Nostalgia & History > Simpler '70's

No cell phones, no scanners, no digital cameras, no internet, no traffic, etc.

September of 1975 finds us at Little Ferry, N.J.

A Penn-Central freight rolls North on the River Division bound for Selkirk, N.Y. behind the usually mix of 4 axle EMD's & U-boats.

It has just crossed Overpeck Creek on the rickety bridge that looked like the next train would collapse it.

The tracks on the left belong to the Susquehanna. No double-stacks or CSX yet, just a few locals a week to service the few customers left and keep the weeds down.

And how about the selection of automobiles in the picture. Can you name them?

Also, don't forget, Conrail is coming in a few months!

As a side note, anyone who knows this area, the change is unbelievable.

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Taken from the top of the NYS&W counterweight for their moveable bridge?

cjvrr Wrote:
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> Taken from the top of the NYS&W counterweight for
> their moveable bridge?

Yes.

So much history is included in this photo.
Thanks for sharing this.
Bob

Love it!

PQM

Nice. A great quality photo with equally great details from an overlooked and often maligned era.

Thanks all!

Your thoughts about this picture reflect exactly those that have flooded my mind as I've begun digitizing my B&W negatives from the 70's. What amazing differences between then and now. And you'd have a tough sell convincing me our world today is better for all the technology and "stuff" we have at our disposal. If you even looked like you were going to climb atop that bridge today, a thousand police cars would have you surrounded in a heartbeat.

Looks like a person standing by the VW Beetle. Was that your ride?

ft

I would go back to the 70s in a heartbeat if I could. Fanning was so much better back then and a hell of a lot more fun.

When I see photo credits these days that say... "Taken on railroad property with permission and proper PPE." I just shake my head in disbelief.

Are we better off with all the technology and paranoia of modern times? I think not.

Now... back to scanning those 70s and 80s slides!

Excellent photo!

Thanks all!

And yes, the '70's were a great time to railfan. More railroads, less complications. Most important was the tolerance some of the railroads had with us.
We used to ask permission to photograph and most of the time it was granted, with "Be careful and don't cross tracks". And we were careful.

Don't know when or where we lost the closeness we had with the railroads. Guess it was insurance, 9/11 and other factors.

BTW, that VW belonged to a Susquehanna employee. They would park in that area and an RS-1 would come up out of the yard at shift change to pick up and drop off railroaders.

Yes, I must agree and my RR photos go back to 1948.

But in the 1970's how many would be scanning or photo shop the photos, or for that matter even have sites like "TO".

Some good in progress but sure lots of downfalls.