| Railfan Trips |
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| Here is a listing of some of the rail adventures John recalls or specific railfan getaways. As John relives these photos, they often trigger memories that put the photos in context. We've grouped these photos so you can see the story behind the story. |
| NRHS Western Star (July 6, 2005) |
| John chases the NRHS Western Star, led by SP&S 700 and SP 4449 over the BNSF Fallbridge sub along the Columbia River in Washington. |
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| Ride Behind CP Royal Hudson (April 14, 2004) |
| Ride behind the Royal Hudson from Calgary to British Columbia. |
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| A Rio Grande time (March 1, 2003) |
| John photographs the Rio Grande in Colorado and Utah. |
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| Shooting the QJs in China (November 15, 1999) |
| John took a trip with a Nils Huxtable group to China for the purpose of shootinig the famed 2-10-2 QJs pulling ore drags double-headed and the Hohot-Dongsheng Express trains over the Singing Sands Viaduct on the Donsheng Coal Railway. |
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| Western Canada (September 1, 1996) |
| Trip to western Canada to photograph the Fraser River Canyon. Also the White Pass & Yukon flying from White Horse to Scagway. |
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| Trip To Ukraine & Russia (October 15, 1995) |
| Trip to Russia and Ukraine. |
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| Trip To Romania (October 1, 1995) |
| Trip to Romania to photograph steam. John had his own private train for this trip. |
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| Trip To South America (October 12, 1992) |
| Countries visited: Paraguay, Argentina, and Chile. Columbus's 500th Anniversary. |
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| Trip To India (July 15, 1991) |
| Trip to India for the last of the WP broadgauge Pacifics. A three week tour. |
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| Trip To Pakistan (June 15, 1990) |
| Trip to see steam in Pakistan. Had his own private train. |
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| Trip To China (October 15, 1988) |
| A trip to the Daton Locomotive Factory in Mongolia. |
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| Trip To Poland (August 1, 1988) |
| Trip to Poland to chase steam. |
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| Trip To The Nevada Northern (October 15, 1987) |
| Trip with Tom Schultz to the Nevada Northern. |
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| Steam in Austria (June 15, 1985) |
| 150th Anniversary of Austrian steam power. There was a parade of steam engines, then a trip behind a Baltic 2-6-4 locomotive. |
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| Trip To Scandanavia (June 15, 1985) |
| Trip to Sweden, Norway, Finland. Met George Meyers, rented a car, chased steam. |
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| Trip To Indonesia (May 15, 1984) |
| Trip to Indonesia to photograph the last of the articulated locomotives there. |
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| Alaskan Trip (April 15, 1983) |
| Trip with Tom Schulz to Alaska including the White Pass & Yukon. |
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| The Quest To Find Southern Steam (November 15, 1981) |
| The first of many trips to find and photograph active Southern steam. |
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| Chessie Safety Express (October 25, 1981) |
| A chase of the CSX 614 over the New River sub |
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| Celebration Of 100 Years Of Steam in Austria (June 15, 1981) |
| Austria celebrated 100 Years of Steam railroading and rolled the remaining active steam engines on numerous excursions. I traveled with a group from England. |
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| Farewell To The GG1 (June 6, 1981) |
| Harrisburg to Philadelphia and return with the GG1 as the Lancaster Chapter NRHS sponsored this trip that featured two Amtrak GG1's, ending 47 years of service pulling passenger trains under the wires. |
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| Chasing UP 8444 & 3985 Doubleheaded (April 21, 1981) |
| John and Tom Schultz chased the UP 8444 & 3985 doubleheaded from Cheyenne to Salt Lake City on it's first leg of its trip to Sacramento for the opening of the railroad museum. They then flew to Portland to chase the SP4449 south to |
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| Directed Service On The Rock (January 15, 1981) |
| This series of photos are of directed service by the Milwaukee Road over former Rock Island trackage in eastern Iowa. |
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| SOU 610 Chase (October 15, 1980) |
| Chased with George Meyer substituted steam for the Royal Hudson 2839 Cumberland MD to Terra Alta |
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| Bye Bye Rock Island Railroad (March 31, 1980) |
| John records the last of Rock Island activity from the heart of the system, the Silvis shops and Rock Island, IL. |
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| Milwaukee Road derails getting out of town (December 15, 1979) |
| John follows a Milwaukee Road freight led by F units out of the yard at Davenport, headed upriver on the Dri-Line. The train makes it to the Government Bridge (RI) in downtown Davenport, where it puts cars on the ground. The location is on the Dri-Line under the bridge that carrys the Rock Island to Illinois, and a soft, low spot in the trackage, prone to flooding over the years. |
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 5 Photos (Slideshow)
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| 1979 NRHS Convention in Charlottesville (September 15, 1979) |
| Charlottesville, VA. hosted the NRHS convention. CSX facilities were visited and the CP steamer handled the excursions. |
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4 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Amtrak Corridor fishing in a barrel (July 15, 1979) |
| John spends the day at Linden, N.J., along the busy Northeast Corridor. Included in the mix are ex-PRR GG1s serving out their last years. |
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| Milwaukee Road Iowa Division chase (March 2, 1979) |
| John followed a Milwaukee Road freight as it climbed out of the Mississippi River valley and crossed the state over the 16th subdivision to Council Bluffs, IA. The line would be ripped up a year later. |
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4 Photos (Slideshow)
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| NRHS Convention (September 15, 1978) |
| A trip to Charlottesville, VA., site of the NRHS convention. |
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7 Photos (Slideshow)
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| He Caught The Katy (September 15, 1978) |
| With less than a decade as an independent, the Katy was captured in Oklahoma and Kansas, at places like Vinita and Parsons, Katy hotspots. |
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6 Photos (Slideshow)
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| L&N getaway (July 12, 1978) |
| The Godfather explores the L&N engine facility at Loyall, KY. |
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16 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Conrail Shake Down on the Rock (July 7, 1978) |
| A young Conrail, desperate for motive power, turns to the Rock Island, who themselves desperate for cash, rebuild former GP7''s into GP8''s for the new company. John follows a westbound Rock Island freight out of their yard at Silvis, IL., as far as Durant, IA., a few miles west which has a rebuilt Conrail locomotive in it''s consist to break it in before delivery to Conrail. |
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11 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Chasing A Tip-Up Special (July 1, 1978) |
| The Toledo, Peoria, and Western ran a special with their colorful GP30 #700 from the edge of the Mississippi River at Keokuk, IA., east into Illinois over the TP&W. |
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8 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Rock Island chase (July 1, 1978) |
| John latched onto a departing Rock Island freight at Silvis, IL., and photographed it at various towns as it went west on the Omaha mainline in eastern Ia. |
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| Leased B&O power on the Milwaukee Nitrin line (February 16, 1978) |
| Milwaukee Road leased B&O GP-30s in 1978 and John follows a road train with some of those B&O leaders over the Milwaukee''s alternate route upriver from Davenport, the Nitrin Line on the Illinois side of the river, to Savanna. |
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6 Photos (Slideshow)
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| A Quick Catch at Fulton (January 15, 1978) |
| John spent a Sunday in January of 1978 at Savanna, Illinois, gathering a few rosters as well as a Burlington Northern freight running through on the C&I Line. We will look through the viewfinder of the Godfather as he follows a Milwaukee Road manifest northbound on the Nitrin line between Cordova and the crossing of the C&NW at Fulton, trackage long gone in the 21st Century. |
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15 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Labor Day Thresher (September 5, 1977) |
| All shots from a single roll of film taken on Labor Day 1977. The day began with a grab shot of a Rock Island train at Muscatine, IA., then at Mt. Pleasant, IA., the Midwest Thresher's Reunion activities featuring steam and trolley action were photographed. The end of the day was spent photographing the cleanup of a Rock Island derailment at Walcott, IA. A broken rail sent cars from a westbound Rock Island off the rails a couple days earlier, and crews from the Rock and Hulcher were in the process of re-opening the railroad on Rock Island's Corn Belt route. |
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24 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Chasing the Chessie Steam Express (July 25, 1977) |
| The Reading 2101 lead the Chessie Safety Express across the Garrett Sub on the B&O line in northern Indiana between Chicago and Willard, OH. |
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| Diamond Day At Colona (July 15, 1977) |
| A day spent at the crossing of the Rock Island and BN mains at Colona, Il. We see a Rock track gang and their equipment along with action on the BN and Rock. We also note the track configuration; which has since been redesigned and still active today by BNSF and IAIS. |
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9 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Trip To Turkey (June 15, 1977) |
| Trip to Turkey to explore steam in remote parts of the country (Mongolia). John's car broke down in the boonies, and he was rescued by fellow railfans from the UK in their auto. It was three week tour. |
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| Double-Headed steam to Altoona on Conrail (May 22, 1977) |
