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(erielack) Speno Train

    I'm glad to see that so many remember the Speno trains. Those of u who've read my little stories remember the problem I had when working as an operator at Valley Street (Youngstown) where the P&LE crossed the ERIE. Speno grinding on the crossovers at the tower & me getting frantic calls from the NYC dispatcher to run his trains. Each time I'd call the Erie dispatcher, he'd remind me 'how much this train was costing the Erie'. Finally he replied "F--k  the New York Central!!" The NYC man heard this & there was quite a heated conversation.
      As I've said before, most of the work in Binghamton was yard jobs but one day I was called early in the AM for a Speno train to Scranton. I reported to the Conklin roundhouse to find a GP& waiting & after signing in I climbed to the cab where the mechanical people had placed a huge rheostat next to the throttlestand with wires running into the high voltage cabinet. While we backed out to pick up the equipment near BY tower, it was carefully explained to me the ABSOLUTE necessity  to operate at exactly 1 (one) mile per hour lest we tear up the grindstones etc. After coupling on and a brake test, we proceeded a few miles south & across the state line to start grinding near New Milford. Sammy Miller - RFE was on the engine to make sure we ran it properly but after a few hours disappeared into the cars for a free meal. The rheostat had a kind of speedometer on it that registered a bit under & over the sacred speed. It was a nice day as we
 grinded along over the Kingsley viaduct & past Old Line Junction. Plenty of time to contemplate the valley far below where trains ran until the cutoff was built. Also visible was the remnants of the Northern Electric interurban line across the valley between Nicholson and Hopbottom. As it was getting dark, we were grinding in Nicholson tunnel having previously crossed the big viaduct.  I DON'T recall getting to Scranton on this job & I think they sent a relief crew out to bring the train in. 

Regards to all,

Walter E. Smith 




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