Grade Battles - Over Great Notch (NJ)

I want to revive a thread which garnished alot of history and input during the old version of railroad.net

IIRC at least two of the main contributors to that thread were TriStateTom and Rich Pennisi. Good pix by Mr. J. Durant are hotlinked below.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=50344
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=7073
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=32756
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=7086

Also
http://el-list.railfan.net/new/el3368.jpg
http://erierr.railfan.net/grtnotch.jpg
http://erierr.railfan.net/cdrgrove.jpg
http://www.railfan.net/lists/listphoto. ... _NOTCH.jpg
http://www.railfan.net/lists/listphoto. ... proach.jpg
http://www.railfan.net/lists/listphoto. ... n-yard.jpg
http://www.railfan.net/lists/listphoto. ... 02/GA2.jpg

That was a great thread! I spent a lot of time hanging around the Great Notch station during my formative years, usually after chasing a train out of Lincoln Park or Mountain View.

I got a little blast from the past just before the tracks were realligned for electric trains to Great Notch. As a kid riding the trains under passage granted by friendly conductors, it was not uncommon for westbound passenger trains to be held at Great Notch, at the end of the double track, for eastbound freights. It was pretty cool as three SD-45s screamed by hauling 100-plus piggybacks or auto racks. Most of that ended quickly when Conrail took over.

A couple years ago, for the first time I could remember since the 70s, my homebound train was held at Great Notch for an eastbound freight! Very nostalgic. Granted, it was one engine and two cars, but it was still pretty cool!

It seemed CR had minimal interest in sustaining operations both within and via the Binghamton and Scranton corridors (i.e. via the EL & LV). I've never seen a real freight train ascend/descend Great Notch. I do recall a few good years of big CR freights going up/down the Erie. However that fizzled and dried a decade or so later.

I do recall a CR Geep (GP38 or 40) leading a nightly drill of some sort, w/10 cars & a hack, eastward through Great Notch in 1990/91.

The Makeshift Helper

This is still my favorate Great Notch story. We talked about this a few years ago on the old board.
You can read all about it here:

http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/el/ops/gnstory.html

Scrap -

My guess is we're in 1974 or 1975 here. The location is the Mt. Hebron Road grade crossing, just east of the Montclair Heights station, as the combo train is heading eastbound.

Appears the MOW forces were about to do some tie replacement here as noted by the piles along the ROW. Also note the condition of the grade crossing and the old jointed rail.

To the right of picture #2 you can make out the ground remnants of the short siding that once existed here serving a small freight/ice house ( the concrete foundations can still be seen in those woods today ).

In 2004, this location now has catenary structures and wire, modern bi-directional signal stantions and welded rail.

I am perplexed as to size of this train which got stuck. From a glance it seems the train had 21,000 - 21,600 HP (depending if those GEs were U33s or U36s). I wonder if it was a 100+ car manifest w/many loads (versus empties).

Mike -

The first 2 units are obviously END SD45's. The 3rd unit looks like an SD45-2 or possibly a GP35. Hard to tell from these angles but the last 2 units are likely GE U33's.

Assuming, given the power, that this is/was a 75 to 100 car consist, I can't quite figure how one lone 3400 hp U34CH pushing 5 Comets would have provided enough pulling power to haul this stalled train over Great Notch.

Maybe it wasn't stalled....maybe one or two of the 5 deisels just died after cresting GN ?

I remember reading on the EL list that, some of those engines were dead at the time.

IIRC the article mentioned the trailing GEs failed. The locos were restarted and the U34CH was MU'd in I guess to supply additional HP.