Railroaders' Nostalgia > My Dumb Luck: the AFT years 30

30 Williamsport PA July 14-15/ Binghamton NY July 17-18

Leaving Brackenridge meant another trip around Horseshoe Curve. We had helpers again, but no attempt was made to cut them off for a photo op. Just as well, I guess, there was hardly anyone there to see it. I was a little surprised by that. Surely steam around Horseshoe wasn't THAT common!
We took on coal and water at Altoona before heading north to Williamsport. In Altoona, I spotted a Conrail Blue caboose in a gondola. That one didn't last long – Conrail was only three months old!

Photo 1. Back down around Horseshoe.
Photo 2. Not many on hand to see us go by. 1361 sure looks nice!
Photo 3. Bent blue caboose with fresh paint.
Photo 4. Williamsport. I took a lot of photos from the rooftops of the AFT. Funny thing is: I can't remember how I used to get up there! It must have been fairly easy, because I don't recall it being a problem. In talking to old AFTers, fact checking these stories, I learned that my trips up-top would inevitably sent someone running to alert security.

“Yeah, yeah, we know. It's SR. He does that.”

Both Williamsport and Binghamton were probably calendar fill-ins, short two-day stops. Williamsport was alongside a Little League park and Binghamton was a shoe factory.

The trip to Binghamton was up Pine Creek and the old NYC line to Corning NY that most of which was pulled in the late ’80s. Today it's a bike trail and it must be a great ride – this is really beautiful country.
In Binghamton, I bumped into a local rail-fan whose name I've long forgotten. He offered to take me along for bit of D&H chasing. Lead the way!

Photo 5. D&H switch crew watching us come into Binghamton. (But we were not on D&H track)
Photo 6. The train was turned before heading into the site.
Photos 7-11. Out chasing trains around Binghamton.

I don't know any of these locations. And I don't know all the ins-and-outs of the Conrail merger, but it appears the D&H gained some track and some locomotives? Any help with this would be welcomed!

SR Bush
Dutch Flat



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/14 09:58 by BoilingMan.

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Steve

To address your "up top" query,the "planting" of the flags during setup and "unplanting" during teardown seemed to be my specialty.I seemed to be the one doing it more often than not,at least it seemed that way to me. Being one not so fond of height,I don't even like going up a step ladder,doesn't it figure I'd get this job assigned? (thanks Dave!...smile). Probably a way to keep me out of the way of more important endeavors!

As I remember,getting to the top involved crawling/shimmying up between the cars in the consist,usually the exit car.The ex NYC baggage cars were built with end doors that opened,which were sealed when rebuilt for the AFT. These doors had large hinges,three for each door as I remember,which we used as a make shift ladder to climb. There were no hand grabs to use making the ascent quite dangerous,I even thought so back then,but we were enthusiastic kids!It was quite an athletic feat,even moreso getting down. Remember,no handholds or grabs at all!...just you and your courage/stupidity.The method I used was to have one foot on a hinge of one car and the other one the hinge of the adjacent car,and using my hands as a sort of wedge to climb up.

Now after reaching the top,to plant the flags required more daredevil type gymnastics! As I'm sure you remember,and for those that don't realize,the roofs of those cars are curved! The closer to the edge,the sharper and steeper,the curve/slope gets! Planting the flag involved inching very carefully as close to the edge as you dared,taking hold of the flagpole that was being held up to you by a man on the ground,then trying to get the verticle pole into a hole a quarter of an inch larger than said pole!...all the while trying to remain balanced and not falling off of a surface that was designed to shed anything that was up there! Now add a wet surface on a rainy day...no,the AFT didn't believe in rain days...and you really had something! There was one flag on each side of each shadow box,four per car.If the OSHA of today was the same as the OSHA back then,I don't think the AFT would have made it past Wilmington!

That being said,and not to mention all the other acrobatics involved in the job of moving from site to site,I still consider the time I spent on the train as one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Tom

Oh ya... planting those flags was scarier that ****!! I remember Tony slipped one night and someone luckily grabbed his arm. They both went down, but not over. I ended up hanging on to whoever it was that had Tony, and we both slowly crawled back up onto the top dragging Tony. Jeez!
To go up there in wet conditions was insane!
We were all so young and daring!
SR

Below is a shot of Pie Car Mindy I took the day we p/u Mamie. I didn't post it with that story because of the safety issues it brings up. (Yes we were moving, although not very fast.
I called Doyle and we discussed whether or not to use the photos I took from the top hatch of the 4449 back in Oklahoma. (He said okay, but we were both concerned there'd be criticism- there wasn't)
Crazy times! (But didn't you just love it!)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/14 10:37 by BoilingMan.

