Post by pcarrell on Sept 14, 2006 12:03:09 GMT -5
The Original Roads Forming the New York Central
Early in 1851, a convention was held of the ten railroads that more or less end-to-end linked Albany and Buffalo. These ten included Mohawk & Hudson successor Albany & Schnectady (the name of the company having been changed in 1847). The intent of the convention was to lay the groundwork for consolidation into a single company. On Februay 12th, 1851, the convention authorized that an application be made to the New York State Legislature to consolidate. On April 2nd, 1853, the Consolidation Act was passed by the Legislature (Section 76 of the Laws of 1853) authorizing the consolidation. On May 17th, 1853, the consolidation agreement was signed forming the New York Central Railroad Company, and on July 7th of that year the agreement was filed with the Secretary of State, thus officially forming the New York Central. (For south of Albany, see below.)
The Original Railroads Forming the New York Central
Albany to Buffalo
July 7, 1853
Road, Charter Date, Comments:
ALBANY & SCHENECTADY RR, 1847
formerly the MOHAWK & HUDSON RAIL ROAD, Apr. 11, 1826
Albany to Schenectady, 18.2 miles, opened Aug, 9, 1831
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MOHAWK VALLEY RAILROAD, Dec. 28, 1851
formerly the UTICA & SCHENECTADY RR, 1833
Schenectady to Utica, 78 miles, opened 1836
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SCHENECTADY & TROY RR, 1836
Schenectady to Troy, 21 miles, opened 1842
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SYRACUSE & UTICA DlRECT RR, 1853
formerly the SYRACUSE & UTICA RR, 1836
Utica to Syracuse, 53 miles, opened 1839
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ROCHESTER & SYRACUSE RR, Aug. 1, 1850
formed by a merger of:
the AUBURN & SYRACUSE RR, 1834
the AUBURN & ROCHESTER RR, 1836
the SYRACUSE & ROCHESTER DIRECT RR, 1850
Syracuse to Rochester (Main Line), 80 miles, opened 1853
Syracuse-Auburn-Rochester (Auburn Road), 104 miles, opened 1842-1843
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BUFFALO & ROCHESTER RR, Dec 7, 1850
formed by a merger of:
the TONAWANDA RR, 1832
Rochester-Batavia-Attica, 44 miles, opened 1837
the ATTICA & BUFFALO RR, 1836
Attica to Buffalo, 31 miles, opened 1843
the BUFFALO & ROCHESTER RR, Dec 7, 1850
Depew to Batavia, 27 Miles, opened 1850
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ROCHESTER, LOCKPORT & NIAGARA FALLS RR, 1850
formed by a merger of:
the LOCKPORT & NIAGARA FALLS RR, 1834
Lockport to Suspension, opened 1838
the ROCHESTER & LOCKPORT, 1837
Lockport to Rochester
Rochester to Suspension Bridge (Falls Road), 77 miles
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ROCHESTER & LAKE ONTARIO RR, 1852
Rochester to Charlotte, 6 miles.
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BUFFALO & NlAGARA FALLS RR, 1834
Buffalo to Niagara Falls (Niagara Branch), 22 miles, opened 1845.
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BUFFALO & LOCKPORT RR, Apr. 27, 1852
Tonawanda to Lockport, 12.3 miles, opened 1853
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The Original Railroads Forming the New York Central
New York City to Albany
From the south, rail activity was being conducted apace. On August 25, 1831, the New York & Haarlem Railroad Company [note the Dutch spelling of Harlem] was chartered by act of the New York State Legislature to build a railroad line on Manhatten Island. The first run of the new road was on November 14, 1832. On April 17, 1832, the New York & Albany Railroad was chartered to build north from the Harlem River to Albany (backed by several of the same backers as the New York and Harlem [the English spelling quickly became common]). However, the New York & Albany never materlialized, and it was the New York & Harlem that assumed the broadened charter of the New York & Albany and built north through the Harlem Valley, by 1852 reaching the Western Railroad of Massachusetts (later the Boston and Albany) in Chatham. In 1863 this was to become the original rail line of shipping mogul Cornelius Vanderbuilt and the catalyst of his railroad empire, bringing the New York Central south from Albany to New York City. It is today's somewhat shortened Metro-North Harlem Division.
