THE FL-9 IS STILL USEFUL. The latest Destination: Freedom refers to football excursions running through Penn Station.

Sunday, September 20^th, marked the start of a new era for [New Jersey Transit] when they provided service beyond New York City and into Connecticut. Nutmeg State residents boarded New Jersey Transit trains in New Haven bound for Secaucus, New Jersey, where they would change trains and continue on to Meadowlands Stadium to see the New York Jets play the New England Patriots. It was an historic moment when Metro North crews took the trains to New York’s Penn Station and then handed them over to NJT crews to complete the trip to the stadium which is walking distance from the Meadowlands train station.

The mind boggles at The Pennsylvania Railroad handing a train off to the Erie. The mind must also contemplate the possibility that Patrick McGinnis was ahead of his time in at least one way.

Passengers had to change at Secaucus because the Metro North line to New Haven and the Amtrak Northeast Corridor Line are electrified. The tracks between Hoboken and the Meadowlands are not. A small army of NJT managers, police, customer service agents and ticket examiners were on hand at Secaucus to see that fans got to the game and other riders were not overwhelmed by the crowds. One NJT manager, who was on duty on the Secaucus platform, told this writer that NJT was using operating moves that had never been used before.

The article does not mention any difficulties returning fans from the game, which is often the more exciting move. The "not electrified" is an incomplete explanation, and hence my FL-9 reference. The first FL-9 dual mode locomotives had a more complicated third-rail shoe capable of collecting current from New York Central's underrunning third rail and from Long Island's overrunning third rail. There are some dual mode locomotives on Metro North, but equipped only to use the underruning third rail into Grand Central Terminal. On the other hand, Long Island has a few dual mode locomotives capable of running into Penn Station. Were none of those available for hire?