Date Set for Dedication of 9-11 PATH Subway Car at Shore Line Trolley Museum

By Brian McCready (Patch Staff)

EAST HAVEN, CT — On Sunday September 11th, which is the 15th Anniversary of 9-11, the Shore Line Trolley Museum at 12 noon will dedicate and open to the public for the first time, PATH Car 745.

There is expected to be a brief ceremony with area public officials and first responders participating.

On September 11, 2001, Car 745 was the lead car (on the north end) of a 7-car train which had left Hoboken at 8:42 AM, arrived on Track 3 at about 8:52, and was due to depart the loop station at 9:00 AM for the return trip to New Jersey. Behind it were cars 143-160-845-750-139-612.

When the unthinkable happened, the entire PATH station was ordered evacuated, employees included. As a result, there was no loss of life on the train or in the station.

Since the car’s arrival at its permanent home, the Trolley Museum has designed and built a special display that will allow visitors to the museum to go into the car and actually experience what thousands of passengers had experienced daily traveling from NJ to the World Trade Center everyday going to work. The car is exactly as it was found.

It was a Sunday in 2001, but Peter Rinaldi, a senior engineering manager with the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey was working another long, grueling day at ``ground zero,'' coordinating the logistics of the recovery operation.

He opened an intact emergency exit hatchway on West Street near Vesey Street and entered, along with several other engineers, police and fire personnel, into the north tube of the PATH system's loop through the World Trade Center site. They had no idea what to expect.

The tunnel was flooded and so small rafts were employed. Paddling through a remarkably intact section of the tunnel and following the submerged track way, they found themselves at the north end of the 5-track PATH WTC station.

There Peter climbed onto the platform and walked through the doors of Car 745, still open and waiting for the passengers that never came back on 9/11.

He stepped aboard the car and into the operating cab and at that moment became determined that, somehow, this car must be saved. Over 14 years later, his vision became a reality as Car 745 touched down on trolley museum rails and became part of its collection.

The museum has also worked with a child’s book author Marie Betts Bartlett to craft a child’s book about Car 745 who has become Poppy and the book describes Poppy’s purpose. The books will be available at the opening on 9-11.

The museum invites you to attend the dedication and then board the car and experience riding a PATH car on 9-11 2001.

Due to the change in traffic patterns because of the Fall Festival, visitors are asked to use Foote Road to attend this event. For more information on this exhibit and all Shore Line Trolley information go to: www.shorelinetrolley.org