The New York and Harlem Railroad built well inland from the Hudson River to avoid direct competition with river boats, but demand from the seasonally frozen river towns -- espeically Poughkeepsie -- resulted in the construction of the Hudson River Railroad, chartered in 1846, up the east bank of the Hudson, today's Hudson Line of Conrail and Metro-North. The line opened to Albany in November of 1851, actually preceeding by several months the opening of the older New York and Harlem's inland route to Albany. It too came under Cornelius Vanderbuilt's control, following the New York and Harlem by a year. The Spuyten Duyvil & Port Morris Railroad formed a seven mile link between these two raods in 1871, and was quickly leased to the (by then) New York Central & Hudson River: in 1913 it was finally merged into it.
Vanderbuilt acquired control of the New York Central in 1867, and in 1869 the New York State Legislature passed legislation authorizing the merger of the Vanderbuild roads into the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. Along with his other holdings to the west, the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad between Buffalo and Chicago, and the Canada Southern and Michigan Central railroads -- an alternate Buffalo/Chicago route through Ontario -- the modern New York Central was formed.
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The Boston & Albany
Here are just a few notes.
Joining with the New York and Albany in Chatham, N.Y., the Western Railroad of Massachusetts (organized in 1836, completed from Worcester, Massachusetts to the New York State Line in 1841) was a key link in the original rail line of Cornelius Vanderbuilt and the catalyst of the nascent New York Central and Hudson River Rail Road. The Boston and Albany was Chartered on Nov. 2, 1870, and was formed by the merger of the Western Railroad of Massachusetts and the Boston & Worcester Railroad. In 1880 the B&A was acquired by the New York Central during the development of the J. P. Morgan-era "communities of interest." It was formally consolidated with New York Central & Hudson River Railroad in 1900.
The Boston and Albany had its own roundhouse in Rensellear, next to the New York Central facilities on the sight of the present Amtrak shops. Although the United State's Supreme Court's Northern Securities decision of 1904 (ordering the dismantling of James J. Hill's Northern Securities Corporation) spelled the end of railroad consolidations -- mergers, acquistions, and their informal cousin, "communities-of-interest" -- for generations to come, and in fact, together with the ICC's investigation of E. H. Harriman -- finding that his combination of Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, and Illinois Central was a restraint of trade not in the public interest -- began active divestures, some holdings remained intact: the Pennsylvania retained ownership of the Long Island and the Norfolk and Western, while the Central held onto a number of its small roads, such as the Walkill Valley and the Ulster and Delaware in the Catskills and -- through the Berkshires -- the Boston and Albany. Today, Conrail's Selkirk yardmaster's may still be heard referring to trains to or from the Boston Line as "the B&A."
For additional information on the B&A try the Boston & Albany Page.
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Track Pans on the New York Central
by Ernie Johnson
Back in the days when the predominant motive power on the railroads was the steam locomotive, several railroads, including the New York Central and the Pennsylvania, installed track pans at various locations to permit a locomotive to refill its tender without stopping.
In the final design of these pans on the New York Central, each pan, placed between the rails at the center line, was 24 inches inside width and contained water 7 inches deep. The length of the pans varied from 1400 feet at Schenectady, East Palmyra, and Wende, to 2500 feet in freight tracks 3 and 4 at Rome. The top of the pan was 1 inch below the running surface of the rail. The pan was formed of sheet metal and a 1-1/2 inch angle was applied to the top of the pan on each side, facing inward. A ramp was built into each end of the track pan, together with a safety rail extension beyond each end, as a protection against premature or late operation of the water scoop. Track pans were steam heated in the winter to prevent freezing.
Most locomotive tenders used in main line road service were fitted with a remotely operated water scoop. In later years the scoop was operated by an air cylinder which in turn was actuated by a magnet valve to provide prompt lowering and raising of the scoop. The scoop was adjusted to dip 5 inches (5-1/2" maximum) into the water. As the locomotive approached the track pan, the engineman would signal the fireman as they passed a lunar white signal at the beginning of the pan, and the fireman would lower the scoop by operating a valve or pushing a button on the front wall of the tender. Another signal from the engineman as they passed a blue or purple signal at the other end of the pan, and the fireman would raise the scoop.
In modern days this operation was called "scooping water". Back in the last century, when the technique was new, it was called "jerking water." Hence the name "jerkwater town," which probably implied, among other things, that the train didn't stop there.
On the New York Central main line in 1948, there were 19 pan locations between Harmon and Chicago. Placement of them was largely determined by the locomotive design and the tender capacity. A note regarding the design of the tenders is appropriate. As the design of the steam locomotive became more sophisticated, the requirements for water supplies and other facilities changed. The number of track pans, for example, could be reduced, and their length increased. Scooping speed increased gradually from 30 miles per hour at the turn of the century to 60 mph before World War II. Scooping speed was limited by the ability of the tender to retain the water that was scooped without overflowing and spraying any train that was on an adjacent track. Later designs added vents and an expansion tank, and redirected the water as it entered the water space of the tender. This allowed an increase of the maximum scooping speed to 85 mph.
