Re: (erielack) Food For Thought >> GP 35 demotion?

[Hhaines_@_aol.com]

If I recall, Paul wrote "It seems that this is the case - most of the C424s
were based out of Scranton (a token few worked around Youngstown), while the

C425s stayed on west end freight. " and
As I mentioned earlier, I've noticed the following power-distribution
patterns (this applies to the 1970s era):

* C424s: Scranton-based, Youngstown-based local service
* C425s: Meadville and west, road freight
* GP35s: System-wide road freight and local service
* U25Bs: System-wide road freight and local service
* GP7s (ex-Erie): New York Division local service
* GP7s (ex-DL&W): Syracuse and Utica Branch local and roadfreight service
* E8s: West end road freight service
* SD45s, U33/36Cs: System-wide road freight service
* F-units: Occasional road freight service, Bloomsburg Branch and Dayton
Branch trains
* EMD switchers: Primarily NY/NJ/PA local service and yard switching
* Alco switchers:Primarily west end switching (though a few called Scranton
home)
* RS3s: West end local/yard service (even moreso when the passenger units
were bumped west)

Of course, these aren't hard and fast rules - I have plenty of pictures of
E8s on freights in New Jersey, so there were always exceptions, but these
general rules seemed to apply most of the time (at least based on
photographic evidence)... Has anyone noticed the above to hold true, for the

most part?


=A0 - Paul

In 1970, the federal Clean Air Act was passed, and some states enacted rules

that were more stringent than federal rules.  For mobile sources, automobile
s
were by far the largest pollutant producer, but by 1971-72, both NY and NJ
had rules on visible smoke from diesels. The above date appears to coincide
with new visible smoke regulations in and around NYC and northern New Jersey
.
 Newer engines meant less problems with turbos and other items, hence less
smoke.  (If I recall the SD-45 family had drive shaft problems and something

with the middle part of the trucks--but I have to go back and check).

Some units were cleaned up and had spark and cyclone spark arrestors.  There

were also threats that the states were going to pass mobile source sound
regulations that would also apply to locomotives.  It did not happen at that

time, though.

H Haines

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