Morning, folks. Happy Labor Day. Hopefully you don’t have to work today – I may not have to work my “real job” today, but my second job, this site, never really sleeps. This Monday we’ve got some more great photos from “back in the day.” Today’s collection of photos were taken a few decades earlier than the ones posted in Part 1 and 2. I don’t know the photographers either – these are all from slides I’ve acquired and purchased (did I ever mention I was an eBay addict?). I was at Costco the other day getting these slides processed, and I was definitely wondering how many other idiots other than me actually print from slides!
Anyways, all of the photos date from the late 1950’s, or the 1960’s. We’ve got plenty of trains, and a few Harlem Division places you might be familiar with – Chatham, Millerton, Wassaic, and Brewster. There is also a small collection of photos from the Woodlawn and Wakefield area… some of which have trains just passing through (is that a TurboTrain?) There is also a photo of a the Morrisania 138th Street station that no longer exists. All of the photos are a little bit before my time, which is part of the reason why I love them… and I hope you do too.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Oh, I was working today…not too bad except for the conductor on my train home who was so rude I wrote a comment card about him! (it takes a LOT for me to write a negative comment card) I also miss my limited-stops express and normal, quiet daily commuters.
Nice photos, by the way! I really like those older NYC electrics and EMU cars…they’re ugly and brutish at times, but that’s what makes them so fascinating!
Wow, that is pretty bad… as I would assume you’re not so quick to leave negative comments as some of the idiots we have here. I was hearing some story here about a person complaining because of all things, a conductor *opened the door* and a “large bug” entered the train.
Wow, that’s pretty awful. No, mine was because he was making rude and sarcastic comments to passengers about buying a ticket before buying the train rather than on board – something that’s already enforced by a surcharge. I don’t know if that’s acceptable in New York, but it’s way below the high bar set by every other crewmember I’ve ever seen (save for the one that flipped me off two years ago). Maybe it comes from working with the public myself, but that kind of unprofessionalism is just unacceptable to me.
Yeah, def not on the Harlem. I think the date on that one was ’69.
You’re more than welcome to post anything over there. I don’t really hide the fact that I don’t know too much about trains – but I am sure you’ve got a few folks over there that could tell some stories.
I did get one response about the picture via email:
“The TurboTrain was a short-lived New Haven thing (I saw it once, blasting by an FL9-hauled stopped at Mount Vernon); it only ran on the Harlem Line between Woodlawn and GCT, of course. Beyond Woodlawn it took to NYNH&H rails to Boston.”
Great to hear a little bit about it!
My wallet, not so much! You’ll find me on that show Hoarders one day. That show gets boring though, it is the same darn thing every time. Somebody has crazy amounts of stuff, and they don’t want to get rid of it. I’d be like, “NO! You can’t throw those away. Those are my TIMETABLES!”
I model the New York Central in HO scale during the sixties time period so those pictures are of nice to see. Some of my locomotives actually look like the ones in the pics. As far as I know the Turbo train ran from Penn. station to Boston. I rode it from NY. to New Haven in 1970. Riding in the bubble was great as you had a good forward view. It was especially neat going through the east river tunnels as you were close to the ceiling as the train barreled through
But Emily, you collecto to share with other people. Hoarders just collect for the emotional satisfaction of owning. Completely different reasons.
Emily, for you and fans of the short lived United Technologies built Turbo Train, it not only plied the route from GCT to Boston on the New Haven line but was also briefly used from Penn Station to Montreal. I rode both routes most memorably when the Turbo caught fire about 30 miles from it’s destination of Montreal in Quebec somewhere. We were told to evacuate at the station it limped into and we were transferred to buses for the remaining ride into Montreal. Most exciting. Also, if memory serves the Turbo was employed by Canadian National Railroad (before Via Rail) for the route between Toronto and Montreal.
Woah… it caught on fire? That was certainly a memorable ride!
I have just discovered your site, and I think it is great. I was interested in the photo you published of the Morrisania 138th Street station. I rode the Hudson Line for about five years back in 1983-1988, and I recall a 138th Street station in The Bronx that was located right next to the bridge across the Harlem River, just after you left 125th Street. It sat on a curve, and seemed to be little-used; eventually, the railroad removed the platform (there wasn’t much else to it), and that was the end of it. The thing that puzzles me is that it didn’t resemble at all the station in the photo you show. Any thoughts?
Morrisania and 138th St. were two different stations. I’m not sure why the photo was labeled with the combined name “Morrisania-138th St.”, but there was never a station called that.