| John photographed the ill-fated doubleheaded steam special that ran from Pittsburgh to Altoona, PA. Conrail was a new entity, and hosted the Reading 2102 dressed as Allegheny 2102. Assisting was Cuyahoga Valley [Ex GTW] 4070. By the time they got to Horseshoe Curve, Conrail had come to the rescue with diesel power. I was accompanied by John Briggs and Tom Kelcec. |
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21 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Daylight On The Oregon Division (April 30, 1977) |
| The SP Daylight, #4449 is decked out in red, white, and blue, and has the honor of leading the American Freedom Train over the SP Cascade route. |
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12 Photos (Slideshow)
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| SP 4449 Southern Excursion In AFT Colors (August 28, 1976) |
| After shopping at Southern's Atlanta shops, the SP 4449, dressed in American Freedom Train Colors, rejoins the AFT consist in Washington, D.C. in style, pulling a passenger excursion over the Southern. Reports of 80+ m.p.h. running are logged for the ages. |
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12 Photos (Slideshow)
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| A June Day At West Dav (June 15, 1976) |
| West Dav yard was operated by the Rock Island, with trains of the Milwaukee Road and Dri-Line spotted. There was an operator there as well as a yard office, John spent a summer day catching a weed spray move through the yard, plus a Milwaukee Road freight, and switching by both RI and MILW. |
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| GB&W Excursion (May 31, 1976) |
| Two Green Bay & Western Alcos pulled a special across the west end of the GB&W from Winona, MN., to Merrillan, WI., a trip sponsored by the North Star Chapter NRHS. These are shots from the layover at Winona, MN., and include CNW power that worked the Alco line (now DM&E) to Huron, S.D. |
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13 Photos (Slideshow)
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| On The Eve Of Conrail (March 31, 1976) |
| I had to go to a funeral for a cousin in Washington, DC, during the last week of March 1976. Knowing that the startup of Conrail was just about to occur on April 1st, I went to my former home in NJ and decided to pursue my very last opportunity to photograph both the Erie Lackawanna and the Lehigh Valley. To do this, I had to buy some Kodachrome 25 film and borrow a camera from a friend, John Briggs, who lived in N.J. Then I needed to borrow the 1968 Chevy Impala owned by my brother Bill. Early on the 31st of March, I drove to the Delaware Water Gap and photographed E-L action. Then I followed the former Erie main line westward, encountering E-L freight action. Finally, I arrived at Sayre, PA, the heart of the LV. I spent the rest of the the day until sunset, photographing to the contentment of my heart, the last day of life for the LV! It was a magical moment! |
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35 Photos (Slideshow)
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| UP 8444-SP 4449 On The Overland (October 10, 1975) |
| In the summer of 1975, the SP 4449, running as the AFT #1, had her driver wheels worked on by the UP shop forces in Omaha. Meanwhile, the AFT consist moved under diesel power to Utah. After the work was completed on SP 4449, the engine ran behind UP 8444 across Nebraska to catch up with the rest of the AFT and these are the photos from that chase. John Briggs and Tom Kelsec joined John. |
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6 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Iowa Terminal On The Way Home (October 6, 1975) |
| A few shots of the Iowa Terminal interurban in Mason City are taken on the way home from Nebraska. Later the railroad would be sold and renamed the Iowa Traction Railroad, which it is still known as today. |
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4 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Milwaukee Road flood detour chases (June 14, 1975) |
| Mississippi River flooding on the "Dri-Line" south of Clinton, IA., meant that Milwaukee Road trains used their "Nitrin" branch down the river on the Illinois side of the river to get to Davenport, IA., and Nahant Yard from their Savanna, IL., yard. One chase in June nets a MILW GP30 leading a set of power, then a month later the uniquely painted bi-centennial locomotive Milwaukee Road #156 takes a run down this 10mph branch in fresh paint. The chase is ON! |
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8 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Dri-Line Dripping Wet In The Summer (May 15, 1975) |
| Flooding of the Mississippi in May 1975 meant the Dri-Line was underwater in Davenport. Here are a few of the associated flood scenes from around town. In addition, the colorful first-generation Alcos owned by the Dri-Line were soon to be replaced by drab white switchers. Here is a collection of them. |
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9 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Rock Island Football Special (November 15, 1974) |
| The Rock Island Railroad football special to Iowa City from the Quad Cities to the Hawkeye game. |
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| Early BN on the Mississippi (July 15, 1974) |
| The summer of ''74 was John''s first living in the midwest, and he began to document the Burlington Northern along the Mississippi River in Savanna, Illinois, a location he still frequents today. |
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3 Photos (Slideshow)
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| New Power For Amtrak (May 25, 1974) |
| In 1973 and 74 Amtrak received it''s first new order for power from EMD, the infamous SDP40F''s. They took delivery of 150 of these new units in two batches. This collection will include shots taken early in 1974 at Chicago. In 2011, Amtrak unveiled versions of a "Heritage" paint scheme, paying homage to the early colors painted on Amtrak locomotives. |
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19 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Godfather Fans Santa Fe At Galesburg (December 15, 1973) |
| John makes his first railfan visit to Galesburg Illiois after moving to the midwest. He captures a day of Santa Fe action in town including a detour move of Amtrak's Quincy Zephyr off the BN with a CNW bilevel trainset. |
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10 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Solo Trip To South Africa (December 15, 1973) |
| This was a solo trip that went into the new year 1974, and it started in Italy. There he went to Kenya, stopped in Edi Amin's country (Uganda) for a quick stop, weren't allowed to deplane. Afterwards, it was Kenya and Tanzania, then to Rhodesia and Victoria Falls. |
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| A Southern Saluda grind (July 1, 1972) |
| The Godfather invades the famed Saluda grade for Southern action. |
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| South America Trip With Ron Ziel (February 15, 1972) |
| Countries visited: Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. John's personal life changed after this trip as he had met his future wife Gloria a couple months prior. They were married in October, 1972. |
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| Trip To South Africa And Mozambique (July 1, 1971) |
| Trip to Africa after Europe trip, the countries visited were South Africa, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Mozambique. |
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| Trip To The Eastern Bloc (June 15, 1971) |
| John went behind the Iron Curtain with Mike and Naomi Eagleson. Countries visited included: East Germany and Czechoslovakia. |
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| Trip To Austria (June 1, 1971) |
| Trip to Austria was the start of a swing of countries. Those trips are separated into their own trips. |
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| One Night At Journal Square (April 15, 1971) |
| On his way home from an evening meeting in Manhattan,I photographed the interior of the Journal Square terminal in Jersey City, where PATH rapid transit trains cross the Hudson River through tubes buried in the river bottom. |
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8 Photos (Slideshow)
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| On The Eve Of Amtrak (April 5, 1971) |
| A trip to Florida just before the birth of Amtrak. Scenes of the Champion on the Seaboard Coast Line pulled by a Doodlebug on the Ft. Myers-Lakeland leg. This train was eliminated with the beginning of Amtrak, and the route today is abandoned. |
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15 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Chasing the UP 8444 over Sheman Hill (March 1, 1971) |
| John travels to Wyoming directly from Ontario where he left the CN 6218 in snow to chase the UP8444 (as it was numbered then) on an excursion over Sherman Hill. Along the way, he photographs UP freights pulled by the Big Jacks and U50''s, plus the last service days of the UP covered wagons. |
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14 Photos (Slideshow)
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| WM Big Hook (February 21, 1971) |
| The Western Maryland "big hook" (crane) lifts up a derailed car in the yard at Hagerstown, and a BL2 + calf work a cut of cars in the WM yard. This activity is recorded after the Nickel Plate 759 broke down on it's excursion run nearby on the N&W Shenandoah line, offering John this chance to catch activity in the yard at Hagerstown, including a derailment cleanup in the yard. |
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17 Photos (Slideshow)
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| NKP 759 Breakdown & Fire Up (February 21, 1971) |
| The High Iron Company, running an excursion with Nickel Plate 759 on the NW Shenandoah line, has a problem with a cylinder head and a NW SD45 comes to the rescue of the passenger train at Shepherdstown, West Virginia. A few weeks later, the engine is fired up after repairs at the WM yard in Hagerstown, and then moves under steam again to a connection with Penn Central at Hagerstown before returning north of the Mason-Dixon Line. |
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40 Photos (Slideshow)
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| CN 6218 in the Wintertime (February 14, 1971) |
| John chases the CN 6218 from Toronto up along Lake Simcoe, Ontario, in the wintertime. |
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| Penn Central on the East Slope (September 15, 1970) |
| In September 1970 ABC-TV began airing Monday Night Football and the Godfather tended to photograph rail action on the east slope, including Penn Central freight and passenger action less than a year before Amtrak, and only a couple years after the merger of NYC-PRR. The action also included steam with excursions by NKP 759, that story is told in the Steamy September folder. |
