Railroaders' Nostalgia > 50 MPH at 2AM

I was Eastbound on Conrail ENSY-1X (Enola-Syracuse) on the Chicago Line Track 1 doing 50 mph catching up with WVBU which was on Track 2. We were almost doing the same speed but I was just inching closer. Sailing along on CLEAR grabbed the camera to get this as we came upon CP6 at Jordan, NY on June 2, 1981. The ex-UP was a leaser as CR was power short.

---

Thanks! Who won the race? :)

So Enola to Syracuse is eastbound?

RRTom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So Enola to Syracuse is eastbound?


Yes. The routing was as follows:

-Enola
-Northumberland
-Molly
-Newberry
-Jersey Shore
-Corning
-Geneva
-Lyons
-Dewitt

This is the Buffalo Line from Enola to Jersey Shore, the Corning Secondary/Branch from Jersey Shore to Lyons and then the Chicago Line from Lyons to Syracuse. Jordan is between Lyons, NY (MP 335) and Syracuse, NY (MP 286).

RRTom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So Enola to Syracuse is eastbound?

It this particular case yeah it is, sorta.

Conrail had a lot more routing options in 1981 then they did in the 1990's, but I imagine this train came up from Enola to Buffalo OR came up from Enola, thru Corning to Newark. At Buffalo or Newark the train would turn east to Syracuse. Jordan, NY is just west of Syracuse, so the train was very close to its terminus when the photo was taken. I would be interested in find out what the exact routing was. Such a routing today would take Norfolk Southern, CSX and at least one short line to complete if my memory serve me correctly.

Thanks for clearing up the routing/direction. That's a great shot, by the way, of what must have been an exhilarating experience.

Wow, great, great picture Tom! While I was making my dent in railroading with the Santa Fe out in Colorado, My Dad spent most of the last ten years of his career as an engineer on the Toledo West Long Pool. He had hired out with the NYC in the early 50's as a fireman in Jackson, MI, then endured the contraction of the entire railroad industry as the industrial base in Michigan relocated. I loved to talk railroading with him, but his railroader heart and soul died with the PC merger. Conrail was more stable and he regained a little interest but it still wasn't the 'Central. He would tell me stories about joining what the guys out of Toledo called the "Century Club", meaning they had hit the century mark on Mail 9 or one of the hot trains of that era to make up time. Obviously that predated the Nazi management scorched earth policies the NS and CSX have adopted. I always wished I could have gotten him interested in photography to shoot what he experienced. Thanks for posting this wonderful glimpse into the world of nighttime railroading.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/14 11:29 by ATSF5669.

BNSF6400 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> RRTom Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > So Enola to Syracuse is eastbound?
>
> It this particular case yeah it is, sorta.
>
> Conrail had a lot more routing options in 1981
> then they did in the 1990's, but I imagine this
> train came up from Enola to Buffalo OR came up
> from Enola, thru Corning to Newark. At Buffalo or
> Newark the train would turn east to Syracuse.
> Jordan, NY is just west of Syracuse, so the train
> was very close to its terminus when the photo was
> taken. I would be interested in find out what the
> exact routing was. Such a routing today would
> take Norfolk Southern, CSX and at least one short
> line to complete if my memory serve me correctly.

The route is PRR Buffalo Line Enola to Linden cross the Susquehanna River and connect with the NYC Corning Secondary north to Lyons, NY then East on the Chicago Line. At Newark, NY the PRR Sodus Bay Secondary crossed the NYC Main on a overhead bridge and a connection was not built between the two until Conrail sold the PRR section to the Ontario Midland.

Just out of curiosity, did you mean "CP 306" instead of "CP 6"?

Before Conrail renumbered the Control Points I don't have a date but late 80's or early 90's. From Dewitt Yard to Lyons the were
CP CL is now CP 286
CP JG is now CP 291
CP SJ (Syracuse Jct. was Tower 2) is now CP296
CP 3 Was the dividing point between the Mohawk & Buffalo Divs. is now CP 296
CP 4 is now CP300
CP 5 is CP306
CP6 is now CP308
CP7 is now CP314
CP8 is now CP320
CP9 is now CP323
CP10 is now CP326
CP11 is now CP329
CP12 is now CP334

On June 20, 1982 had to stop at CP3 so took time to shoot the Division point. Had my Brakeman take my photo. Was on BAL616 Camillus, NY (BAL Ballast Train)

---

---

Thank you for this clarification. I wonder if the old method of numbering the CPs stems from the former New York Central numbering of its "signal stations".

I have seen references in NYC, PRR, and PC to "Division posts". Indeed they are Posts!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/14 17:52 by JGFuller.

PCCRNSEngr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Before Conrail renumbered the Control Points I
> don't have a date but late 80's or early 90's.
> From Dewitt Yard to Lyons the were
> CP CL is now CP 286
> CP JG is now CP 291
> CP SJ (Syracuse Jct. was Tower 2) is now CP296
> CP 3 Was the dividing point between the Mohawk &
> Buffalo Divs. is now CP 296
> CP 4 is now CP300
> CP 5 is CP306
> CP6 is now CP308
> CP7 is now CP314
> CP8 is now CP320
> CP9 is now CP323
> CP10 is now CP326
> CP11 is now CP329
> CP12 is now CP334
>
> On June 20, 1982 had to stop at CP3 so took time
> to shoot the Division point. Had my Brakeman take
> my photo. Was on BAL616 Camillus, NY (BAL Ballast
> Train)


Great info. Today there is no CP 314 (7), CP 326 (10) or CP 329 (11). Also, CSX has replaced the NYC searchlight signals from and including CP 296 all the way west to CP 373 in Rochester. Syracuse proper is still a stronghold for the searchlights but they're scheduled to be retired on Memorial Day Weekend 2015.