Erie Lackawanna
Railfan.net 'erielack' E-Mail List Photo Archive

CR_former_EL_line_schedule_6-15-76.jpg   Original: 3062 by 2161 pixels - Current: 3062 by 2161 - 100%
                          Try your mouse wheel too!

Previous Image - C4400.jpg Scranton-1951-01-10-1.jpg - Next Image

From: "Paul R DOT Tupaczewski" paultup AT comcast DOT net
Date: Fri, 2 May 2014 08:43:34 -0400
Subject: Block Line EL content - July/August 1976
"CR_former_EL_line_schedule_6-15-76.jpg" - image/jpeg, 3062x2161 (256c)

The summer '76 Block Line (called the July/August issue) features nice coverage of the Erie Railfan Society convention, yet another
new Conrail EL schedule (scanned and attached), and several operational and motive power items...

- Paul




JUL/AUG 76

ERIE RAILFAN SOCIETY CONVENTION

Over 100 hearty members of the Erie Railfan Society converged on the Holiday Inn, Parsippany, N.J. for the sixth annual ERS
convention, hosted this year by the Tri-State Chapter, over the July 16th weekend.

Friday night was registration time, followed by an informal evening of slides, movies, and a ""swap & selling." Registrants were
greeted with a special packet of literature, including a special "souvenir" Block Line, made up just for the occasion, and a
Railpace kit of the N.Y. metropolitan area rail facilities.
80 members boarded two buses at 8 AM Saturday morning for a trip to Dover, and a day of riding the rails on former E-L (now Conrail)
commuter lines. The presence of the buses enabled the group to make connections, which otherwise would have been impossible, and
Conrail was kind enough to supply a Trainmaster, Mr. John Deemer, to act as our guide. Short layovers in Gladstone and Hoboken
provided ample time for picture taking and a quick informal lunch, and, thanks to Frank Reilly's padding of the timetables, the
group arrived back at the motel only 15 minutes behind schedule, and all due to our 4PM Boonton Line train being plugged by HB-3
west of Little Falls.

Saturday night's banquet was a roaring success. The 105 participants were entertained by Wilson Jones (8mm movies on the DL&W
Boonton Line & Sussex Branch), Bob Collins (Erie & other assorted slides), and Hal Carstens (8mm Erie & NYS&W movies). An extra
added attraction was a 1925-vintage Pocono resort promo 16mm movie showing a trip over the Wilkes Barre & Eastern Railroad.

Special thanks to Homer Hill, for providing all of the printing (including tickets, Block Lines, placemats and "Railpace" kits); to
Tom Nemeth ("Railpace" kits); and to Frank Reilly for arranging the safari!

3351 RETURNS. AS 1776! Few people realized what the odyssey of DOT U34CH #3351 would involve when she was wrecked in a head-on
collision on the Greenwood Lake/Boonton Line on July 8, 1974 (Sept. 74 BL). The unit was shipped to GE at Erie, PA in October of the
same year for rebuilding, but remained there nearly 20 months while the E-L and the NJDOT wrangled over the distribution of the
rebuilding costs. All the while, railfans speculated that the locomotive just might return in some kind of Bicentennial scheme.

In June, 1976, the unit was returned to Hoboken, repaired, but not repainted. On June 24th, she appeared by the terminal in a garb
of red, white and blue (not unlike SCL's 1776 U-boat), but still numbered 3351. On the 25th she got her new #1776 numberboards. All
that remained was to add the word "Conrail," and the NJDOT herald to her flanks. On July 3rd, she was "deadheaded" to Suffern, N.Y.
on the 3 PM passenger train out of Hoboken.

July 4th dawned sunny and clear, and at 8:50 AM she made her debut, pulling into the Suffern station to head the first Operation
Sail Extra. Her old employer gone, she began a new career with Conrail.

In subsequent weeks, the 1776 has been rotated in regular passenger service among the various push-pull lines, winding up in Dover,
Spring Valley, Suffern, and even Port Jervis. She is, however, experiencing mechanical difficulties, which preclude her running for
extended periods over 50 mph. The problem has not been reported. Some mechanical employees blame the long shut-down at Erie; others
cite poor repair work. At any rate, the engine has been down on numerous occasions for repairs. As of this writing, 1776 is running.
hopefully with the bugs ironed out. We'd certainly hate to see her disappear for another two years.

