Railroaders' Nostalgia > My Dumb Luck: the AFT years 33

 
 
33 (32 cont) New York continued

Back in St. Louis, I had taken advantage of the long display time for few days away to visit Chicago for my birthday. NYC afforded me enough time to get in a quick trip to Montreal. The Summer Olympics were in progress at the time, but I've really never had much of a sports interest. Also, at this time, the train from NYC to Montreal was a half Amtrak/half D&H affair – and the D&H ran ALCo PA's ... therein lay my need to make the journey to Canada.

Andy (4449 crew) boasted that he knew some officer or another at the D&H. “Oh? Well enough to get me a cab ride on the PA's?” Andy bragged it would be no problem at all, just head on up and he'd take care of everything! Fast forward to Albany, NY. While the Amtrak E unit and cafe car came off and the D&H PA and full diner came on, I approached the Conductor.

“Andy Who?”

Jeez. I was on my own. Andy was all talk. However, the conductor was familiar with the Freedom Train, and agreed to the cab ride. But Albany was a little too thick with White Hats, so best if I waited a stop or two. No prob. The first stop was Saratoga Springs and I was right there tapping below the fireman's side door with a ballast rock. The fireman finally looked down just as the engineer gave two blasts of the horn – I was about to get left! He waved me aboard and I climbed up on the fly. Jeez. This ticked off the engineer, and he never warmed to my being on his locomotive (fair enough – it was not a particularly graceful introduction). But the fireman and I got on just fine. There was still a third seat, so I settled in and racked up 160 miles of bragging rights I still hold over Doyle to this day: That's right, I was aboard D&H 18 – Doyle's future NKP 190! She rides real nice Doyle.

My Dumb Luck.

The crews liked the PA's just fine, and were proud of them. They did have one complaint: Every now and again we ran through a rain squall. All the rain that landed on that long nose would wash back and right under the windshield glass! Every time the rain hit we'd jump to our feet to stay dry! Jeez. (You might want to take a look at that, Doyle.)
It was decided I'd probably best not be in the cab when we reached the Canadien border, so they radioed the conductor and he unlocked the forward door on the dome car. I went back through the engine room. That was fun.

Photo 13. Passing the southbound Adirondack with D&H 16.
Photo 14. Aboard NKP 190.
Photo 15. Our (un-amused) engineer.
Photo 16. Arrival at Montreal's Windsor Station.

I spent two nights in Montreal. Both in a youth hostel – NOT a place for sleep!

Two years before the Freedom Train, I'd spent a summer working in Prince Rupert, B.C., (under an assumed name – but that's another story … ). I came away a fan of the CNR. I liked the proliferation of first-generation power, especially in passenger service. I know there was a lot of grumbling about the “wet noodle” logo and the black and gray colour scheme – but I liked it. A lot. (In still another life, I studied art design at CCAC in Oakland – Corporate Image was my goal, if I had stayed … again, another story) The new VIA brand was only about 4 months old in July '76. The UA Turbos were already yellow, and blue was just beginning to wash over everything else. I paid some attention to the architecture of the Olympic site, but mostly I was there to get a last look at CN trains in CN colours. Montreal is CNR's home town, so after an early morning of watching 'em roll in and out of Central Station, I went and found their PR office.

Oh, I was on a roll...

The receptionist turned me over to the office foamer. I'm sorry to say I can't remember his name, but he was great. He grabbed the keys to a company car, a couple of visitor IDs, and we were out for a whirlwind tour of all things CN in Montreal. CN even picked up lunch!

Photo 17. A CN UA Turbo in VIA colours.
Photo 18. FP-9 and FPA-4, having dropped their train, backing to the shops.
Photo 19. The only VIA blue unit I saw.
Photo 20. The CNR company car we used.
Photo 21. Point St. Charles Shops.
Photo 22. Mt. Royal electric line with CN 6724, an English Electric from 1924.
Photo 23. Again with an even older CN 6711 – Canadian GE 1916!

After two useless nights in the youth hostel, I staggered back to Windsor Station for the southbound Adirondack.
It was the same conductor. He greeted me with, “Good morning Mr. Bush. Will we be riding the head end this morning?” “No, Jeeves. I'm sorry, but I'm a bit tuckered.” I face-planted into the nearest seat and slept like the dead.

In hindsight, I'm horrified I turned down a PA cab ride! (D&H 19) I mean, I'm from California – don't we have something we take for moments like that?!
I swear, the ’60s were so wasted on me.

Photo 24. Windsor Station. The outbound D&H Adirondack and CP Canadian. Note the marker lamps and drumhead on the Adirondack. The D&H was so cool!
Photo 25. D&H 19 in Albany. And I turned down a cab ride … just shoot me.

SR Bush
Dutch Flat

BTW: Photo 26. Also in Albany, I got a shot of a new Rohr Turboliner. It had left the San Diego factory less than 2 weeks before, so I doubt it had seen revenue service yet.
 

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Steve

Great shots of the NJ/NYC area. You got in a matter of days things it took me years to catch up to! Regarding your synopsis of the move from Morristown to NYC,I think the T1 stayed behind in Morristown for some needed work while the train went ahead with diesels. I have a photo of the T1 derailed on the sharp curve leading to the Morristown and Erie shop facility. I also have pics of it going through Croxton yard days after the train had already been in NYC. I am not sure when or where the T1 caught up with the train again,I am sure others out there know better.Disclaimer,the photos were not taken by me but ones I came across over the years.

Tom

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Well, the T-1 DID take us from Morristown to Newark where we met the GG-1's. After the hand-off the T-1 went up to Selkirk Yard for the week we were out on Long Island. From Selkirk they crossed over the Hudson and came down the NYC main as far as about Beacon, and then swung off towards Connecticut to avoid the 3rd rail in Harmon and White Planes. They met the train in Milford. I don't know exactly where the met the NH line on the coast. I've asked Ross, and he can't quite remember either. I suspect they may have come through Danbury CT. Steve Wickersham (T-1 fireman) thinks he might have the trip reports buried in his garage in Florida that will have the answers I need. I'm hoping he can find them. I'm trying hard to lay down an accurate history of these things.
As to the T-1 laying over it the Morristown-Erie yard: I think you're off on the timing. This happened several weeks later when the AFT visited Newark NJ. The display site had a curve the T-1 couldn't get around, so they were forced to wait in the yard nearby- probably the yard you're talking about.
SR

I suspect they may have come through Danbury CT. Steve Wickersham (T-1 fireman) thinks he might have the trip reports buried in his garage in Florida that will have the answers I need. I'm hoping he can find them. I'm trying hard to lay down an accurate history of these things.

The T-1 (and support cars) came over via the Danbury and Waterbury branches and entered the New Haven line at Devon and proceeded East to Milford for display. The train came out of NYC behind 2 or 3 Conrail B-23s. Wow, that was a lot of years ago.Almost 38 to the day. I believe it was August 2nd but will have to check my archives.

Brilliant! Thank you! I wondered if maybe they'd made it all the way over to the Waterbury line. I, of course, was with the AFT trainset itself, so I'm kind of at the mercy of Ross & Steve's memory for the T-1's movements away from the train.
Anyway, yes, this was on Aug 2 (I'm trying to keep these postings within a week of the events).
SR

Oh, and thank you for the info on the B-23's too!