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| [EXPLANATIONS] East New York Yard 1978-84 (1462029) | |||
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[EXPLANATIONS] East New York Yard 1978-84 |
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Posted by Bill Newkirk on Sat Jan 13 06:11:51 2018, in response to [PHOTOS] East New York Yard 1978-94, posted by Bill Newkirk on Fri Jan 12 08:37:17 2018. Well, here may be some of your answers, from a long time friend of mine who wishes anonymity.The mystery of why R44 and R46 cars popped up in East NY yard (D.O. yard) has a very simple explanation. At one time East New York barn was considered underutilized and certain programs for work on some car classes needed a place to do them. This occurred after the K line service was eliminated in 1976. The R44 cars went out there for a program called ziplock in the early 1980s, while R46s went there for similar and other work after the R44s were completed. What you see are cars that were there for that. Even the Lo V museum train was stored in the barn out there for a time before being banished back to the Bronx. There was of course that R46 fan trip out there as well. Coney Island being overwhelmed with the R46 Rockwell truck failures was also a major factor. That silver and blue R1/R9 out there was most likely one of the cars held as a museum car (1600?). It was later stored at Fresh Pond with some other R1/9s and a 3 car set of deck roof BMT Standards, all which met the torch (except 2775, now at Branford) around 1980. I worked in East New York during some of that time period hand switching and on the motors, at times transferring R44 and R46 cars between Coney Island, Jamaica and East NY, via the Williamsburg Bridge. When the new signal system was put in (as well as some track rearrangement on the bridge and the approaches) the clearances were not maintained to continue these types of moves, which also resulted int the R110B cars not being able to clear to go out on the East, as well as (most recently) not being able to send the R44 cars out for scrap via Linden Yard. The first track connection from the Canarsie Line to the Bay Ridge branch (the hand throw north of New Lots) was put in when the Bridge was closed for rebuilding, in order to transfer cars back and forth from ENY to Coney Island. SBK diesels did the move the entire way, down the Bay Ridge line, along the then New York Cross Harbor RR and finally up the SBK to Ninth Avenue, continuing to Coney Island Yard on the West End. East New York in 1983/84 was also the place doing inspections for most work equipment (non diesel, Pelham did the 1938 World's Fair cars), as well as the R32 and R27/30 fleets, which is why you see photos of all these types of equipment there. Many a Sunday was spent making transfers from ENY to Coney Island as cars were hurried through weekend inspection to make service on the South, with the East getting what was left over, last minute releases from the barn (many which were dead but released anyway) and any R16s, which managed to limp and stagger out of the yard. One of the biggest problems with the R16s was found to be mixing the GE 6400s with the Westinghouse 6300s. A smart Trainmaster out there (Dennis Peppel) sat down and analyzed all the R16 problems and found a pattern that a solid train of Westinghouse cars had a better chance of survival than any one that had a GE car in the consist. So the GEs were slowly taken out of the game, and left at the block in DO yard and elsewhere, along with a few problem children Westinghouse cars (repeaters). We also tried running a train of solid GE cars, which was an adventure (it was like being back on the IRT motors to me). Biggest issue was the batteries, which were shot and caused all sorts of problems trainline. An off center key switch (used to turn the carbody lights on and off) could and did cripple many a train as it ran the batteries down. If you look carefully, you will see what looks like a number of derelict 6400 series R16s on the block end. Getting rid of the repeaters and the GE cars actually improved the performance on the R16s, incredibly enough, to the point that some actually wound up being allowed south of Broad Street... The Q car pump train also tended to live out there and it was quite an experience to have R9 work motors coupled to the Q cars, while being in the Pump car head out, operating the train from the pump car, which had BMT standard controllers and ME23 brake valves in it and was train lined through the Q cars (which had been given electric portion equipped H2A couplers on the end cars, same as the pump car). Taking that in and out of the barn and over the road was something else and good training that came in handy later. Working miscellaneous then really was MISCELLANEOUS. Quite a wild but fun time to be out there on the East. And you still had a few people who still used the term District Office (which is where the DO yard designation - left over from telegraph days - came from) even into the early 80's... |
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