley. The trestle was made of wood, rather than metal due to temperature fluctuations in the Carrizo Gorge. By 2008, rail traffic stopped utilizing the trestle.

Recently selected: EMD AEM-7 - Mangotsfield railway station - London Bridge station

Week 48: November 26 - December 2

Old Street is a National Rail and London Underground station at the junction of Old Street and City Road in central London, England. The station is on the Bank branch of the Northern line between Moorgate and Angel stations and on the Northern City Line between Moorgate and Essex Road stations. The station is in the London Borough of Islington (straddling the Hackney border). It is in Travelcard Zone 1. The station was built by the City and South London Railway and opened in 1901. It was rebuilt by Stanley Heaps in 1925 with a more uniform frontage, and again in 1968, replacing all surface buildings with a subsurface complex. In 2014, it was redeveloped to provide more retail space. Old Street station has become busier, attracting over 20 million visitors in 2014; a trend expected to continue following redevelopment of the local area as a centre for the British Information Technology industry.

Recently selected: Goat Canyon Trestle - EMD AEM-7 - Mangotsfield railway station

Week 49: December 3 - December 9

Pennsylvania Station was a historic railroad station in New York City, named for the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), its builder and original tenant. The station occupied an 8-acre (3.2 ha) plot bounded by Seventh and Eighth Avenues and 31st and 33rd Streets in Midtown Manhattan. It was designed by McKim, Mead, and White and completed in 1910. Its head house and train shed were considered a masterpiece of the Beaux-Arts style and one of the great architectural works of New York City. As the terminal shared its name with several stations in other cities, it was sometimes called New York Pennsylvania Station, or Penn Station for short. Passenger traffic began to decline after World War II, and in the 1950s, the Pennsylvania Railroad sold the air rights to the property and shrank the railroad station. In 1963, the above-ground head house and train shed were demolished, a loss that galvanized the modern historic preservation movement. Over the next six years, the below-ground concourses and waiting areas were heavily renovated, becoming the modern Pennsylvania Station, while Madison Square Garden and Pennsylvania Plaza were built above them. The sole remaining portions of the original station are the platforms at the station's lowest level, as well as scattered artifacts on the mezzanine level above it.

Recently selected: Old Street station - Goat Canyon Trestle - EMD AEM-7

Week 50: December 10 - December 16

SeaTac/Airport is a light rail station located in SeaTac, Washington. It is situated on the Central Link line between Angle Lake and Tukwila International Boulevard stations. The line, part of Sound Transit's Link light rail system, runs north from SeaTac through the Rainier Valley to Downtown Seattle and the University of Washington. The station consists of an elevated island platform east of the terminals and parking garage of the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. SeaTac/Airport station opened on December 19, 2009, several months after the rest of the Central Link stations. Until the opening of Angle Lake station in 2016, it served as the line's southern terminus. Trains serve the station twenty hours a day on most days; the headway between trains is six minutes during peak periods, with less frequent service at other times. SeaTac/Airport station is also served by the RapidRide A Line, two Sound Transit Express bus routes and two King County Metro bus routes.

Recently selected: Pennsylvania Station - Old Street station - Goat Canyon Trestle

Week 51: December 17 - December 23

Gants Hill is a London Underground station in the largely residential Gants Hill district of Ilford in East London. It is served by the Central line and is between Redbridge and Newbury Park stations on the Hainault loop. It is the easternmost station to be below ground on the London Underground network and the busiest on the Hainault loop. The station ticket hall is located beneath Gants Hill roundabout and reached via pedestrian subways. It opened on 14 December 1947 as an extension of the Central line to form the new part of the Hainault loop. The station is known for its distinctive architecture featuring barrel-vaulted halls at platform level designed by Charles Holden.

Recently selected: SeaTac/Airport station - Pennsylvania Station - Old Street station

Week 52: December 24 - December 30

The Ski Train is a passenger train operated in Colorado, providing weekend service between Denver Union Station and Winter Park Resort. Originally opened in 1940, the Ski Train offered winter passenger service between Denver's Union Station and the Denver-owned Winter Park ski resort from 1940 to 2009 and was operated initially by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. The operation was sold in 1988 to the Ansco Investment Company, which made various needed improvements and ran the "New Ski Train" for two decades before shutting the operation in 2009. An attempt that same year by Iowa Pacific Holdings to purchase and run the Ski Train fell through. In 2015, the 75th anniversary of Winter Park Resort, a one-day-only Winter Park Express train run by Amtrak sold out quickly, as did three added trains over two weekends. Given the enthusiasm and demonstrated demand, the Winter Park Express officially returned in 2017 with regular weekend service January through March.

Recently selected: Gants Hill tube station - SeaTac/Airport station - Pennsylvania Station

Week 53: December 31 - January 6, 2019

The Victoria line is a London Underground line that runs between Brixton in south London and Walthamstow Central in the north-east, via the West End. It is coloured light blue on the Tube map and is one of two lines to run entirely below ground. Constructed in the 1960s, it was the first entirely new Underground line in London for 50 years and was designed to relieve congestion on other lines, particularly the Piccadilly line and the Charing Cross branch of the Northern line. The southern extension to Brixton opened in 1971, and Pimlico station was added in 1972. The Victoria line is a deep-level line and has always been operated using automatic train operation, but all trains carry drivers. There are 16 stations on the route; all but Pimlico provide interchanges with other Underground lines or National Rail services. It is used by 200 million passengers each year and is the most intensively used line on the Underground.

Recently selected: Ski Train - Gants Hill tube station - SeaTac/Airport station