December 18, 2008 (Thursday) Proto Photo topic

[3rdrail]

Well, I didn't get to participate last week. I went to the hospital for an outpatient procedure that went awry due to an incompetent PA, ending up with a collapsed lung and a four day stay in the hospital. 

NOPSI 915 photographed from another car on Canal Street in December 1961:



NOPSI Perley Thomas car 930 in a new paint job, and 939 in the older paint job, await passengers at the foot of Canal Street in December 1961:


NOPSI 951, 959 and 971 at the Carrollton carbarn in various states of rebuilding. Photo taken in September 1963.


Next week, still more New Orleans, but some in color.

[Lenny53]

[wm3798]

I got to visit Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey on Monday.  I had to go up to Newark to pick up my daughter who was returning from a student exchange in Germany.

The park is centered around the old CNJ ferry terminal, where passengers bound for NYC would get off the trains here in the train shed...which is massive...

and board ferry boats to cross the Hudson River into The City.

Parts of the building are nicely restored...

and inside is a moving display about the events of 9/11... this is right across the river from Ground Zero, where the flag shown was recovered from the rubble.

The train shed, however, has been left pretty much to nature.  I'm not sure if there's a plan to do anything back there, but it will sure cost a bundle to clean it all up!

The lighted platform signs are a nice touch, but with the overgrowth and decay in the background, it makes for rather a ghostly scene...

And of course, you can't have a train station museum without a stuffed and mounted caboose.  Not sure what the lineage of this one is.  If anyone knows, please add a comment to my gallery.

Lee

[asciibaron]

not sure how to add to the gallery

NJ Transit Rail operations 904, formerly EL C374 then D&H 35811.

-Steve

[wm3798]

Duly noted.  Thanks Steve... and I didn't even wait for a second opinion!
Lee

[DKS]

That is such a surreal image. Kind of eerie and haunting.

[wm3798]

It reminds of a photo that ran in the Sunpapers shortly before Memorial Stadium was laid waste in Baltimore.  It was a low angle shot of Johnny Unitas wading through hip deep weeds with a football clutched in his hand on what was once his home field...the rusted and crumbling stadium in the background.

Somewhere I have a picture of the CNJ station in Scranton, that was just as spooky back in '96.

Lee

[Bob Bufkin]

3rdrail.  Sorry to here about your bad experience with a PA.  My older son is a PA and don't like it when one makes dumb mistakes.

Here are somemore early 70's shots taken at or near Brunswick, MD:





I'll post somemore from this local in a couple weeks.  Next week I'll post my Christmas photo taken on the WM by a couple old friends.

[Chris333]

Looks much better than the old Erie terminal:
http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=qsn4v88txhsf&style=b&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=369502&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1
Funny (to me) how the building have green trim, wonder if they did that on purpose?

[steamhostler]

Last Train for 2008 Sierra Railway

[RockGp40]

Sorry I don't have photos for 3rd Rail, but I placed two former AN boxcars today now with ATW reporting marks. If Lee feels adventurous with his nifty camera and a good pair of boots, they are in Cambridge, MD. He'll know where! Can someone refresh my memory if what railroad ATW stands for?

In other news, "my" 48' Route Rock trailer has reappeared in Federalsburg, MD today after a long sabatical. I posted a horrible shot of it some time ago. Unfortunately, it has been tagged on one side with some political propaganda.

[3rdrail]

Sorry I don't have photos for 3rd Rail, but I placed two former AN boxcars today now with ATW reporting marks. If Lee feels adventurous with his nifty camera and a good pair of boots, they are in Cambridge, MD. He'll know where! Can someone refresh my memory if what railroad ATW stands for?

In other news, "my" 48' Route Rock trailer has reappeared in Federalsburg, MD today after a long sabatical. I posted a horrible shot of it some time ago. Unfortunately, it has been tagged on one side with some political propaganda.

ATW is the reporting marks of the Atlantic & Western, a three mile short line in North Carolina. But, it was also owned by Railroad Management & Consulting's car leasing subsidiary, and RMC leased the AN from St. Joe until Genessee & Wyoming bought out Earl Durden. Were these the "gator" cars and the 6000's? There were 88 gator cars and 96 6000's owned outright, not leased from GE Railcar.

[asciibaron]

Somewhere I have a picture of the CNJ station in Scranton, that was just as spooky back in '96.

not my photo so i'll just provide the link...

http://www.gingerb.com/CNJ%20Scranton,%20PA%20Freight%20Station%201975.jpg

i love this freight station and how it was accessed - notice the tracks were down below.  the CNJ came in from the left and ended in a small yard to the right.  from the yard east/north was a short connection to the NYO&W at the Mulberry Street Viaduct.  i took my wife to Scranton on our honeymoon and she had fun chasing the ghosts of the various railroads.

and here one of my favorite shots from downtown Scranton...

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/cnj_scranton.jpg

notice that "Pennsylvania" is painted over -the CNJ tried to pull a fast one to reduce their New Jersey tax burden and setup a separate "company" for the Pennsylvania lines called the Central Railroad of Pennsylvania from 1946 to 1952.  they lost the tax dodge in New Jersey in court and changed the name back in 1952.  they did keep the Pennsylvania lines separate and eventually sold it to the Lehigh Valley in 1972 when they ceased all operations in Pennsylvania.

-Steve

[wm3798]

Heh.  Scranton for a honeymoon!  I thought I was the only one who put my wife through that sort of thing.. we went to Hagerstown!  (well, the nice part was Harper's Ferry...)

Great pictures.  I wonder if they'll ever do anything useful with that building?  It would be a great venue for a city market...  Perogies and sausages in a freight station... mmmmm!

Lee

[Bob Bufkin]

I drove to Chicago for my honeymoon.  Had to check out all the stations there and also up into Milwaukee.