And at the south end of the line, with some surplus cars Conrail had stored on the siding there.
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Here's another story which can finally be told. There was an excursion involving one speeder under the command of the late (and legendary) Henry Pape and perhaps 2 or 3 other guys, which set on the East Hojack around Webster area. A friendly contact at Conrail or PC (not sure what year this was) assured them that no trains were running that day. So they set off eastward, enjoying the ride until a plugged fuel filter brought them to a halt. Tools were always carried on these trips, and in due time the bowl had been removed, cleaned, and re-installed.
Things went well until Williamson, where they encountered the State Street job out of Charlotte - sitting on the main track! Now I suspect the crew may have outlawed there the previous day and tied down, while those on the speeder insist the crew was over in a diner. Whichever, the speeder guys, who happened to possess a switch key, simply opened a switch, entered the siding, and ran around the sitting train, lining the iron back normal behind them.
With that obstacle behind them, they rolled merrily eastward... East Williamson, Sodus, across the former PRR at Wallington, and thence eastward The trip was interrupted again a time or two for the fuel bowl plugging, but otherwise things went fine. Past North Rose, Wolcott, and Red Creek. In the middle of nowhere, the speeder gasped to a stop again, and Henry, by now quite familiar with the needed repair, prepared to make corrections. As the guys stretched their legs and enjoyed a moment of silence after the racket of the speeder, they heard the one sound they LEAST expected, or wanted to hear.
"HHAAAAAAA HHAAAAAA HA HHAAAAAAA!"
What they did not realize was that the State Street job out of Charlotte, who their friend in Rochester Yard could somewhat monitor the progress of, went only as far as Sodus. Beyond that, service was provided by the Red Line job which came west out of Oswego. And it was coming west from Oswego NOW!!!
Well, track speed was only 10 mph, and Henry dove into the tool box and began carefully but frantically cleaning the fuel line. Soon a headlight came into view, rocking slowly toward them and no doubt with a crew rubbing their eyes in disbelief. I was not there but I think I heard that one of the guys was told to go flag the train, but only went a few feet down the track, reluctant to get too far from the rest.
While the others stared at their slowly approaching foe, Henry merely tossed an occasional quick glance and began reassembling the parts. As the brakes squealed as the Red Line prepared to stop, and a crewman stood on the front steps about to ask what the hell was going on, Henry gave one final turn with the wrench, threw the tools into the box, and a moment later the motor car popped into life. Like a 4-man bobsled the guys climbed aboard and they accelerated westward. The train may have had a 10 mph restriction, but no such rule applied to the trespassers and they soon had blasted west out of sight, leaving a perplexed train crew to follow in the haze of their exhaust.
Well, the trip westward to Webster was made without delay - if I recall, they said the train at Williamson was gone so perhaps it HAD been working and stopped for coffee. Of course there were no cell phones back then and the radios did not always reach everywhere, and no cops ever appeared at a crossing to apprehend them. The speeder made it back home and was trailered away (and probably stashed in a barn covered with hay until things cooled off). But those guys who were there that day had a trip which became legendary in A.S.S. history.
By the way - as I said, I was not on that trip, and am telling it as I recall it being told to me. If I have a small detail or two wrong, it is not intentional, overall that's what happened. And lest anyone think this is a tall tale, one of the guys on the trip that day had a movie camera, and has footage of the whole thing including the Red Line engine pulling up to their speeder! I'll have to ask around and see if it still exists, and maybe could be made into a YouTube.
Like I said, things were different back then!
