NJT's E8As: Hard to believe it's been twenty years already!

In the interest, and out of respect, of the more recent significance of September 11th, I'll bring this up now instead:

Another sad event occurred on September 11th. Not in 2001, but in 1987. Train #5317 departed Newark Penn Station shortly after 5 p.m. and arrived at Bay Head Yard about two hours later, ending one of the greatest chapters in New Jersey railroad history. Train #5317 on that day was the last regularly scheduled NJT train powered by E8s. Two days later, the "Farewell to the E8" trip was held and the rest is history.

I don't know about anyone else, but next Tuesday I'll be making a special trip to Lebanon, New Jersey to give the old girls a "Happy Anniversary" pat on the nose, seeing as how former NJT 4323 (Erie 834) and 4248 (Erie 835) are the only two left anywhere in New Jersey that are publicly viewable (4326 is hidden in Morristown and 4253 is exiled at the PSE&G yard in Ridgefield Park). All the rest are long gone. 4267 is presumably scrapped at NRE in Silvis, Ill. 4272 was doomed to Naporano in the early 90's. All the rest are scattered across the country.

Would rather be commemorating this event at a proper museum, where my price of admission goes toward their preservation, but hey, who am I to think twenty years is enough time to accomplish something like that in New Jersey!

Ending on a happier note, here are some fond memories of my youth from my personal photo collection. I regret only that I was 12 and didn't take more pictures of those last days on the NJCL.

• Sunday in South Amboy
  
  Rounding the corner at Essay Tower
  
  Four months from retirement in South Amboy
  
  Fresh paint for Hoboken Festival '88
  
  One for Georgia and one for New York
  
  Raritan Yard, awaiting her appointment with the torch

On my recent Acela trip I can swear I saw an E8 in PRR livery in some old brick building north of Philadelphia! I could just see the nose through the open door. There was another derelict E8 sitting outside.

Bennett's and....a parts unit?

Dave Becker

Hi All,

There are in fact some E-8's and E-9's still roaming the rails. PRR has a matched pair of A units in Tuscan Red and Cats whiskers and they are used to haul a company passenger train. I assume that this same train is available to the top brass of PRR's successors.

Probably the most famous are an A B A lash up of E-9's in Union Pacific's Armour Yellow. In this case, the insides are no longer E units, but the insides of a Geep 38. All modernized on the inside. They therefore have the looks of the E units, and the reliabiltiy, changeability, and commonality with the Geeps. Steve Lee, of UP, stated that anyone that can drive a Geep could handle the E units.

It is amazing. I was a wee one living only about two miles away from there at that time. How things change. Very nice historic shots there.

I used to take the train with my parents from Long Island down to Hazlet, NJ to visit my grandparents there (later, my parents would end up buying my grandparents' house when I was in 6th grade, but I digress). I have to wonder what types of equipment I rode aboard! I guess my earliest trips had to be around 1980 or so....back in the days of GG1's and E8's!

It must've been around 1988 when I started "railfanning" the Coast Line...I remember the E60's and an occasional U34!

pennsy wrote:Hi All,

There are in fact some E-8's and E-9's still roaming the rails. PRR has a matched pair of A units in Tuscan Red and Cats whiskers and they are used to haul a company passenger train. I assume that this same train is available to the top brass of PRR's successors.

Probably the most famous are an A B A lash up of E-9's in Union Pacific's Armour Yellow. In this case, the insides are no longer E units, but the insides of a Geep 38. All modernized on the inside. They therefore have the looks of the E units, and the reliabiltiy, changeability, and commonality with the Geeps. Steve Lee, of UP, stated that anyone that can drive a Geep could handle the E units.

Were there any problems with the E units in their final years aside from old age? How did they ride?

did the e8's ever venture up on the main/bcl/pvl? Im trying to remember if i had ever seen them while waiting for my father at the woodridge station.

In the late '60's the EL ran E-8s on the NJ&NY aka PVL. One of these days I'll scan and post them.

pablo wrote:Bennett's and....a parts unit?

Dave Becker

Correct. That's Juniata Terminal at Fairhill in Philly.

NY&LB wrote:In the late '60's the EL ran E-8s on the NJ&NY aka PVL. One of these days I'll scan and post them.

would love to see those, but that was wayyyy before i was thought of. I was thinking around 1985-87. I certainly remember the uboats while standing on the platform or staring into the closed up station.

Hi Frank,

Logically, they gave a magnificent ride with speed and comfort. As long as the ROW was in good shape, you got a really nice ride. All the famous name trains of the streamliner days used them from time to time.

The report from Steve Lee of UP confirms that the ride, the speed, the power were all great. The UP E-9's are still on the rails, providing excellent service.

A few pics from Lebanon:

"Erie" 835. Former NJT 4248. Rebuilt by the forces at the former CNJ Elizabethport shops in October of 1979. Originally built for The Pennsylvania Railroad in May of 1952 as #5788A. Pictured here on the 20th Anniversary of her retirement from NJT in Lebanon, NJ with NJDOT midnight blue showing through on her flanks. She will soon wear the livery of the Lackawanna Railroad as part of the URHS collection.

4272 -

Both E's look ready for a primer coat....what's the planned paint scheme for #834 ?

Tri-State Tom wrote:4272 -

Both E's look ready for a primer coat....what's the planned paint scheme for #834 ?

"Erie" 834, the HEP equipped former NJT 4323, is being returned to its NYC heritage paint and number: 4076