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14 Photos (Slideshow)
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| A Steamy September (September 13, 1970) |
| The Nickel Plate 759 and Southern 4501 were both out and running in the month, John got out after them. We have combined the photos into one big, steamy, September. |
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32 Photos (Slideshow)
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| 1970 NRHS Convention (September 5, 1970) |
| The 1970 NRHS Convention was held in Charleston, S.C., and featured lots of Southern steam. There were also the regular trains of the Seaboard Coast Line and the Southern Railway. |
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51 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Bangor & Aroostook Fantrip (July 18, 1970) |
| A fantrip on the BAR and Darby Yard Shops Tour, plus a side trip to the 2-foot guage line from Dover-Foxcroft and the American Thread factory. |
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18 Photos (Slideshow)
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| A Railroad Builds An Interstate (July 1, 1970) |
| When Interstate 280 was constructed in New Jersey circa 1970, SJ Groves and Sons were contracted to build a temporary railroad to haul rock out of the cut blasted through Eagle Mountain near West Orange, NJ. Get in on the action as the Godfather was on hand to witness this rather unique operation. |
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12 Photos (Slideshow)
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| First Trip To Asia & Australia (June 15, 1970) |
| John flew to Hawaii, refueled the Pan Am 707, and continued to Sydney, Australia. After exploring that continent and it's railroads, he continued 2000 miles east to New Zealand. He then went to Japan for the 1970 Worlds Fair and Japanese steam railroading. |
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| High Iron on the L&HR (May 31, 1970) |
| A collection of NKP and L&HR shots as the Nickel Plate 759 is yarded at Warwick, N.Y., the principal offices and shops of the Lehigh and Hudson River RR. L&HR had an Alco roster of locomotives. Then, John''''s camera followed as the NKP 759 made a light engine move with a tool car to Bethlehem, PA. passing CNJ and RDG connections in the process. |
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16 Photos (Slideshow)
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| South Beach Railroading (January 1, 1970) |
| Spending New Years Eve with a friend in Miami, John is able to slip away for some Florida East Coast switching. This location was on the southwest side of downtown Miami, today Interstate 395 swings through this neighborhood. |
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13 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Wintertime S.J. Groves Shut-Down (December 27, 1969) |
| S.J. Groves Co., railroad builders of the Interstate through West Orange, N.J., have shut down their construction and rail movements for the wintertime. John is able to photograph the S.J. Groves equipment and cars at their yard nearby. See the 1970 trips for "A Railroad Builds An Interstate" for the followup story of cutting through Eagle Mountain in constructing the Interstate by railroad. |
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11 Photos (Slideshow)
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| A day on the Monongahela Railway (December 15, 1969) |
| The railroad that has a name outsiders struggle to pronounce--The Mo-non-ga-he-la Railway once existed to bridge coal loads from the Appalachian mines to the Pittsburg steel mills. It was a short-line railroad, based in South Brownsville, PA. Practice saying the name of the railroad and look at the photos, you will discover what lots of coal-road fans already know, the Monongahela was an interesting railroad. John rode a Greyhound Scenicruiser bus (the type that had the upper level with its own front windshield and view) from Pittsburgh to visit to the Monongahela Railway and their main yard in Brownsville, PA. in 1969. Cue Simon & Garfunkel and that song of theirs about riding the Greyhound to Pittsburg. Sadly, today the area and its once thriving industry base is no more, nor is the Monongahela Railway. Now it is known as the Mon subdivision of the Norfolk Southern. |
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5 Photos (Slideshow)
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| A Day on the New Hope & Ivyland (November 25, 1969) |
| John spends a day photographing the steam at the NHIR in New Hope, Pennsylvania. |
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| The Flying Scotsman Comes To America (October 15, 1969) |
| The illustrious London North Eastern Railway locomotive #4472 made a promotional visit to the USA in October. John was able to capture it on the ex-PRR (then PC) and ex-NH (then PC) Northeast Corridor under the wires. It was also interesting to see what else was running at that time, ex-NH FL9s, ex-PRR GG1s still in Tuscan Red, along with newly marked Penn Central locomotives and rainbow consists from the new fallen flags. At the time of the photos, the future was bright for the Flying Scotsman, but the tour eventually went sour financially before a lifesaver came to the rescue of the famed locomotive. If you think about it, the same happened to the host railroad, Penn Central. The rest...is history.. |
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| Golden Spike Reinactment (May 10, 1969) |
| On May 10, 1969, replica engines like those that touched pilots in 1869 commemorating the completion of the transcontinental railroad met at Promontory Summit. Just as they had 100 years earlier, the pilots touched on a section of relay track and a golden spike was driven. The Godfather was there. |
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6 Photos (Slideshow)
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| A Trip to Columbia (February 15, 1969) |
| John took his camera to Columbia to shoot the Ferrcarriles Nacionales de Columbia meter guage system. He started at Bogota, then rented a car and drove south into the mountains. FCN was liquidated by the Columbian government in 1991. |
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18 Photos (Slideshow)
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| High Iron H-Line Fall Color Special (November 3, 1968) |
| This segment of the High Iron trip over the N&W's Hagerstown ran in beautiful fall colors. There were several opportunities to photograph the train passing country scenes. |
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10 Photos (Slideshow)
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| 470 Fall Trip (September 28, 1968) |
| A circle trip that began and ended at Commercial Street in Portland and ran up through Crawford Notch on the Maine Central, peeling off onto the MEC Beechers Falls Branch, at Quebec Jct. east of Whitefield, N.H. It then ran to Groveton, N.H. When the trip reached Groveton it turned back east on the Grand Trunk and returned to Portland at Commercial Street. The train used MEC power with CNR coaches, borrowed from the Montreal commuter pool, which was available on the weekend. Thanks to Brian Jennison, who also rode this trip and notes that in years prior the annual 470 Club custom was to run from Portland to Island Pond, VT. and back on the GT (CNR). Thanks Brian! |
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3 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Snowbirds In Summer (August 18, 1968) |
| A collection of shots of Lehigh Valley action around Lehighton, PA, with trains led by the Alco "snowbirds" in the classic white LV paint scheme. |
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7 Photos (Slideshow)
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| A CP Power Flashback (July 15, 1968) |
| The way CP power looked in the late 1960''s before the Action Orange of the 1970''s. |
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27 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Portugal & Spain (May 15, 1968) |
| Trip with Mike Eagleson and Victor Hand. RFK was killed during this trip. |
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| First Trip To PA In The Penn Central Era (February 14, 1968) |
| The first trip to Pennsylvania to document any changes since the merger of PRR and NYC into a new company called Penn Central, and things still look pretty much the same as they did in the PRR era, no changes visible yet. |
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3 Photos (Slideshow)
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| The Last Day Of The Pennsy (January 31, 1968) |
| John photographed the PRR environs at Riverside, N.J., including the PRR depot and a local powered by a Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton S-12. The next day was Penn Central day one. |
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4 Photos (Slideshow)
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| The Hoboken Ferry Last Stand (November 21, 1967) |
| The Erie-Lackawanna Ferry service is about to end. John makes a trip from Hoboken to Manhattan aboard the Lackawanna Ferry for the last time. After November 22, 1967, the ferry service operated by the private railroads will cease. |
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23 Photos (Slideshow)
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| NP and MILW in the Kittitas Valley (September 10, 1967) |
| After leaving Colorado, John met his friend Matty Herson of Long Island, N.Y., in Missoula Montana, and they followed the NP west to Washington. Along the way they photographed NP varnish, MILW boxcabs on the transcon, and the new second-gen diesels from GE running in the Yakima River Canyon on the NP. |
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20 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Rocky Mountain High (September 5, 1967) |
| The first leg of a western railfan trip started in Colorado. Included are scenes from the DRGW narrow guage line, and concludes with CB&Q Zephyrs and Chinese Red in the pit before catching a flight to Montana for the next leg of his western railfan odyessy. |
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48 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| First Look At Where I Was To Relocate (June 15, 1967) |
| A three week training at the Rock Island Arsenal brought John to the Quad Cities and his first chance to explore rails in the heartland. Six years later he would move to this area so you could call it a preview. |
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7 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Weekend Getaway to K.C. via Omaha (June 15, 1967) |
| During my three week training at the Rock Island Arsenal in June 1967, I rode a train from Davenport, IA., to Council Bluffs, IA., then a bus to Kansas City to get some shots of the roads that served that area. I got off the train at Council Bluffs to start my picture taking, as there was a lot to see there. Then I rode an overnight bust to KC and got action on the Kansas City Terminal RR, the terminal railroad that hosted the Class Ones.
