Nostalgia & History > Fifty Or More Years Ago - NYC 5740

NYC 5740 and NYC 5757 are in Painesville, Ohio in March 1968.
Bob



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/14/22 06:43 by refarkas.

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Nice photo, sir!

Matthew Dittert

I encountered that locomotive about 13 years later in Conrail days in Upstate New York.
Snow melt flooding in early 1981 (probably late March or early April) caused high water in various areas on Paris Hill, the summit of the former Erie Lackawanna Binghamton - Utica line 17 miles south of Utica.

The 5740 was on the Sangerfield Local southbound when highwater was reported, and the MofW department mobilzed in order to walk the train through certain areas. In this photo taken by David Link is track foreman Bob Masca at left, and myself center, out in the ice cold water checking things out and leading the 5740 and train through. Both Dave Link and I had been furloughed off the Adirondack Railroad the previous fall from working as brakemen between Utica and Lake Placid on the passenger trains. It was the first time since operations ceased that we had run into each other. I went back to college to complete my business / finance degree at SUNY College of Technology in Utica that Spring and hung out trackside as much as possible. At the closing years of my career I ended up being the VP of Engineering with this line under my jurisdiction and dealing with the Halloween 2019 floods that hit this line hard knocking it out of service for 21 days which took me back to this very spot.

The 5740 looked far better in Bob's photo from 1968 and by 1981 most of these engines had been run very hard and put away wet. I don't know for sure but I don't think the 5740 had many more miles left as seen here and I don't recall it being around all that long.

Thanks for stirring so many memories.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/14/22 05:29 by train1275.

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Thanks for sharing your photo and memories of 5740. They add so much to this posting.
Bob

Well, after some digging, it looks like the PC 5740 was sold by Conrail in 1981 to XTRA and went to North Central Texas and North Central Oklahoma Railroads and eventually ended up on the Wisconsin & Calumet, then to Chicago Rail Link. Not sure what happened to it after that, but it was still extant in 2004. Maybe someone has better information. So if this info is basically correct someone sure got their money out of it over the years. If it was on Chicago Rail Link it was sort of under my purview at OmniTRAX when I was assigned as a financial / mechanical liaison there in 2001 - 2002. Not sure if I saved any of that stuff or tossed it out.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/14/22 07:52 by train1275.

Great view. Prefer lightenimg stripes nut these cigar bands ate nice too.

Posted from Android

Great Shot and back story

I was not an engineer but worked with GP7s when I worked for NYC and PC.  They were incredibly reliable and were good pullers. I even got to run one during a strike.  Back then an FRA license was not required for a trainmaster to run an engine!

train1275 Wrote: " . . . then to Chicago Rail Link. Not sure what happened to it after that . . . "

5740 was numbered 613 on the Chicago Rail Link. I found two sources online that said the 613 made it into the custody of the Central New York Chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society, but it was scrapped. The CNY Chapter's website does not show the 613 on their roster, so I'm taking that as confirmation that it indeed no longer exists.

Matthew Dittert

They look great in NYC livery.  Thanks for the excellent photo posting.
ALLEN