SPEAKING OF OP-SAIL EXTRAS.NJDOT, you really blew it! The special extra July 4th service, designed to keep motorists off the roads,
and out of New York, was well publicized. perhaps too well! Special schedules were printed up advertising service on the Main Line,
Bergen County Line, Boonton Line (none of which have any Sunday service normally), and additional Morris & Essex trains. But no one
anticipated the overwhelming response of the public, and the shortage of adequate seating turned the day into a nightmare for many.

In Suffern, the first train departed at 9:00 AM. by the time it reached Waldwick, it was completely filled. even to the standing
room, and from there had no choice but to "run express" to Hoboken, bypassing the thousands of potential patrons waiting at
intermediate stations.

On the Morris & Essex, things were about as bad. The 8:55 out of Dover was filled to capacity by Chatham, and made no further stops.
The only consolation in the matter was that, as the train roared non-stop through South Orange, it left an amazed and embarrassed
Transportation Commissioner Alan Sagner, along with his family and invited guests, aghast on the platform!

Instead of capitalizing on a great opportunity to impress the public, the DOT probably turned off a great many potential rail
riders. We've just got to wonder why extra crews were not called out when the situation became apparent. And for that matter, what
happened to the Pascack Valley Line? (Staff, Frank Reilly)

THE STILLWELLS.. The first State-owned Stillwell coach went into service on NY&LB train (Conrail North Jersey Coast) #1101, June
21st. Others began turning up as cabooses in work train service throughout northern New Jersey. Apparently Conrail, up against a
caboose shortage, drafted the cars without the knowledge or consent of the DOT. Furthermore, CR crews were reportedly abusing the
coaches by prying open windows on the air conditioned cars. Upon learning of the "conscription," DOT ordered Conrail to cease and
desist, and collected the coaches for refitting. The cars will ultimately be used on the ex-CNJ main and the NY&LB. Refurbishing
work will be done at Elizabethport shops, where six of the cars were observed on July 18th. (Frank Reilly)

THE CALDWELL BRANCH, between Great Notch and Essex Fells, will be operated and maintained by the Morristown & Erie Railroad, as a
route for oversized loads. Before services commence, however, the line, out of service since the hurricane of July, 1975, will be
rehabilitated with Federal funds. (Frank Reilly)

A NEW FREIGHT SCHEDULE, courtesy of Frank Tatnall, Philadelphia Chapter, is enclosed [ATTACHMENT] for former E-L territory .Major
changes continue, notably, the shifting of TV-77 (former A/CX-99) to the Scranton side to relieve congestion at Port Jervis.
Hopefully, things will settle down a bit now so that in the future, all we'll have to print are the updates and corrections!

EXTENSIVE TRACKWORK is underway on Conrail's Hoboken Division. Roadbed in the commuter zones of the Boonton Line is really shaping
up, with tie replacement and new ballast in many areas. Crews were working west from Great Notch in June, and now appear to be past
Towaco. The bottleneck Route 202 bridge over the tracks at Towaco is gone and is to be replaced by a more substantial structure. On
the old Scranton Division (now Hoboken Sub-2), tie replacement is going full swing on Track 2 on the east side of Mt. Pocono (which
seems to confirm rumors on the status of track 1 as reported in the May Block Line). As many as 2 out of every 3 ties are being
replaced, with CR crews working 24 hours around the clock. Conrail has also begun the removal of DL&W signal bridges, replacing them
with free-standing signals. Local rumor has it that the entire segment will be CTC'ed and operated out of Hoboken. Should this
happen, it might possibly eliminate Stroudsburg tower. (Bob Stafford, Jim Fransen)

SUSQUEHANNA DIVISION NOT DEAD. to correct a report in the June BL (page 16): Effective June 1, 1976, realignment of the former
Scranton Division is essentially correct with the following additions: The following segments of the Scranton Division are
transferred to the Susquehanna Division:
Main Line, "BD" Interlocking to "West BD."
That portion of the Syracuse Branch from Binghamton to MP 270.0
That portion of the Utica Branch from Chenango Forks to MP 283.4
All industrial tracks, yard tracks, and terminals associated with the above territories.
ONLY that portion of the Susquehanna Division between "BD" and Mill Rift is transferred to the Hoboken Division. The rest remains
inteact as of April 1st. Also, the MP for "BD" Tower via Port Jervis should have read 213.2, not 218.2. (From information supplied
by Frank Tatnall)

