Nostalgia & History > Penn Central motors in the Meadowlands

Currently the site of New Jersey Transit's large Meadows shop complex, the former Pennsy yard and engine house was the primary spot for any electric freight power to lay over in North Jersey.  On several occasions I would swing through on Sunday mornings to see what was hanging around.  Usually several GG-1's and some E-44's were standard fare.  Got kinda boring, same old stuff, I didn't even take any pictures on some visits. What was I thinking? Of the ones I did take, here is a sampling.

1.  Typical line up found on most days.  4801 was the first welded carbody GG-1, 4800 "old rivets" was of riveted construction. November 1974

2.  Sets of the E-44's were common. April 1975

3. Some diesels were found as well.  A former NYC RS3 with its old number and NYC lettering bleeding through.  April 1975



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/19 03:53 by thebluecomet.

---

---

---

Things changed little during Conrails early years.

4.  Taken just after Conrail's startup in April 1976

5.  4858 and a sister G April 18, 1976.

6. A line up that is very similar to what Penn Central used to do down in Pavonia yard, Camden NJ. Also April 18, 1976.

---

---

---

7.  Just another GG-1. (yawn).  June 1976

8. Former Virginian motors classified as E-33's.  November 1976.

9.  One of the two EMD built test units they had hoped would result in a big order to replace the well aged GG-1's. May 1976.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/15/19 03:54 by thebluecomet.

---

---

---

Brings back a lot of memories of when my Dad would drive our VW van into the Meadows engine terminal and 6 or 7 of us would pile out and photograph to our hearts delight.  Never once remembered getting hassled there and I also remember friendly crews would stop by and talk to us during walks to and from their power.

10.  Former New Haven EP-5 "jet" sitting on an un-energized track (OOS?)

11. Note the Hancock air whistle. August 1976.

12.  Here is "Old Rivets" herself in its Conrail Bi-Centennial colors.  Conrail was based in Philadelphia, as was PC, so the logos have a very Philly look to them. The Philly pro basketball team, the "76ers" use virtually the same logo.  June 1976.

---

---

---

Wow! What great catches.
Bob

Nice spread of PC goodness. Thanks for sharing these.

Great pics.  Boy I wish one of those EP5 Jets were saved...

Rivets on 4800 quite visible with the red, etc colors for background.  Great series.

4801 was the last G still in original pinstripes into the PC era. In fact it was PC'ed still with the 5 stripes. Seems the guys at Wilmington would touch up the 4801 when it came into the shop rather than putting the solid stripe scheme on it. ----------- Ken 

I remember that access road coming off the Belleville Pike being in VERY ROUGH shape for the first 200 yards or so. It got a lot better just before where the Alco switchers were lined up. 

Can't tell you how much damage I must have done to my Torino going down that access road in there. And who knows what the hell was in that black silt we walked through. Great memories though.

Great memories from all the visits to the Meadows. It was part of the weekly circle tour of various engine terminals and yards, including Croxton, Hoboken, Oak Island, and Elizabethport. On one visit to the Meadows I remember a friend and I  getting an invite  into the cab of a PC SD45 and the engineer let us run the unit  couple hundred feet. What a thrill for a young railfan. Also remembered the road into the engine terminal being  a mess and the engine terminal was full of nasty grease. Some of the adjacent buildings looked like bombed out structures from WWII.  Back then the engine terminal was nicknamed the Meadows Pit.

NYSW252 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Great memories from all the visits to the Meadows.
> It was part of the weekly circle tour of various
> engine terminals and yards, including Croxton,
> Hoboken, Oak Island, and Elizabethport. On one
> visit to the Meadows I remember a friend and I
>  getting an invite  into the cab of a PC SD45
> and the engineer let us run the unit  couple
> hundred feet. What a thrill for a young railfan.
> Also remembered the road into the engine
> terminal being  a mess and the engine terminal
> was full of nasty grease. Some of the
> adjacent buildings looked like bombed out
> structures from WWII.  Back then the engine
> terminal was nicknamed the Meadows Pit.

That sounds like a great trip.  For people in the more northern suburbs, the circle included the NYS&W Little Ferry yard.  Alco and "new" GP18 units shuffling boxcars and tank cars, a local over to Edgewater, etc.