Amtrak 1979 Pocono Mountain Special

Hello all,
I read on Wikipedia that Amtrak operated one train over the Lackawanna Cut-off from Hoboken to Scranton. Does anyone know what equipment was used on the train? Were there any passengers traveling to Scranton. Any info is great.

One of the publications in my collection has an article about this move. There were a number of photos too. The train had to back from Denville to Port Morris Junction because the main line at Port Morris Junction had a piece of rail removed and the interlocking was out of service. They made the connection through a wye track at that location. It was a one way move with the return via Allentown I think. I will try to find the publication in time and post on here just what it was as I still have that stuff here somewhere. It was a private move with Amtrak and local officials aboard and had an F-40 for power.
Noel Weaver

There is a picture of it toward the back of one of our books, Rails Around Gotham, taken in Hoboken. It was one F40, one Amcoach and the business car 10000.

D.Carleton wrote:There is a picture of it toward the back of one of our books, Rails Around Gotham, taken in Hoboken. It was one F40, one Amcoach and the business car 10000.

I'll see where I can buy that. I was expecting the train to be more like two F40s and 6 or 7 coaches. I'm well off

I thought it was just a special move of sorts. I don't think it was a regular train that operated over the route but rather just an inspection train over the cutoff and exploration trip to see if it was worthy of service restoration from some point in NJ/NYP to the Poconos. I recall seeing a picture of it somewhere up in North Jersey actually on the Lackawanna Cutoff, during the Conrail Years.

Most likely a inspection train for a "congress critter" at that point of time.
The connection to the NEC/NYPenn didn't exist then.

Here's the story from "Blcok Line" for January, 1980 which at that time was the chapter newsletter from the Tri-State Chapter, NRHS. (Volume VIII, Number 1) which at that time sold for $1.00 in some hobby shops. The run took place on Tuesday, Novembver 13, 1979 and ran out of Hoboken departing at 7:36 AM to Denville where the entire train was turned on the wye. It then backed to Port Morris Junction where it use a wye track to connect to the Scranton Line because a piece of rail had been removed from the main track which would have allowed a straight move. The train apparently ran at 30 MPH to at least the Delaware Water Gap. Consist was F-40 #277, Amfleet coach and inspection car 10000. When it got to Scranton it was returned to Amtrak at Philadelphia via Allentown so it was a one way more. Incidentally these old "Block Lines" were rather interesting reading as they were put together by Tom Nameth who is the owner of Railpace, I have a good bunch of them. This issue would be worth the effort to try to obtain if you are really interested in this subject, good article and 6 decent photos of this operation.
Noel Weaver