Comments on: SmartCat Sundays: Restoring a Grand Central to Chatham Roll Banner

By: Jay Rosenthal

Jay Rosenthal — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 04:10:29 +0000

This is absolutely amazing and the restoration looks great! I agree with your decision to restore the original paint to Chatham- it’s what I would’ve done, too. I grew up using the Pawling and North White Plains stations and am still fond of the Harlem Line. If you’d ever be willing to part with this particular roll banner, please let me know. I’d be very interested.

By: Bob

Bob — Tue, 15 Mar 2016 13:57:35 +0000

Chatham restored!

By: Lee

Lee — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 03:38:59 +0000

I believe the banners were still in use as late as the 1980s. They were replaced by Solari signs, which in turn were replaced by today’s electronic signs.

The New York Central even prepared banners for special chartered trains.

In April, 1964, IBM chartered a train to take reporters to Poughkeepsie for the announcement of the System/360 computer. A photo (from the Computer Museum) of the gate shows a special banner for the press train.

http://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/mainframe-computers/7/161/577

At the 2013 National Train Day event, Metro North displayed a gate sign for the 20th Century Limited:
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?139545

By: Hank

Hank — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 00:02:25 +0000

Emily, thanks to your reminiscence, I remember waiting at the gate for my train to be readied. I saw a uniformed gentleman, title unknown, roll down the previous train banner, open the cabinet, store the old, fetch the new, close the cabinet, and roll up “my” train’s banner. For no good reason, I suddenly felt all was right with the world and I was going home. College aged kids were (are?) weird…LOL

By: Steve Barry

Steve Barry — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 02:13:51 +0000

Great restoration! Keep up the good work.

By: Rose

Rose — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 23:47:53 +0000

Fabulous, Emily!