Yankees Go Home!! By Train

[WhoozOn1st]

A Railway Age editor hears a Yankees ballplayer mention the team taking the train home after a series at D.C. and writes about whether the practice is becoming common enough to no longer be newsworthy. Is it?

Yankee go home (by train)

"Sure, Major League Baseball teams have taken the train now and again in recent times, and often it's been news with a capital 'n' when they do—more a media event than a rational choice of utility. At times, other teams in the Northeast and Midwest have been reported to be on the train, the very novelty of it covered ferociously by diligent reporters. In all fairness, it has been fairly novel, and often steeped deeply in nostalgia; either the team players voted to do it and the schedule allowed it, or else bus or air options temporarily were unavailable. So it was news. Because it was still 'odd'"

 

[the_traveler]

I think many teams travel by train if the distance is short enough. (Like maybe Yankees and Baltimore or Phillies and Mets or Nationals or Cubs and Brewers.)

There even was a World Series a few years ago between the Phillies and Yankees where both teams rode the SAME train - separated by a baggage car!

 

[Hotblack Desiato]

That article looked really pointless and doesn't really say anything useful. Sports teams use charter trains on the NEC all the time. I didn't realize that it was ever news.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

There even was a World Series a few years ago between the Phillies and Yankees where both teams rode the SAME train - separated by a baggage car!

I don't know about the baggage car thing, but it was the 2008 World Series, and an Amtrak press release read in part...

"Amtrak put their Northeast Corridor passengers into the spirit of the upcoming Amtrak Series today by polling passengers on board two trains running between New York and Philadelphia about their baseball team preferences. The fans polled aboard Amtrak Acela Express trains #2165 and #2170 chose the New York Yankees over the Philadelphia Phillies by a 1.7-to-one margin. Participating passengers were given their team's official Championship Series t-shirt for voicing their preference

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"Few American icons have a history as closely linked as that of baseball and train travel. From the beginning of "the national pastime," baseball players have traveled by train. When the Phillies and Yankees met in 1950, the teams traveled by train, and for this year's World Series, appropriately dubbed the Amtrak Series, the most convenient and comfortable way for fans and players to travel is on board Amtrak.

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"In addition to fans, the Yankees and Phillies players will also be traveling to the World Series by train just as their predecessors did when the teams first met in the 1950 World Series. This year the Phillies and Yankees will be traveling via chartered trains, just as professional teams from all of the major sports have this year. During fiscal year 2009 Amtrak operated 32sports charters including six for Major League Baseball teams. These chartered trains allowplayers and coaches to travel in a relaxed atmosphere before and after their games."

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[afigg]

That article looked really pointless and doesn't really say anything useful. Sports teams use charter trains on the NEC all the time. I didn't realize that it was ever news.

I think there has been an increase in the teams in DC, Baltimore, Philly, NYC chartering trains for away games and series in the other cities on the NEC. Amtrak marketing may be going more aggressively after the charter business. But for the NEC teams that take Amtrak regularly, it is not really news.

There have been news stories by the reporters with visiting teams from outside the NEC that have taken Amtrak when they go from a series or game in DC, then to the next series or game in Philly or NYC. The tone in several of those newspaper stories to the readers back in the home city, wow, you can take a train from DC to NYC or how this is new to some players who have never taken a train before.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

That article looked really pointless and doesn't really say anything useful. Sports teams use charter trains on the NEC all the time. I didn't realize that it was ever news.

I think there has been an increase in the teams in DC, Baltimore, Philly, NYC chartering trains for away games and series in the other cities on the NEC. Amtrak marketing may be going more aggressively after the charter business. But for the NEC teams that take Amtrak regularly, it is not really news.

There have been news stories by the reporters with visiting teams from outside the NEC that have taken Amtrak when they go from a series or game in DC, then to the next series or game in Philly or NYC. The tone in several of those newspaper stories to the readers back in the home city, wow, you can take a train from DC to NYC or how this is new to some players who have never taken a train before.

Yep, these types of stories may be 'fluff' but there is nothing wrong with some good P.R. for Amtrak. And as someone who likes riding Amtrak, I see that as a good, usefull thing.

 

[Acela150]

There even was a World Series a few years ago between the Phillies and Yankees where both teams rode the SAME train - separated by a baggage car!

I don't know about the baggage car thing, but it was the 2008 World Series, and an Amtrak press release read in part...

"Amtrak put their Northeast Corridor passengers into the spirit of the upcoming Amtrak Series today by polling passengers on board two trains running between New York and Philadelphia about their baseball team preferences. The fans polled aboard Amtrak Acela Express trains #2165 and #2170 chose the New York Yankees over the Philadelphia Phillies by a 1.7-to-one margin. Participating passengers were given their team's official Championship Series t-shirt for voicing their preference

​

​

"Few American icons have a history as closely linked as that of baseball and train travel. From the beginning of "the national pastime," baseball players have traveled by train. When the Phillies and Yankees met in 1950, the teams traveled by train, and for this year's World Series, appropriately dubbed the Amtrak Series, the most convenient and comfortable way for fans and players to travel is on board Amtrak.

