Three States, Three Steam Locomotives

Strasburg Rail Road; Paradise, Pa.; December 4, 2015

Tourist railroads all across the U.S. and Canada are benefitting from the commercialization of Christmas (okay, let's not open all the negatives of that can of worms and focus on the positive) and that means Santa Claus trains or something similar are a huge part of a railroad's bottom line. And for the railroads that rely on steam, that means steam operations at night. And for the railroad photographer, that opens up a lot of photo possibilites (see, I told you we'd get to the positive).

I had the chance to photograph three steam operations in three adjacent states -- all on one weekend. The Strasburg Rail Road in Pennsylvania operates one "The Night Before Christmas" train each Friday evening in December. The Wilmington & Western in Delaware doesn't run night steam powered trains, but its locomotive is necessary to keep the steam-heated coaches on the daytime trains warm, and that means the locomotive is fired up over the weekend. And the Black River & Western runs several "The North Pole Express" trains each Saturday and Sunday in December, including one departure each day after dark. Let the photography begin!

The Strasburg Rail Road only operates one train a night on one day a week, so that meant I needed to make more than one trip to Lancaster County. On Friday, December 4, I photographed the train (above) as it passed through Cherry Hill (the sign on the station says "Population 17 More or Less;" the onboard narration explains that it's more when the train gets there and less when the train leaves, although the popularity of the corn maze Cherry Crest Farm keeps the population pretty high in the fall). This was actually my second choice of where to shoot that night, as I had wanted to do the shelter at the railroad's picnic area at Groff's Grove; alas, winter track work had the area around Groff's all torn up.

The next weekend I had a three-railroad strategy all in place. Friday found me back at the Strasburg for the prime shot on the railroad -- the bridge over Pumpkinville Turnpike (actually a dirt farm lane) near Paradise. I checked in with the landowner during the day and got permission to be on his property, and began my set-up at about 6:30. Like the previous week, the power was Strasburg's ex-Norfolk & Western 4-8-0 pulling a monster 11-car train. The engine runs tender-first on the outbound trip, giving me a chance to test my flashes and set-up. On the return to Strasburg, No. 475 put on quite a show climbing the grade out of Paradise. As it crossed the bridge I fired the shot and had the first steam locomotive of the week in the bag.

Strasburg Rail Road; Paradise, Pa.; December 11, 2015

Wilmington & Western's ex-Mississippi Central 4-4-0 No. 98 was next on the list, scheduled for Saturday night. The locomotive has a mechanical issue that keeps it from moving under its own power, but the railroad needs the steam it produces to charge the steam lines in the coaches for its daytime runs. With No. 98 needed to provide steam on Saturday and Sunday, it would be hot overnight on Saturday, so the railroad scheduled a night photography event. Volunteer Tommy Gears rounded up antique trucks and actors and it created quite the scene. The shoot took place at the W&W's shop in Marshallton.

Wilmington & Western; Marshalltown, Del.; December 12, 2015

A second view shows the combine loading, a passenger boarding, and the railroad crew chatting.

Wilmington & Western; Marshallton, Del.; December 12, 2015

With the wide shots out of the way, we moved in closer for some detailed shots. The locomotive crew looks on as some female workers tend to the 4-4-0. During World War II it was not uncommon to find women working in rail yards while many men were away.

Wilmington & Western; Marshallton, Del.; December 12, 2015

With the women decked out in their railroad worker attire, we retreated into the railroad's shop for some more "Rosie the Riveter" scenes using an under-restoration 0-6-0 as a backdrop.

Wilmington & Western; Marshalltown, Del.; December 12, 2015

That brings us to Sunday night. Black River & Western has "The North Pole Express" running throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday, but three moves are done after dark. The 5:00 train leaves Flemington for the North Pole (actually, Ringoes where the railroad's shop is located). It then departs the North Pole at 7:00 to head back to Flemington, although the locomotive runs tender-first, making the shot less than desirable. Finally, the empty train deadheads from Flemington back to Ringoes sometime after 7:30. I had done some static night photography with a diesel at the abandoned Hunterdon Concrete plant just outside Ringoes, and set up there for a non-static steam shot on December 13. Black River & Western uses an ex-Great Western 2-8-0 that used to haul sugar beets in Colorado.

Black River & Western; Ringoes, N.J.; December 13, 2015

When doing night photography, you really need a "prop" of some sort so you don't have just the train peeking out of the darkness. The Black River & Western is not loaded with props -- a couple of nice bridges are either hard to access or blocked by trees -- so you have to improvise. For the 7:30 deadhead move I wound up at Toad Lane, once again just outside Ringoes, where a convenient grassy knoll gave me some elevation for a shot coming across the grade crossing.

