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From: "Hollritt, Todd" todd DOT hollritt AT attws DOT com
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2004 01:25:43 -0400
Subject: The Next Station... won't be there
"signal.jpg" - image/jpeg, 230202 bytes, 594x886 (24bit)

knowing the weather was turning soggy this week, last Saturday my
friend ELaine and I decided to take advantage of the warm Spring day.
Where to go for a road trip? How bout...Highpoint NJ? This was a great
choice, with an elevation of over 1,300 feet towering above the land,
the view of the scenic Delaware River valley looked spectacular! Then,
thought's of following the former EL Delaware "Sub"-Division was just
too tempting. What it turned out to be was a "Camera Safari" style fan
trip excursion of four railroads!
Now, I had only been as far west as Calicoon, NY just after EL was
merged Conrail. I really wanted to see the Erie side! So, we headed my
Mustang toward Port Jervis, and quickly realized when we dropped
downhill into New York State just what a neat Erie town "Port" used to
be. A quick look at "down~town" and the location of the former Erie
Station and Hotel. Then a quick cruise past the former turntable pit,
now surrounded now by huge amounts of vacant land, and a mini mall. Well
lets just say "I'd rather remember this place the way I remember, and
see it in Erie / EL photographs!
So we headed west on NY 97 (The highway silly) and quickly gained
altitude above the town and yard below, the view and ride here is truly
breathtaking. And then I realized that huge field of Grass... well that
"Was" Port Jervis Yard. :( on to Sparrowbush, Narrowsburg, Cochecton,
and all the Eddy's. The single tracked Delaware Division has seen better
days, it was nice to see the rails were polished. But VERY quiet. The
towns were too. Waiting for Canoe season I imagine! Arriving at
Callicoon was a neat surprise, nothing much changed. The NS still uses
the Station, now decked out in a coat of gray paint, the lot was filled
with NS maintainer trucks. Cool little semi abandoned railroad town, the
only new thing in the last umpteen years was a Shell station to fuel up
at and grab a snack. We also noticed the whole area is loaded with bored
kids milling around trackside. Something that was visible the entire day
all along the former EL.Delaware Sub-Division.
Heading west was uncharted territory for me, I kept wishing I had the
opportunity to ride an Erie passenger train over this railroad every
time a vista of the river appeared! It was now apparent the final
destination should be Susquehanna Pa. and a hike across Starucca
Viaduct. Well I had visited Starrucca in the late 70's. Not that much
could have changed? Could it??
After merging into RT. 17 and losing sight of the EL tracks as they
headed toward Deposit, we dropped into the Pennsylvania mountains
ourselves. Now following the D&H "Penn Division"... dirt trail. Nature
is reclaiming the D&H quick! Saw a former girder bridge in the woods and
some ties here and there. Oh...a couple more bored kids too. But that
was about it. All this "Railfan" potential going to waste I started
thinking to myself.

Lanesboro! There she is... the seventeen arches of Starucca streched
across the valley. hmmm it looked much bigger as a teenager! A quick
ride around the Viaduct, now avoiding all the not so bored kids who
discovered four wheelers, and it was off to the Lanesboro cemetery (I
will spare you the weird PA stuff) to park and hike up to the tracks.
Actually spent some time walking all around this area, admiring the slip
marks, evidence of the struggle that happens occasionally. And then
checking out downtown Susquehanna Pa. itself. Nice bar - Restaurant in
the Erie station. A church group now occupies the west end of the
station. Susquhanna needs lots of prayers! As we wonder around, I
wonder, Is that decrepit track speeder on display former EL? Standing on
the platform, It was so quiet you could almost imagine the F units
idling here! It was here the decision was made to "Hike Tunkhannock at
sunset".
Without a detailed map we asked the ever present group of bored kids
for directions out of town... can you imagine, unknowingly they directed
us right toward Mt. Ararat via the D&H / Erie and abandoned O&W row!
Were they really closet railfans all along??? Either way it was a nice
trip following the trails to the former Railroad Mecca of Forest City
Pa.and another town that time and prosperity forgot. At this point
ELaine was heard saying "All these old RR towns really have an aura of
sadness" As I caught another glimpse of black dirt marking former
trackage between some abandoned industry, I had to agree! Felt good to
get outta town into the woods again as we headed south. It was here we
took back roads so we could pop out in Nicholson Pa. And as luck would
have it as we arrived Norfolk Southern on CP tackage rights ran an
eastbound across the viaduct! Nice to see a REAL train!! We spent the
next hour stretching our legs and surveying the crumbling concrete icon
called Tunkhannock. As we walked across the viaduct I noticed a Flashing
approach on the signal just west of the viaduct. Sure enough, a second
freight worked it's way up from Factoryville. as the ground shook under
the strain of four units I think I saw another piece of DL&W concrete
chip off the bridge! But atleast the Erie Lackawanna was STILL very
active!
I will attach a few images from the journey, it was ironic as I
parked above the creek to capture the image of Tunkhannock at sunset the
first Police Car we saw all day pulled up. "Everything ok" the officer
asked. I replied "yup, Just taking a couple photos". He replied "Well,
you kids have fun".... I think we were the only ones who did all day!!!!


(The images are random, the former Erie signal mast is just west on #1
track of Starrucca, and the NS freight is the Westbound we caught at
dusk)

Todd (ELHS 1318)


signal.jpg

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