Eastern Railroad Discussion > "Diamonds are NOT forever" - LV @ Freeville, NY

The year is 1966,,,,A half a century ago.  The place is Freeville, NY where two little-used Lehigh Valley branch lines crossed on a diamond.  The people are Syracuse University grad students out for a Sunday ride on a homemade railbike which carried a crew of three.  (NO trains ran on Sunday).  The picture is a scanned Polaroid.  Looks like the signal is set for the movement.

The diamond is long gone and the grad students are a bit rusty by now.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/29/16 12:34 by cinder.

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At this point in time how does one tell the difference between a grad student and an undergrad?  (LOL)

My how the industry has changed.
Back in 1965, the LV ran two night trains to Sayre from Cortland and Auburn that passed through Freeville about 30" apart.(11pm) Each had about 10 cars and a five man crew. They could not be combined because of seniority districts. They practiced rule 99 at 30 mph to keep them spaced. I experienced several "hobo" rides on the Cortland train that made a side trip to Ithaca to handle coal to Cornell.

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They put themselves out of business. Could have been one train with a 3 man crew.

Grad students clothes are much more threadbare. They usually have a more harried look about them...unless they're talking to undergrads...they tend to growl at them...!

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This was 1966 mind you.  These were grad students at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University.  This was a transportation geography rogue field trip.  I was the main perpetrator.

Im looking at that car and it appears to be somewhere in the 1940's, either a Studebaker or Chevy.

Jim
Hatboro, PA

Probably a VW Bug.

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> They put themselves out of business. Could have
> been one train with a 3 man crew.

My first thought, too, although ultimately I don't think that would have saved these branches.