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From: "Daniel G DOT McFadden" dan DOT mcfadden AT gmail DOT com
Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2015 11:58:46 -0500
Subject: Back to Andover Junction
"AndoverJct_StanPierce_and_WayneRuland.jpg" - image/jpeg, 1075x1180 (256c)

To start the New Year, here are a few more audio clips recorded at Andover
Junction more than 50 years ago. Thanks to Paul T. for posting this
material.





Train 1015: http://el-list.railfan.net/Train_1015A.mp3



Train 1042: http://el-list.railfan.net/Train_1042A.mp3



L&HR freight: http://el-list.railfan.net/LHR_Frt.mp3





On September 10, 1964, I journeyed again to Andover Junction with my tape
recorder. This time, I was alone. There was nothing special in the offing,
just a night of train watching. The operator on duty that night was Stan
Pierce, another ex-O&W man I believe. The attached shot from the late Ed
Ruland shows Stan posing with Ed's son Wayne in front of the "tower" on a
different occasion.



I saw and recorded three trains that evening; the first two were the
Branchville milk trains and the last was a L&HR freight.



First up was Train 1015 with Geep-7 1409 and 3 empty milk cars plus 3
Boonton Line coaches. This train left Hoboken at 4:30 running up the
Greenwood Lake/Boonton Line. It waited at Netcong to connect with the
Lakeland Express (to Washington) and then resumed its trek up the
Branchville Line. The public timetable shows it carrying passengers only as
far as Newton. After the train crosses the diamond, you can hear it blowing
for the Route 206 crossing. At the very end, Stan Pierce tries to OS the
train but there is no response.



The return run was Train 1042 which carried no passengers and thus showed
only in the Employee Timetables. This train would run down the Morris and
Essex to drop off the milk cars. The 1409 now had 3 loaded milk cars and the
same three Boonton coaches. After 1042 crosses the diamond, listen closely
and you will hear the crickets doing their thing and the train blowing for
the grade crossings in Andover Borough.



The final train of my night was a westbound L&HR freight. This guy arrived
Andover with 102 cars and set out 14 in the yard. Power was a pair of
RS-3's, numbers 3 and 12. As the train blows for Rt. 206, listen for the
slam of the screen door as Stan goes out to hoop up orders. And as the hack
goes by, listen for the brief exchange of greetings. When Stan reenters, a
preying mantis has alighted on his boot and you will hear me say exactly two
words. My goal was to stay quiet when the machine was recording!



The sounds you will hear are pretty self explanatory. The one mystery to me
is the buzzer that sounds right after the milk trains have crossed diamond
in both directions.



Just two months after I made these recordings, the EL Branchville milk
business was history. Now of course, Andover Junction itself has essentially
disappeared. I took a walk on the Sussex Trail last summer and it was only
with some difficulty that I was able to spot the fallen signal mast that had
once protected the crossing; it is a sad sight. Andover Junction is quiet
now and forever more.



It was a nice surprise a few years back to find that my old tapes had held
up. Thanks to non-Lister Tim Schwartz who repaired my old recorder which had
sat gathering dust for about 40 years. Thanks also to the late Ralph Curcio
who supplied the expertise and machinery to go from analog to digital
format. Finally, a shout out to the employees of the Lehigh & Hudson River:
This railroad had the feel of a close knit family; I'm sure there was a
grump or two in the ranks but I certainly never met one.



Dan McFadden





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