LIRR 50 day Strike 1972-1973

Patchogue South Ocean Avenue - Track crew inspecting the track after the 50 day strike. View E 1/19/1973

Anyone with other insights?

I have a memory. My Dad was in management at the time, and he was stationed at PD daytime hours as a watchman. I came home from school and went to the tower to visit. After a while, Dad threw some of the old strong-arm levers and displayed eastward signals. Then, Ray Long came from the west operating a flatback 400 ALCO switcher (have no idea of the number) out east to polish rail. I know it was him because Dad talked to him on the radio using his name. Very personable, those olden days.
It would be 2 1/2 years later that I hired on.

I recall one of the strikes led to the retirement of several ALCO switchers because the oil wasn't drained, cracking the blocks. Was this that one?

ConstanceR46 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 5:29 am I recall one of the strikes led to the retirement of several ALCO switchers because the oil wasn't drained, cracking the blocks. Was this that one?

No, I was the Cooling not drain and they lost a group of Alco Switchers, LIRR lease GP 7 and 9's from Banger and Aroostook RR to replace them.

nyandw wrote:
Patchogue South Ocean Avenue - Track crew inspecting the track after the 50 day strike. View E 1/19/1973

Anyone with other insights?

Could be me, but would somebody be wearing a vest like that in 1973? Is that possibly a later photo near PD tower?

Signals, ties, and the Volkswagen Beetle all appear to be from that era. Maybe the worker in the vest was ahead of his time. LOL