Nostalgia & History > CR Blue GP40 with CNJ cars Harrison NJ 1978

Harrison, New Jersey was one of my absolute favorite places to railfan before I got a driver's license. I could get there by parent ride/commuter train/PATH train. The small station building/headhouse (glorified stairwell covering) had a Pennsylvania Railroad keystone above the door, dating back to when the Pennsy and the PATH forerunner, the Hudson & Manhattan Railrod were cousins. The decrepit platforms had undulated a bit over the decades, but the view was insanely open. And there was a parade of trains like you've never imagined. After all, this is the Northeast Corridor (gernally passenger only territory this close to New York), was on the trackage that Conrail used to bring Raritan Line and North Jersey Coast Line trains in from the yard to Newark, and the home of PATH subway trains that ran as often as, well, subways. The view of the old Pennsylvania Railroad's Dock Bridge, as well as the Newark skyline, were gritty Northeast New Jersey delights. Note the old Public Service terminal building to the right of the train. This had been the central hub of Public Service of New Jerrsey's intricate trolley system. It would be torn down soon after I snapped this photograph. While the variety here was plentiful, getting an oddity was always a cherry on the top of the day. On June 23, 1978, Conrail Raritan Line train #5923, a Plainfield local, is being pulled (deadhead) on the other (unseen) end by a CNJ GP7 and being shoved on this end by a substitute Conrail GP40. Scheduled to depart shortly, at 5:17 PM from Newark, Pennsylvania Station, this is a long train, being the first one to leave on the Raritan Line after five-o'clock quiting time. Up front were a bunch of CNJ standards, but here on the back are a couple ex Missouri Pacific cars. Built by American Car & Foundry for the MoPac in 1948, these cars were purchased used for CNJ service, and would continue through Conrail and early New Jersey Transit. Guess you could call a train like this the "New Jersey Eagle." :-)

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A unique look back to a most interesting era.
Thanks for your excellent photo posting.
ALLEN

Any freight unit could be on the rear,
controlled by the GP7 up front? All
CNJ cars had the necessary cabling?

Interestting from the hodge podge days of NE railroading.
Go

This is my speculation:  any RVL train at that point was push-pull with the cab car at that eastern end of the train - possibly the cab car was broken down that day, so they needed a leader engine instead?  The blue-painted CR units weren't common on the RVL.  And as far as I know the ex-MP cars were equipped for push-pull as they ran on the RVL - correction appreciated.  As I grew up on the RVL I enjoy these pictures.