WHAT DID YOU SEE IN NAPARANO IRON & METAL-Pre-1990

What locomotive have you seen in Naparano Iron & Metal before in changed hands?
I have seen the following:
Long Island Railroad Alco S-2's
B&O S-2's and S-4's
GG-1's
E-60's
RS-11's,RSD-5 (PC)
Soo Line RS-27's
B&O and N&W F-units
Amtrak E-units

Back in 1983-84 (back in the college days), I used to make some money as a part time security guard for a security company out of Elizabeth. One night, they had me fill in at Naporanos for a shift. The main focus of why they put security guarding over junk piles was that they were dismantaling several GG-1's in the yard, and people were known to come over the walls at night to steal copper from the windings since copper has always had high salvage value and you can imagine the amount of copper within one of those motors.

It was sad to see those behemoths sitting there being ripped apart.

Probably in the late 1980s, but I do remember looking south from the Wilson Ave. Bridge over the CCL, and seeing NYCTA subway cars parked in the yard waiting scrapping - afraid I don't remember the series (after a quick Google, apparently it was the R27 series)

The most beautiful sight I saw there was watching a crane with an engine block on its hook, using it to smash down some old Alco C series units. I would have paid to be allowed to do that.

CMC wrote:The most beautiful sight I saw there was watching a crane with an engine block on its hook, using it to smash down some old Alco C series units. I would have paid to be allowed to do that.

Heh, you do realize this thread was started by Alcoman...

CJPAT,During your stint out there in the 80's did you or anyone else notice 5 red and grey sw900's re- numbered in CR series 8658-8663 out there,Specifically @Feb-March of 83?

CMC wrote:The most beautiful sight I saw there was watching a crane with an engine block on its hook, using it to smash down some old Alco C series units. I would have paid to be allowed to do that.

Why do I get the impression you don't like ALCO's ????

As best as I can recall (I mean we are talking about 24 years ago), I had been at Naporano somewhere between Feb '83 and Apr '83 so it might have been possible that I would have seen those units. I just don't recall. The GG-1's just stuck out in my mind (I always loved their lines).

That was the time frame that the Texaco Bulk Oil Storage Terminal caught fire and exploded. I spent the bulk of my time working at the drum refabricator that was next door to the Texaco. The devastation was incredible so my strongest memories were of the wreckage (to me, it looked like a mini-Dresden).

SP GP9 lettered for NI
SP Alco Alligators lettered for SP
CB&Q E7
EL AS616s
EL Alco Switchers
Central Indiana SW1
B&O F units.... many
Lots of PRR MP54 MUs
PC ex NYC electrics might have been the ex-GN units
ATSF FM switchers
NYSW GP18 1800... unit had long hood and prime mover removed... was obviously "fixed" and returned to NYSW
SCL gas electric or whatever 4900
Youngstown Steel BLW switcher

I first went there in 1972... not a problem.... got progressively harder each year to go there and take pictures

UP DD-35's

CN turbotrains

Rutland 404

A bit earlier in the 1980s, Amtrak Tubotrains.
About 2 years before that, about 1981, one end of an Amtrak RDC.

In the late 70's I got picutes of PRR and NYC E units, Santa Fe F's various Baldwin's, FM's and early ALCo's. A real shame to see them that way.

Did anyone get photos of them cutting up the perfectly good ALCO C420's from LIRR?





A guy I once new told me: "ALCOs make good razor blades....to which I added: Yea to cut up EMD's with"

I know someone who worked for Naparano during the late 1970s early 1980s and he has told me some amazing stories about what went through there. It was quite an operation.

But as he said, gotta remember, they only bought the stuff the railroads were getting rid of...perfectly good locos being cut up and parted out, some still warm after firing up and testing, but simply discarded by their owners.