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I was laying over in Williamsport when you arrived. Did get a few shots and Roy Poole was the Road Foreman that rode along. Later I did chase from Wellsboro Jct., PA to Binghamton, NY. I wanted to be at Colton Point to listen as it came up the grade through the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. A friend who rode with me said it was way to early to go there since it would be about 4am. So we met it at Wellsboro Jct. right at the first light of day. Still mad at him after all these years as the line is gone and just to watch would be something to remember. Eastbound on the Erie at Southport, NY there was a HBD (Hot Box Detector) that I knew would stop the train giving me time to get ahead. I would bet anything that it would get stopped as that detector would stop over fifty percent of all trains. Just use the dymanic brakes heavy coming into Elmira would set it off. Well I lost as the train had a clear and highballed. Will have to scan some slides from that chase tonight.
I missed catching the job from Wiliamsport to Corning by one crew and one man on the Extra List. Today on that run the tracks between Jersey Shore and Wellsboro Jct., for 62 miles are gone. Ten miles from Holiday, PA to Tioga was relocated three month later for the Hammond Dam project and the trackage through downtown Corning crossing the Chemung River to the northside is gone with the rerouting through Gang Mills Yard to the former EL main.

Good God man! Pictures!

Wait a minute....
Is this Tommy Alphabet?!




towazy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Steve
>
> To address your "up top" query,the "planting" of
> the flags during setup and "unplanting" during
> teardown seemed to be my specialty.I seemed to be
> the one doing it more often than not,at least it
> seemed that way to me. Being one not so fond of
> height,I don't even like going up a step
> ladder,doesn't it figure I'd get this job
> assigned? (thanks Dave!...smile). Probably a way
> to keep me out of the way of more important
> endeavors!
>
> As I remember,getting to the top involved
> crawling/shimmying up between the cars in the
> consist,usually the exit car.The ex NYC baggage
> cars were built with end doors that opened,which
> were sealed when rebuilt for the AFT. These doors
> had large hinges,three for each door as I
> remember,which we used as a make shift ladder to
> climb. There were no hand grabs to use making the
> ascent quite dangerous,I even thought so back
> then,but we were enthusiastic kids!It was quite an
> athletic feat,even moreso getting down.
> Remember,no handholds or grabs at all!...just you
> and your courage/stupidity.The method I used was
> to have one foot on a hinge of one car and the
> other one the hinge of the adjacent car,and using
> my hands as a sort of wedge to climb up.
>
> Now after reaching the top,to plant the flags
> required more daredevil type gymnastics! As I'm
> sure you remember,and for those that don't
> realize,the roofs of those cars are curved! The
> closer to the edge,the sharper and steeper,the
> curve/slope gets! Planting the flag involved
> inching very carefully as close to the edge as you
> dared,taking hold of the flagpole that was being
> held up to you by a man on the ground,then trying
> to get the verticle pole into a hole a quarter of
> an inch larger than said pole!...all the while
> trying to remain balanced and not falling off of a
> surface that was designed to shed anything that
> was up there! Now add a wet surface on a rainy
> day...no,the AFT didn't believe in rain days...and
> you really had something! There was one flag on
> each side of each shadow box,four per car.If the
> OSHA of today was the same as the OSHA back then,I
> don't think the AFT would have made it past
> Wilmington!
>
> That being said,and not to mention all the
> other acrobatics involved in the job of moving
> from site to site,I still consider the time I
> spent on the train as one of the greatest
> experiences of my life.
>
> Tom

Ding ding ding...we have a winner! Anything new since I've last seen you?...:)

Ha! Too funny! I'm sorry, at first I thought you were Palmdale under an assumed name (he tends to fall in and out of grace here on TO). But there can't be but about a dozen guys in the world who'd know how to scramble onto the roof of the AFT, and only one Tom!
Take a bow: Tommy Alphabet, ladies & gents, AFT Operations hailing from fair New Jersey I believe.