Re: (erielack) Port Reading

["MDelvec952_@_aol.com"]

In a message dated 5/30/99 12:33:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
"njtsam_@_hotmail.com" writes:

>  Does anyone know how the cars were spotted on the dumper?  Did 
>  they use a locomotive or was there some kind of car mover (cable 
operated)?  
>  I would like to know when this operation was discontinued. 

A locomotive shoved a train of hoppers up near the dumper, the car was cut 
and rolled the few feet into the rotary, dumped, and then gravity rolled it 
out of the dumper with a brakeman on board.  It rolled down a ramp and up a 
grade, where gravity caused it to reverse direction and roll down another 
grade. The cars gathered in a yard.  It must have been a thrilling ride.  

Ask a few of the Conrail guys about working it, as a lot of 'em did -- Walt 
Switz, John Sobotka and Dominic Bonano were among 'em.  I don't know when it 
closed, but it was operating into Conrail.  It would still be operating today 
except that big blue didn't want to spend money to upgrade and modernize it.  
Whether there was enough potential traffic to justify the expense is 
something I don't know.  But a whole lot of export coal goes out of Conrail's 
pier at Baltimore.

                           ....Mike

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