Railroaders' Nostalgia > My Dumb Luck: the AFT years 37

37 Trenton, NJ Aug. 30- Sept. 1/ Asbury Park, NJ Sept. 2-6
 
The move from Bethlehem to Trenton was a somewhat complex all (former) Reading RR route. We passed through Reading and skirted Philadelphia. There must have been a clearance or weight restriction that prevented a more direct path. Once in Trenton, we set up camp at Cadwalader Park on a track that has since been pulled. We were literally in a forest – not at all as I had expected Trenton to be!

Photo 1. I'm pretty sure this is in Trenton, breaking up the train for display, but I don't know the exact location- anyone recognize it?

Our big outing while in Trenton was a day on the Black River & Western fooling around with their 2-8-0 #60. Someone knew someone, but I can't remember who, and bunch of us piled into one of the courtesy cars and drove out to Ringoes. The 60 was hot and we climbed aboard for at least one RT to Flemington. We took turns with the scoop in an attempt to amuse the regular fireman. I, for one, am hopeless. I'm a leftie, and might have better luck on British Rail (Yeah, working up to Thurso on the LMS! The Black 5's were hand bombers, right?), but here I get maybe every third toss where it'll do any good! Jeez!

Photo 2. BR&W 60, and their ALCo RS-1 #57
Photo 3. #60
Photo 4. So near, yet...

So, to the folks at the BR&W circa 1976: That was fun! Thank you and I'm sorry.

From Trenton, it was a late night (and uneventful, seeing as we'd already burned off all our antennas) trip up the NEC to Rahway.
From Rahway, it was necessary to back all the way down the NY&LB to Asbury Park (really Bradley Beach) because there wasn't a wye until Bay Head, but there were some weight restrictions on some bridges down there. (Bay Head actually has a balloon track today, but I don't know if it was that way in '76). A pair of Conrail (PC black) GP-38's pulled the main consist to Asbury Park (really Bradley Beach), and the T-1 followed running light. I think they stopped in Red Bank on the way down for the ribbon cutting of a freshly restored depot.

The main line passed just behind the train in Asbury (really Bradley Beach) Park and the trains that passed back and forth were interesting. Some were powered by CNJ GP-40P's and others by former PRR E-7's and 8's in PC black. Even more interesting were former Great Northern coachs in Empire Builder, Big Sky, and BN colors – what was THAT all about? I took in a round trip to Bay Head one afternoon to score a ride behind one of those old E-7's.

Photo 5. CNJ GP-40P 3679 passing behind the AFT.
Photo 6. An all GN train?
Photo 7. Former PRR E's.

Three Bradley Beach stories:
I was given a hotel room in BB. Somewhere along the line one hotel room was issued to the bunk car at each stop, and we rotated it around to give everyone a break once in a while – to get away from those damn generators! If it was a city where someone had friends or family, then they usually got the room. I guess I came up in the rotation, because I got the room in BB. What was unusual to me was that I when I checked in, I was given a plastic badge that read “Spring Lake 6.” This was my assigned beach (!?) and it was over three miles away! And they weren't kidding. I made several attempts to walk on the beach in front of the hotel, and got kicked off every time!

Photo 8. Bradley Beach boardwalk- Hurricane Belle damage.

One night, we (the entire AFT staff) had a beach party. This too apparently involved permits, and was closely monitored. Again we were issued IDs, and there were scary looking guys with walkie-talkies standing in the dark just beyond the light of our bonfire. Feeling the need to, um, make room for another cold one – these guys were itching for an indecent exposure arrest, we sure learned this one the hard way!

One of the towns neighboring BB had a “No Motor Vehicle Sunday” ordinance of some kind. So if you needed to get a mid-day start back to the city on Sunday, you packed your car Saturday night and parked it in Bradley Beach before midnight. Ah, but here's the rub:  Parking was as closely permitted as beach access. At midnight, the BB police set out on a drunken parking ticket writing spree. Drunken? Oh, yeah ... each officer had a tin cup, and one carried an open bucket of beer! Really. An OPEN BUCKET!

Weird place, New Jersey.
 
SR Bush
Dutch Flat



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/03/14 19:24 by BoilingMan.

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Photo 1 looks like the train is on the electrified wye on the west side of the NEC a bit north of Trenton station. the track and catenary poles are still there.

Is this where the line to the park left the main line? Or are they simply turning the train?
Actually, it might be both- it looks like the line came off the wye and made a 180 back towards the park. I can't see a more obvious connection.
Who's track was it (originally) in the park?
SR