L-1. L-2 Meet

this showed up today on facebook, dated Dec 25th.. weird.. was taken by Richard Maske. Why it showed up over 3 month later, I Don't know.
Perhaps the photo was running on LIRR time..
Would make a nice Christmas photo.

It's interesting, but the L-2s showed up in 1968, the L-1s in 1963. But the P-72 passenger coach in the picture seems to have its original as-delivered paint job, without the orange window stripe. By 1968, they had all (I thought) gotten that window stripe and in fact, had begun to receive that horrible MTA "Nordic blue and platinum mist" slapdash paint job which was applied with no scraping and no priming, and began to peel and rust almost immediately.

Where was this taken, the OB branch? The Port Jeff branch? Why is the L-2 heading down the left-hand track? Is the L-1 "in the hole" or vice-versa?

I started in 1973 and there was still all grey equipment even then. I would guess that photo was in 69 or 70 because the Yellow and blue engine does not look brand new. There was plenty of diesel coaches in all grey even in 73. They never painted the pings in mta colors, they all retired in grey, except the one or two used as work equipment or alcohol cars.( I know thats not a ping).

Dont jump on me if im wrong, I have been retired for 5 years. That looks like Kings park, east of the station looking west. The L-2 ( blue and yellow) is in the siding, wating for the east bound L-1 on the main to pass.

Nice shot. BA please for the love of god stop reminding all of us when you started and how long you've been retired as your preface for every response. Why not just add it to your signature.

I do not do it every post, Im sorry you take it that way. I was explaining to the poster there were all grey coaches in 73, it was not an ego thing, and i was also trying to explain it looked like kings park looking west but i could not be sure, I have been gone for 5 years.. It was just a point of reference thing.
I only use the years i was there as a point of reference, to explain an ans when needed.
Its how I can guage the age of a picture in question.
One has to be very careful to explain ones ans in here because of the correctors.
I was just explaining i saw all grey coaches in 73, because he thought they were all orange by 68. I can also tell by that photo its before I worked there, like i said perhaps 69, or 70 because the l-2 does not look new, and all the coaches seem to still be grey.
Im sorry you took it that way. I was trying to explain to the poster before me all grey coaches were still there in the 70's.
If i had simply said there were all greys in the 70's it would have set off a debate about it. By saying I was there in 73 and saw all greys it stops the debates.
Just trying to be accurate in my ans to cut down on the bickering.
Thats why I never post in the Metro North thread, because I did not work there.
I have seen tool, 452 card, choo choo, The moderator and others explain things by their time on the RR, and nothing is said. Please dont single me out.. For exmple, i started this thread, I made no mention of my time on the RR in the opening of the thread.

Doc: Sure can be a very nice Christmas shot as you said! Richard Maske's work seems to be always a gem. As the L-2 purchased by the MTA in 1968 (wish I knew the month) showed up in the blue and yellow sure could be 1968, but they have seen some outdoor grime as you stated.

Sure wish we had date/location info.

BTW: The correctors; if they're right: great. Wrong, tell 'em why... I've been there too. No big deal, they don't pay the mortgage.

More C420 info/photos: http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/lirrc420.htm

It appears that behind the L1 the train in tow is painted in MTA Colors.
Also Looks like it could be the curve at the east end of Kings Park. Looking East.
Regardless, it's still a really nice shot of the railroad the LIRR once was.

Could be like i said its been 5 years. They also could be silverliners. Blew the picture up on my computer.. they do look like mta colors on the L-1 coaches

Ok, The new C420 units arrived on the LIRR property in powder blue and bright yellow MTA color scheme during the Summer of 1968. Info: Dave Keller

Yet, as indicated, thus unit has been outdoors a while. I would venture 1971-1972. Dave Keller input.

Perhaps contact with R. Manske would help!

Interesting that you are discussing this picture. I usually have better notes so I had to scramble a little to reconstruct it from the scrawl in my calendar and my rapidly fading memory. It's Sunday, December 28, 1969. The L-2 is on the main, eastbound, at GREEN Interlocking (Kings Park, now FOX 2). The L-1 is westbound and taking the siding.

Now, here's the kicker. The L-2 was on #4622, the Sunday only Kings Park Hospital train. The hospital siding was snowed in and so hospital passengers were discharged at Kings Park. The hospital train would back out of the siding and DH as an extra to Port Jefferson to turn the engine. So it would run on signal indication as far as POST and then have a form 19 running order to cover manual block territory POST to Port Jefferson.

Needless to say, I was disappointed not to photograph the hospital train in the snow. Only a month before, I took black and whites of the hospital train.

This photo was scanned from a Kodacolor S negative; Kodacolor S was an excellent professional print film that I used when I had a few extra dollars.

Dick Makse

nyandw wrote:Perhaps contact with R. Makse would help!

I did, I'm acquainted with Richard. I think his reply is imminent.

Im sticking with 69-70 lol

HIll Valley, Smithtown...?

I don't know what happened to Richard's message, he hasn't posted here in quite a while so presumably it's being held for moderator approval. At any rate, I think it's time to end the suspense.

I believe his answer will be more detailed but he emailed me that the photo was taken at Kings Park, at the east end at Green Interlocking on December 28, 1969.

It is a beautiful photograph. I was around back then and, I regret to say, the MTA having taken over LIRR, the operations were beginning to seem kind of blah to me.

Dick's photo shows what you can do with a little planning and some creativity.

cant get more 69-70 then that..lol 69, 4 days shy of 70.