Central Headlight - 1Q 2009

The latest issue of the Central Headlight is in the mail and on its way to current NYCSHS members!

Humming eastward through Westchester County fall foliage in Scarsdale, New York, T-2b 269 was about nineteen miles west of Grand Central Terminal as it brought a four-car consist over the Bronx River in 1968, several months after the Penn Central merger. The 269 will soon be renumbered to PC 4669. Commuting on the Harlem Division is this issue's cover story. Photo by Dick Herbert.

The 10th Michigan Railroad History Conference - November 7, 2009

For anyone interested in learning more about New York Central operations in Michigan, as well as other aspects of the Wolverine State's railroad history, don't miss the 10th Michigan Railroad History Conference. The Conference will be held on Saturday, November 7, 2009 at the Cascade Manor House, Jackson, Michigan. The program includes ten historical presentations and two poster presentations. Lunch will be served. At the completion of the program, we will tour the former Michigan Central Jackson Shop buildings, and other historical sites.


Presentations:

  • "Detroit & Toledo Shore Line Railroad - Expressway for Industry" - Chuck Geletzke

  • "NYC, PC, Conrail & NS Dispatching on the Michigan Division 1958 - 2006" - Rahn Stokes

  • "Michigan Coal and the Rails that moved it". - Mike Delaney

  • "Lansing - Jackson Interurban Railway" - Norm Krentel

  • Keynote Presentation: "Runaway Research on the Michigan Central" - Nicholas Marsh

  • "The Spring Lake Iron Company, the Railroads and Charcoal Production in West Michigan" - Dave Kindem

  • "A Brief History of the Port Huron and Detroit Railroad" - Sandy Duffy

  • "A Day in the Life of the Michigan Central's Airline" - Mark Worrall

  • "Railroad Freight Car Manufacturing and Social Conflicts in Gilded Age Detroit" - Tom Klug

  • "Ann Arbor Railroad: Ann Arbor to Durand" - Henry Burger

During the luncheon:

  • Poster Session A: Gaylord Gill: "Deckerville Pere Marquette Depot Project"

  • Poster Session B: Dale Berry: "MichiganRailroads.com"

For a conference registration form and more information, please visit the Michigan Railroad History Conference web site.

New York Central models by Jim Six


NYC U-class 0-8-0 7744 spots a coal hopper at the local dealer in New Paris, Indiana during the summer of 1955. New York Central enthusiast and modeler Jim Six wanted to share these photos from his HO scale Michigan District layout.

A Geep spots a 40-foot boxcar at an industry in New Paris, Indiana in 1955. This PS-1 boxcar is a Kadee model that Jim Six weathered then placed into service on his NYC Michigan District layout. Weathering was done with acrylic washes there were wiped with cotton swabs. An airbrush was used to weather the roof and underside of the model.

NYC F3 1630 and dual-service GP7 5758 lead a train north through New Paris, Indiana in June 1955. While the F-unit is painted in black, the Geep wears two-tone gray paint found on many similar locomotives in the mid-to-late 1950s. The F3 is an Athearn Genesis model that Jim Six detailed and weathered. The Geep is a Proto2000 model that Jim repainted, detailed and weathered. The scene was photographed on Jim's 44x12 HO scale NYC Michigan District.

The Athearn Genesis model makes a great subject for adding prototype detail specific to the New York Central F3. Jim also added a SoundTrax Tsunami DCC sound decoder and speakers. The model sounds as good as it looks.


Both the 1606 and 1630 are Athearn Genesis HO scale models. Jim Six took the factory painted models and added prototype specific detail, touched up the paint, then weathered the models with acrylic washes. The front pilot of the 1606 was removed and replaced with an InterMountain straight, so-called "passenger" pilot. The shroud doors were modeled in the open position.

Putnam Division photos from Malcolm Laughlin

New York Central's Putnam Division ran from a connection with the Hudson Division in The Bronx to a connection with the Harlem Division at Brewster, New York. A little more than 50 miles end-to-end, the last passenger train over the line was in 1958. After a period of steady decline, the line was downgraded and abandoned until all service ended on the lower end in the late 1970s. Today, the line survives as a popular walking train through Westchester and Putnam counties. Malcolm Laughlin had the good fortune to attend a railfan trip over the Putnam Division in October 1954.

On the way to the special train, Malcolm photographed this meet at Dunwoodie station from the side of the Cross County Parkway. Note the rare round-roof coach as second car of southbound train. These Osgood-Bradley cars were found on the Putnam Division as well as the Boston & Albany.
Another view of the trains at Dunwoodie from the Cross County Parkway.


The fan trip special train rolls past for a photo run by.

It appears our railfan special has paused at Millwood, New York. The distinctive freight house was created from a discarded New York & Northern baggage car. The New York & Northern was later acquired by the New York Central and became the Putnam Division.

The Putnam Division was dieselized in 1951 with a fleet of distinctive Lima diesels. I hope that lady moves out of the guage soon!


A photo run-by was conducted near Kitchawan station, running the train over the bridge spanning the Croton Reservoir.





This bridge still stands today, carrying bicyclists and hikers only.
A regularly scheduled train (possibly Train 129) rolls through Yorktown Heights.


Possible Train 129 headed south from Yorktown Heights.

Baldwin diesels were also used on the Put, before being replaced by Alco road switchers.
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