Questiond About Train Stations...?

Question

Ok, so I'm writing a story that takes place on a train and I've been on one but it was a long time ago. I'm talking about like New York type trains/subways. So here are the millions of questions I need to ask:

1. Do trains go on all night or just stop like until midnight? Do they go by a schedule and end at midnight?

2. Do a lot of people go on trains at night? Becuase my story takes place at night and I want my characters to be alone and isolated.

3. Can trains go around (like a circle) and end where they started? This is also crucial to my story.

4. Can anybody name some train stations that has those above characteristics?

I need a train station that has the following;

*Has little to no people that goes on trains at night.

*That goes around and around so it can pass the same place over and over again.

*Has some doors to hide things, like a compartment.

ETC...anything that is possible because I need my characters to be alone and isolated. Any train stations like that?

Answer 1

In general, subway trains have cabs at both ends and on reaching the end of the line, the operator just walks to the other end.  No loop.

Grand Central Station (Metro-North), actually has loop tracks on the lower level.  I don't know if they see regular service, as Metro-North trains also have cabs on both ends.

Boston's Blue Line has a loop track at Bowdoin.

Answer 2

why all the questions

Answer 3

Train story eh? Trains don't go in circles they travel from point to point. The only ones that do go in circle are model railroads. A good tie in? Perhaps.

Try these links:

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/rrht...

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentSer...

http://www.grandcentralterminal.com/

Follow the links for your answers. Good luck on your story.

Answer 4

If you set your story in London or Glasgow you can have trains that run in circles. The Circle Line on the London Underground (aka the Tube) does just that, and the Glasgow Underground also has a circular line.

The times when the trains are most used are morning and evening rush hour, then early evening when people are going out. At other times fewer people use them. Trains run till late at night but not normally after midnight. On the Tube this is when the current supply to the rails is turned off and the maintenance crews move in to start work.

Tube stations have all sorts of nooks and crannies where people and things could get lost, hidden, etc.

Answer 5

In New York and area served by Subway, Metro-North, Long Island Railroad, New Jersey Transit

1 & 2. Most subways runs 24-hours.

Some subways operated by MTA NYCT run local and some subways end before late night because not many people ride subway on late night.

3. Only train that goes circular is seperated from MTA New York City Transit, which is Port Authority's Airtrain JFK's Inner Loop is only one that circle around JFK Airport Terminal 24-hour.

Metro-North, New Jersey Transit, and Long Island Railroad does not have 24-hour service.

Surviellence camera is only found along the BMT (L) line since on weekend, only Train Operator controls the door opening/closing, but not for catching criminal.

If you really want to focus your story on NYC Subway or train, you should consider watching the list listed by NYCT.

That takes place on NYCT Subways:

The Cowboy Way

Taking of Pelham 1-2-3

Die Hard with A Vengeance

Ghost

Men In Black II

Madagascar

Whiz (The Wiz)

Money Trains

Coming to America

Long Island Railroad

Eternatal Mind of Spotless Sunshine

I'll tell you more later.

Answer 6

number one get out of of new york,, take the illinois central or cn railroads city of new orleans from chicago to new orleans,, you will see two americas

Answer 7

Just a consideration for your story.  Rail Folklore might be your best subject to look up.

I know the Country Singer, Merle Haggard performed a tune called The Miners Silver Ghost on his Love Affair With Trains Album sometime in the late 70's.

Its about an unmanned Steam Locomotive that haunts a section of a mining railroad somewhere in the mid-west.

I know that Rail Folklore has been the tall tail of many stories, for example one of the more famous stories is the tale of John Henry and the Steam Drill Race.

There are some more grusome tails that were based on true stories of the Transcontinental Railroad.  One in particular about a rail worker that got a tamper shaft blown through his head and he lived.

Just to shed a little light on that story, back in the 1800's they used these long iron bars called a Tamper/Drill.  One end was sharp the other blunted.  The shaft was used to drill holes into rock, where black powder was then poured with a blasting cap and dry sand.  Then the blunt end was placed into the hole and used to tamp the powder charge tight for blasting.

In his case, the poor guy forgot to put the sand in the hole.  When he put the tamper into the hole it sparked and ignited the powder charge sending the bar through his head.

Fortunately he had just been to the blacksmith to have the mushroomed end of the bar re-ground and champhered.  So when the bar went through it only created a hole as big as the bar.  About 2 inches in diameter.

But those are just a couple of examples of folklore that you will find when you start your search.

Good Luck!