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Re: (erielack) U34CH sound
For those who remember, Tri-State ran the "Southern Tier express" from
Hoboken to Susquehanna and return w/U34CH's and Comet cars sometime in the
mid- to late 80's...
Besides a great trip up the Delaware Div., one of the highlights was a photo
runby up at Gulf Summit, where we unloaded everyone at the grade crossing
just topping the grade there, and had the whole consist reverse east about a
mile, and had the train start up and come up and over the hill for a
spectacular smoking shot...
Was a long day, but a very memorable one...
Rich Behrendt
ELHS #384
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Steven Kay" <s.kay4_@_verizon.net>
To: "Paul Tupaczewski" <paultup_@_lucent.com>; "'Charles_Walsh@berlex.com'"
<Charles_Walsh_@_Berlex.com>
Cc: "RJFlei_@_aol.com" <erielack@lists.railfan.net>
Sent: Monday, August 01, 2005 3:02 PM
Subject: Re: (erielack) U34CH sound (was: EL Motive power arrangements)
> Actually while they were very loud on the outside (we were not supposed to
> go to passenger run from standby until five minutes before departure from
> Hoboken) they were quieter than the GP-40s in the cab.
>
> Some of the greatest sounds were:
> 1. Accelerating through the Bergen Tunnels leaving Hoboken.
> 2. Starting from a station stop on any grade, especially Rowe Street,
Benson
> Street, Watchung Ave, or Towaco.
> 3. Braking late for a station (those six axles could bring that monster
and
> it's train to a quick stop).
> 4. The echo of the exhaust in the Roseville Ave. cut.
> 5. Watching the red exhaust gases dancing above the stack.
> 6. The smoke from the stack in freight run would rival any Alco to come
out
> of the factory. In fact, in later years the U34s would smoke pretty good
in
> passenger run also.
> 7. Sitting in Benson Street station in the third notch waiting for two
from
> the conductor then going to the eighth notch before releasing the train
> brakes.
> 8. Drilling out tie cars forty deep in East Dover with two U34s back to
back
> in freight run and having to ask for "head room" off the stub to make the
> switch.
>
> I kinda miss them.
>
> Steve Kay
> --
> The railroad's best safety device
> Is a well trained, well rested engineer
> www.ble272.org
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 8/1/05 2:27 PM, "Tupaczewski, Paul R (Paul)" <paultup_@_lucent.com>
wrote:
>
> > Chuck Walsh wrote:
> >
> >> I don't know if this is true, but I've heard that they were
> >> amongst the loudest locomotives ever produced. That I can
> >> confirm from
> >> first hand experience. I can just imagine what a TRIO of
> >> those units must
> >> have sounded like tackling a heavy grade...
> >
> > Not sure if that's true, but it would not surprise me. If you've never
heard a
> > U34CH accelerating, you haven't lived!
> >
> > The U34CH's were unique in that the units (when operating in the usual
> > "passenger" mode) were always in Run 8. It was particularly unsettling
when
> > they came into a station stop, roaring away. When stopped, the units
were
> > LOUD. VERY LOUD. You could hear the radiator furiously sucking in air to
keep
> > the prime mover cool. When accelerating, the prime mover's speed didn't
> > change, but the load increased on the generator, forcing the engine to
work
> > even harder to maintain the constant RPM. This resulted in a loud (read:
LOUD)
> > "chug-chug-chug" sound accompanying the accleration to speed. If you've
heard
> > modern GE's at work, you've experienced a far milder version of the
sound.
> >
> > I grew up in Boonton, a block away from Wootton Street (about a mile
away from
> > the station stop). Even though it was a mile away, you could easily hear
the
> > giant U-boats storming out of town from my house on summer evenings. I
miss
> > that sound! :(
> >
> > - Paul
> >
> > The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List
> > Sponsored by the ELH&TS
> > http://www.elhts.org
>
>
>
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