Is it true that there is no "Track No. 12" in Grand Central Terminal?

Question

Is it true that there is no "Track No. 12" in Grand Central Terminal?

Answer 1

Not to stay off-topic, but the unmanned switchers really are a dangerous means of cutting labor costs. There's at least one national movement against them. Worth checking out.

Answer 2

It's true! You can check out the track plan at source 1. It's the only track number missing in the list from Track 1 through 41 on the upper level. The lower level uses numbers in the 100s.

This is also confirmed in the article about the Waldorf-Astoria platform at GCT in source 2. This article is very interesting and includes many track diagrams and photos.

Answer 3

Well done pingraham.  Slam dunk 10.

Just to add two cents, it's not unusual for track numbers to be 'missing' on service tracks, make-up and departure tracks.

Some portions were built at a later date and the numbers were sort of 'dovetailed' in.  That's one of the things that makes a dangerous place out of rail yards, especially when an employee is unfamiliar with the yard.  Heading down the wrong track can and does happen.

A very close friend of mine was killed in just this type of accident a short number of years ago, when they still had people on the yard engines, instead of running them by radio control, or RCO, with nobody on board.

If you live near a rail yard, you may have these dangerous and unprotected 'blind' moves happening right now.  When some nasty stuff gets released into the air from a ruptured tank car, whether or not you survive will depend on whether you're upwind, downwind and whether the poison released is heavier than air or lighter than air.  Here, your relevant elevation to the coming spill is a consideration.

I know I'd take the time to find out if they're running unmanned yard engines by radio control in any yard near me.  And if I found out that it was so, I'd start screamin' at the top of my lungs to anyone, including trees and brick walls.

There are communities who have mobilized against this threat and been successful.

Sleep tight...........