E8s - local pax service in NJ

I have seen photos of EL E8s in local commuter service on Main/Bergen and also PVL too. IIRC some E8s on the PVL in Zimmerman's book.

Question - Did E8s ever get some 'run time' in on the Northern Valley and Newark Branches?

I'd like to see some pix of the E8s on those lines.

When I worked on the EL as a fireman in 68-71, the only lines they ran on in single unit commuter service were the Bergen County and Main lines, on either Port Jervis or Waldwick trains. There were no turning facilties at Suffern or any of the other lines you mentioned. Port Jervis still had the turntable in service, and there was a wye in Waldwick.

So before the U34's and Comet I's, there were no Suffern trains?

Seeing as how the subject is commuter trains pulled by E-8's, my previous post was related to that particular loco.....only the 900 series RS-2's and RS-3's and the 1400 series GP's were used on the Suffern and NJ&NY trains on the former Erie side commuter trains.

Oh, forgot about those, I was thinking that only cab units ran on the Erie commuter trains.

E8's and F's occasionaly would show up on Lakeland Express...2 back to back because of no turning facility at Washington. Usual power was Trainmaster. E's and F's lasted into EL.

The Erie occasionally ran E8A's on the Greenwood Lake line....which later became known as the Boonton branch.

They also ran the PA's on the Greenwwod lake branch, since there was either a wye or a turntable in Wanaque.....not sure which, as well as Waldwick and Port Jervis trains

This must have happened sometime before November 1958 and probably '56 or '57. My Dad hads taken me for a haircut at the barbershop in Demarest. It was a Saturday afternoon, and the Saturday afternoon train had a PA leading instead of the usual RS-3. Nyack had a turntable at the very end of the yard. Would love to see picures if anyone has them.

DocJohn

Wanaque Midvale had a wye track.

I was just curious if back-to-back "covered wagon" configs were used on the NV and Newark branches.

Back before diesels, did commuter trains end point at both Waldwick and Suffern? If so, where/how did they turn at Suffern?

How did they turn in Hoboken?

They must have been an operational nightmare by today's expectations.

BlockLine_4111 wrote:How did they turn in Hoboken?

They must have been an operational nightmare by today's expectations.

I assume they do what Amtrak does at Washington Union Station tday. They couple a different locomotive on the other end of the train and uncouple the trapped locomotive. Once the train left, they then get spotted into the yard.

Hoboken had two turntables...one at Henderson St. in the freight yard and roundhouse and one at the passenger roundhouse behind the M.U. shed. In a pinch, a run through the tunnels and around the wye at West End was in order. In fact the Phoebe Snow was turned this way. Other times the fact that the hood units were back to back made turning unneccessary.