The material for this article was taken from The Central Headlight, Second Quarter, 1982, a publication of the New York Central System Historical Society, Copyrighted © 1982 New York Central System Historical Society.
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The New York Central Main Line
by Ernie Johnson
On page 8 of Vol. 31 No. 3 of the Call Board, there is a photograph of a westbound freight between Albany and Buffalo on the second track from the north on the four-track line. The average railroad enthusiast, when looking at that photograph, could reasoably assume the westbound freight train was on track no. 1, the passenger track. Not so! The assumption would have been valid at a four tracked location south of Albany or west of Buffalo, but the main line between Albany and Buffalo had a unique track arrangement. The tracks were numbered from the south and were used as follows: No. 2, eastward passenger; No. 1, westward passenger; No. 3, westward freight; and No. 4, eastward freight. The most logical explanation for this setup apparently goes back to the 1800s. In Syracuse, the original main line passenger tracks were located in the middle of Washington Street for 1-1/2 miles, from Beech Street at the east end of town, to the passenger depot at Fayette Street in the downtown section. (The speed limit was 15 mph.) It was obviously impractical to add two freight tracks to Washington Street, so they were routed to bypass the city to the north. This was the case until 1936, when a new station and elevated trackage were placed in service. After 1936, freight traffic continued to bypass the city on the city's north side. I can only guess at the reason for the left handed operation of the freight tracks, but it must have been for safety reasons, possibly to minimize the number of trains passing in opposite directions on adjacent tracks. So the freight train in the photograph was actually on track 3.
The above arrangement undoubtedly influenced the track layout between Selkirk and Hoffmans, where the operation was also left handed. It should be noted that, in later years after Selkirk yard was opened, track 3 was removed between Central Avenue in Albany and tower 7 at the top of the hill in Schenectady, and between Sand Bank Yard in Scotia and Hoffmans. Track 4 was used for local freight traffic in both directions.
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The Carmen Branch: The Schenectady Detour Project
By thingy Barrett
The Schenectady Detour Project, also known as the "Carmen Cut-Off", involved the construction of a 3.61-mile segment of new line between the vicinity of Carmen Station, at the top of the grade east of Schenectady, and the West Shore line near South Schenectady. The detour project was undertaken in 1902 by the New York Central with two principal objectives in mind: avoiding the heavy grade on the mainline eastbound out of Schenectady and reducing the number of trains which would pass through Schenectady at street level and encountering numerous urban grade crossings.
Prior to construction of the detour, eastbound trains on the mainline would climb a maximum grade of 0.76% between Schenectady and Carmen as they left the Mohawk River Valley and passed onto the plateau going toward Albany. This 2 1/2-mile grade required the use of pusher locomotives on heavy trains. The grade had become more of a problem as the weight of trains increased and the volume of traffic increased, as well.
In 1900 the "Hoffman's Connection" was completed. This new route connected the New York Central mainline at Hoffman's, seven or eight miles northwest of Schenectady, with the West Shore line, which was located on the south side of the Mohawk River. All freight trains between Weehawken, NJ and NYC mainline destinations to the west were carried over this new connection so as to avoid the pusher grade east of Schenectady and the traffic congestion that might be encountered by traveling through West Albany and downtown Albany before heading down the west side of the Hudson River to join the West Shore line.
Since the "Castleton Cut-Off" through Selkirk (and over the bridge spanning the Hudson River) was not to be built for another 25 years, freight trains to and from New England over the Boston & Albany passed through West Albany and encountered not only the 0.76% Schenectady grade but also the severe 2.5% West Albany grade. The "Schenectady Detour", therefore, benefitted eastbound freight trains headed for New England and Albany by eliminating the need for pusher locomotives and keeping all freight traffic in both directions, other than local service, out of downtown Schenectady. Except for a half-mile stretch of 0.40% grade between Hoffman's and Central Junction, where the Hoffman's Connection joined the West Shore, no grade on the Schenectady Detour exceeded 0.25%.
An analogy can be drawn between the "Schenectady Detour" (and later, the "Castleton Cut-Off") and the Interstate Highway System constructed in the 1950's, '60's and '70's: Both diverted inter-city traffic out of the downtown areas and both minimized the grades encountered in order to improve traffic flow.
Some small sacrifices were made, however, in constructing the new route around Schenectady. The detour route was 1.16 miles longer than the New York Central mainline. The alignment of the new route increased the curvature by 173 degrees, compared with the mainline. In spite of these disadvantages, the savings afforded by elimination of the pusher grade more than justified the project.
