When were DL&W electric MUs retired?

When were the Lackawanna MUs retired on NJT?

-otto-

It was 1984, late Summer or early Fall IIRC.

Otto,

Last Dover train left Hoboken at 7:30 PM Friday, August 24, 1984. I didn't get to ride the train, but it had 12 cars making every local stop to Dover. If you are interested in the old Mu's the "Lackawanna Legacy" by Mark 1 Video tells a good story on them.

Speaking of the last run.....Does anyone know what the full crew was on that train? Who were the conductors/brakeman/ticket collectors?? Anyone know?

Thanks,
Steve

In the last years it was very difficult to photograph these relics. My grandfather and I would go to Hoboken on weekends to try to catch some sets running. There was always substitutions with U34s and C1s. I do have some pix out in the Oranges during rush-hour. But there too was 'surplus' F40s and C2s doing some sub work. So much for electro pix.

I remember riding that last MU from Hoboken to Dover. I got on the train from the Chatham station. What I got chance to see while waiting for the last offical 12 car set of the last MU's for Dover was to see about three different sets of MU's deadheading back to Hoboken for the last time. Since there was not much eastbound traffic during this transition time, those MU dead heads sets were smoking fast! It was totaly awesome! Sparks were flying from their pantographs. Horns were blasting through out the station as they smoked by. It made an exciting evening even better. Finally of course the extremely large MU set came rolling in 15 minutes late. I did not mind, because I got to see those dead heads. I had a really bad camera at the time and was too dark to get a clear picture. I did how ever get an inside picture of the last ride. When the train arrived at Dover, a long blast of horn from the lead MU sounded off. It was over. Also it was such an historic ride, nobody asked me for a ticket of to buy a ticket. Once at Dover , we had about 3 minutes to catch an eastbound Hoboken train back to Chatham or wait an hour for the next train. We hop on a set of Comet 1 Coaches push by a U3CH Blue Bird.

Thanks again for the info!

-otto-

njt4172 wrote:Speaking of the last run.....Does anyone know what the full crew was on that train? Who were the conductors/brakeman/ticket collectors?? Anyone know?

Thanks,
Steve

Sorry, I don't know how to do this quote thing exactly right.

The crew on the "last" train to Dover that night (that split the banner upon arrival) was:

Charlie Farrell (Engineer)
Al Kelly
Dick Dilger
Mike Farrell (Charlie's son)

Mike still works for NJT out of Port Morris or Dover. His dad passed away a year or so ago. I don't know the other two gentlemen.

There was a posed photo shot of the crew in front of the train after it had arrived in Dover.

Several sets of DL&W MUs were pulled pans-down by GP40P's during the week of 8-27-84, before the full implementation of the Arrow MUs.

Although the last "run" was 8-24, they could still be "ridden" into the following week.

njt4172 wrote:Last Dover train left Hoboken at 7:30 PM Friday, August 24, 1984.

Damn, I wasn't even born then! Would be an experience to ride those things!

ajt- if the Geep's were hauling the MU's pans down, how did they get lights and heat? ok, maybe not HEAT in the middle of August... but still?

-otto-

I was 6 years old when the last run was made. I used to live out by Morristown at the time, but we used to live in Chatham up to the prior winter.

A few days before the last run, my mom and I parked the car at Chatham and met my dad in Hoboken. We rode the Tom Tabor Express out from Hoboken which still was furnished with DL&W MUs. My Dad brought along the tape recorder and recorded the whole express run -- first stop Chatham! Still have the tape somewhere.

A few days later, my mom took me over to Convent Sta. to watch the last train pass through. What a sad day... And year too. 1984 also saw the retirement of the GG1s.

YeAH, I was 5 years old when the Mu's were retired. A lot of old equipment was retired in 1983 and 1984. They were sad years for the railfan, but good for the commuter I suppose! I lived in Chatham, NJ about a block from the train station from 1979-1982. I can actually remember when my great grandfather strolled me down to the station....The only thing I recall then were the sparks flying off the brake shoes as he made the stop. I do remember one incident in 1984 while waiting to go on one in Denville, NJ. Once the eastbound arrived some deliquent kids threw rocks at the windows and one woman passenger screamed for help. We got on the train, but for some reason I don't remember any transit cops coming to the scene. Those were the days!

Steve

Otto,

Sorry I don't know the answer to your last question, but I'm assuming they had generators set up for lights....Maybe someone else can answer this question? They may have still had their steam generators supplying electricity, etc...

Btw, I know your Rochester chapter NRHS has 1 Mu (4628?) car almost completely intact. It would be awesome if it could make it down to Hoboken for the 2007 Hoboken Festival celebrating 100 years of the terminal. I remember hearing that your Vice President vowed that it would never leave the property again.... Oh Well...!

Steve

Otto-
As best I can remember, the pan-down MU's had no lights or fans. The riders didn't care; they propped the windows open and knew the Arrows would be running by the end of the week, and that meant A/C and no fabric pulls on your pants (frayed rattan on the DL&W seats could really mess up your trousers).