Hi everyone, You people are amazing! You seem to know all there is to know about each type of diesel. As far as I'm concerned they are all UGLY. They should be kept in the yard where most people can't see them. But I have enjoyed all the comments. I like the old E and F series and The Burlington Zephyr. Linda
Metro North still has 2 former NYC GP units in service. MN numbers are 543(GP8) and 750(GP9), unsure of NYC #'s. 750 even still has a working steam generator.
Linda, when someone tells me they don't like diesels, I always sing this little Jimmy Rodgers ditty to them: LOOKIE O'VER YONDER COMIN' DOWN THAT RAILROAD TRACK......... LOOKIE O'VER YONDER! COMIN' DOWN THAT RAILROAD TRACK! SEE THE BLACK SMOKE ROLLIN'....... ROLLIN' FROM THAT OLE SMOKE STACK.............. JIMMIE RODGERS THE SINGING BRAKEMAN
<blockquote>quote:</font><hr> SEE THE BLACK SMOKE ROLLIN'....... ROLLIN' FROM THAT OLE SMOKE STACK.............. <hr></blockquote> Hmmmm, Must be an Alco diesel then I have to admit that I'm an internal combustion kind of guy, steam is okay, but I just can't get excited over a preserved & polished steamer. Working steam (and I don't mean excursions or tourist lines) is a whole different kettle-o-fish.
Steam fans vs. Diesel fans remind me of Yankee fans vs. Mets fans! I like any loco there is. Steam, diesel, electric, as long as it's pulling a train! But for modeling purposes, I go with diesels because anything from state-of-the-art to an almost first generation switcher can be found operating somewhere in the USA. (Or other countries). Steam is great but restricts you to a certain era. My Ford Crown Vic NYPD cars (in white and old blue paint scheme) somehow would look wierd next to a Boston and Albany Berk or whatever! I'm addicted to all those beautiful HO scale vehicles out there. Wish I room just for parking lots! The more trucks the better too! Keep 'em coming!
This is an interesting link to what's left of the old New York Central piers in my neigborhood. The neighborhood hoodlums burned them down a long time ago. Luckily I was able to explore all of them before they started that. I have no idea when they where last used for the carfloats. Maybe the late 60's.....? The last train through the yard was around 1983. From what I remember it was three boxcars of frozen turkeys for the (mostly gone) freezers down around the Meat District below 14th St. That train also used the old elevated Westside Freight Line below 34th St....... I'll see if I can find the link to that too. That is extremely interesting. http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SCENES/wreck/wreckage.html
GREAT SHOT OF THE WESTSIDE FREIGHT LINE UNDER THE GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE. http://www.quuxuum.org/~joekor/nycrr/nycgwb.jpg
Linda is my kind of gal! I don't cotton to them there painted mumblin' motor cars either. I like to see some moving parts! Diesels look more like a runaway than a train.
Johnny, did you see the site about the completion of the West Side refurbishment in '34? http://www.railroad.net/nyc/westside.html It went right through the building where my Dad worked on Bethune Street. By the way, nice photo of the RS-3 going under George and Martha. The freights were much more fun with S motors and the occasional T motor. Now all you see are P-40's and P-42's .... ugh! [ 15 November 2001: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]</p>
Hank! Thanks so much for sending that site. I had it a few years ago and lost it. Couldn't find it last night after a brief search. Thanks! So your Dad worked there! (Should I say "over" there?). Was he with Bell Labs? (Haven't checked the site to see what was on Bethune St). That is such a neat elevated line! I have walked it at least twice. Unfortunatly yet another part of the southern section has been torn down. It's almost impossible to get up there anymore and I doubt I would try. But what a strange world it is up there. The tracks and switches are still intact. A couple of the buildings that it used to pass through have sealed off the tracks. All those giant meat freezers with 3 foot thick walls, have been turned into condos! I pass by the old line all the time. I wish I had seen it in action at least once............ It's such a hidden relic. For those who don't know, it was built to get RR traffic off of the city streets. As late as the 30's, a flagman on horseback had to flag trains and traffic. Incredible stuff. Thanks again for finding that one!
Johnny, you say some tracks and switches still remain on parts of the system? Are any parts of the system still in use? If so, who owns it? I can't imagine living in a Condo with 3 foot walls. It must be one of the most quiet places on earth. Yes, my father worked for Bell Labs for over 40 years, 30 of them at the Bethune St facility. It was very exciting watching the trains from his window on the 6th floor.