Black River & Western; Ringoes, N.J.; December 13, 2015

With only one weekend left before Christmas, I may not get many more opportunities to shoot steam at night this year. But I have enjoyed getting some fun images this year!

Photos from this post can be purchased here.

Farewell To the U34CH

New Jersey Transit; Mountain Lakes, N.J.; August 27, 1994

On New Jersey's commuter roster was a unique locomotive model -- the U34CH diesel built by General Electric in 1970. The 32 units were purchased by New Jersey's Department of Transportation for use on lines operated by Erie Lackawanna. The EL was merged into Conrail in 1976, and Conrail spun commuter operations off to New Jersey Transit in 1983. By the early 1990s, the units were getting old and ready for retirement. To send them off properly, NJ Transit teamed up with the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey for an excursion covering over 180 miles on August 27, 1994.

After departing Hoboken Terminal, the special train headed to Netcong on the Boonton Line. On the west end was U34CH No. 4172 in the traditional blue and silver paint scheme most of the locomotives wore during their service lives; on the east end was U34CH No. 4176 in NJT's silver "disco" scheme, one of seven units to get that treatment. The first photo stop was made at Mountain Lakes (above) featuring the 4176. The photo line watched the train pull by with 4172 on the west end (below).

New Jersey Transit; Mountain Lakes, N.J.; August 27, 1994

The next stop was at the end of the Boonton Line at Netcong (which is actually west of Boonton). The 4176 was once again the featured power for the shot.

New Jersey Transit; Netcong, N.J.; August 27, 1994

From here the train reversed back almost to Hoboken to West End, where the train swung north on the Main Line towards Suffern, New York. A photo and lunch stop was made at Ridgewood with No. 4172 looking good pointing south into the sun. The U34CHs lost their Erie Lackawanna nose herald after going to Conrail, but Frank Etzel of the URHS added a temporary EL herald to the front of 4172 for the day.

New Jersey Transit; Ridgewood, N.J.; August 27, 1994

After lunch the train continued north to the end of the Main Line at Suffern (NJ Transit trains continue past this point to Port Jervis, N.Y., under contract with Metro North). Another photo stop was made at Suffern as the train prepared to return south.

New Jersey Transit; Suffern, N.Y.; August 26, 1994

Reversing back south, the train went to Rutherford on the Bergen County Line, with another photo stop at the Radburn station, once again featuring 4172.

New Jersey Transit; Radburn, N.J.; August 26, 1994

At Rutherford, the train headed outbound again, this time on the Pascack Valley Line to Spring Valley, N.Y. The train then used the Pascack Valley Line and Main Line to ultimately return to Hoboken Terminal. A photo stop was made on the Pascack Valley Line at Oradell, N.J.

New Jersey Transit; Oradell, N.J.; August 26, 1994

The final photo stop was at Harmon Cove on the way back into Hoboken. The trip was advertised to return at 6:30 p.m., but it rolled into Hoboken at 5:50, a full 40 minutes early!

New Jersey Transit; Harmon Cove, N.J.; August 26, 1994

After dinner a few friends and I decided to do a "what the heck..." and wandered to Hoboken Terminal to ask if we could wander into the yard for some night shots of the U34CHs. Much to our surprise, they said "yes." We started with the 4172.

New Jersey Transit; Hoboken, N.J.; August 26, 1994

We next turned our attention to the 4176, with the 4172 in the background.

New Jersey Transit; Hoboken, N.J.; August 26, 1994

Our night finished up with the 4172 next to another veteran unit -- former Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 No. 4877, which finished its career with NJ Transit and was being held at Hoboken for preservation by the United Railroad Historical Society.

New Jersey Transit; Hoboken, N.J.; August 26, 1994

The U34CH locomotives would actually hang on in regular service for a few more months before being retired. Some saw later service for SEPTA in Philadelphia, while some were sold to Mexico, and others were scrapped. Only No. 4172, which ran on this trip, survives in the United States. It is now in the care of the United Railroad Historical Society, which is returning it to operating condition with its original number, Erie Lackawanna No. 3372.

Photos from this post can be purchased here.

20 Years Ago -- A Trip For A Hot Dog

New York City Transit Authority; West 8 Street, Brooklyn, N.Y.; April 1, 1995

It seemed like a good choice -- the Wilmington Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society was looking for a spring trip using regular service trains. The trip would originate somewhere in northern Delaware or southeastern Pennsylvania. I suggested we go to Coney Island to get a hot dog from the original Nathan's Hot Dog stand. So on April 1, 1995, a group of us set out to travel through Manhattan to Brooklyn in search of a hot dog.