​

"In addition to fans, the Yankees and Phillies players will also be traveling to the World Series by train just as their predecessors did when the teams first met in the 1950 World Series. This year the Phillies and Yankees will be traveling via chartered trains, just as professional teams from all of the major sports have this year. During fiscal year 2009 Amtrak operated 32sports charters including six for Major League Baseball teams. These chartered trains allowplayers and coaches to travel in a relaxed atmosphere before and after their games."

​

 

That would be the 2009 WS. In 2008 it was the Phils and Rays.. That year the Phils won and in an interesting way too... 2009 the Yanks won. I believe they were on the same train but I doubt they were separated by a baggage car.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

That would be the 2009 WS. In 2008 it was the Phils and Rays..

Yes, of course. Typo while struggling with an old pdf. Amtrak woulda been using a crystal ball to be touting fiscal year 2009 sports charters in a press release during the '08 Series.

 

[cirdan]

What is a "coordinating engine"?

Is this a real term or just something that somebody who doesn't know much about trains made up?

 

[fairviewroad]

What is a "coordinating engine"?

Is this a real term or just something that somebody who doesn't know much about trains made up?

It's an engine that sits in a cubicle all day, making sure the "real" engines are doing their job properly. The chief duty of a coordinating engine, however,

is to make sure that TPS reports are filed properly and in a timely manner. Yessir, no model railroad set is complete without a coordinating engine.

 

[WhoozOn1st]

What is a "coordinating engine"?

Is this a real term or just something that somebody who doesn't know much about trains made up?

I think it's just marketing-speak for "matching unpowered B unit" to go with that "FREE" track set. Notice it also says "passenger car," without noting that it's a full-length dome. I just stumbled on the trainset by Googling "baseball teams and trains" and clicking for images while hunting for some kinda graphic to go with the original post. Only a couple items came anywhere close to being usable. There's also this...

There's that coordinating engine again!

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[bmorechris]

The Baltimore Orioles radio guys are talking up how the O's will be taking the train up to New York after today's game for their weekend series with the Yankees. They have mentioned how it is a nice trip up and have brought it up multiple times. Even got some details right like arriving at New York Penn Station.

 

[afigg]

The Baltimore Orioles radio guys are talking up how the O's will be taking the train up to New York after today's game for their weekend series with the Yankees. They have mentioned how it is a nice trip up and have brought it up multiple times. Even got some details right like arriving at New York Penn Station.

Amtrak must be making a renewed marketing effort to charter special trains for the sport teams traveling between WAS, BAL, PHL and NYP. It shows up in the June monthly report with almost 12 thousand NEC Special Train passengers for the first 9 months of the fiscal year, a +165% increase over the 4.5 thousand in the first 9 months of FY11. The ticket revenue is up from $580 thousand in FY11 to $1.75 million in FY12 so far for a +202% increase.

The June 2012 Route Performance report shows a total revenue of $3.3 million for the NEC special trains which is considerably more than the official ticket revenue. The difference might be due to charter fees, but there could also be major food and beverage (booze) sales to the athletes, coaching staff, reporters, hangers-on on the special trains. Enough to make a profit on the F&B sales?

Anyway, the NEC Special trains are reported as making a total operating profit of $1.7 million for FY12 so far. Not bad at all.

 

[transit54]

Do the teams on the NEC typically charter regional equipment, or is an Acela set ever used?

 

[SubwayNut]

I know the Mets took the train up from Washington back to New York a few months ago this season. I was listening to the midweek day game from which they were leaving from to take the train back from New York. The rookie broadcaster kept asking the veternan one about the trip (the veteran had apparently done the train before) with questions like "Is there food on the train?"

Here in New York City both the Yankees (Metro-North) and Mets (LIRR) have their own commuter rail stations. What I would love to see is a team take advantage of this such as leaving streight from a game without having to send the players by bus through Penn Station. Both stations are electrified with different types of third rails but not catenary.

From Yankee Statium to Boston would be easy (the train could terminate right at Fenway Park at the Yawkey Station maybe, might block a mainline though) by using diesel equipment via Mott Haven to get from the Hudson to New Haven Lines that specials to and from games use already. South on the corridor would require a diesel up to New Rochelle where the train would reverse and need an electric engine for the rest of the trip south.

Citi Field (typed Shea at first) would require a diesel and electric engine. Although a dual-mode P32AC-DM might be able to make it through the North River tunnels if the third rails are still active in it. These engines use the LIRRs third rail.

Have teams ever used a chartered Surfliner from Los Angeles to San Diego (Anaheim would be really easy, the station is right in the parking lot of the ballpark? The only other market where rail travel would make some sense is Chicago to Milwaukee but that seems so short it would be just a team bus ride.