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| An Erie excursion (June 1, 1967) |
| This train traveled from Hoboken, N.J., via EL to Campbell Hall, N.Y., getting on the NH Maybrook line, crossing the Hudson at Poughkeepsie and onto Beacon via Hopewell Jct. Hop on board! |
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| Big CN Steam on the CV (May 24, 1967) |
| CN 4-8-4 #6218 made a trip down the Central Vermont Railroad from Canada to New London, CT. John was able to catch it in several locations. |
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19 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| A Day on the Cass Scenic (May 15, 1967) |
| John makes a trip up the mountain to the Cass Scenic for a day with the Shays working the switchback and hosting railfans 1967 style. |
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| The Golden State Arrives in Davenport (May 13, 1967) |
| A collection of photos showing the arriving eastbound Golden State Limited one day into the Davenport, IA., station, with associated views of the depot. This was the Iowa side stop in the Quad Cities for the Golden State, it made another stop across the Mississippi River in Rock Island before heading east to Chicago until the train was discontinued in 1968. It remained a full service long distance train, with sleepers and full diner to the end. |
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7 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| CNJ freight on the Pennsy at Elizabeth (March 15, 1967) |
| Action at the passenger platforms on the PRR four-track main at Elizabeth includes PRR GG-1s in their last days before becoming property of Penn Central, pulling crack passenger trains. CNJ freight action is included. Elizabeth was and is a great trainwatching place. |
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| One Day at CY Tower (March 14, 1967) |
| CY Tower was a unique tower on the CNJ between Newark and Jersey City, controlling CNJ traffic and a PRR branch which crossed at grade. At one time, the tower had 67 levers under the control of one man per shift. John spent a day there and captured the CNJ freight and passenger action, as well as a local PRR freight. |
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9 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Lancaster Holiday Train (December 1, 1966) |
| The PRR 1225 is used by the merchants of Lancaster to kick off the holiday shopping season. This engine is at the Strasburg RR Museum today. John got some classic shots as the train traversed Water St., which is devoid of tracks in the 21st Century.. |
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3 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Erie-Lackawanna Doings In Dover (September 7, 1966) |
| A day spent photographing the trains on the Erie-Lackawanna in the Dover, N.J. area. Commuter and intercity passenger trains are captured, along with Alcos working freight at the yard in Dover. |
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14 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| A NYC day on the Harlem Division (September 1, 1966) |
| John photographs the electric cabs of the NYC fleet. |
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| A Great Northern catch (August 1, 1966) |
| John travels to the Pacific Northwest and shoots plenty of classic GN and NP action. |
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| CN steam on the north end of the CV (July 15, 1966) |
| CN 4-8-4 #6218 came to visit from Canada on the Central Vermont. |
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| Steel City Streetcars at Smithfield St. Bridge (June 15, 1966) |
| The Pittsburgh Railways Company operated a vast network of PCC streetcars around the Pittsburgh area up until the mid 1960s. John was able to capture the action at the Smithfield Street Bridge over the Monongahela River before they were bustituted. |
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19 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Second Trip To Europe (June 15, 1966) |
| Second trip to UK, Wales, West Germany. |
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| The Brookline Blvd. Trolley Loop (June 15, 1966) |
| Before PCCs were replaced by buses in Pittsburgh during the 60s, John spend part of a day catching the action on the Brookline Trolley Loop. For more info on this neat operation check the Links tab on the home page after viewing these shots. |
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12 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Rush Hour at CY Tower (March 7, 1966) |
| A day at the busy CY Tower in Newark, crossing the of the CNJ and PRR. |
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| Reading Steam from Philly to Baltimore (September 15, 1965) |
| Climb aboard a Reading 2100-led steam special to Baltimore on the Baltimore and Ohio. John photographed scenes from the Chestnut St. depot in Philadelphia and in the B&O yards that became the home of the Baltimore Orioles later on. |
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3 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| First Trip To England & Europe (June 15, 1965) |
| First trip to England, also Scotland and Ireland. Northern Ireland had steam. The trip to the continent for stops in Belgium, France, West Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. |
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| New Haven Branchlines to the Cape (September 7, 1964) |
| 1964 was the last year New Haven offered passenger service from New York to the Cape via the trains known as the Cape Codder and The Neptune. At Buzzards Bay, the train split into a section for Hyannis and another section for Woods Hole. John spent Labor Day 1964 riding out from NYC to the Cape. He photographed with sections of the train at the yard in Hyannis and depot at Woods Hole. As a bonus are some maritime shots as he rides the ferry from Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven. One of the boats later starred in the movie Jaws. Oh, and check out the photo of the world famous submersible Alvin. It is just sitting there, at Woods Hole. Need to find an H-bomb on the ocean floor? Special thanks to Joel Rosenbaum for assistance with dating these photos as 1964, the last year NH offered passenger rail service here. Obviously, John knew the end was near when he recorded these views a couple weeks prior to train-off. |
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16 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| More Long Island Railroad construction (July 15, 1964) |
| It seems like there was always construction going on with the Long Island Railroad, such was the case in the summer of 1964 as sections of the line were elevated in the Babylon, N.Y., area. John went out and documented some of the change and the action that occurred in the construction work zone. |
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7 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Boston Streetcars (June 15, 1964) |
| A trip to Boston to record the streetcars of the MTA before the beginning of the Massachusett Bay Transit Authority which began operating the lines in August 1964. |
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11 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Central America and Mexico (March 15, 1964) |
| Trip to chase steam. |
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| The Last of the Baltimore streetcars (August 15, 1963) |
| During the summer of 1963, Baltimore followed the lead of Washington D.C. from a year earlier and discontinued their system of streetcars. John documented some of the last runs. |
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| The Red Arrow Line Passes By... (July 15, 1963) |
| John and his friend William Rosenberg are out again, this time chasing the Philadelphia Suburban Transit Red Arrow Line in the days before SEPTA was created. |
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14 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| The IRCA In Guatamala & El Salvador (March 18, 1963) |
| A trip with Matty Herson of Long Island, N.Y., to explore the 3-foot guage railways of El Salvador. The trip ran with a mixed train with numerous station stops from San Salvador to Guatamala City, including Zacapa, Guatamala. |
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10 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Touring The ERIE Suburban Depots (February 21, 1963) |
| The former ERIE mainline was soon to be abandoned through downtown Passaic as commuter operations were shifting to other routes beginning the next month, March, 1963. At the time of the photos, this was Erie-Lackawanna property, but this is a tour of some of the former ERIE depots in suburban territory. With his mom in tow, John made a visit to his brother nearby and took the opportunity to get these shots. Mom didn't mind. |
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7 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| View Of Indiana From The South Wind (July 15, 1962) |
| John rode the South Wind to Indianapolis via the PRR Panhandle in the summer. View the Indiana countryside from the rear window as the train makes it's way on rails that have been long abandoned. |
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15 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Windy City Passenger Trains (July 15, 1962) |
| John spent time on the south side of Chicago, photographing the intercity and commuter fleets of the CB&Q and Pennsy as they came and went. This was a prelude to a ride on the Pennsy Panhandle to Indianapolis. It also was the last of the spit-shine streamliner era, as the railroads began their de-evolution as passenger carriers in the years after, leading to Amtrak by the next decade. Enjoy the clean and colorful trains while you have them! |
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9 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| The last of the Washington D.C. streetcars (March 15, 1962) |
| John photographed the last of the streetcars in Washington, D.C., just steps from the U.S. Capitol building and in the streets and neighborhoods of the nation''''s Capital. The service ended later that year. |
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| Railfanning the Ferrocarriles Unidos de Yucatán (November 25, 1961) |
| John made his first trip to Mexico to the Yucatán Peninsula and the steam of the dual-guage Ferrocarriles Unidos de Yucatán Railroad. John photographed the activity at the Mérida yard and also rode the mixed train to Progreso. |
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26 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Reading Ramble To Gettysburg (October 7, 1961) |
| Shots from a double-headed Reading Ramble. The trips to Gettysburg typically ran in the spring, including shots of the Lavino ''whistle salute'' at Sheridan, onboard behind Reading 2124 as it rounds the curve at Klappenthal Jct. after #2100 was cutoff enroute into Reading, and of Reading 2100 making a ''speed photo stop'' at Mount Holly Springs, PA. The runbys were eliminated the following year. John thanks Robert Mandeville for his assistance identifying these locations and the details of this trip. |
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19 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Q Steam Chase in IL (September 15, 1961) |
| A steam power excursion ran from Chicago to Dubuque, Iowa with the CB&Q 5632 4-8-4 leading it. |