Our trip began at the SEPTA station in Marcus Hook, Pa. -- at the time, SEPTA service into Delaware was quite limited. We boarded a Silverliner IV and headed to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, where we would change trains and take another SEPTA train to Trenton, N.J.

SEPTA; Marcus Hook, Pa.; April 1, 1995

At Trenton we changed to a New Jersey Transit train to continue into Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan. We were riding in the lead car of a set of Jersey Arrow self-propelled multiple unit cars, and as the conductor was taking tickets he soon realized he had a group of railfans on board. He checked with the engineer and soon he was cycling members of our group through the cab for photos from the head end.

Amtrak; Elizabeth, N.J.; April 1, 1995

Once in Manhattan we worked our way into the subway system. We knew we wanted the F-Line out to Coney Island. As it works out, the F-Line also serves the oxymoronically highest point on the subway system at Smith-9th in Brooklyn, just after leaving Manhattan. The elevated line provides great views of the Manhattan skyline, so we paused for photos here.

New York City Transit Authority; Smith-9th, Brooklyn, N.Y.; April 1, 1995

We continued on the F-Line to the West 8 Street station near Coney Island. This is a multi-level station that also has some good photo angles. We paused here for a few shots before finally heading to lunch.

New York City Transit Authority; West 8 Street, Brooklyn, N.Y.; April 1, 1995

Two more stops and we had arrived at Coney Island. The Stillwell Avenue subway station marked the end of our outbound journey.

New York City Transit Authority; Stillwell Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y.; April 1, 1995

Finally, it was time for our hot dog! We did take time to shoot subway trains approaching Stillwell Avenue across the street.

Nathan's Hot Dogs; Coney Island, Brooklyn, N.Y.; April 1, 1995

After lunch we spent some time looking at the Stillwell Avenue terminal. A lot has changed in the intervening 20 years -- the terminal has been expanded and modernized. The BMT (Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit) signage on the outside that we saw is still in place in 2015.

New York City Transit Authority; Stillwell Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y.; April 1, 1995

NYCTA; Stillwell Avenue

Now it was time to head home. Lunch was late, and it was already mid-afternoon. As I recall, we opted to take the B-Line back, but long shadows precluded photography. At New York Penn, a few of our group opted to hop on Amtrak to Philadelphia to expedite the ride home. Most of us, however, opted for the NJ Transit/SEPTA combination back to Marcus Hook. Arrival back at the hook was after dark, but it certainly was a memorable trip to get a hot dog!

Nathan's Hot Dogs; Coney Island, N.Y.; April 1, 1995

Along the Lehigh Line

Norfolk Southern; Pattenburg Tunnel, Pattenburg, N.J.; October 23, 2014

Over the course of this past autumn I got to explore the most local busy railroad to my home, Norfolk Southern's route across New Jersey on the former Lehigh Valley Railroad. With gas prices falling, local day trips became a bit more economical, so I made the one-hour drive down to NS's Lehigh Line a few times as the leaves turned. We'll take a geographic look at the line, starting just across the Delaware River in Easton, Penn., where we see a westbound train on the former Lehigh Valley passing under an abandoned bridge that once carried the Central Railroad of New Jersey across the Lehigh River.

Norfolk Southern; Easton, Penn.; September 28, 2014

Now we'll get into New Jersey. Coming up from the Delaware River, trains are digging into the grade up to the summit at Pattenburg Tunnel (top photo in this blog) as they pass through Bloomsbury. Two nice overhead bridges provide good views in both directions here.

Norfolk Southern; Bloomsbury, N.J.; September 28, 2014

On a rainy day in October we look the other direction at Bloomsbury as the local train from Allentown, Penn., heads back west.

Norfolk Southern; Bloomsbury, N.J.; October 23, 2014

At Jutland there is a nice overhead bridge, where we see an oil train passing underneath. Oil trains have really added a lot of traffic to the Lehigh Line.

Norfolk Southern; Jutland, N.J.; September 28, 2014

An overlooked location is Hamden, located in the woods west of New Jersey Route 31. The Lehigh Line passes through back-to-back truss bridges here, crossing the Raritan River (westernmost bridge) and Cramer's Creek (near bridge in the photo below). Another oil train heads east through the two bridges.

Norfolk Southern; Hamden, N.J.; October 9, 2014

Downtown Stanton Station (which consists of a general store and not much else) is a good place to photograph eastbound trains in the afternoon, as the tracks curve southward here to provide good lighting. A stack train snakes through the S-curve just north (railroad west) of the town.