The relative importance of the Schenectady Detour (Carmen Cut-Off) declined after the Castleton Cut-Off was constructed and Selkirk Yard opened in about 1925. After this time, through freight trains to and from New England no longer needed to follow the route between Albany and Schenectady. The Schenectady Detour is still intact and can be seen today, including the base of the tower at Carmen.
References:
The Railway Age, December 22, 1900
Railway Gazette, September 19, 1902
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West Albany Hill
by Ernie Johnson
The ruling grade on the New York Central's main line was West Albany hill, a 3 mile grade with a maximum gradient of 1.63%. The Hudsons and the Pacifics in use before and during World War II did not have the tractive effort necessary to move the trains, often weighing more than 1000 tons, up the hill single headed. A 1000 ton train behind a 400 ton locomotive and tender meant that gravity was resisting the train's motion up the hill with a force of 45,640 pounds. So the trains were assisted up the hill with specially equipped class U 0-8-0 switchers used as pushers. The front coupler operating levers were equipped with an extension to allow the coupler to be released from the cab. The air brake hose between the train and the pusher was not connected. The switcher was coupled to the train at Albany station. As the train approached the bridge over Central Avenue at the top of the hill at 25 miles per hour (the speed limit for the switcher), the engineman at the head end allowed the slack to run in, the crew in the switcher pulled the pin, the switcher uncoupled "on the fly", and the train went on its way. The first time I saw this I was in the observation car of the train, and it was a new experience to see the pusher slowly drift away from the train for its return to Albany station.
Some friends who worked on the Central told of one time many years ago when there was some kind of communication breakdown. The pusher did not get uncoupled, and train and switcher headed across the pine plains toward Schenectady at 80 mph! When the train reached tower 7 at the top of Schenectady hill, the customary air brake test at the top of the hill allowed the slack to run in, and the switcher was able to uncouple. The roundhouse foreman at Sand Bank yard in Scotia told me many years later that they towed the engine to Scotia, and every bearing in the locomotive was burned out. The crew was very lucky that nothing failed during that trip!
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The 5270: West Albany's Last Steam Locomotive
By thingy Barrett & Tim Truscott
Edited by Steve Sconfienza, Ph.D.
Nearly a century of steam locomotive history ended on September 25, 1952 when the last steam locomotive to be repaired there, J-1 "Hudson" No. 5270, left the New York Central's West Albany Shops after being given a sendoff by the crew of machinists, steamfitters, boilermakers and others who worked on it. While there were approximately 190 employees working at the West Albany locomotive shop at the time, only a comparative few saw the 5270 leave.
The crew of 190 still working at West Albany at the time of the 5270's departure was a far cry from the locomotive's peak employment level of 1,400-1,500. As a consequence of the layoffs at West Albany, employees who stayed with the railroad were spread far and wide through transfers to other shops. Some, such as Tony Poleto and Ed Sedguick, began commuting to Harmon Shop each day. Others, like Jack Hickey, moved to Beach Grove, Indiana.
Thirty more employees were laid off after the 5270's departure, with 160 retained for approximately another month to "clean up" the shop. After October, 1952, approximately 100 were left to repair steam cranes and the heating boilers of electric passenger locomotives used in the New York City area and at Cleveland Union Terminal. At the time about 800 employees were left in the West Albany car shop. The opening of the New York State Thruway about two years later and the consequent plunge of passenger traffic resulted in the closing of the West Albany car shop.
The end of steam locomotive work at West Albany had been foreseen for several years as dieselization progressed across the New York Central system. In spite of the introduction of the "Niagara" locomotives with their advanced steam technology, the diesel locomotive rapidly became preferred to steam on the Central as well as other U.S. railroads.
Before launching into a full dieselization program after World War II, the New York Central undertook extensive studies comparing diesel motive power with both steam and electric. In one of these studies during 1946, the performance of six 4,000 horsepower two-unit diesels on three eastbound and three westbound passenger trains were compared with six "Niagara" locomotive-powered passenger trains between Harmon and Chicago. Needless to say, diesel out-performed steam in these and a number of other tests.
In addition to the performance factor of diesel versus steam, the diesel was dramatically less labor intensive in its service needs. Clearly, dieselization was bound to result in excess shop capacity on this basis alone.
Dieselization on the New York Central began in the east and progressed toward the Midwest. Initially, surplus steam locomotives were either scrapped or moved west of Buffalo. The best diesel motive power was assigned to the "name" passenger trains and the "Niagara" steam locomotives were "bumped down" to lessor trains.