WOW! Hank, I'll bet that was so cool to see the trains up on the line!!!!! CSX owns it and refuses to pay to demolish it. (Est. cost two years ago: 10 MIL). Nothing has been up there for many years, but it really is interesting no one ever ripped out the tracks. They were still there a couple of years ago when I was up there. I'm sure they still are there on the remaining section. As far as it's future........who knows........ There has been talk of making it into a pedestrian mall with small shops, making a new subway line down the Westside, and all other kinds of wierd stuff. It isn't going anywhere yet, but the future looks dim. Developers are SCREAMING to tear it down. Just about all the businesses under it are shabby garages, junk yards, private sanitation garages.......(I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!) If it goes, so do all those places and big highrises will be lined up all along the old right of way. Have you been away from NYC a long time? Did you know that the LIRR opened a big RR storage yard bet 10th and 12th aves about 10 years ago? It runs from 33rd to 29th. I forget exactly how many tracks there are, but I'd say 40, and they are always filled with commuter trains.It was a simple solution to remedy deadheading all those trains in and out of Jamaica before and after the rush hours. I believe the yard was built on an old B&O yard. Also, Amtrak runs all their Albany, Montreal, and Lakeshore Limited trains out of Penn Station and they use two remaining tacks up the old Westside freight line. I watched them rebuild those two tracks. It was great that someone had the sense to save that right-of-way. Because once you loose it, you can't get it back again............. I hear them in my apt during the day and it makes me smile! By the way, would you remember when two trains hit head-on around 158th st. maybe around 1964? I was 6 or 7 then. My brother took me up there. it was incredible to see. We got within yards of one of the engines that had ended up over the retaining wall. And that is QUITE HIGH! I remember seeing a steam wrecker too. And the neighborhood people stealing shopping carts of brown paper grocery bags that had fallen out of a split open boxcar. That's a long time ago.
WOW! I sure hope you can open this! This site is exactly the thing I was looking for! Wait until you guys see the Westside Freight Line in this day and age! The tracks are still there!!!!! http://www.forgotten-ny.com/SUBWAYS/Tenth%20Ave%20trestle/Tenth.html Now I'm wondering who owned that yard ay 30th st. I do think the B&O had something right there too. And maybe the Reading also had a small piece of something in Manhattan? Can anyone tell me about this
Johnny, I haven't lived in the City since '55, but if memory serves me ... 1- I would guess that the LIRR storage yard is built on part (or all?) of the former NYC 11th Avenue Freight Yard property. 2- Neither the Reading nor the B&O ever owned tracks on Manhattan. The tracks were owned by the NYC (New York City & Hudson River, and New York & Harlem), the Pennsylvania, and the Long Island (owned by the Pennsy). The New Haven tracks ended at the NYC Harlem Divison flyover in Mount Vernon. 3- I think the B&O had trackage rights to the Hoboken docks, I don't know with which company. 4- I think Reading ran joint passenger trains into Newark, maybe with the B&O(?). All that ended shortly after WW-II. Thanks for the link to the "Tenth Avenue Elevated". I haven't studied it yet, but it looks very interesting.
Hank, ya can run me over with a couple of Big Boys if I haven't seen another RR's name on an old NYC City map right in the general area of the 11th ave yard. Maybe the B&O owned a building or pier here that was relative to their rights over in Hoboken. Maybe they ran ferries over to Manhattan? I know it was something small as it was small on the map. And they never ran into Manhattan. But I swear they were present here in some way shape or form. Maybe carfloat operations? Hmmmmmmmmm. Hopefully someone can tell me that I'm not dreaming this up........ Could I have seen it on the History Channel in one of those old clips tken from a ship out on the river passing along that area?
Hank, I did find one thing about the B&O that has nothing to do with the other topic. And this is all that it said too. Can't find more info on this either. THE B@O USED PENNSYLVANIA STATION FROM THE SPRING OF 1918 TO SEPTEMBER 1928. Also, I think the B&O operated the freight yard over in Staten Island for some years.
Johnny, I don't doubt for a moment that B&O may have owned or leased a building on Manhattan, with their logo painted on the side. It's likely that many "foreign" rail lines have maintained marketing and management offices on Manhattan over the years. For example, Conrail maintained marketing offices in New Orleans, LA during the 1970's, although probably they did not occupy an entire building with their logo painted on the side I've had a chance to look at the "Forgotten NY" website link that you provided ... Man, that's Fantastic! There's a bunch of stuff around the City that I had totally forgotten about. Thanks By the way what's happening with the 2nd Ave Subway tunnels? Will they ever be completed? [ 17 November 2001: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]</p>
Hi Hank, here's a link to what's left of the B&O yard at West 26th st in Manhattan!!!!!!!! Glad my memory banks aren't that far gone yet! I went into a B&O chat and someone sent this to me! http://www.oldnyc.com/w26st_yards/w26st_yards/w26st_yards_1.html The second ave tunnel is dead in the water. There's a tunnel that's just sitting there unfinished and totally unused. I doubt it will ever be finished after what happened here in the City.
Hope you find this interesting too! http://www.oldnyc.com/index.html Oh, the was a Lehigh Valley and Pennsy yard too!
Johnny, thanks very much for all the information. I never knew so many "western" lines owned and operated tracks on Manhattan, and as late as the 60's. I didn't realize I was so ignorant OldNYC.com is a wonderful site, thanks for the link. Whoever runs it is doing a great job Thanks again, Hank
