(erielack) Calendar Time

["Paul Brezicki" <doctorpb_@_bellsouth.net>]

Port Jervis became a RR town because it was located on a flat spot in the
Delaware valley a convenient distance from Jersey City. In EL days the yard
functioned mostly as a setoff/pickup point for through trains, for traffic
to places like Middletown, Suffern/Mahwah, and especially Maybrook. Being a
flat yard it didn't classify many trains (except locals) but it seperated
eastbound blocks that had been classified elsewhere and added blocks to
westbound trains. By 1974 it served mostly the Maybrook interchange, and
when that disappeared so did the yard's main purpose. Other contributing
factors:
1. Decline of Maybrook due to PC absorption of NH in 1969
2. Decline of carload traffic in general
3. Shift of traffic to the Lackawanna side

Conrail wanted to abandon the former Erie west of Campbell Hall and route
traffic (most of it was Ford-Mahwah) onto the West Shore via the former NYC
Walkill Valley branch. This would have worked fine, but the problem was the
state had already spent the money rehabbing the Erie. CR was persuaded to
drop the plan. The line, as Tom said, enjoyed a brief Indian summer with
stack traffic until clearances were improved on the West Shore (aka River
Line).

Paul B

From: "Tom Beckett" <tabeckett_@_stny.rr.com>
Subject: Re: (erielack) Calendar time

By 1978 the railroad had no interest in the entire line. NY State put up a
pot full of rehab money to keep Conrail running there. The irony is, that
once stack trains started in the mid 80's, this was the only line they had
with the clearances to get them to Jersey. The old Erie that they didn't
want made it possible for them to get into the stack game.

Tom B
- - ----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Montgomery, Edward T" <Edward.Montgomery_@_fcps.edu>
To: "Tupaczewski, Paul R (Paul)" <paultup_@_lucent.com>;
<erielack_@_lists.elhts.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2006 8:16 PM
Subject: RE: (erielack) Calendar time


>I have a response about this picture that is different.  How did Port
>Jervis become the railroad town it did.  What kind of classification went
>on in the yard there?  It seemed redundant to bring trains into the Port
>and then remake them for delivery to Croxton or Maybrook.  Port Jervis
>never had any interchange traffic of any size.  i doubt the O&W
>interchanged much there.  Finally, when did Port Jervis loose it's railroad
>town status.  Was it tied to the demise of the Poughkeepsie Bridge or did
>Conrail close it down?  I can remember the engine terminal in full
>operation through the 60s.  When did all of that close.  By 1978 the
>railroad looked like it had no interest in the town.
>
> Ed Montgomery




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