Radio Use on the LV

Was looking at my collection of CNJ and LV in Color books last night and noticed a reproduction of a CNJ ad from the 1950's touting the wide-spread implementation of radios. Then I saw a picture of the LV's U23B's being delivered. The caption noted that the locomotives were purchased in conjunction with the USRA and were equipped with "four channel radios which were a bit of a novelty on the LV".

Did the Valley not use radios? If so, why not?

Just a guess, but I'd say it was the "4-channel" part that was unusual, not the fact they had radio in and of itself. Did the LV perhaps usually have only 1 or 2 radio channels in its locos?

I've gotten a chance to work with a lot of the remaining LV guys in and around Sayre as well as a mix of old Erie, PC and a few NYC guys and what I have gleaned was that engines with built-in, multi channel radios was a novelty and that engineers usually had handset units with those long steel extending antennas. I also heard that until the FRA clamped down on radio procedures, radio use was a novelty in and of itself. Guys would get in fights and argue with their supervisors over the radios and carry out conversations and all sorts of things.

The LV was actually one of those great roads, which lasted right up to Conrail, without the use of radios. No LV loco, or crews, had radios. The GE series of locos had radios installed, as part of the order, placed for the impending Conrail merger, and to be used in the general pool of locos. The Valley used train orders, and wayside signals, to operate over the entire system, excepting "dark" branches, thast used train orders only. Hand signals were the form of comunication, between the ground and engine crewmen. Real, good old fashioned railroading, on the Valley. Need the DS, or want to talk to an operator? Stop your train, at the nearest blockline, and ring up whoever you were looking for. Making pick-ups, or set-outs along the way, better keep your head out the window, and watch those hand or lantern signals. It's both funny, and sad, the guys today are lost, without that little radio, in their hand, or pocket. I sure do miss the Valley, and those little things that made it so much different, and BETTER, than all of the other roads of that era. Regards

In the few years prior to the end of operations, the use of portable CB radios by LVRR train and engine crews became somewhat popular. During the final months of the LVRR the company issued portable radios to T&E crews. I took a motion picture of the Niaraga Jct. operator handing a portable radio to the rear brakeman of the last LV-4 on March 31, 1976.

Yeah, most of the remaining LV guys I work with claim widespread uses of radios here in the Sayre area. Of course, this was 1970-76 but at least 20 of the LV guys left on my territory say they used them. Radio usage may have been different depending on territory and terrain. Bednar's Wyoming and Buffalo Div. book even has a picture of them being used at the top of page 58.

Greg