POWER REPORT. F units are still rolling out of Scranton, at the rate of about one every 10-14 days. Conrail has ordered the units
returned to service as quickly as possible. Problems in the units center around the plumbing systems, which leak extensively from
being stored outin the open all winter. None of the engines are now assigned to Scranton, but probably will operate in road service.
One which has been frequently spotted on ex-EL trackage is F7A #7111. The covered wagon appeared in front in Port Morris on June
17th as the trailing unit on BH-4. On June 23rd, she was the lead unit on a coal train up from Phillipsburg, which arrived at Port
Morris at 1530, doing the honors over two ex-PC GP40's (Bob Mazzarone, Bob Stafford, Bob Bahrs)

WHERE ARE THE E's? Late sightings in the east include only two of the ex-EL passenger units: #810 appeared in Croxton on June 11th
off TV-10; #816 popped up on BH-4 a day later, spotted at E. Stroudsburg. On the west end it was reported that #825 and 833 were
doing week-end freight work between Cleveland and Youngstown in June. Where are the rest? (Bob Mazzarone, Rich Behrendt)

CONRAIL REPAINTS: The following former E-L units have been confirmed by sightings to be in new paint: U25B's #2582 (ex-2513), #2590
(ex-2521); GP-35 #3663 (ex-2557); U36C #6587 (ex-3316). The GP-35 lacked the Conrail "wheel-rail" logo on the side. (Curt Carlough,
Rich Behrendt, Dave Pearce)

RS'S NOT WORKING OUT ON PRSL. PRSL train crews are not happy with the pulling power of the 13 ex-EL RS-3's assigned for road duty at
Pavonia Yard in Camden, N.J. Appparently, the GP-38's, which are still on the property, are the favored units for South Jersey's
hilly (yes, I did say hilly!) terrain. #1039 worked train 91 (Camden to Beesley's Pt. via Tuckahoe Jct.) on July 8th (and, at least
one other occasion), but was not regularly assigned to this train. Another unit was spotted the preceding week, handling a local at
Salem. It seems as if the Alcs may end their days by bumping the venerable Baldwins from switching service.

DELAWARE DERAILMENT. On Saturday, July 17th, Conrail MC-97 derailed seven cars at Lanesboro, PA. Apparently, one car jumped the
track just east of Starrucca Viaduct, went across the bridge and derailed at the crossovers at "JA." All of the cars were empty.
TV-79, which was behind the ill-fated train, was turned at Deposit and sent back to Port Jervis. D&H Mercury 1 was due at JA at
1300, but was rerouted to Binghamton via Oneonta. (Curtis Carlough)

LACKAWAXEN & STOURBRIDGE UPDATE. L&S is still operating over the former E-L Honesdale Branch with FJ&G S-2 #20, though L&S's own
unit is expected soon. According to reliable reports it is to be an ex-Reading RS-3, and will be painted black with silver trim.
(Thought it may be repainted upon reaching Honesdale.) The single road job still leaves Honesdale between 11AM and 2PM, after the
two man crew completes the paperwork in the office. (How's that for efficiency!) L&S ran inspection trains for on-line customers
during the week of July 12th, using C&CV business car #4 (ex-Erie), C&CV coach #993 (ex-CNJ), and C&CB combine #282 (also ex-CNJ).
The business car had been freshly shopped and wore a beautiful coat of Tuscan with gold trim. (Staff)




CR_former_EL_line_schedule_6-15-76.jpg

Image EXIF Data:
Image Capture Date   2014:04:04 13:02:17
Image Digitized Date   2014:04:04 13:02:17
Sub-Second Creation Time   13
Sub-Second Digitized Time   13


Click Here or on the corner X to close this window.


    All photos are the property of the original photographer unless otherwise noted and are to be used for personal viewing purposes only.

    The use of these photos on any website or other distribution media is strictly forbidden without the express consent of the image copyright holder.

    Linking directly to this page is permitted as long as "Railfan.net Erie Lackawanna Email List Photo Archive" is creditted on the linking page.