West Side Freight Line operations

A few questions about this operation:

1. Did the mail trains that operated from the GPO at West 30th St. up the West Side and the Hudson ever go to flexi-vans before Penn Central?

2. What did those mail trains usually have for power?

3. How many freights each day operated into and out of West 60th St. yard in the 60s?

We live on the west side of Manhattan and I am trying to get a good picture of what this operation used to be like.

Lots of information here http://www.lakemirabel.com/Railroad/Wes ... ight1.html

Some information here too, but not much on actual operations:

http://railroad.net/articles/railfannin ... /index.php

The West Side was home to the tri-power locos (oil-electric, straight electric, and batter power), which could operate anywhere on the line.

-otto-