Railroaders' Nostalgia > AFT Eastbound to Binghamton, NY

After having been turned at Painted Post, NY AFT heads eastward to Binghamton, NY over the former EL ex-Erie mainline. july 16, 1976
1. Wellsburg, NY
2. Smithboro, NY
3. Endicott, NY dropping the smephore

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4. Arrived Binghamton and crossing over from Track 2 to Track 1. CR GP40 3091 the first blue unit to show up on the Southern Tier.
5. AFT 1 heads northward into the former DL&W YO Yard with D&H RS3u 1976.
6. AFT 1 YO Yard Binghamton, NY

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7. After clearing BD EL 459 tie unto the rear to pull the train east of BD over onto the former DL&W Main Binghamton, NY July 16, 1976
8. AFT 1 passing BD Tower
9. Heading west on the former DL&W Eastbound main and the DL&W Passenger station.

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10. Rear of train on former DL&W main heading to Johnson City the display location
11. AFT 1 July 17, 1976 the display day. Former DL&W station Johnson City was the display location.
12. AFT 1 July 17, 1976

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AFT 1 Johnson City, NY July 17, 1976

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Fanatastic...awesome!

THANK YOU! These are such a thrill!
For all these years I've had only my own photos of these places I barely understood at the time. My own photo's are somewhat frustrating because they're like having blinders on- I always wonder about what lies just outside the frame. And so much of what I saw was only from the train itself, and always in motion- again, only seconds to absorb what we saw. These are great!
A few of the things in your photos that I got too: Photo 4. I saw Conrail 3091, but ran the shot of the other unit I shot a day or so later because it lacked the logo. Photo 5. And, of course, the D&H 1976- looks like we took our shots only minutes apart. Photo 7. I got the E-L switcher pulling us back, again probably after we'd passed you? Photo 10. The fellow with the yellow hat is Bobby Skillman (Security). Bobby passed away about 2yrs ago- a great guy, and (I think) one of the few who made the entire AFT tour. To his left is 'Doc' Harvey. If you've followed my stories, Doc is the one who lost the golf cart in the Mississippi and later blew up the Bunk Car toilets.
Thank you!
SR Bush
Dutch Flat

Nice photo's. What's with the gondola near the front of the train?

I got to see the Freedom Train in Sacramento in 1976 as a 17 year old when it came though the area - live in Davis just to the west at the time.

Little did I know that years later I would be visiting Binghamton NY regularly as a geologist on environmental consulting jobs.

Cheers, Jim

The gon was the coal supply.

There were about 10 hoppers & gons dedicated to the AFT that summer. They moved in an elaborate pattern leap-frogging ahead of the train. In some cases the cars moved in local freight service, and in others they were added to AFT consist if there wasn't another way.
SR Bush
Dutch Flat

Interesting tidbit on Binghamton: when the tour started in April 1975 Binghamton was not on the schedule. Albany was, either the first stop or the second if memory serves. So the Sterzing-era D&H put together an excursion for people from Binghamton to come up to see it at the Erie St team tracks in Albany (now the site of a new propane unloading facility).

The excursion was led, of course, by PAs. Chilly but sunny weather in Albany deteriorated as the return leg started, and they crested Richmondville Hill around sunset in several inches of fresh snow. Aged 17, I was the only person crazy enough to continue the chase to the bitter end.