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1 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Pot Yard Incursion (June 10, 1961) |
| A day spent photographing the equipment and activity at RF&P's Potomac Yard. |
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5 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| PRR At Lancaster (April 30, 1961) |
| A day spent photographing the PRR near Lancaster, PA. |
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| GG1s Pulling Freight On The Corridor (March 20, 1961) |
| A day spent photographing the action at Metuchen, N.J., on the PRR's Northeast Corridor, with passenger and freight action led by GG1s. Catch a PRR freight led by a double-headed GG1 consist. |
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| Rivets at South Amboy (March 18, 1961) |
| PRR's first GG1, the riveted #4800, is profiled at South Amboy where it worked the NY&LB. |
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| PRR Electrics at Sunnyside (March 4, 1961) |
| A day at Long Island City, N.Y., aka Sunnyside Yard, photographing PRR motors. |
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| Harrisburg-Tamaqua Iron Horse Ramble (October 22, 1960) |
| An Iron Horse ramble from Harrisburg traverses some Reading Branch trackage and thus the T1's were not used except on the main line running. EMD FP's were used on the branch line. |
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2 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Norristown-Tamaqua Iron Horse Ramble (September 24, 1960) |
| John captured photos of this Iron Horse Ramble which proceeded up the Little Schuylkill Branch then the Schuylkill Valley Branch before returning on the main line. |
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1 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| East Penn & Perkiomen Branch Iron Horse Ramble (July 17, 1960) |
| An Iron Horse Ramble which toured the East Penn and Perkiomen Branches with diesel power on the branchlines, and a T1 4-8-4 on the mainline happened and John photographed it at Norristown Jct. |
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1 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| The Keys For Graduation (June 20, 1960) |
| A trip to the Florida Keys was made to celebrate graduation from Seton Hall. Along the way, relatives were visited in Waycross, Georgia, where I saw Atlantic Coast Line action. Onward to Miami to visit friends, I saw both the Florida East Coast and the Seaboard Air Line at their stations. |
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8 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Q Steam Safari To Denver (June 15, 1959) |
| Riding a Q steam fantrip from Chicago to Denver, with stops along the way. |
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4 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| CP Steam at Ottawa West (August 26, 1958) |
| Ottawa West was a steam-era roundhouse and yard of the CP and 10 years before it''s demolition, the photographer spent a day capturing the end of steam operations. |
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1 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| No Steam To Be Seen At Enola (April 18, 1958) |
| A trip to Enola and there is no active steam to be found on the Pennsy. There were plenty of road trains with exotic PRR first-generation diesels though, and here is a collection of what John photographed just 5 months after he shot the last of PRR active steam here. |
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7 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| B&O Ends Passenger Service to Jersey City (April 15, 1958) |
| Photos of the B&O first-generation passenger power in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. After April 1958, B&O left the New York/New Jersey passenger market by ending service at Jersey City. John and his friend Bill Rosenberg documented the last B&O passenger trains on the CNJ. |
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9 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Covered Wagons Rescue the GG1s (February 15, 1958) |
| In February 1958 over half of the PRR GG1 fleet was disabled due to fine snow particles entering through air intakes. It was one of the only times the GG1s failed in their half-century of service. The PRR brought in diesel locomotives to run the trains, including those from foreign roads like the Atlantic Air Line. Consequently, I photographed a variety of ACL power under the wires at Harrison, New Jersey where it would take the PRR fleet of trains south. The Blue Ribbon Fleet to the west was handled by PRR E units. |
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7 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| An Icy Winter At The Meadows (January 16, 1958) |
| Winter scenes among the PRR motors at the Meadows Engine Terminal at Kearny, N. J. |
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2 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| In search of the last Pennsy steam (November 30, 1957) |
| A trip to Enola yard and PRR engines still under steam. |
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3 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Late September LA 1957 (September 30, 1957) |
| John pays a visit to downtown Los Angeles for action on the Pacific Electric and a few scenes of the LA Railway trolley cars. A visit up to the bay area was on the agenda as well. |
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30 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Big Blows and Big Boys at Cheyenne (September 28, 1957) |
| John made a stop in Wyoming on his 1957 trek to the west coast. Tag along with him as he hits Cheyenne with a commando raid on first generation Gas Turbines, a Big Boy rolling into town with a manifest, and 3900s at the roundhouse. After leaving Cheyenne, Ogden Utah is the next stop! |
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20 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| The Lake St. EL is ELevated (September 25, 1957) |
| While passing through Chicago on his way home to New Jersey, John is able to photograph the work on the CTA Lake St. line as progress is made to elevate it. |
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4 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| 21st Street Chicago, passenger train heaven (September 15, 1957) |
| John passes through Chicago on his first western trip and spends time at the famed 21st St. interlocking where passenger trains of all colors from many railroads converge entering the Chicago passenger terminals just north. The sun is shining! |
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| Tijuana Taxi (September 12, 1957) |
| On his trip west in 1957, John stops at the Santa Fe depot in San Diego on his way to Tijuana, Mexico. |
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3 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| A Virginian by any other name (September 1, 1957) |
| The Godfather travels to Virginia and photographs the Virginian Railroad''s electric horses, in pre-NS days. |
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2 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Enola Electrics (May 5, 1957) |
| A day spent photographing the PRR electrics at Enola, outside Harrisburg, PA. |
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| PRR railfan weekend as the year ends (December 30, 1956) |
| John took a railfan trip via bus to PRR locations off the mainline in search of active steam. Included in the weekend were stops in Hagerstown, MD., and the PRR Buffalo line. |
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1 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| PRR Shamokin Branch Steam Safari (October 20, 1956) |
| Inspired by articles in TRAINS written by David P. Morgan on where the some of the last PRR steam could be found working, John seeks out PRR decapods in service at Crowl, PA., on the Shamokin Branch. The Shamokin Branch was an important link between the western PA bituminous coal mines and Bethlehem Steel in Bethlehem, which took delivery of the ore from the LV, but not before the loads traversed the Shamokin Branch between Sunbury and Mt. Carmel. The type of work was a perfect way for the decapods, heavy haulers of their day, to end their careers as Pennsy dieselized. His trip yields active PRR steam in the yard at Shamokin, PA., as well. |
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3 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| PRR at Renovo and Williamsport (August 18, 1956) |
| This is the collection of PRR images from the conclusion of the trip to the midwest. These were taken in the Renovo engine terminal, on a busy ore line, that also featured passenger service to Buffalo from Harrisburg. |
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19 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Reading T1 4-8-4s on the PRR Northern Lines (August 18, 1956) |
| At Renovo, PA., John and friend Bill Rosenberg found the Reading T-1s, uneeded by Reading, and leased by the Pennsy. It was cheaper for PRR to lease these uneeded, but well maintained locomotives, then perform expensive class repairs needed on much of their own soon-to-be-retired steam fleet. Pennsy ran these in heavy haul service. This was on the way home from a 3 week railfan trip to the midwest. |
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8 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Fanning The Way Home (August 15, 1956) |
| John and his friend Bill Rosenberg conclude their prolific 3-week railfan odyssey by photographing PRR steam along the way home in Pennsylvania Railroad locations like Lewisburg, Renovo, Sunbury, Williamsport, and East Altoona. |
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18 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Firing Up The Santa Fe 2-10-4s at Columbus (August 14, 1956) |
| Tipped off by friendly PRR employees, John and his best railfan buddy Bill Rosenberg stop at Columbus, OH., on the return to the east from Chicago. Their goal is to catching big PRR and Santa Fe steam at the PRR engine facility. The Santa Fe steam, on lease, was working its final days. Also seen was N&W steam on a transfer run and exotic PRR power. |
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30 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Motor City Madman (August 13, 1956) |
| John and Bill continue their midwest railfan swing by riding the night bus from Chicago to Detroit (hey, they were on a budget and the train was more expensive). Once there daylight brought plenty of Grand Trunk Western active steam working commuter service at Brush St. terminal. Another roll of film was exposed at the roundhouse, before they crossed the river to Canada, but that is the next story. |
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40 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Windsor on the Detroit River (August 13, 1956) |
| After shooting photos on the US side, John and Bill Rosenberg ventured to the slips on the Canadian side of the Detroit River. They photographed CN and CP action there including steam in service. |
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| The Last of Street Running in East Chicago (August 12, 1956) |
