(erielack) Greenwood Lake PAs and E8s (was Re:Stories remembered...)

[A Samostie <quahog_@_sprint.ca>]

Dear Group,

Walt Smith wrote:

> Now for a lighter side. It was 1963 & I was working as a fireman on the
> Greenwood Lakes division, I'd bring a train in from Wanaque to Hoboken in the
> morning. It was usually the practice for the ERIE men to take their engines
> to Jersey City (Pavonia Avenue roundhouse) for the layover. The engine
> (Usually an RS3) would be serviced, and the engineer & fireman could rest in
> a bunkroom on the South side of Pavonia Avenue until it was time to take the
> power back to Hoboken for the return to Wanaque.

I always assumed that RS3's were the usual power on the Greenwood Lake
trains.  But, in Zimmerman's "Erie Lackawanna East," a PA is shown on a
Wanaque-Midvale train.  Was it highly unusual to find PAs on the
Greenwood Lake?  What about E8s?

Obviously, the E8s were mainstays on the Main Line and Bergen County
Lines (although RS3s and GP7s were common as well).  But, thanks to
Randy Brown, we do have photo evidence that PAs were used on the
Northern Branch at least once:

http://www.railfan.net/lists/listphoto.cgi?erielack-01-25-02/ERIE-PA.gif

Did the PAs and E8s make regular appearances on the other "minor"
branches?

Cheers,
Alan <quahog at sprint.ca>
ELHS #3178

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