(erielack) test

["Louis Schultheis" <vsx9000_@_msn.com>]

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: jguthrie_@_pipeline.com<mailto:jguthrie@pipeline.com> 
  To: EL Mail List<mailto:erielack_@_lists.elhts.org> 
  Sent: Monday, April 02, 2007 5:40 PM
  Subject: Re:(erielack) OFF TOPIC QUESTION


  >
  >--------------------------------------------------------------Recently I was reviewing the material in the Historical Railroads of >New Jersey site looking at New York Central operations.  Now there is a link, if you stretch it because the West Shore was once part >of NYO&M who once merged with the NJM which became NYS&W once owned by Erie.  Anyway, I it was interesting to find that passenger >service 

  Why so convoluted? The NJM operated the Jersey City and Albany until it made the connection north -- to Tappan for a few years, then to the south side of the mountain at Haverstraw for about a year then into Haverstarw for about two months.  

  >morning and evening terminating in Havestraw.  Here's a question about the ferries:  Even though the passenger service was curtailed >to mornings and evenings, did the 42nd street boat continue to run throughout the day? 
  > 
  >NYC got rid of the commuter service by seperating the ferry service from the train tickets.  When the ferry was discontinued. it >became extremely difficult to get to New York.  Passenger service ended very quickly.  I suspect that many of the passengers probably >went over to the Northern Branch if they wanted to use rail service to get to work.

  Well, sort of . . .The New York Central engineered Section 13(a)2 of the Transportation Act of 1958 to specifically get rid of the West Shore Ferries. This provision was also used by the Erie to discontinue the last of the Pavonia Ferries.

  Separating the ferry ticket from the train ticket was a different issue -- as 46-ride monthly commuters to Jersey City on the Erie and NYS&W well knew. The fare included the ferry, but there was a lower fare to Jersey City, so the answer was to require everyone to sign an affidavitt when purchasing their monthly that their final origin/destination was intrastate (no ferry, no Tubes) so were entitled to the lower fare.

  In any case, some passengers tried to change trains at Ridgefield Park to ride the NYS&W, but both railroads quickly adjusted schedules to prevent that connection from being practical.

  There were 178 steps up the hill to reach the Blue Coach route to/from the Port of Authority's Bus Terminal when the Ferries were discontinued. Few passengers tried it more than once. However, I know of railfans from Maywood and Teaneck who'd take the Blue Coach to Blvd East after ERA or RRE meetings, walk down the steps, catch the late West Shore train, get off at Bogota, and catch [the same] Blue Coach Bus home to Teaneck and Maywood.

  The driver reportedly swore off after that . . .

  Finally, it should be noted that there was refusal all the way around -- by PS and the railroad -- to make a bus connection possible at Weehawken when the ferries went away. The frustrated state official trying to put this together was none other than Dwight L. Palmer -- later the state highway commissioner who was charged with instituting commuter rail subsidies whether railroads wanted them or not (he'd learned the weak spots in the WS fiasco) and out of Palmer's experience, wes see the eventual emergence of the NJDOT program and then NJT.

  Cheers,
  Jim Guthrie





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