(erielack) More on No.21 and others.

["Montgomery, Edward T" <Edward.Montgomery_@_fcps.edu>]

The discussion about No.21 as an advance for No.3 has brought on more thoughts.  Until I-80 was finished the Poconos were not that easily accessible.  Anybody who has travelled US 46 knows what that is like.  In the late 60s there were almost constant rolling backups through Hackettstown, the circle at Netcong slowed things down and there were numerous traffic signals all the way from the GW Bridge or S-3.  DL&W and EL should have had train schedules that beat the cars and buses.  I'm not sure what the inroads of air travel to the mountains was like.
 
I was wondering when No. 21 was finally deleted from the timetable.  I'm thinking it may have disappeared right after Hurricane Diane but I don't have any timetables from 56 to 58.  What is interesting is a 1960 timetable with an "Extra" called "The Mountain Special" that would run as an advance section of "The Westerner".  This train made the usual stops at Newark, Brick Church, Summit and Dover to pick up passengers and then the usual stops in Pennsylvania terminating at Scranton.  No accomodations for the train are advertised.  It was to run on September 2nd only.
 
Another interesting summer only train ran on the Boonton Line up until the merger.  Originally these trains appeared as all year runs in the early 50s and before.  Somewhere in the mid to late 1950s they became summer only.  Train 1065 ran Sundays only leaving Hoboken at 4PM stopping everywhere arriving at Branchville at 6:35.  It became train 1072 leaving Branchville 8:05PM stopping everywhere arriving at Hoboken at 10:22PM.  The trains ran between June 26th and September 4th.
 
I'm wondering if these trains were easier to get rid of than the all-year runs.  I never saw any posting at stations regarding hearings for the termination of these runs.
 
Ed Montgomery
 

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