Early in 1851, a convention was held of the ten railroads that more or less end-to-end linked Albany and Buffalo. These ten included Mohawk & Hudson successor Albany & Schnectady (the name of the company having been changed in 1847). The intent of the convention was to lay the groundwork for consolidation into a single company. On Februay 12th, 1851, the convention authorized that an application be made to the New York State Legislature to consolidate. On April 2nd, 1853, the Consolidation Act was passed by the Legislature (Section 76 of the Laws of 1853) authorizing the consolidation. On May 17th, 1853, the consolidation agreement was signed forming the New York Central Railroad Company, and on July 7th of that year the agreement was filed with the Secretary of State, thus officially forming the New York Central. (For south of Albany, see below.)
The Original Railroads Forming the New York Central
Albany to Buffalo
July 7, 1853
Road, Charter Date, Comments:
ALBANY & SCHENECTADY RR, 1847
formerly the MOHAWK & HUDSON RAIL ROAD, Apr. 11, 1826
Albany to Schenectady, 18.2 miles, opened Aug, 9, 1831
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MOHAWK VALLEY RAILROAD, Dec. 28, 1851
formerly the UTICA & SCHENECTADY RR, 1833
Schenectady to Utica, 78 miles, opened 1836
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SCHENECTADY & TROY RR, 1836
Schenectady to Troy, 21 miles, opened 1842
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SYRACUSE & UTICA DlRECT RR, 1853
formerly the SYRACUSE & UTICA RR, 1836
Utica to Syracuse, 53 miles, opened 1839
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ROCHESTER & SYRACUSE RR, Aug. 1, 1850
formed by a merger of:
the AUBURN & SYRACUSE RR, 1834
the AUBURN & ROCHESTER RR, 1836
the SYRACUSE & ROCHESTER DIRECT RR, 1850
Syracuse to Rochester (Main Line), 80 miles, opened 1853
Syracuse-Auburn-Rochester (Auburn Road), 104 miles, opened 1842-1843
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BUFFALO & ROCHESTER RR, Dec 7, 1850
formed by a merger of:
the TONAWANDA RR, 1832
Rochester-Batavia-Attica, 44 miles, opened 1837
the ATTICA & BUFFALO RR, 1836
Attica to Buffalo, 31 miles, opened 1843
the BUFFALO & ROCHESTER RR, Dec 7, 1850
Depew to Batavia, 27 Miles, opened 1850
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ROCHESTER, LOCKPORT & NIAGARA FALLS RR, 1850
formed by a merger of:
the LOCKPORT & NIAGARA FALLS RR, 1834
Lockport to Suspension, opened 1838
the ROCHESTER & LOCKPORT, 1837
Lockport to Rochester
Rochester to Suspension Bridge (Falls Road), 77 miles
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ROCHESTER & LAKE ONTARIO RR, 1852
Rochester to Charlotte, 6 miles.
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BUFFALO & NlAGARA FALLS RR, 1834
Buffalo to Niagara Falls (Niagara Branch), 22 miles, opened 1845.
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BUFFALO & LOCKPORT RR, Apr. 27, 1852
Tonawanda to Lockport, 12.3 miles, opened 1853
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The Original Railroads Forming the New York Central
New York City to Albany
From the south, rail activity was being conducted apace. On August 25, 1831, the New York & Haarlem Railroad Company [note the Dutch spelling of Harlem] was chartered by act of the New York State Legislature to build a railroad line on Manhatten Island. The first run of the new road was on November 14, 1832. On April 17, 1832, the New York & Albany Railroad was chartered to build north from the Harlem River to Albany (backed by several of the same backers as the New York and Harlem [the English spelling quickly became common]). However, the New York & Albany never materlialized, and it was the New York & Harlem that assumed the broadened charter of the New York & Albany and built north through the Harlem Valley, by 1852 reaching the Western Railroad of Massachusetts (later the Boston and Albany) in Chatham. In 1863 this was to become the original rail line of shipping mogul Cornelius Vanderbuilt and the catalyst of his railroad empire, bringing the New York Central south from Albany to New York City. It is today's somewhat shortened Metro-North Harlem Division.
The New York and Harlem Railroad built well inland from the Hudson River to avoid direct competition with river boats, but demand from the seasonally frozen river towns -- espeically Poughkeepsie -- resulted in the construction of the Hudson River Railroad, chartered in 1846, up the east bank of the Hudson, today's Hudson Line of Conrail and Metro-North. The line opened to Albany in November of 1851, actually preceeding by several months the opening of the older New York and Harlem's inland route to Albany. It too came under Cornelius Vanderbuilt's control, following the New York and Harlem by a year. The Spuyten Duyvil & Port Morris Railroad formed a seven mile link between these two raods in 1871, and was quickly leased to the (by then) New York Central & Hudson River: in 1913 it was finally merged into it.
