3 Gents and the 5:20 to New Rochelle

By

Andrew DeMarco

My last posting and my ride home on Metro-North reminded me of my time as a commuter so here is my tale. A little over 30 years ago myself and a group of friends were daily commuters into New York and in the evenings we would all catch the 5:20 train home. What made the 5:20 unique was that it had a bar car and that seemed to suit all of us just fine. Unfortunately, the 5:20 has been relegated to the dust bin of history mainly because of health concerns but mostly because of political correctness. You see the 5:20 was the most smoke and alcohol filled place to be, a rolling den of iniquity, the perfect place after a hard day’s work. It was also one of the most entertaining and fun filled 25 to 30 minutes that one can experience so much so that there were many times that the 5:20 gang would hope for a delay, so we could hang out longer.

When a friend and I were reminiscing about our commute we realized that 3 key gentlemen were no longer with us, so this is my way of remembering them.

First there was Kevin Glynn who passed away a few months ago I’ll call him the greeter/joker. Kevin worked right across from Grand Central and was usually the first to arrive. As you walked down the platform Kevin would be there with a drink in one hand (the first of a few on our 30-minute ride) and a cigarette in the other. That’s right smoking was permitted on trains back then and almost everyone smoked.  Kevin would welcome us all aboard and then he would start with his jokes. It seems that every day Kevin had a new one and he made sure that everyone heard them. By the time we got to 125^th Street 10 minutes later, everyone would have heard the joke of the day and it was time for Kevin to have another drink.

Second was Ray Hyland who passed away in October of last year. Ray stood above all those who rode the 5:20 and rightly so since he played basketball at Iona. Ray was a die-hard Yankee fan and loved to discuss or should I say argue about his favorite team. He also had a way of getting everyone involved and because of this I will call Ray the instigator. He had a knack for picking out his marks particularly Met fans and getting them started. He would get them into a frenzy and the arguments would begin and then he would just step back and watch the chaos he created. After the chaos subsided and there were no real winners or losers everyone would go the bar and have another drink and there would be Ray with the biggest cat ate the canary grin, satisfied that he had done his job.

Third was Mark Gaston who passed away a few years ago. I still haven’t figured out a name for Mark but he by far was the most unique, dedicated and determined of the 5:20 gang. This is all due to the fact that Mark technically should not have taken the 5:20 train. Mark lived in White Plains and should have been taking the Harlem line of Metro-North but it doesn’t end there. Mark would drive to the Mamaroneck Station every morning and hop on the New Haven Line which is the line that the 5:20 runs on. In the evening he would meet us on the 5:20 and take it to New Rochelle which was the final stop. Now here is the best part. He would get off in New Rochelle and wait for the next train to Mamaroneck which was 2 stops past New Rochelle. All this not to miss the fun and entertainment of the 5:20.

So, when I think of the good times that were had on the 5:20 and I remember these 3 gentlemen, it gives me a good feeling one that Cousin Bob would call that Rosy Glow.