DeWitt 1974 pics

[CPSmith]

Added today (2/4/2015): http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/archiv ... ?id=107662" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Have fun.

[Cosmo]

The page won't open for me for some reason.

[Alloy]

I get a "Webpage unavailable" message.

[chuchubob]

The page won't open for me for some reason.

The website was down all day Sunday. It is back now.

[charlie6017]

Nice group of photos. Chris!

[Bigt]

Great photos, Chris. Question - the caboose photos, were these of a "deadline" of
retired / out of service cabooses?

[Alloy]

Very nice! Thanks for posting these.

[CPSmith]

Great photos, Chris. Question - the caboose photos, were these of a "deadline" of
retired / out of service cabooses?

Sorry for the late reply - it's been a while since I've visited this thread ...

No, none were retired or OOS, and there are (were) no deadline shots - all photos were taken of active equipment at the "caboose" or "ready" tracks (my verbiage) at the E. Syracuse end (Hartwell/Ellis/Yates) near the lumber yard and at the Minoa end (N. Central/Edgewood/Elm).

Looking at Google Maps today, you'd never be able to tell ...

[Allen Hazen]

One of the photos shows U23B 2750 apparently leading a train, long hood first. This was one of those U23B acquired when Penn Central had Stanley Crane (formerly of Southern) as president, and set up for long hood front operation, isn't it?

[CPSmith]

No. L. Stanley Crane arrived well into the Conrail era. Conrail came into being April 1, 1976 and Stan was still employed by the Southern at that time. I worked for the Southern 1979-1981 and Stan was still there, so obviously it was some time after that when he left.

The long hood forward affectation was numerous among owners of first generation power, but few roads carried it over into second generation units.

I suspect the U-Boat in the photo was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It happens. If you're stuck with an F7A-F7B consist, you do a lot of hanging out the window for at least half the trip !

[RSD15]

It was under William H Moore who came from the Southern in 1970 to become CEO for Penn Central. It was under him that U-23b 2750-2776 were acquired all set up to run long hood forward.

[CPSmith]

I stand corrected. Learn something new every day, I guess. I would have thought the old NYC and PRR folks would have rejected such silliness, but Brosnan's boys always thought they were always right ...

[Allen Hazen]

Hmmm… I misremembered the name of the PC president under whom these "backward" U-boats were ordered. (Since U23B were ordered with the idea that they could be road switchers, not just power on through trains, it may have been assumed that they would be running in both directions a good deal of the time-- so maybe the thought was that in that case it didn't too muh matter which end was officially the front?)

So. Moore and Crane were both from Southern. Is it significant that both the Penn central trustees and Conrail's top people thought it was a good idea to hire someone from Southern?

[ExCon90]

Many people have wondered why Moore was selected by the PC trustees, but L. Stanley Crane was chosen by Conrail because he was who he was and was available due to the Southern's rigid retirement policy (out at 65) and was not ready to retire from the railroad business. It was a real stroke of luck that he was available at just that time. I've sometimes wondered whether he might have been attracted by the challenge of the job--God knows it was that--if he had been approached and taken it even if he had been able to stay with the Southern.