(erielack) Croxton Photo Questions

[Chris Thurner <chris.thurner_@_adelphia.com>]

Listers:

Yesterday, Paul T. (no pronunciation guidance will be given here, I think
we've more than exhausted that thread!) posted a pic to the railfan site of
a Susquehanna transfer run leaving Croxton yard.

Questions:

What year or circa, was this taken?

Let me preface this by saying that some of this may be due to camera
placement / angle etc., but,

		1.) Where does the lead for the hump on the right that the
switcher is on go?  Look at the far right of the pic, from right to left,
you have a pig line with empty flats, the NYSW transfer run and then a line
of boxcars.  If you look at the end of the NYSW transfer run, you will
notice the SQ caboose (red) and then the tracks behind it curve to the right
towards the hump.  Could it be that the switcher serving the hump was on the
same tracks as the transfer run?  That doesn't seem plausible, as it gives
the switcher nowhere to move.  Why would they have it serve the hump, stop
on the incline, wait while the transfer run backs up on the same track (or
was placed / classified there by another yard loco), is assembled (i.e. w/
power) and then pulls out.... I don't think so.  There seems to be one set
of tracks between the pig flats and the SQ run, but, as you move left,
there's a string of EL box cars there.  This doesn't seem to be it either.

		If you follow the pig units on the right, they extend to the
immediate right of the hump and so it appears the lead isn't there, unless,
the track its on crosses over the lead and into the pig area.  

		SO ... does anyone have any guesses or based upon their
knowledge of the yard, explain how it was laid out?  My only view of Croxton
has been from the Turnpike (and when I lived in the NY metro area during the
mid 80's, I didn't realize that this, along with Hoboken terminal, were ex
EL), so my knowledge is just about non-existent.

		2.) I'm able to interpret the piggyback yard and how it is
laid out more know that I've read the latest edition of the Diamond and its
excellent article on Chicago's ops. (shameless plug for the ELHS and the
Diamond's editorial staff from a satisfied member!).   Note the two tracks
on the far right.  Are these the two tracks with 'ramps' as mentioned in a
recent thread (out of sight on the other end of the tracks)?  I see the COFC
load on one car.  Somehow, I really don't remember COFC running on any of
the intermodals through Wellsville as a teenager.  Lots of TOFC and maybe
just the TOFC was much more prominent and I didn't notice the containers (I
guess I'll just say it was a teenage (in)discretion. 

		3.) What is the orientation (direction) of the photo.  Being
that the Turnpike bridge is in the distance and it ran north / south (more
or less), are we looking east or west?  My guess is west given the hill in
the background and the absence of the Manhattan skyline and also the sun
appears to be on the left (shadows right).

		4.) How was the yard arranged on the other side of the hump?
The tracks to the left of it appear to continue on straight through and
under the bridge.  They also appear to be primarily classification tracks (I
assume for traffic going in the opposite direction of the hump in question).
I presume that the classification tracks on the other side of the hump were
primarily either directly over the hump or to the right behind the pig yard?

		5.) Look at the 2 set of tracks to the left of the leftmost
switcher.  It almost appears that there is a telephone pole in the middle of
the them with a set of boxcars on the track behind it!  If you look closer
you will see this track swings to the right just before it and continues on
the track just to the right of the pole.  It appears the track the boxcars
are on is accessed via a switch from the track just to the left of the pole.
Now, look further down this row of boxcars on this track and you will see a
light tower, that also appears to be in the middle of this same track!  At
first I thought the tower was in the distance behind the bridge, but its in
front and it appears the track makes another serpentine sweep to the right.
Can anyone add any color as to why the poles / tower were laid out this way
and would inhibit the traffic patterns / design of the Erie's / EL's primary
eastern terminal yard?  It appears that there is an odd group of telephone
poles just to the left of the hump that just doesn't seem to be good yard
design.  Give this one to Tony Koester for next year's MRP.  LDE this one!

6.)	Getting back to the pig yard, it's interesting to ponder if, given
the EL operated in the formative years of intermodal, if lessons were
learned on pig yard design.  This picture shows a crowded, cramped area with
what appears to be little organization and thoughtful design.  Granted the
service was growing and growing rapidly, so the EL would have to make do
with what they had (or likely, could afford).  It seems, at least to me, you
would have tracks for arriving trains, with an adjacent area to place the
trailers / containers for pickup / storage and movement of tractors.
Likewise, there would be an area for receiving / storage of inbound trailers
with space to maneuver equipment to load trailers/containers on flats.  That
doesn't seem to be apparent here.  There is a mix / mash of both, with
trailers placed wherever they can be without regards for the next step in
the process (i.e. tractor lashup or loading onto a flat).  Probably for the
reasons outlined a few sentences back.  I would be surprised if more than
few arrivals were mistakenly reloaded onto another train and sent back West!
Does anyone know if this happened and with what frequency?

Anyway, I've about typed myself out.  I await your responses.

Regards,

Chris

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