| As a part of their extensive railfan trip in Columbus, Oh., Chicago, IL., and Detroit, MI., of August 1956, John and friend Bill Rosenberg took a timeout for Chicago South Shore action in East Chicago, Indiana. Why East Chicago, Indiana? There was one-month left before this section of the South Shore would be re-aligned along the new Indiana Toll Road, and that would spell the end of street running here, leaving South Bend and Michigan City as the only sections of street running left on the CSS. Today, only Michigan City sees street running, and plans have that ending in the next decade. John and Bill photographed several trains in the old alignment along Chicago Ave. one month before street running here ended. |
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5 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Chicago, Aurora, & Elgin Interurban (August 12, 1956) |
| A side trip to suburban Wheaton, IL., during a Chicago visit, gives John the opportunity to shoot the colorful interurban Chicago, Aurora, & Elgin at their shops, in the last year of operation. |
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19 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| South Side Chicago (August 11, 1956) |
| John and his friend Bill Rosenberg get their mojo working on the south side of Chicago. Muddy Waters may have recorded the blues on the south side, but John and Bill recorded the last of B&O & PRR steam working there, along with the newcomers. |
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19 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Riding the CTA in Chicagoland (August 11, 1956) |
| As part of his railfan trip to Chicago, John and his pal Bill Rosenberg rode the CTA El from the south side to Howard St., on the northern city limits of Chicago. Today, this would be the CTA Red Line. They transferred to the Linden line to Wilmette to complete their tour. |
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| N&W Columbus One-Stop (August 8, 1956) |
| A one-day blast shooting N&W steam in Columbus after an all-night bus ride from Roanoke finds John and his friend Bill Rosenberg making the best of a short stay. |
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6 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| N&W and Virginian Blast (August 7, 1956) |
| Monday, August 7, 1956, John and his railfan companion Bill Rosenberg make the first stop on a midwest steam quest at Roanoke, Virginia. Here they capture all the Virginian and N&W steam plus Virginian electrics they can in one day. It turns out to be a great start to a railfan trip. |
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32 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| More Pennsy Steam Pulling Freight (March 24, 1956) |
| March 24th and 25th, 1958, were spent on the Northern Central in places like Sunbury and Northumberland, the next morning at Rockville bridge to capture more big PRR steam. Later time is spent getting shots at Enola in the pit and alongside the service area. |
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13 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| The Aerotrain (February 15, 1956) |
| In February and March 1956 the Aerotrain was a train to get a photo of. |
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1 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Off The Leash..Free Reign At East Altoona (September 16, 1955) |
| A trip to Altoona and the East Altoona turntable. John got a pass from the Pennsy to be on the property and documented action in and around the turntable... |
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18 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Downstate Illinois & St. Louis (September 10, 1955) |
| After their visit to Chicago and Milwaukee, John and Bill Rosenberg continued their Midwest railfan tour. Leaving Chicago via Greyhound Bus to Springfield, they spent the next morning photographing the last of the Chicago & Illinois Midland steam getting serviced. Diesel fuel tanks have just been installed in the yard, the end of steam on the CIM is near. Afterwards, they went to the Illiois Terminal and photographed their terminal operations before riding the IT to St. Louis. It was the last year of passenger operations on the IT. In the St. Louis area, activity was captured on both sides of the river. |
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55 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| 1955 NRHS Convention In Milwaukee (September 4, 1955) |
| A collection of photos from John's first trip into Milwaukee, for the 1955 NRHS Convention. There would be a variety of subjects photographed, including Milwaukee streetcars and Chicago, North Shore, & Milwaukee action. Also seen and photographed, GTW ferry operations, Milwaukee Road freight and passenger action, and a few other rarities. |
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125 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Godfather First Trip To Chicago (September 3, 1955) |
| John rode the Gotham Limited to Chicago from Newark with his friend Bill Rosenberg on September 3, 1955. The occasion: The 1955 NRHS Convention in Milwaukee. This group will eoncompass the first portion of the trip, riding to Chicago in an P85br coach with stops in Ohio and Indiana on PRR train #55, an all night run called the "Gotham Limited". It had an afternoon arrival at Chicago Union Station, where John took his first picture on the ground in the Windy City, the first of many more to come. The boys then strolled a couple blocks north to North Western Terminal, where they captured the afternoon rush hour mix of steam powered commuter trains and intercity streamliners including the Portland Rose, then still running on the CNW to the UP connection in Council Bluffs. Except for the restored Ektachrome ASA32 slides taken of the Grand Trunk Western carferry service at Milwaukee, Wisconsin all other slides were taken on restored Anscochrome ASA32 film. |
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17 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Enola, Alone Spelled Backwards (July 24, 1955) |
| John photographs the steam and exotic diesel power populating the Enola (Harrisburg), PA., yard. |
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5 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| Last Of The Long Island Steam (July 20, 1955) |
| Steam is not long for the world on the Long Island Rail Road and John photographs the action at Morris Park, N.Y., and elsewhere, including Long Island steam-led commuter trains. |
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| K4s Shine Like Supernovas (July 11, 1955) |
| Just like supernovas, which are dying stars that shine their brightest just before losing their life, the Pennsy K4s assigned to the NY&LB commuter service shine their brightest in the PRR's last stronghold for steam. John spends a few days capturing the action at South Amboy. |
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| Schuylkill Branch Fantrip To Wilkes-Barre (June 12, 1955) |
| On this June 1955, we tour the PRR Schuylkill Branch on a trip to Wilkes-Barre from Philadelphia. We travel the branch after diverging from the mainline at 52nd. St., to Norristown, Reading, and Pottsville. This trip was sponsored by the Philadelphia Chapter NRHS. At Delano Jct. we enter the LV Hazelton Branch followed by the LV Tomhicken Branch to Tomhicken where we go unto the beginning of the PRR Catawissa Branch followed by the Nescopek and Wilkes-Barre Branches. All this gave the PRR a direct route from Philadelpha to Wilkes=Barry PA. Ansochrome ASA 32 is the film used for the first and second parts while Ektachrome ASA 32, color corrected by Photoshop, was at the end. |
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58 Photos (Slideshow)
or (Grid View)
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| PRR Steam Fan Trip (May 1, 1955) |
| Come along on a PRR excursion with a steam engine under the wires, to a connection with the WM for a tour of Gettsburg. These are photos from the PRR portion of this trip. |
| This trip includes:
24 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Hammerheads to Gettysburg (May 1, 1955) |
| As John recollects, this was a trip that began out of Philadelphia, pulled by a PRR K4 with a "horizontal bar pilot" on the Pennsy via Columbia, MD., crossing the river on a railroad bridge that is long gone today, and ended on a Western Maryland branchline train to Gettysburg National Cemetary. That train was powered by a pair of Alco switchers, also known as "hammerheads". While there, John tours the historic Gettysburg battlefield. Later, he records scenes from onboard the WM branchline. The scenes from this trip include the WM portion of that journey. |
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29 Photos (Slideshow)
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| K4 To Hammerheads on the WM (May 1, 1955) |
| John takes kodachrome slides of a railfan outing over PRR with the 7133 steam engine leading the train under the wires. This was a circle trip excursion PRR ran in conjunction with WM to Gettysburg. These photos are the first in the group, as the train makes it''''s way from 30th St. Station to Columbia, PA. |
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| K4s Simmering At The Shore (April 30, 1955) |
| A Saturday trip to South Amboy where PRR K4s serving in NY&LB commuter service take the day off. |
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9 Photos (Slideshow)
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| New Haven In Bright New Colors (April 24, 1955) |
| The New Haven changes their appearance from olive green to the McGinnis orange and black. John exposes some kodachrome on the new colors. |
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| A Long Island Steam Show (April 24, 1955) |
| The Long Island is killing their steam power but not before hosting fans at their Morris Park, N.Y., facility where their classy steam engines are turned on the table for admiring fans one last time. |
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| PRR Rosslyn Connecting Fantrip Derailment (April 17, 1955) |
| Thanks to Mr. Dean we have the following information from the NRHS archives about this trip and the photos associated with it taken by John seen in this collection. He was one of the 95% who walked own to the derailment site and boarded that day:
The following is from the Baltimore Chapter newsletter of May 2, 1955:
"The Washington Chapter operated a fantrip to Popes Creek, Md., from Rosslyn, Va., via the Pennsy, Sunday , April 17, 1955, and as usual, one never knows what to expect on a fantrip. Anyhow, approximately one-half mile from the Rosslyn station, someone placed a tin can in a switch, resulting in the two road switchers, as well as the first car of the 10-car train being derailed. This occurred a little more than an hour before the starting time of the trip. 95% of the fans walked to the scene of the wreck and boarded the train there but an A. B. & W. bus was chartered to take the other passengers to the train. A switcher was placed on the train and it left 40 minutes late, minus the derailed car and diesels. Two road diesel units were placed on the train at Bowie for the trip down the Popes Creek Branch. The best thing about Popes Creek are their crab cakes. On the return trip, the switcher met the train at Bowie and pulled the train into the Washington Union Station. Chartered busses carried the passengers from that point to Rosslyn. There were approximately 450 passengers aboard including Chapter members . . . and the writer. The Washington Post and Times Herald had a front page article on the trip."
