GRAND Central Terminal tourgoers cluster around a derelict baggage car in early 2016. For years a myth persisted that this baggage car was used by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, while he was President from 1932-1945, to quickly whisk him to and from midtown during his NYC visits. Track 61, on which the baggage car was kept, was constructed in the 1910s beneath what would be the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel; a power station and heating plant was demolished in 1930 to make way for the hotel, which was purchased a few years ago by Chinese investors, who turned it into private apartments.
Roosevelt, as well as Generals John Pershing and Douglas MacArthur, did indeed use railcars on Track 61 to directly access the Waldorf. But Roosevelt never used this particular car, which was reportedly big enough to cary a limousine. That myth was perpetrated by GCT’s then-official tourguide, Dan Brucker. Brucker, who I considered to be a genial, knowledgeable guide, was relieved of his duties by GCT but not, as I understand it, for telling this tall tale which I think he believed himself. My thinking is that Brucker was giving away too many of GCT’s operational secrets during the age of terror.
Track 61, meanwhile, has a colorful history and should remain on tours since it has hosted exhibitions for new locomotives, fashion shows sponsored by Filene’s and the New Haven Railroad, and art exhibitions by Andy Warhol. I sense a gold mine if GCT would deign to spiff up the trackway, install some exhibits, and improve access. To this day I don’t recall how Brucker got us down there, other than a series of staircases. The baggage car now resides at the Danbury Railway Museum.
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