Norfolk Southern; Stanton Station, N.J.; October 9, 2014

Just south of the grade crossing in town, we find a stand of late autumn color hanging in there. A stack train rolls through on it way east. Just ahead is a passing siding where meets often take place, so there can be a lot of action in a short time at Stanton Station.

Norfolk Southern; Stanton Station, N.J.; November 6, 2014

We'll head just a few more miles east for our last shot. Here we find an eastbound train crossing the Raritan River at Neshanic Station. The train has some more rural running to do before it starts entering suburbia on its way to the yards and refineries near New York City.

Norfolk Southern; Neshanic Station, N.J.; November 15, 2014

And we'll conclude with a story about the top photo in this blog. On a rainy day word got out that two of Norfolk Southern's heritage units (a total of 20 units painted for the predecessor roads that make up Norfolk Southern) were coming east. One of the two heading this way was painted for the Virginian Railroad, the other for the New York Central. The Virginian was a rugged mountain line and I thought a shot of the Virginian unit coming out of Pattenburg Tunnel would be appropriate. I had a friend who was monitoring the progress of the Virginian unit through the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania and I knew the New York Central unit was on a train about two hours behind. I timed it out carefully and walked in to the shot at Pattenburg Tunnel about ten minutes before the train was due. I waited for the train... And waited... And waited... After about an hour my friend called to say the train (which was carrying oil) went into a siding near Bethlehem, Penn., and would be sitting there indefinitely because the refinery (across New Jersey) already had a train unloading there and there was no room for another train. By this time I was pretty sure the New York Central-led train was only about 30 minutes away, so I waited in the rain for it. Sure enough, it did show up right about when I guessed it would, so the top photo of this post is really just a consolation prize photo.

Full Size Dioramas

United Railroad Historical Society; Boonton, N.J., September 21, 2014

The diorama is something often produced by modelers -- a small scene showing what was or what might have been. But dioramas can often be produced in full size, as well. Such was the case at the  open house held by the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey at its restoration shop in Boonton.

The URHS was established in the late 1980s to assist in the establishment of a state-funded railroad museum; three decades later, the state has yet to act on funding such a project. But back in the beginning, New Jersey Transit was on the brink of a complete modernization of most of its commuter lines in the northern part of the state. The agency asked the URHS which pieces of equipment were worthy of saving. The URHS identified some 60 pieces of equipment and sent the list to NJT. The transit agency gulped -- but to the amazement of everyone, donated nearly all the items on the list.

United Railroad Historical Society; Boonton, N.J., September 21, 2014

The URHS found itself in possession of a ton of equipment including three GG1 electric locomotives, several E8 passenger diesels, a fleet of passenger cars and some former multiple-unit electric cars that worked for the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western; there was a host of other equipment as well. The collection was put into temporary storage at a variety of locations around the state awaiting the funding for the state museum. A restoration yard of sorts was established at one of the sites in Lebanon, N.J. As the years dragged on, though, and no museum was forthcoming, one by one the owners of the "temporary" storage locations asked URHS to move its equipment. A permanent site needed to be found.

One thing URHS was able to accomplish was getting some of the equipment restored. Various short lines and tourist railroads leased URHS equipment for favorable rates with the understanding they would restore the units. Even Metro North, the New York commuter operator, leased a pair of ex-Chicago & North Western F7s under the condition that they come back to URHS in running condition -- and painted for the Lehigh Valley! The generous rules around various federal transportation funding bills allowed more equipment to be restored.

United Railroad Historical Society; Boonton, N.J.; September 21, 2014

 Finally, a permanent home was found for the collection when NJ Transit donated its unused rail yard in Boonton. The equipment that hadn't been leased out was gathered and moved to the new site. A restoration shop, cleverly built out of storage containers, was constructed. Money from donations and grants was still coming in, and equipment began to enter the shop and come out at least cosmetically restored. A few luxury passenger cars had been put back into service, fully certified to run on Amtrak, to generate additional revenue. The crown jewel of the fleet is the Hickory Creek, an observation car that ran on the New York Central's 20th Century Limited.

All this brings us back to dioramas. The facility at Boonton is a restoration yard, not a museum site. Nonetheless, each year the URHS holds an open house at the facility. The space is limited, but for photographers there are a couple of "dioramas" set up. The effect is especially effective after dark when night photography comes into play.

