Don Lee wrote: " Brown was my favorite location, always some kind of activity, especially when the Reading still interchanged at Bulson St."
"Tuckahoe....There was a lot of dead time between the freights and waiting for the lines, but it was still a neat place with old time atmosphere."
Don,
You're right about working Brown, it was my favorite also. The second trick was probably the busiest operators job on the railroad. The Reading trains didn't go into Bulson St. when I was there, they would setout the train on No.1 track just south of Morgan Blvd. then run around and pickup thier cabin car and head out. There were times when I wish I had No.1 track for train movements,but we couldn't use it because of some kind of arrangment that when the Seashore Lines train ran No.1 ,there was a penalty or extra pay (not sure which) involved.
Tuckahoe was a real railroad place to work ,with the Armstrong machine and the 'special smell" of an old railroad structure. And it was a wait then hurry up place,especially when the lines would arrive,then split the train, do the reverse move then you'd throw the switch and pull off the signals in a fairly quick manner. And the whole tower would shake when you were changing routes with the switches.
Wnslow was interesting in it's own way too. It was one of the few interlocking stations where trains passed you at track speed,such as the AC lines making 70 mph.
I also worked Berlin Block Station where you had to go outside and throw the switches for the local drill. And I was the last operator that worked Glassboro Interlocking Station the day it closed. It was another interseting old railroad place with it's wooden cabinet machine.