[Date Prev][Date Next]
[Chronological]
[Thread]
[Top]
(erielack) Re: age and EL memories
- Subject: (erielack) Re: age and EL memories
- From: David Goessling <dgoessling_@_lucent.com>
- Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2005 10:01:03 -0400
- In-Reply-To: <200508240933.j7O9X1uG088926_@_net.bluemoon.net>
- References: <200508240933.j7O9X1uG088926_@_net.bluemoon.net>
I'm 53. Moved to Morristown from the North Shore Chicago suburbs in '62.
(Steam: I do remember lots of steam on the C&NW - my Dad commuted from
Highland Park into Chicago, and we would always go down to pick him up,
often getting to see them turning steam on the turntable. That would
have been in what, '55 or '56?)
Oh, how did we get to NJ from IL - on the Broadway Limited! That was the
easiest way to get 7 kids across the country!
In Morristown my Mom would take us along on her morning errands in the
VW bus. The Mo'town train station was a regular stop, to watch the
Phoebe Snow blast through the station. We always put pennies on the
tracks and were fascinated and excited when the postmaster would come by
to mount a mail pouch for pickup on the pole near the freight house. I
remember the train stopping once or twice to pick up somebody important.
When I was in 4th or 5th grade my Mom arranged to have my birthday party
on the Phoebe Snow, in the Tavern Lounge. She and other Mom's drove me
and all my little friends (5 or 6 of us in our jackets and clip-on
ties...) to Summit to board the train. We rode out to Stroudsburg and
back. The conductors and staff treated us like kings. Lunch in the
diner, with the train-shaped cake my Mom brought on board. Perhaps I can
do that again some day (with many more candles!)
Another birthday was an excursion on the old MU cars from Morristown to
Summit, Gladstone branch to Gladstone, with birthday party at the pond
in the town park. The engineer let me ride in the cab and hold down the
throttle (with his hand over mine of course) for a while.
Needless to say, my Mom was/is pretty special!
I remember freights in Morristown with GP-7s, including watching the
occasional pickup or setout at the freight house and lumber yard, and
into the yard across from the station.
Also the M&E still working Whippany Paper Board. I have some photos
of early M&E steam excursions. Will scan and post. We also went to the
Black River and Western in Chester (hmm, almost DL&W steam! :-))
We often went into Manhattan and always took the ferry while it was
still running.
Later spent many hours on the MUs going back and forth between
Hoboken/Mountain Station/Short Hills/Summit/Convent/Morristown/Denville
visiting girlfriends (who went to Oak Knoll or Saint E's), playing in
bands and making trouble. Who was the conductor on the Morristown line
who sort of sang the station names? "Denville, Denville - the Hub of
Maaaaaaarissss County!" We loved that guy!
Later I had a friend who was a conductor on the Gladstone Branch for a
while in the last of the M.U. years - Hans Heymann. I have his ticket
punch, which I treasure.
I think the two things I miss most about the M.U.s are the smells (the
electric smell of the motors, the hot wicker seats in summer, that rusty
brake shoe smell...) and the open-able windows (nothing like riding the
Gladstone train through a hot and humid August night with the dim lights
flickering on the trees!)
OK, sorry to go on so long...
Dave G.
The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List
Sponsored by the ELH&TS
http://www.elhts.org
------------------------------