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RE: (erielack) Boonton Line freight trains-analysis

Paul,
 
CS-9 usually on duty between 1000-1400 hrs.or after the rest of the crew depending on which eastbound crew was rested for CS9. Did setout/pick up at Denville (until East Dover was reopened or if the 2nd Dover didn't make it back to Dover and tied up on old track 3 or the wye at Denville) Dover, Chester Jct., Port Morris and Portland.  I'm not sure what other work was performed on the Scranton Division.  Chester Jct was cars for the CNJ (some empty/loaded sand cars for Thatcher glass).  Local cars for the Chester Branch were usually taken to East Dover or Port Morris.  Whichever was convienent at the time.
 
SC8/PN98 usually on duty between 0600 and 1000 hrs at Scranton.  The train always showed up at Port Morris just in time to be held for the afternoon rush hour.  If the train couldn't make Great Notch by 1630 it was held at Port Morris.  Eastbound work was done at Portland, Port Morris and Chester Jct.  The stuff at Chester Jct. was usually empties off the Chester Branch and whatever CNJ gave us out of Thatcher Glass and other customers.
 
ND-91 was a real work of art.  When the train was taken off the Erie side here's what happened.  An ordinary was called out of Croxton with local stuff for Ford etc at Mahwah.  After the crew put that away at Suffern, they then had to build ND-91 in reverse of the way it ran on the Erie side.  That would take 4-5 hours of switching to do.  When the train was ready, it ran to Croxton.  The blocking would be in the wrong direction from Suffern to Croxton and when the train went around the horn at Croxton it was then made up in the right direction to head west via Scranton.  The dispatcher on the west end side had to talk with the conductor on the ordinary to make sure what blocks went where on the train out of Suffern.  The yardmaster at Mahway usually called the dispatcher in Hoboken and told you what was located where and how many in each block. It was a real nightmare.  ND91 ordinary was usually in Suffern in mid to late afternoon making up the train.  The train left Croxton
 westbound about 1030 pm or so.

NY98 was usually called Scranton between 0800 and 1000 hours.  This was a  regular to stall going over Great Notch right in front of the westbound commmuter parade. Figure Great Notch between 1400-1600 hours.
 
BC2 usually called Scranton about 2000 hours to 0100 hours.  This was EL's heavy train out of Buffalo.  This monster (back then it was a monster) averaged between 7,000 to 10,000 tons. It was mostly loads of lumber or paper from CP or CN, flour off Buffalo Creek etc. and export stuff.  If ever there was a train that always showed up at the wrong time....this was it.  It was usually too long to fit in Greendell which meant once it left Stoudsburg, you had to take the mother all the way to Port Morris and hope you didn't lay out any hotshots (NY99 CX99).
 
When we were lowering (undercutting the bridges at Dover) you essentially had a single track railroad from Bells Bridge to Lincoln Park as one track at a time was out of service at Dover to lower Prospect Street and Salem Street bridges.  It was night mare to work as a dispatcher under those condtions.
 
Rich
 
 
 
 
"Tupaczewski, Paul R (Paul)" <paultup_@_lucent.com> wrote:
Thank you!!! You've now given me the freight portion of operating sessions on my future layout... :)
 
Do you have approximate times for the road freights (CS-9, SC-8, PN-87, ND-91, NY-98, etc.?)
 
Speaking of which, we just sold the house in Dover, and are looking for a new place. Better school district is the main reason, but a bigger basement too... :)
 
    - Paul
 
- -----Original Message-----
From: Richard Pennisi [mailto:eldispatcher72_@_yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, October 03, 2005 1:36 PM
To: Tupaczewski, Paul R (Paul)
Cc: erielack_@_lists.railfan.net
Subject: RE: (erielack) Boonton Line freight trains-analysis


Paul, & list
 
Here goes;
 
About 0730 the Totowa Roustabout would leave CX, worked from Little Falls to the spur, usually back to CX about 1830.  Sometimes it was necessary to relieve the crew as there was just too much work (about 21 customers on the spur alone)  This job also did Mueller Brass in Little Falls and Drakes Cakes in Mt. View.  There was swapping of Little Falls and Mt. View work between the Roustabout and Greenwood Lake haul.  It depended on how the jobs were bulletined at what time frame and who was the trainmaster for the area.
 
About 0800 the Greenwood Lake Haul/Silver Lake.  If my memory is correct these jobs were combined near the end of the EL.  Did work on Orange Branch (what was left) along the main to Little Falls and Mt. View as necessary.  When the Caldwell Branch was open this job went up there as necesaary and that really wasn't much before the washouts that took the branch out of service.
 
About 0900 the Horn Train,(?) the Newark Branch job went out to Seaboard, Newark and was advertised to Nutley but rarely made it that far.  They were usually back in to CX early about 1500 or earlier.
 
The 1st Boonton Drill went on duty in Dover about 1100 hrs.  went to Boonton and back to Dover by 1800 hours usually.
 
The 2nd Boonton Drill went on duty at 0200 hours in Dover and went to Boonton and was uasually back to Dover by between 0930 and 1100 hours.
 
Both Boonton Drills were advertised to Croxton to take water loads (sludge) from Drew and dump it in Penn Horn Creek in Croxton (if the EPA only knew) and bring back the empties to Drew.  Although advertised as such, trips to Croxton were rare.  This usually only occurred when CS-9 SC-8 (or PN-98 depending on the year) were running late and cars were getting out of cycle for Drew.
 
I'm sure someone will dispute what I sent here, but you are talking about almost 30 years ago....
 
Rich

"Tupaczewski, Paul R (Paul)" <paultup_@_lucent.com> wrote:
So here's the question of the week - what trains ran over the Boonton Line in those years (including locals), and what times (approximately) did they depart/arrive CX?
 
:)
 
    - Paul
 
- -----Original Message-----
From: Richard Pennisi [mailto:eldispatcher72_@_yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, October 03, 2005 12:55 PM
To: Tupaczewski, Paul R (Paul); EL Mailing List
Subject: RE: (erielack) Boonton Line freight trains-analysis


Paul,
 
A/CX99 usually departed Croxton about 11 pm or later.  NY99 usually about 1am or later and CX 99 around 3am.  I don't remember anything running in daylight with those symbols unless there was a derailment in Croxton yard that would prevent on time departures.
 
Rich

"Tupaczewski, Paul R (Paul)" <paultup_@_lucent.com> wrote:
Rich,

>A/CX99, NY99, and CX99 all ran via Scranton. I was working midnights on the East End Dispatcher #44 job between 1974 and 1976.


Do you ever remember seeing the NY-99 in daylight? Or was it strictly a nocturnal train?

- - PAul

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