Vanderbuilt acquired control of the New York Central in 1867, and in 1869 the New York State Legislature passed legislation authorizing the merger of the Vanderbuild roads into the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad. Along with his other holdings to the west, the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad between Buffalo and Chicago, and the Canada Southern and Michigan Central railroads -- an alternate Buffalo/Chicago route through Ontario -- the modern New York Central was formed.
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The Boston & Albany
Here are just a few notes.
Joining with the New York and Albany in Chatham, N.Y., the Western Railroad of Massachusetts (organized in 1836, completed from Worcester, Massachusetts to the New York State Line in 1841) was a key link in the original rail line of Cornelius Vanderbuilt and the catalyst of the nascent New York Central and Hudson River Rail Road. The Boston and Albany was Chartered on Nov. 2, 1870, and was formed by the merger of the Western Railroad of Massachusetts and the Boston & Worcester Railroad. In 1880 the B&A was acquired by the New York Central during the development of the J. P. Morgan-era "communities of interest." It was formally consolidated with New York Central & Hudson River Railroad in 1900.
The Boston and Albany had its own roundhouse in Rensellear, next to the New York Central facilities on the sight of the present Amtrak shops. Although the United State's Supreme Court's Northern Securities decision of 1904 (ordering the dismantling of James J. Hill's Northern Securities Corporation) spelled the end of railroad consolidations -- mergers, acquistions, and their informal cousin, "communities-of-interest" -- for generations to come, and in fact, together with the ICC's investigation of E. H. Harriman -- finding that his combination of Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, and Illinois Central was a restraint of trade not in the public interest -- began active divestures, some holdings remained intact: the Pennsylvania retained ownership of the Long Island and the Norfolk and Western, while the Central held onto a number of its small roads, such as the Walkill Valley and the Ulster and Delaware in the Catskills and -- through the Berkshires -- the Boston and Albany. Today, Conrail's Selkirk yardmaster's may still be heard referring to trains to or from the Boston Line as "the B&A."
For additional information on the B&A try the Boston & Albany Page.
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Track Pans on the New York Central
by Ernie Johnson
Back in the days when the predominant motive power on the railroads was the steam locomotive, several railroads, including the New York Central and the Pennsylvania, installed track pans at various locations to permit a locomotive to refill its tender without stopping.
In the final design of these pans on the New York Central, each pan, placed between the rails at the center line, was 24 inches inside width and contained water 7 inches deep. The length of the pans varied from 1400 feet at Schenectady, East Palmyra, and Wende, to 2500 feet in freight tracks 3 and 4 at Rome. The top of the pan was 1 inch below the running surface of the rail. The pan was formed of sheet metal and a 1-1/2 inch angle was applied to the top of the pan on each side, facing inward. A ramp was built into each end of the track pan, together with a safety rail extension beyond each end, as a protection against premature or late operation of the water scoop. Track pans were steam heated in the winter to prevent freezing.
Most locomotive tenders used in main line road service were fitted with a remotely operated water scoop. In later years the scoop was operated by an air cylinder which in turn was actuated by a magnet valve to provide prompt lowering and raising of the scoop. The scoop was adjusted to dip 5 inches (5-1/2" maximum) into the water. As the locomotive approached the track pan, the engineman would signal the fireman as they passed a lunar white signal at the beginning of the pan, and the fireman would lower the scoop by operating a valve or pushing a button on the front wall of the tender. Another signal from the engineman as they passed a blue or purple signal at the other end of the pan, and the fireman would raise the scoop.
In modern days this operation was called "scooping water". Back in the last century, when the technique was new, it was called "jerking water." Hence the name "jerkwater town," which probably implied, among other things, that the train didn't stop there.
On the New York Central main line in 1948, there were 19 pan locations between Harmon and Chicago. Placement of them was largely determined by the locomotive design and the tender capacity. A note regarding the design of the tenders is appropriate. As the design of the steam locomotive became more sophisticated, the requirements for water supplies and other facilities changed. The number of track pans, for example, could be reduced, and their length increased. Scooping speed increased gradually from 30 miles per hour at the turn of the century to 60 mph before World War II. Scooping speed was limited by the ability of the tender to retain the water that was scooped without overflowing and spraying any train that was on an adjacent track. Later designs added vents and an expansion tank, and redirected the water as it entered the water space of the tender. This allowed an increase of the maximum scooping speed to 85 mph.
