Train Travel

Take the Uptown 1 train (of the 1-2-3, the red line), or the Uptown 2 late nights, from Canal Street (at Varick Street) or Houston Street (on Varick Street between King and Houston Streets) to 14th Street (at 7th Avenue).

Walk through the tunnel that connects the 14th Street Station-7th Avenue Station on the 1-2-3 to the 14th Street-6th Avenue Station.

At the 14th Street-6th Avenue Station, transfer to the Brooklyn-bound L train (the grey line) to Bedford Avenue. Bedford Avenue is the first stop in Brooklyn. It's the next stop after 14th Street-1st Avenue.

Take the Downtown 2 or 3 express trains (of the 1-2-3, the red line) from 34th Street-Penn Station to Park Place. It's only 3 stops (Penn Station ---> 14th Street ---> Chambers Street ---> Park Place) unless you're traveling at night, when the 2 runs local and the 3 doesn't run south of 42nd Street-Times Square.

You will exit the subway at the corner of Church Street and Park Place. Walk 1 block east on Park Place (in the same direction as traffic) to Broadway, turn right, and walk 1.5 blocks south on Broadway to 225 Broadway between Barclay and Vesey Streets.

The most direct route I could find takes you to the west side, and then back to the east side, which seems kinda silly. But you'll get there. Directions are as follows:

1) Take the Uptown F train (of the B-D-F-V, the orange line) from Delancey Street (at Essex Street) to West 4th Street.

2) At the West 4th Street Station, transfer to the Uptown A-C-E (the blue line). Take the Uptown A-C-E to 42nd Street. All three of the trains on the blue line (the A, the C, and the E) stop at 42nd, so it doesn't matter which one you take.

3) At 42nd Street, you can transfer to the S shuttle train (color code grey) east across 42nd, from Times Square (West 42nd) to Grand Central (East 42nd).

HOWEVER, the A-C-E line runs up and down 8th Avenue, while the Times Square Station (and the S shuttle train) are at 7th Avenue. There IS a connection from the A-C-E line to the Times Square Station, though. They are connected by a tunnel that runs underground from 8th Avenue ---> 7th Avenue.

So first you need to walk through the tunnel to the Times Square Station. THEN you can transfer to the S shuttle train from Times Square (West 42nd) to Grand Central (East 42nd).

See the Related Link below for a complete New York City subway map.

MetroNorth trains run from Grand Central Station to Scarsdale, NY. Click on the Related Link below to see schedules and fares (you will need to click on the icon on the RIGHT, which says, "Click HERE for lines EAST of Hudson - Harlem, Hudson, New Haven."

You can also buy your tickets on their website, but you don't have to. You can just as easily buy tickets at Grand Central Station.

As for getting to Grand Central Station: you can take a cab or a car service, or you can take the subway. You can always get a regular yellow cab at the airport, although you might have to wait awhile for one. If you don't want to wait, you can call a car service to pick you up. There are two main companies that service the New York City area: Carmel (212-666-6666) and Dial 7 Car & Limo (212-777-7777). Both provide excellent service, so it doesn't really matter which one you pick.

If you want to take the subway: there is a shuttle (called the AirTrain) which takes you from inside the JFK terminals to the Howard Beach Station of the A train (of the A-C-E, the blue line). The A train will take you into Manhattan.

Get off the A train at the Times Square Station (West 42nd Street). At the Times Square Station, transfer to the S shuttle train (color code grey) east across 42nd Street, from Times Square (West 42nd) to Grand Central Station (East 42nd).

See the second Related Link for a complete New York City subway map.

Take the Uptown 1-2-3 (the red line), 1 stop, from 34th Street-Penn Station to 42nd Street-Times Square.

Transfer at Times Square to the Downtown N-R-Q (the yellow line), and take the Downtown N-R-Q to Canal Street (at Broadway). This station is located in the heart of Chinatown.

1804 by the English inventor Richard Trevithick.

Born:

1771

Died:

1833

Place of Birth:

Cornwall

Famous For:

Steam engineer and pioneer of the railways

Biography:

Learning his craft in the tin mines of Cornwall, Trevithick went to Merthyr Tydfil and paved the way for the railway age by building the first steam engine to pull a load on rails.

Richard Trevithick was born in Carn Brea between Camborne and Redruth in Cornwall, and grew up amongst the tin mines where his father worked with pumping engines.

A huge man, who could throw a huge sledgehammer over an engine house, Trevithick was also a man of vision dismissed as foolish for attempting the impossible.

Creator of the high pressure steam engine, his reputation as a brilliant inventor reached Merthyr Tydfil.

Samuel Homfray, master of Penydarren ironworks, obtained a share in Trevithick's patent and asked him to build a stationary engine.

At that time, the late eighteenth century, horse-drawn railways were used to carry coal and iron from mines in the South Wales Valleys and other industrial centres.

But Trevithick recognised that a steam engine on wheels - a locomotive - would be more effective than horses at pulling heavy loads.

A rival ironmaster - believed to be Richard Crawshay - dismissed the idea as preposterous.

But Homfrey had faith in Trevithick and bet his rival 500 guineas - a fortune in those days - that the engine would successfully pull a ten ton load of iron along a nine-and-a-half mile stretch of tramroad from Penydarren to Abercynon.

On 21 February 1804 history was made when Trevithick's locomotive "Penydarren" (replica pictured above) completed the journey in four hours and five minutes.

In fact, the load was much heavier than planned, up to 25 tons including the weight of the engine itself, the wagons, and around 70 people perched on them.

Despite his pioneering work with locomotives, Trevithick soon returned to his original job building stationary steam engines for water pumping.

He had no interest in fame and fortune except as a means of funding further experiments, and left the development of the railways to others such as George Stephenson