From the trip announcement in the April 4 newsletter:
" . . . leaving Rosslyn, 8.00 A. M., and arriving at Popes Creek, 11.50 A. M. Train will leave Popes Creek, 1.00 P. M, for the return trip, arriving in Rosslyn, 4.30 P. M. Picture stops will be made at Bowie, LaPlata and Brandywine. Round-trip fare will be only $3.00."
Never throw anything away.
Les Dean |
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16 Photos (Slideshow)
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| B&O and CNJ Jersey City Color Trip (April 2, 1955) |
| John photographs a variety of CNJ power, including baby faced Baldwins and boxcab Diesel-Electric #1000, plus classic B&O E6 cab units, all in color. |
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4 Photos (Slideshow)
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| PRR excursion down the Port Line (October 10, 1954) |
| John rides one of Pennsy's excursions down the Port Line from Harrisburg, PA., to Perryville, Md. John captured views at Conowingo, MD., Holtwood, PA., and other spots from inside and outside the train. This line is still a busy freight line used by Norfolk Southern, although the electrification is long-gone, like the PRR. |
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7 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Off To The Races Behind A K4 (August 15, 1954) |
| A day spent on the NY&LB at Red Bank and later Monmouth Park Race Track near Oceanport, N.J. yields a crop of CNJ Babyface Baldwins and Pennsy K4's taking race fans to the track. Both railroads ran two scheduled trains to the track on Saturdays and Sundays out of Penn Station and New Jersey. John recorded the action in Ansco-Color. |
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12 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Reading Steam On The PRSL (July 24, 1954) |
| John teamed up with his railfan friend Bill Rosenberg to ride and photograph a train out of Philadelphia to Atlantic City on this Saturday, July 24, 1954. They photographed a K4-led PRR commuter train then boarded for the ride out the PRSL to Hammonton, NJ, where they de-boarded and photographed the Reading 4-6-2 commuter steam engines nearing retirement in the yard, simmering alongside the ashpit on a summer Saturday while the PRSL diesels did the Saturday chores, soon to entirely replace the aging fleet. |
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24 Photos (Slideshow)
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| A Camelback Steam Excursion on the CNJ (July 11, 1954) |
| A Farewell to Steam excursion was held by the Jersey Chapter of the NRHS on July 11, 1954. The run, from Bay Head to Jersey City, covered the NY&LB, the Freehold Branch, and the Bayshore Branch (Matawan to Atlantic Highlands). CNJ Camelback #774, the last of its type, had the honors of running the train. It was extremely popular, we found a movie clip on the web. A link to the video is found on the links page. You will be able to make out the movie cameraman in the picture at Jersey City of the engine backing into the terminal. When you see the video, you will be impressed with the clip at which these little engines could haul a train down the mainline. John has been a member of the North Jersey Chapter of the NRHS since those days. The cost of the adult fare: $4.50! |
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22 Photos (Slideshow)
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| 4th of July Canadian Roadtrip (July 3, 1954) |
| John joined his fellow New York City friends and railfans Bill Rosenberg, Martin Shaknee, and Arnold Joseph and together they blasted off for a July 4th Canadian Railfan weekend, following the D&H north to the border, then making stops and taking photos of the Montreal Streetcar System, CN & CP steam engines and passenger operations, and Montreal & Southern Counties interurban system to Marieville. |
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53 Photos (Slideshow)
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| The PRR in eastern Ohio (May 30, 1954) |
| Part of a PRR Ohio swing on Memorial Day weekend, PRR equipment in places like Massillion and Akron are spotlighted. |
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14 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Riding the Pittsburg and Shawmut (May 30, 1954) |
| John rode the Pittsburg and Shawmut on a NRHS excursion, it was all part of a Memorial Day weekend railfan safari, starting from Crestline, Ohio. |
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14 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Memorial Day weekend in Crestline, OH (May 30, 1954) |
| A trip to this famous PRR town in Ohio and crossing of the Big Four (NYC) Cleveland-Indianapolis line started off John''''s Memorial Day weekend. It was a railfan weekend that culminated with an excursion on the Pittsburgh and Shawmut RR. In between, John photographed PRR facilities in Canton and Massillon. |
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11 Photos (Slideshow)
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| A PRSL excursion from Philly to the shore (May 1, 1954) |
| John rides a Budd RDC to the shore excursion from Philly, meeting some unexpected interference from a construction crew building the Garden State Parkway. Also seen is action at Atlantic City and shoreline PCC. |
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8 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Street Running K4s (March 27, 1954) |
| K4's ran down the middle of Main St. in Burlington NJ. |
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5 Photos (Slideshow)
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| A Day at Altantic City (February 27, 1954) |
| John spent a day railfanning the platforms at the Atlantic City terminal of the Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Lines where steam still ruled. |
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11 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Junkyard Dog (February 20, 1954) |
| John wanders around shooting photos of the scrapping of the Public Service cars in Harrison, N.J. |
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5 Photos (Slideshow)
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| K4 (February 13, 1954) |
| The active PRR steam found at South Amboy was a magnet to John. And the Raritan Railroad had a yard nearby. He began by shooting the K-4s from the PRR still working the Long Branch as they waited for departure. Included in the group of K4''''''''s was the famous PRR 1361, one of two K4s later saved. Also recorded was the colorful equipment of the Raritan Railway, which had their yard next door. Then John moved on down the Long Branch to Bay Head Junction, where he photographed Pennsy steam and got invited into the cab of one of them. |
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5 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Hurry Up, shoot the CNJ steam while you still can! (February 6, 1954) |
| The End is near for the CNJ steam so John takes advantage of every chance to capture these interesting engines. |
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4 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Newark Subway Loop At Franklin Avenue (December 19, 1953) |
| In January 1954 the Newark, N.J. subway obtained unneeded PCC cars from Minneapolis since they had converted to all bus. These PCCs would replace the Brill Cars that the Public Service Of New Jersey ran on this system to Newark''''s Penn Station. In order for the new PCCs to operate on the system, a new loop had to be constructed at Franklin Avenue because unlike the old Brill cars, the PCC''''s were not bi-lateral trolley equipped, they needed to turn around on a loop track. This series of shots shows the construction of that loop track at Franklin Ave., as well as some of the Public Service Brill Cars that would soon be cut up for scrap. |
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27 Photos (Slideshow)
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| CNJ Steam Blast (December 5, 1953) |
| John makes the rounds at Jersey city, photographing a variety of still-active CNJ steam, including camelbacks. |
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7 Photos (Slideshow)
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| NYC in Boston (November 29, 1953) |
| New York Central readies it's flagship train from Boston west, the New England States, at the B&A coachyard outside South Station. Lightening stripes look good and see if you can note the radio antenna on the shot with the obs car, not often seen in photos. |
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| Army-Navy Football Trains (November 28, 1953) |
| John and his friend Bill Rosenberg photographed the football trains that assembled at old Municipal Stadium in South Philadelphia. The occasion was the annual Army-Navy football game. |
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16 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Mr. Cherrys Roundhouse (November 7, 1953) |
| Mr. Cherry was the Roundhouse Foreman at Camden Engine Terminal and allowed myself and Bill Rosenberg to have the premises to ourselves to take photos at. It was a PRR enginehouse, but diesels of the PRSL along with Reading Pacifics, also serving out their last miles on the PRSL, were serviced. |
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9 Photos (Slideshow)
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| New Haven Excursion (October 4, 1953) |
| These are shots from a fantrip from New York City to Danbury, CT., on the (then) electrified New Haven Danbury branch. The trip included a roundhouse visit and tour of a Sperry Railcar based there; plus freight and passenger action by the depot including freights led by Alco FAs and EP2 boxcab electrics. Our trip included a tour of the 8.2 mile New Caanan Branch. The original photos were both Ansco Color and McGregor Color. |
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29 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Last Days Of The Franklin Ave Stop (October 3, 1953) |
| The last days of operation of Newark's City Subways system stop at Franklin Avenue before construction of the new loop. |
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7 Photos (Slideshow)
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| September At The Meadows (September 19, 1953) |
| A day spent wandering around PRR''s massive Meadows engine terminal at Kearny, N.J., included views from above of PRR GG1s and P5As, as well as 4-6-2 K4s. And nobody cared. |
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11 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Niagara Region Labor Day Weekend Blast (September 7, 1953) |
| I tag along with my NYC railfan buddies including William Rosenberg to shoot far-off interurbans and steam in Ontario. Along the way, we make stops in Rochester (see Working the NYC Water Level Route trip), and discover NYC steam in action at Niagara Falls, N.Y. NYC steam had been banished to lines west of Buffalo earlier in the same summer of 1953.The major event for us was to ride and photograph the Niagara, St. Catherines & Toronto Rwy, a CNR Interurban line along the Welland Canal in Ontario. The trip ends with a grab shot of an eastbound DLW freight led by F''''''''s in the darkening skies near Wallace, N.Y., along with a now classic shot of a then-classic DLW Pagoda-style depot (which lives on as a private residence today)! |
