David KrisoSince I was five years old, traveling by train has been a sizeable part of my life. Being a model railroader has spanned the same time frame. Both have gone hand-in-hand. No station has been a bigger centerpiece of my railroading life than Newark Penn Station. Not only is it the place where my train travel story began, but it is the place where the story progresses. More than just a train station, Newark Penn Station has been a time capsule. From Amtrak journeys, to New Jersey Transit train rides to the Prudential Center, to PATH train rides to the Thanksgiving Day Parade and visiting Santa Claus at Macy’s, it has been the very station which has forged great memories; memories which resound to present day. Not only has Newark Penn Station been at the heart of great memories, but its timelessness is what keeps its legacy ‘chugging’ along.
What is it about Newark Penn Station that makes it so dear to my heart? The memories date back to 1982. My parents took my brother and me to Washington, DC for the first time. While on the southbound track platform, a legend appeared. A former Pennsylvania Railroad GG-1 rolled across the Dock lift bridge and through the station. The first time I saw the GG-1 was in a “Great Railway Journeys of The World” documentary, entitled “Coast to Coast”. The film started with the Broadway Limited, pulled by the GG-1. Seeing the engine for real, rolling through the station was incredible. Hearing the hum of its traction motors as it rolled through was a true thrill. Pennsylvania Railroad GG-1 #4935 is among the many engines in my family’s LGB train collection. Soon enough after the GG-1 passed through, Amtrak’s Crescent pulled in. It was being pulled by an E-60 electric engine. The E-60 was used to pull Amtrak’s long-distance trains. Minutes later, our train pulled in. Our train was pulled by one of Amtrak’s iconic AEM-7 electric engines. The speedy AEM-7 replaced the GG-1 in the early 1980s. Nowadays, a handful of Amtrak’s AEM-7s are preserved at railroad museums around the country.
Fast forwarding to my high school years, my parents and I traveled up and down the northeastern seaboard, visiting colleges. Whether we were in the Boston area, Newport and Kingston, RI, Springfield, MA, the Philadelphia area, or in Baltimore, the question was asked-whether or not transportation to and from the train station was available. Even then, where would the journey take me? Where else, but Newark Penn Station. Newark Penn Station was to be my point of origin and termination every break throughout the school year. In February 1995, I was accepted at Salve Regina University, in Newport, RI. Kingston Station was soon to be a part of my railroad life. Even though Kingston has evolved over the past thirty years, it is still my second home. Again, Newark Penn Station has always marked the beginning and end of every journey. During my college years, Amtrak conductors began knowing me by name and face. Being remembered by Amtrak conductors time and again, in both directions, always made the journey to and from home all the more special. Traveling to and from college had an hora to it. Not only did I know the train schedule from the back of my hand, my peers knew my train schedule, too. They would always ask, “Where do you get off?” I would reply, “Newark Penn Station”. No matter who I’d say it to, they would say “Sweet!”. No college student can have a more fond memory than that.
Fast forwarding to post-college years, Newark Penn Station is still the place where the journey has begun and ended. Only then, it’s been the other way around. I have made every effort to visit my college Alma Mater, Salve Regina University. Going home after a campus visit has always brought tears to my eyes. My parents vividly remember taking me to Newark Penn Station for my journey back to school. It was always an exciting experience. Even now, it has been an experience that refuses to get old. Boarding the Amtrak Northeast Regional train up north to Kingston, and returning home two days later has had raw emotions attached. I can still remember Easter weekend 1999. It was my very last Amtrak journey to and from college. Every time when I’m on the Kingston station platform, I know where I’m headed-good old Newark Penn Station. In 2002 and 2008, I rode Amtrak’s Acela Express. In 2008, I rode the Acela Express from Newark Penn Station to Boston South Station. Thundering through Kingston at 150 mph was quite a moment. Standing on the Kingston platform, watching the Acela Express ripping through at150 mph, has been another story. In either direction, Newark Penn Station is where the memories were made.
It is the year 2025. I have already attended my 5, 15, 20, and 25-year college reunions. In January, I took Amtrak’s Palmetto from Newark Penn Station to Savannah, GA. Whether it was the 14-hour ride going south, or the 14-hour return ride home, what station was part of the journey? How I remember those frigid cold afternoons waiting for my train to take me back to Kingston. Waiting in the nippy cold weather at 6:15 am for the Palmetto took me down memory lane. Arriving back at Newark Penn Station just before 11 pm, in the nippy cold weather once again gave me the same fond memory. Recently, my parents took Amtrak’s Acela Express to Washington, DC for their Potomac River/Chesapeake Bay cruise. This time around, I ventured into new territory. The escalator to the track platform was out of service for routine maintenance. My parents, 81 and 83 years old, are not as nimble as me. As opposed to my college years, I had to take it slow, and lead them to the station’s elevator. I had to follow the station’s signage for the elevators. Never in my entire railroad life have I ever used the elevators at Newark Penn Station. When we arrived upstairs on the station platform, I recognized where we were. We were at the foot of the PATH ramp. While waiting for the train, one of Amtrak’s customer service staff was tremendously helpful. At the same time, my parents were asking me which train was which, which train was headed where, and which train was departing. They noticed how often I glanced at my watch. My brother once said to me, “You live here!”. Maybe I do! Kingston Station may be dear to my heart, but Newark Penn Station is my second home.
Traveling by train is among life’s many pleasures. Traveling by train has always been the way to go. No matter when or where, Amtrak has been there to take me to whatever destination I’m bound for. Whether going to Washington, DC, Boston, Pittsburgh, Kingston, or Savannah, every journey has a point of origin and a terminus. For me, Newark Penn Station has been at the heart of each and every Amtrak journey. When anyone asks me, “Where do you pick the train up?” I say, “Newark Penn Station!”. They say, “Nice!”. The next question would be, “How would you compare Newark and New York Penn Station?” Candidly, there is no comparison. New York Penn Station’s Moynihan Train Hall is a mix of old and new, modeled after the original terminal. There’s absolutely wrong about that. However, Newark Penn Station is original, and originality is clad with character all by itself.
Newark Penn Station is an original all its own. From the Broadway Limited, to the Metroliner, to the Pennsylvanian, to the Acela Express, Newark Penn Station has served them all. The railroad companies may have changed. Passenger train travel has evolved, too. Newark Penn Station never gets old. It only gets better with age. It’s historic nature, its Art Deco architecture, and its illimitable legacy make it a railroad terminal for all to fathom. No matter where the train may take them, long may Newark Penn Station be one of America’s great railroad wonders. It’s more than a train terminal. It’s more than a city landmark. It’s more than a classic example of railroad history. It’s certainly more than a place home to boundless memories. It is a timeless time capsule-a place where the rails, the thrill of railroad travel, and human spirit unite.
