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| Re: [2 PHOTOS] Re: East 180th Street (4/10/17) (1434459) | |||
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Re: [2 PHOTOS] Re: East 180th Street (4/10/17) |
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Posted by JOE @ NYCMTS - NYCTMG on Thu Apr 27 20:53:46 2017, in response to Re: [2 PHOTOS] Re: East 180th Street (4/10/17), posted by MainR3664 on Thu Apr 27 14:55:50 2017. Hello Main R3664Your QUESTION: ".....How did they (TA or NHRR) get the cars to/from the unpowered tracks onto 3rd rail? Did the TA have any diesel or steam locomotives yet to accomplish this? OR, as I suspect, did the NHRR use its own locomotives to push the new cars (R17, R33/36WF, etc) to a point where a TA electric work train could push one car into the gap zone, couple up, and move to 180th Street?...." My ANSWER: I did explain this in my previous message to some degree -- the NHRR diesel(s) pushed the delivered consist north from the single connection switch at the NHRR S/B Local Main - to a point where the north-end head car of such consists was a length or so beyond the start of the 3rd rail equipped single delivery track. If it was a material train (hoppers, flats, whatever) a train of surplus ex-Subway Car horses surplus IRT Hi-V Motor cars passenger-retired between 1953-58, used until themselves scrapped at Starlight by 1960". Then alternately replaced by surplus IRT Low-V motor cars assigned for that "work-horses" purpose, which would likewise operate downgrade, and couple air-iron to the delivered consist, and tow it back up to E. 180th Street complex and into the IRT yards there... and do the reverse to DELIVER such TA consists to the NHRR for pickup. To my knowledge, and a few others who remember, TA Diesels were never used on that stretch for picking up or delivering cars in that 1953-1960's period. Usually plentiful subway motor car "work horses" did the job. Usually a train of 4 coupled motor cars could do the job very well. For scrapping EL cars -- trailers and unpowered cars, a dedicated train of many spare IRT EL standard Van-Dorn link & Pin coupler MUDC cars were used as work-horses to Van-Dorn coupler air-iron link to the unpowered EL cars, all also having those type couplers, and, push, guide them downgrade to the "stopping" point on the ex-NYW&B RR S/B local track to between E. 174th and E. 175th Streets. It would make sense that hand brakes likely were activated all or even just some of the "dead" cars when they were stored ... and released for each as they were later pushed/ rolled dead, a bit further south to the "derail" track to fall onto the Starlite Park former grounds. Your QUESTION: "....Were locomotives used at all in the scrap moves? Or the cars just operated to the end of the third rail, allowed to stall, and de-railed right there? Your pics and what you said above suggest that..." My ANSWER: All answered above -- and all "stalled or then "deactivated-dead" cars were rolled UN-MANNED down a short section of S/B track to the derail point. Additionally, for time and quick-access reasons, on many occasions scrap-contractor cranes were used to LIFT certain cars off the NYW&B S/B track to 'crane' lift, carry and deposit them to assigned spots in scrapping-rows located much further away along the west edge of the former Starlight Park grounds scrapping property along the Bronx River, I think - was it Tunnel Bat (Steve)- who commented here some time ago, that some TA motorman HE knew ran a TA work diesel, as a curiosity-lark, down the ex-NYW&B's embankment (in the 1990's ??) on the sole surviving long previous one time "active" track -- as far south as he could until the loco forward truck derailed.... if so, Steve can finish the story... Regards - Joe F |
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