United Railroad Historical Society; Boonton, N.J.; September 27, 2014

For the open house, one end of the shop complex held a New York Central scene. The Hickory Creek was posed next to E8 passenger diesel No. 4083. No. 4083 wears a love-it-or-hate-it experimental scheme of jade green the NYC tested in the 1960s -- No. 4083 was one of six units to receive the scheme, and is the only survivor. Perhaps this scene could represent the eastbound and westbound 20th Century Limiteds meeting somewhere in the dark, or perhaps the engine change at the Harmon Shops in Croton, N.Y., where electric locomotives that led the train out of Grand Central Terminal were swapped for diesels for the rest of the run to Chicago.

United Railroad Historical Society; Boonton, N.J.; September 27, 2014

The other end of the shop featured units that operated for New Jersey Transit on its New York & Long Branch service from Hoboken and New York City to Bay Head, serving the northern towns of the Jersey shore. In the early 1980s NJT trains left Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan behind GG1 electric locomotives that had served the Pennsylvania Railroad since the 1930s and 1940s. At South Amboy the massive motors were swapped out for E8 passenger diesels, classics in their own right, to continue on to Bay Head.

United Railroad Historical Society; Boonton, N.J.; September 27, 2014

 This scene was a slight mismatch of eras, however. By the time NJT got ahold of GG1s for service, they had lost their attractive Brunswick green paint and gold striping, replaced by solid black from when they worked for Penn Central. Thus, in real life the good-looking blue and silver NJT diesels would not have ever appeared with Pennsy-painted GG1s. Nonetheless, the locomotives did work together at South Amboy at one time.

United Railroad Historical Society; Boonton, N.J.; September 27, 2014

The URHS has done a remarkable job in the cosmetic restoration of these two GG1s. No. 4877 has received the five-stripe whiskers scheme, while No. 4879 has the single large stripe with a larger Pennsy keystone on the side. Both look really good.

United Railroad Historical Society; Boonton, N.J.; September 27, 2014

So there you have some full-size modeling. Perhaps someday the state will finally establish the transportation museum and the equipment will be more readily available to the public. In the meantime, watch for the URHS open house each September. For more information check out the URHS website.  For more daytime photos of the equipment at Boonton you can click here. For more night photos from Boonton you can click here and scroll to the second page.

The Last Lackawanna Ferry

Binghamton; Edgewater, N.J.; September 27, 2014

A significant piece of railroad history sits partially submerged in the Hudson River in Edgewater, N.J. The ferry boat Binghamton once served the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, taking passengers from the Lackawanna's trains across the Hudson between Hoboken and Manhattan.

Binghamton; Edgewater, N.J.; September 27, 2014

The Binghamton was built in 1904-'05 by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry-dock Company, was launched on February 20, 1905, and entered service on April 3, 1905, for the Lackawanna's Hoboken Ferry Company. It was one of six identical ferry boats operated by the Lackawanna.

Binghamton; Edgewater, N.J.; September 27, 2014

Almost immediately the need for ferry service began to decline. The Pennsylvania Railroad and the Hudson & Manhattan (now PATH) both tunneled under the Hudson in 1907. The Holland Tunnel opened in 1927, with the Lincoln Tunnel following a decade later. The last ferry crossing by the Lackawanna was made on November 22, 1967; by then the Lackawanna had merged with the Erie Railroad to form the Erie-Lackawanna.

Binghamton; Edgewater, N.J.; September 27, 2014

In 1969 the Binghamton was purchased by a contractor with the dream of converting it into a restaurant. In 1971 it was moved to Edgewater. The initial plans never materialized, but a new owner came on the scene in 1974 and the Binghamton was moved about a half mile to its current location in 1975. Later that year the restaurant finally opened. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Binghamton; Edgewater, N.J.; September 27, 2014

The restaurant was shuttered in 2007 and the intervening years have not been kind to the Binghamton. Its owner applied for a demolition permit in 2011, but before any work could be done the boat took on water and became partially submerged it in 2012. Hurricane Sandy did major damage later in 2012 (the river side of the boat looks much worse than the land side seen in these photos) and a suspicious fire did further damage in May 2013.

Binghamton; Edgewater, N.J.; September 27, 2014

For now the Binghamton holds the distinction of being the last double-ended steam-powered ferry left on the Hudson, but that won't last much longer. The current owner is in the process of paying fines he owes to Edgewater for various code violations and will hire a contractor to demolish the boat. A barge restaurant will ultimately occupy the Binghamton's berth. For now, though, the Binghamton remains in sad condition, it's wheelhouse sign that once proudly proclaimed its name resting on the ferry's roof. The boat was on borrowed time when these photos were taken on September 27, 2014. It's unclear just how much longer the Binghamton has left, but time is not on its side. More photos can be found here.

Binghamton; Edgewater, N.J.; September 27, 2014