Inspection Train Status

The MN inspection train was on the move again this (7/22) AM. It made a quick round trip from GCT to Danbury and back. The only unusual thing about it was it only had one Gennie (#223) instead of the usual pair. It had the usual cars MN1, MN2 and MN3.

Now that'll be the day when Dutch get's the call to run the inspection train. Anyways what were the brass doing up Danbury way? I hope some CTDOT folks were onboard so they could see what work needs to be done and stop studying the line to death.

Patrick

Dutch has run the inspection train a few times in his career

There were CDOT officials on train. Maybe they want to study how money they've spent on Danbury Branch studies!!!

capecodlocoguy wrote:The MN inspection train was on the move again this (7/22) AM. It made a quick round trip from GCT to Danbury and back. The only unusual thing about it was it only had one Gennie (#223) instead of the usual pair. It had the usual cars MN1, MN2 and MN3.

If Danbury was the only destination, then the second unit wasn't needed for a run-around (as in POK, Wassaic, Waterbury). The train can be turned in Danbury using the Link track. To be honest, it's not fun running the inspection train as there are lots of people in suits watching what you are doing. It has probably been a long time since Dutch ran the inspection train as it is normally called out of GCT and some of the junior engineers on the extra list often catch the assignment. When I had the chance, I would get some seat time running the inspection train. As a supervisor of locomotive engineers, we were required to be observed running a train on an annual basis and there was always another SLE onboard who could do that. I ran the first inspection train on the Beacon Line and from Dover Plains to Wassaic and would later qualify the crews on both lines.

CDOT I believe has installed two toilets and a janitor closed in Cannondale, next to station , a $650 000 investment in sewage technology
they also did big cleanup of Danbury yard (scrap removal)
In Dock Yard a new underpass(tunnel) is being build.
Wilton had drainage culverts installed near station for Highway widening.
So plenty of projects CDOT would be interested in (inspecting)

yup I did my share of Inspection trains including about 5 accross the Beacon line, including the one pre-purchasing the Beacon line.
And I always run my own train, As for GCT , yes now crews will run the inspection train but years ago, entire list would drop as soon as word inspection train was mentioned.
I would be deadheaded to run train, about twice a year and so did two other engineers.
I qualified while Conrail owned the line and was regular on lots of rail trains , my qualifications were from Beacon all way to Derby.
HRRC would not recognize our qualifications from Banbury to Derby due to lack of official trackage right agreement.

Hoboken to Spring Valley to Pascack Junction to Port Jervis to Hoboken. I managed to photograph it at Secaucus on its return.
GP40FH-2 4903, F40PH-2CAT 4193, ex-Phoebe Snow car MNCR 2, ex-New York Central car MNCR 3, and ex-Phoebe Snow car MNCR 1, around 3:20 PM.

Nice pix as usual Bob. Thanks for posting.

Nice pics bob. I cought it going east on the PVL at Oradell ,and the rearthen on the return trip west flying thru Woodcliff Lake it was going so fast I didn't even have time to get any other pics of it at Woodcliff Lake. I then drove as quickly as I could to Ridgewood to catch it there. Not 10 minutes into waiting on the platform i see a train coming w/b up the middle track and completely overtake me and any any shot I had planned. After that I didn't know at the time if it was going to take the BCL or ML back west so i ended my chase here.

Dose anyone know how the cars got out there from EOH.

GCT -- > New Rochelle --> Amtrak takes them (through Penn Station) to Hudson on NEC --> NJT takes them to Hoboken.

Jim

Thank You Erie-Lackawanna.

Nice photos everyone.

The Inspection Train went through Norton Heights today at 7:53 heading northbound.

train is used by MNCR medical to give health info and flu shots to employees at outlying facilities.
Today is New Haven, yesterday was Harlem line.