The material for this article was taken from The Central Headlight, Second Quarter, 1982, a publication of the New York Central System Historical Society, Copyrighted © 1982 New York Central System Historical Society.
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The New York Central Main Line
by Ernie Johnson
On page 8 of Vol. 31 No. 3 of the Call Board, there is a photograph of a westbound freight between Albany and Buffalo on the second track from the north on the four-track line. The average railroad enthusiast, when looking at that photograph, could reasoably assume the westbound freight train was on track no. 1, the passenger track. Not so! The assumption would have been valid at a four tracked location south of Albany or west of Buffalo, but the main line between Albany and Buffalo had a unique track arrangement. The tracks were numbered from the south and were used as follows: No. 2, eastward passenger; No. 1, westward passenger; No. 3, westward freight; and No. 4, eastward freight. The most logical explanation for this setup apparently goes back to the 1800s. In Syracuse, the original main line passenger tracks were located in the middle of Washington Street for 1-1/2 miles, from Beech Street at the east end of town, to the passenger depot at Fayette Street in the downtown section. (The speed limit was 15 mph.) It was obviously impractical to add two freight tracks to Washington Street, so they were routed to bypass the city to the north. This was the case until 1936, when a new station and elevated trackage were placed in service. After 1936, freight traffic continued to bypass the city on the city's north side. I can only guess at the reason for the left handed operation of the freight tracks, but it must have been for safety reasons, possibly to minimize the number of trains passing in opposite directions on adjacent tracks. So the freight train in the photograph was actually on track 3.
The above arrangement undoubtedly influenced the track layout between Selkirk and Hoffmans, where the operation was also left handed. It should be noted that, in later years after Selkirk yard was opened, track 3 was removed between Central Avenue in Albany and tower 7 at the top of the hill in Schenectady, and between Sand Bank Yard in Scotia and Hoffmans. Track 4 was used for local freight traffic in both directions.
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The Carmen Branch: The Schenectady Detour Project
By thingy Barrett
The Schenectady Detour Project, also known as the "Carmen Cut-Off", involved the construction of a 3.61-mile segment of new line between the vicinity of Carmen Station, at the top of the grade east of Schenectady, and the West Shore line near South Schenectady. The detour project was undertaken in 1902 by the New York Central with two principal objectives in mind: avoiding the heavy grade on the mainline eastbound out of Schenectady and reducing the number of trains which would pass through Schenectady at street level and encountering numerous urban grade crossings.
Prior to construction of the detour, eastbound trains on the mainline would climb a maximum grade of 0.76% between Schenectady and Carmen as they left the Mohawk River Valley and passed onto the plateau going toward Albany. This 2 1/2-mile grade required the use of pusher locomotives on heavy trains. The grade had become more of a problem as the weight of trains increased and the volume of traffic increased, as well.
In 1900 the "Hoffman's Connection" was completed. This new route connected the New York Central mainline at Hoffman's, seven or eight miles northwest of Schenectady, with the West Shore line, which was located on the south side of the Mohawk River. All freight trains between Weehawken, NJ and NYC mainline destinations to the west were carried over this new connection so as to avoid the pusher grade east of Schenectady and the traffic congestion that might be encountered by traveling through West Albany and downtown Albany before heading down the west side of the Hudson River to join the West Shore line.
Since the "Castleton Cut-Off" through Selkirk (and over the bridge spanning the Hudson River) was not to be built for another 25 years, freight trains to and from New England over the Boston & Albany passed through West Albany and encountered not only the 0.76% Schenectady grade but also the severe 2.5% West Albany grade. The "Schenectady Detour", therefore, benefitted eastbound freight trains headed for New England and Albany by eliminating the need for pusher locomotives and keeping all freight traffic in both directions, other than local service, out of downtown Schenectady. Except for a half-mile stretch of 0.40% grade between Hoffman's and Central Junction, where the Hoffman's Connection joined the West Shore, no grade on the Schenectady Detour exceeded 0.25%.
An analogy can be drawn between the "Schenectady Detour" (and later, the "Castleton Cut-Off") and the Interstate Highway System constructed in the 1950's, '60's and '70's: Both diverted inter-city traffic out of the downtown areas and both minimized the grades encountered in order to improve traffic flow.
Some small sacrifices were made, however, in constructing the new route around Schenectady. The detour route was 1.16 miles longer than the New York Central mainline. The alignment of the new route increased the curvature by 173 degrees, compared with the mainline. In spite of these disadvantages, the savings afforded by elimination of the pusher grade more than justified the project.
