by pdtrains
When you say the Northern Valley Branch, I guess you're talking about the Northern Branch.
E-8's did indeed run on the Northern Branch passenger trains between
Dec 1965 and Oct 1966, when Sparkill was the end of the line, and the
passenger trains were turned on the wye at Sparkill.
It wasn't a daily occurence, but it did happen several times a month.
I talked to the track maintainer on the Northern at that time, and he said
the E's were really squeeling going around the wye at Sparkill...They
were thinking of cutting off the flanges on the center wheels, so they
wouldn't turn a rail on the wye.
Even more interesting were trains X201 and X202 on the Northern, which
were deadhead moves, with timetable authority.
After about a month of the 3 passenger trains laying over in Sparkill, there were noise complaints, so the 3 engines and 9 passenger cars were deadheaded Sparkill to Hoboken each evening after the rush, and deadheaded from Hoboken to Sparkill in the morning for the morning trains. I saw it blast thru Closter one night at 40 to 50 mph...3 RS-3's and 9 coaches. Obviously, this train ran some days with a E-8 leading!
As for the other lines...Some of the Newark Branch trains terminated at Waldwick, but I never heard of the E's running on a Newark Br train.
Double headed E's or PA's did work commutter trains to Suffern and Spring Valley on rare occasions. It wasn't unusual for double headed E's to work a Saturday train to Suffern in the late 60's or early 70's.
The Lakeland (greenwood lake/boonton line to Netcong) worked with a single E-8 routinely...the train was turned at the Port Morris wye, as far as I know.
As for turning trains in Hoboken....The diesel trains all used the lower track numbers, which all had rail access to the coach yard on the north side of the terminal (Just east of the MU shed) After discharging passsengers, the commuter trains would back into the coach yard...engines would then uncouple and go to the Hoboken engine house/turntable area, north of the MU shed. In the aftn, the engines would couple on to a set of cars in the
coach yard (from the other end), and back into the station tracks.
A few long trains, and ones on the higher # tracks, would have their cars pulled out by a switcher, and then have the power back out light to the engine house.
pdt
E-8's did indeed run on the Northern Branch passenger trains between
Dec 1965 and Oct 1966, when Sparkill was the end of the line, and the
passenger trains were turned on the wye at Sparkill.
It wasn't a daily occurence, but it did happen several times a month.
I talked to the track maintainer on the Northern at that time, and he said
the E's were really squeeling going around the wye at Sparkill...They
were thinking of cutting off the flanges on the center wheels, so they
wouldn't turn a rail on the wye.
Even more interesting were trains X201 and X202 on the Northern, which
were deadhead moves, with timetable authority.
After about a month of the 3 passenger trains laying over in Sparkill, there were noise complaints, so the 3 engines and 9 passenger cars were deadheaded Sparkill to Hoboken each evening after the rush, and deadheaded from Hoboken to Sparkill in the morning for the morning trains. I saw it blast thru Closter one night at 40 to 50 mph...3 RS-3's and 9 coaches. Obviously, this train ran some days with a E-8 leading!
As for the other lines...Some of the Newark Branch trains terminated at Waldwick, but I never heard of the E's running on a Newark Br train.
Double headed E's or PA's did work commutter trains to Suffern and Spring Valley on rare occasions. It wasn't unusual for double headed E's to work a Saturday train to Suffern in the late 60's or early 70's.
The Lakeland (greenwood lake/boonton line to Netcong) worked with a single E-8 routinely...the train was turned at the Port Morris wye, as far as I know.
As for turning trains in Hoboken....The diesel trains all used the lower track numbers, which all had rail access to the coach yard on the north side of the terminal (Just east of the MU shed) After discharging passsengers, the commuter trains would back into the coach yard...engines would then uncouple and go to the Hoboken engine house/turntable area, north of the MU shed. In the aftn, the engines would couple on to a set of cars in the
coach yard (from the other end), and back into the station tracks.
A few long trains, and ones on the higher # tracks, would have their cars pulled out by a switcher, and then have the power back out light to the engine house.
pdt
