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(erielack) Flying Saucer

Hi list members

Anyone interested in a great article about the Erie Railroad freights 99/100
the "Flying Saucer" should attempt to track down Railroad magazine September
1951, Only .35 cents!!!  Cover photo has a painting of an Erie freight led
by 4 FT's with a huge Hi and Wide load passing an Erie 2-8-0 taking on water
somewhere in Pa or NY. But the feature story on pages 12 through 25 are
about a first hand cab ride aboard the overnight Hotshot LCL freight
westbound from Croxton to Port Jervis. The author John A Thompson really
covers the personal side of the Erie in the story too, Joe Kelly 30 year
Erie veteran was the YM working the "Boxcar" that night, He describes
Croxton as 50 miles of track and room for 5628 cars. East Buffalo was the
only other yard to beat it by approximately 10 miles of track and 6453 cars.
Night westbound clerk Edwin Starr 22 year veteran was at the "Boxcar" taking
calls of long lists of car numbers for tonight's train. Frank Presentation
was Ed's assistant. Erie patrolman Pete Haishun dropped by too, He promised
to keep an eye on Mr. Thompson's car, How dangerous was Croxton in 1951? The
author said he took Snake Hill Road to get there that night, no mention of
County Road. Fred Whitaker the Croxton yard car forman was working the night
also, The article states the "He's the man who first called 99 the Flying
Saucer. At least down here on the Terminal Division". Explained Kelly. "He
was watching that long string highball out of the yard on its first run
nearly a year ago. The caboose was doing 30 when it hit the main.
"Deleted...double deleted!" He says. "Look at that Flying Saucer roll!" The
name seemed to fit and it stuck. In fact they "---Kelly motioned vaguely
referring toward the main office in Cleveland---" Finally made it official.
Posted on the Bulletin board that night were special orders concerning
engine water at XW Tower Paterson being out of service. And special order
#95 spoke of a welding gang working on the Graham Line. Caboose this night
would be C-222, It was described as... "We climbed aboard and Fred made his
routine inspection of lanterns, lights, flags, fusees, torpedoes and the
rack of new dope sticks for hotboxes, just in case. Apart from the rusty
stove and the oil lamp over the con's work table, C-222 was a plush job.
There were dark green foam leather seat cushions and a load speaker and
telephone---the radio phone hookup---over the rear door within handy reach
of a skipper watching his train from his upstairs perch. The only thing
missing was a TV set" Just then a black sleek Erie diesel # 707 plus 3
others 6000hp growled by as they entered Croxton yard, This would be 99's
locomotive's tonight....

The article gets even better as he heads west that night.... Paul, You want
this for The Diamond? There are many B&W photo's showing many Erie diesels
in company posed shots and a nice carfloat picture of the tug Cleveland at
the Jersey City pier. And an Erie HH660 # 304 at the 28th St. yard. 

  Oh, and if you skip to page 26. Walter Lucas has an outstanding article
with tons of photos on Erie Steam engines 1800-1950's ending on page 41! And
then you find a another great story on the Graham Cutoff!!  And your only
1/2 way through the magazine!!! .35 cents went a long way in the 50's :-()


Todd ELHS#1318
> ------------------------------
> 
> Date: Sun, 31 Oct 1999 22:51:46 -0500
> From: "Bill Richey" <"wrichey_@_ctlnet.com">
> Subject: Re: (erielack) Flying Saucer
> 
> According to my father-in-law, an operator at WR tower in Huntington, the
> nickname "Flying Saucer" was applied to the trains by Wade Brodbeck who
> was
> the Assistant Chief Dispatcher at Huntington [IN]. Brodbeck referred to
> the
> "Flying Saucer" in reports to Youngstown or Cleveland and the name stuck.
> 
> - ----- Original Message -----
> From: RICHARD WISNESKI <"CPLNRCW_@_njtransit.state.nj.us">
> To: erielack <"erielack_@_internexus.net">
> Sent: Thursday, October 28, 1999 6:20 AM
> Subject: (erielack) Flying Saucer
> 
> 
> > Hi Listers
> >
> > Below is AJ Erdman's response to this question.
> >
> > Rich Wisneski
> >
> > > The Erie ran a hot shot called the Flying Saucer in the 1950's.
> > >
> > > Can anyone give me some history on this fast freight?
> > >
> > > Was the name used in the steam era?
> > >
> > > Did it survive into Erie Lackawanna?
> > >
> > > Thx!
> > >
> > >  Jack Grasso
> >
> >
> >
> > As I had been told back in the 1960's, the Erie Railroad called NY100
> and
> NY99
> > the "Flying Saucers" after an employee at Croxton Yard remarked that the
> > departing Hot Shot merchandise train left Croxton Yard like a "Flying
> Saucer".
> > This occurred in the mid-1950's and the trains had been diesel operated
> for a
> > number of years. We still used the term "Flying Saucer" to describe the
> 99
> and
> > 100 service well into the EL years. The term was not used when steam
> power
> was
> > used for those trains. When the term was first used, the 99 and 100
> service was
> > not exclusively TOFC, as it later developed. Most of the traffic was
> freight
> > forwarding between New York and Chicago. Up until the early 1970's,
> there
> were
> > always several boxcars just ahead of NY99's caboose, which were Acme
> Fast
> > Freight Company cars for the west. These cars were pulled out of Orange
> Street
> > Yard by the 2nd Shift Pusher at about 800PM and run out to Croxton to
> add
> to
> > the rear end of the predominentley piggyback NY99.
> >
> >
> > A J Erdman
> >
> >
> >  ------------------------------------------------------------
> > Visit the erielack photopage at http://el-list.railfan.net
> 

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