The relative importance of the Schenectady Detour (Carmen Cut-Off) declined after the Castleton Cut-Off was constructed and Selkirk Yard opened in about 1925. After this time, through freight trains to and from New England no longer needed to follow the route between Albany and Schenectady. The Schenectady Detour is still intact and can be seen today, including the base of the tower at Carmen.
References:
The Railway Age, December 22, 1900
Railway Gazette, September 19, 1902
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West Albany Hill
by Ernie Johnson
The ruling grade on the New York Central's main line was West Albany hill, a 3 mile grade with a maximum gradient of 1.63%. The Hudsons and the Pacifics in use before and during World War II did not have the tractive effort necessary to move the trains, often weighing more than 1000 tons, up the hill single headed. A 1000 ton train behind a 400 ton locomotive and tender meant that gravity was resisting the train's motion up the hill with a force of 45,640 pounds. So the trains were assisted up the hill with specially equipped class U 0-8-0 switchers used as pushers. The front coupler operating levers were equipped with an extension to allow the coupler to be released from the cab. The air brake hose between the train and the pusher was not connected. The switcher was coupled to the train at Albany station. As the train approached the bridge over Central Avenue at the top of the hill at 25 miles per hour (the speed limit for the switcher), the engineman at the head end allowed the slack to run in, the crew in the switcher pulled the pin, the switcher uncoupled "on the fly", and the train went on its way. The first time I saw this I was in the observation car of the train, and it was a new experience to see the pusher slowly drift away from the train for its return to Albany station.
Some friends who worked on the Central told of one time many years ago when there was some kind of communication breakdown. The pusher did not get uncoupled, and train and switcher headed across the pine plains toward Schenectady at 80 mph! When the train reached tower 7 at the top of Schenectady hill, the customary air brake test at the top of the hill allowed the slack to run in, and the switcher was able to uncouple. The roundhouse foreman at Sand Bank yard in Scotia told me many years later that they towed the engine to Scotia, and every bearing in the locomotive was burned out. The crew was very lucky that nothing failed during that trip!
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The 5270: West Albany's Last Steam Locomotive
By thingy Barrett & Tim Truscott
Edited by Steve Sconfienza, Ph.D.
Nearly a century of steam locomotive history ended on September 25, 1952 when the last steam locomotive to be repaired there, J-1 "Hudson" No. 5270, left the New York Central's West Albany Shops after being given a sendoff by the crew of machinists, steamfitters, boilermakers and others who worked on it. While there were approximately 190 employees working at the West Albany locomotive shop at the time, only a comparative few saw the 5270 leave.
The crew of 190 still working at West Albany at the time of the 5270's departure was a far cry from the locomotive's peak employment level of 1,400-1,500. As a consequence of the layoffs at West Albany, employees who stayed with the railroad were spread far and wide through transfers to other shops. Some, such as Tony Poleto and Ed Sedguick, began commuting to Harmon Shop each day. Others, like Jack Hickey, moved to Beach Grove, Indiana.
Thirty more employees were laid off after the 5270's departure, with 160 retained for approximately another month to "clean up" the shop. After October, 1952, approximately 100 were left to repair steam cranes and the heating boilers of electric passenger locomotives used in the New York City area and at Cleveland Union Terminal. At the time about 800 employees were left in the West Albany car shop. The opening of the New York State Thruway about two years later and the consequent plunge of passenger traffic resulted in the closing of the West Albany car shop.
The end of steam locomotive work at West Albany had been foreseen for several years as dieselization progressed across the New York Central system. In spite of the introduction of the "Niagara" locomotives with their advanced steam technology, the diesel locomotive rapidly became preferred to steam on the Central as well as other U.S. railroads.
Before launching into a full dieselization program after World War II, the New York Central undertook extensive studies comparing diesel motive power with both steam and electric. In one of these studies during 1946, the performance of six 4,000 horsepower two-unit diesels on three eastbound and three westbound passenger trains were compared with six "Niagara" locomotive-powered passenger trains between Harmon and Chicago. Needless to say, diesel out-performed steam in these and a number of other tests.
In addition to the performance factor of diesel versus steam, the diesel was dramatically less labor intensive in its service needs. Clearly, dieselization was bound to result in excess shop capacity on this basis alone.
Dieselization on the New York Central began in the east and progressed toward the Midwest. Initially, surplus steam locomotives were either scrapped or moved west of Buffalo. The best diesel motive power was assigned to the "name" passenger trains and the "Niagara" steam locomotives were "bumped down" to lessor trains.
