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From: tommy meehan tmeehan0421 AT gmail DOT com
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2018 11:12:14 -0400
Subject: Greenwood Lake Division
"Caldwell_Branch_04261959.jpg" - image/jpeg, 967x587 (24bit)

Ken Bush has a very interesting observation about departure times of two
Caldwell Branch trains to Essex Fells in a timetable that seemed to be from
October 1959. There are some OFFICIAL GUIDES available online and the
closest I found was June 1959. The Erie section has a Greenwood Lake
schedule dated April 26, 1959 which shows the two trains in question, Nos.
1421 and 1461. As Ken observed, they provide essentially identical service
but 1421 is marked as running "Daily except Saturday and Sunday," and "Will
not run all holidays." No. 1461 is shown as "Will run minor holidays only."
The schedule defines minor holidays as "Lincoln's Birthday, Columbus Day,
Election Day and Veteran's Day." The April 1959 schedule shows both trains'
ferry connection at Hoboken as the 6:00 PM ferry from Barclay Street. But,
just as Ken noted, 1421 departed Hoboken at 6:14 PM while 1461 left eleven
minutes later at 6:25 PM. Why?

I guess almost sixty years later it's unlikely anyone can provide a
definitive answer but my hunch is: 1421's ferry connection looks pretty
tight. Looking at the schedule, only one other train is scheduled to depart
Hoboken fourteen minutes after the time shown for the Barclay Street boat.
That is the last Greenwood Lake train of the day, No. 1427 (11:45 PM and
11:59PM). Several are scheduled for fifteen minutes but most are longer.
The two trains scheduled after 1421 depart twenty-two minutes and
twenty-five minutes after the Barclay Street time. The other reason might
have to do with the fact there were many fewer trains running on minor
holidays. The April 1959 schedule shows about seven GL trains departing
Hoboken between 4:30 PM and 6:14 PM on Monday-Fridays. On minor holidays
there is just one train, No. 1407 departing at 4:30 PM for Wanaque-Midvale.
The next departure is No. 1461 at 6:25 PM which makes all stops to Great
Notch and then provides the day's only westbound service to the Caldwell
Branch. I would speculate, with many fewer trains running, track space at
Hoboken was not nearly as tight and the schedule maker gave 1461 a more
leisurely connecting time.

What I also thought interesting was, the next GUIDE I found online, May
1960, shows an Erie schedule dated April 9, 1960. Greenwood Lake service
had been reduced and 1421 now connects from the 6:15 PM Barclay Street boat
and leaves Hoboken at 6:35 PM. But for Wanaque-Midvale! Same train number
but it no longer operates to the Caldwell Branch. In this listing trains
running on minor holidays are shown separately and we find 1461 is no more.
Now 1421 runs on minor holidays and on the same schedule as on regular
weekdays.

I am attaching screen caps of the westbound schedules I found in the
OFFICIAL GUIDE. Thanks for bringing all this up Ken!

tommy meehan


Caldwell_Branch_04261959.jpg

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