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44 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Working the NYC Water Level Route (September 6, 1953) |
| The first stop on a western NY/eastern Ontario trip is Rochester, N.Y., where the Empire State Express fleet of the NYC called. Back then, the maze of tracks at the Rochester platforms to accomodate the volume of passenger and freight trains was something to behold compared to modern times. |
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11 Photos (Slideshow)
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| PRR Work Train (August 22, 1953) |
| Shots of a PRR work train at Newark as it prepares to leave the yard are seen in this collection of slides. |
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| Pennsy in Pittsburgh (June 12, 1953) |
| Continuing my venture west from Altoona, I shot a number of photos of action under the trainshed at PRR''''''''s Pittsburgh passenger terminal, which was undergoing renovation at the time allowing for a few daylight photos. John chose to shoot all Ansco-Color slides. Included in this group, are some views at Steubenville, Ohio taken in the afternoon after a trip there on the Panhandle Line to complete my westward journey. |
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35 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Altoona In The Long Days of June (June 11, 1953) |
| The long-light of June enabbled me to expose much film in Altoona, exploring the backshops and shooting mainline action. This was a full day of PRR action and a great look back at how life in Altoona was once! |
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31 Photos (Slideshow)
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| CNJ Farewell To Steam Excursion (May 17, 1953) |
| Thought to be a North Jersey NRHS farewell to steam excursion on the CNJ, covering the Rockaway Branch, this trip was led by CNJ 4-6-2 #810. The trip went north of Dover to Mt. Hope., covering three miles of that branch that came off the Rockaway Branch at Wharton. This is a trip John rode, shots from the ride and the ground are included. |
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7 Photos (Slideshow)
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| A May-day at Trenton (May 9, 1953) |
| PRR steam deadlines are growing and the Godfather wanders the property preserving it on film while the rest of the nation fears the Red Menace. |
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| Springtime Comes To The Meadows (May 2, 1953) |
| The locals called it "Karny", and the Pennsy displayed a sense of humor by actually giving that name to the tower at the entrance of the yard they called Meadows (and the locals called "The Meadows"). Local history aside, its a place John spent many hours at as was the case on a fine May day in 1953, as PRR electrics were serviced here in South Kearny, N.J. |
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10 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Off The Beaten Path to Flemington (April 4, 1953) |
| A trip to visit the PRR and CNJ outpost of Flemington, N.J. CNJ commuter equipment layed over on the weekend, and we see CNJ steam in one of its final assignments. PRR branchline property is explored as well. |
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9 Photos (Slideshow)
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| A NYC Diversion in Jersey (April 3, 1953) |
| NYC was one of the first railroads to completely dieselize, and John made a trip to the NYC facility at North Bergen, N.J., and found no active steam. But that doesn''t mean there wasn''t plenty of exotic 1st generation NYC diesel power though! |
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5 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Sunset at Sunnyside (March 28, 1953) |
| John makes one of many trips to the PRR yard at Long Island City, N.Y. and photographs the late-afternoon action. The sun sets over Manhattan as you watch the action below. |
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| PRR Valentines at Trenton (February 14, 1953) |
| The Godfather spends a day with the romance of the rails exploring this PRR terminal. On the way, he spends time at Elizabeth, N.J., shooting mainline action on the Pennsy. |
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| Pennsy Diesel Days at Trenton (December 12, 1952) |
| The photographer made a trip to the PRR yard at Trenton where he photographed the Pennsy power. Today, it was the diesels, from EMD and ALCO, plus the cabooses seen below. |
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7 Photos (Slideshow)
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| The Pemberton & Hightstown RR (November 4, 1952) |
| PRR supplied the equipment to Union Transportation Co. and the Pemberton & Hightstown RR and the Godfather made a day trip down to this location and photographed the rail environs. |
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3 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Harry Truman on the New Haven (October 18, 1952) |
| John went to New Haven, CT., to spend the day taking train pictures. Little did he know that the President of the United States would be pulling in and giving a stump speech for Adlai Stevenson. |
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8 Photos (Slideshow)
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| The Passenger Trains of Boston (August 25, 1952) |
| A visit to relatives in the area afforded John a chance to slip away and photograph the trains at Boston''s passenger stations. Alco PAs, EMD E7As, and Budd RDCs are seen over a period of week in late August, 1952. |
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12 Photos (Slideshow)
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| A Quick Stop At Harmon (August 24, 1952) |
| John rode with his Mom and brother on a Sunday drive up to the NYC Harlem Division. Well, actually, it was to visit relatives but John convinced his family to give him a few minutes to expose some Kodachrome film on New York Central subjects... |
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4 Photos (Slideshow)
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| PRR Altoona Color Encore (July 25, 1952) |
| John made a visit to Altoona with his good friend Jim Kelly, also from New Jersey. They only spent a couple hours in Altoona shooting Kodachrome 10 with his Argus C3 "brick", those photos are seen here. Then they boarded a afternoon westbound led by a K4 and 2 E8''s to Pittsburgh, where they spent additional time photographing the Dusquene Way overhead railroad that served various industries. |
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34 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Altoona Here I Come! (September 10, 1951) |
| The Godfather is armed with his Argus C3 brick and Kodachrome and Ansco Color color film and is headed to Altoona, the heart of the PRR, for his first experience up close and personal with the Standard Railroad of the World. Back then, you could ride the train to your railfan destination if it was Altoona and you lived in New Jersey, and on this trip John rode PRR train #13, a mail train to Pittsburgh led by Baldwin Centipedes west of Harrisburg (see the photos John snapped after detraining at Altoona). There were SO many things to take pictures of... |
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20 Photos (Slideshow)
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| West of Harrisburg on the PRR (June 24, 1951) |
| John makes his first trip west of Harrisburg and electrified territory on the PRR, traveling with a group of rail enthusiasts from the NYC area to Mt. Union, PA, where they detrained and went to visit the East Broad Top RR. Among the many subjects John photographed, a steam-led reefer train passing by at Mt. Union. |
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9 Photos (Slideshow)
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| PRR Toms River Branch Trip (April 15, 1951) |
| John traveled to Toms River N.J., the end of an obscure PRR branchline and a one-time back door route to the east from Trenton. |
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4 Photos (Slideshow)
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| The Broker Tragedy (February 7, 1951) |
| John stumbles upon the accident scene of the Broker derailment in Woodbridge, N.J., the day after the terrible accident that claimed 85 lives and injured 500. Back then, accident investigation scenes were not as secured as they are today, and John had no problem walking up to the street level just below the elevated portion where the PRR suburban train hit a shoefly sloworder at speed the day before. These are the only color photos of the wreck scene that have ever surfaced. |
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2 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Alco PA Demonstrators Come To Town (November 19, 1950) |
| The Alco PA demonstrator is on display at Hunter St. yard in Newark, N.J. |
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| Steam on the Erie RR Greenwood Lake Branch (October 19, 1950) |
| John knows the Erie steam will soon be off the property, so he is excited to see this action on a Erie branchline. |
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| Lehigh Valley Commando Raid (October 15, 1950) |
| John makes an uninvited visit to the LV terminal in Oak Island, N.J. The Korean "conflict" has just started, and things are a little tense. John was asked to leave by a yard worker, fortunately he got a few shots first! |
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3 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Hanging Out at Communipaw Terminal (October 15, 1950) |
| Various scenes of CNJ and B&O passenger trains at one of America''s great terminals of the day. |
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3 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Working The Docks with the LV (October 15, 1950) |
| Shots taken at the docks as LV switchers load the ferrys. These were taken with Ansco-Color film and restored in photoshop. |
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2 Photos (Slideshow)
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| The Erie RR Steam Swan Song (August 15, 1950) |
| Steam is still being used on the Erie out of New Jersey. John finds it. |
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6 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Jersey Central Coachyards In Color (July 15, 1950) |
| John has discovered color film. He likes it, spending the day at the throat of the busy CNJ terminal in Jersey City. |
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1 Photos (Slideshow)
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| Lehigh Valley Wreck Cleanup (July 15, 1950) |
| Teenager John stumbles onto the scene of a LV wreck, the workers are hard at their tasks cleaning up the mess with a steam-powered work train. During the action, John photographs a beautiful LV passenger train headed by an ALCO PA taking riders past the accident site. |
| This trip includes:
2 Photos (Slideshow)
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