Flight of the Century

[Miningman]

Great stuff Wanswheel. Speechless

As to the New York Times Article.....pretty thin, that's it? 

[Overmod]

Firelock76

You know, my father wanted to buy the Tenafly station when commuter service stopped there in 1966 and the station closed.

That's interesting.  Of course the station looked very different then than it does in the pictures.

All the while I was growing up (we moved to 81 Joyce Rd. when I was 2 1/2, between 1958 and 1959) the station had very deep outside valances in dark wood.  Those were removed when the station was given an extensive historic restoration, making it look radically different.  I think some of the outside beams were subsequently added back, but it's still much more 'upright' and 1830-ish than the way I remember it with 'Day of the Dead' paint-scheme RS units and Stilwells in front.

Interestingly there was a series of historic 'cold cast' station models in roughly N scale (at least that was the approximate gauge of the molded track in front) that included this station.  I was lucky enough to find one down here and parked my N-scale EL RS3 in front on my desk for a shot of on-demand nostalgia...

[Firelock76]

Hey Overmod, are those "cold-cast" N gauge stations still available, and if so Do you know who sells them.  I don't do N gauge anymore, I'm back to O and lovin' it, but an N gauge Tenafly station would be fun to have.

I DID see a custom-built model of the Tenafly station in O scale at a train show several years back, but no way could I afford the $1,000 price the guy wanted for it!  Never saw it again at any other show, so I suppose someone bought it.

[daveklepper]

The end of the Century was also the end for other Central named trains, includiing the Southwestern Limited and the New England States.  More frequent or at least more regular and more dependable Buffalo - New York "Empire Service" was supposed to compensate, running trains where the market was.

The remaining long distance marekt was consolidated into one train between Albany and Buffalo, coming from both New York City and Boston, and which took the numbers of the New England States, 27 and 28, but not the name.  we nicknamed it "The Steel Fleet."  West of Buffalo its cars ran as 27 and 28 to and from Chicago via Cleveland, also via Detroit, and to Toronto, Cincinnati and St. Louis.

Hope to post some 1970 pictures taken betwen Gary and Elkhart soon.

 

[daveklepper]

Some pix of Penn Central 27 and 28.  One thing PC did that was a surprise was restoring sectioni sleeper accomodations between NY and Chi using an ex-New Haven sleeper on each train.

 

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

If my memory is correct, PC 63-64 was also a New York-Chicago run, mostly to handle what mail was still being carried.

[daveklepper]

What equipment did 63 and 64 have?

[gmpullman]

daveklepper

Some pix of Penn Central 27 and 28.

One of my favorite "grab shots". Westbound 27 at Collinwood (it still bypassed C.U.T.). I'm on a passenger extra, Cleveland to Niagara Falls, in a heavyweight 10 section-solarium lounge. Note the kerosene markers.

P-C_1000 by Edmund, on Flickr

Cheers! Ed

[Overmod]

Firelock76

... are those "cold-cast" N gauge stations still available, and if so do you know who sells them?

On the off chance someone reading the thread is also interested, I'll reply here and not via PM.

This was one of, I believe, four stations made by the Danbury Mint outfit.  These originally had little 'trains' packaged with them, but mine was bought without -- no problem because I wanted an RS2/3 and Stillwell for proper memory.

One set of four stations, with their trains, recently sold at auction for $22, which I thought was something of a steal: proof that markets don't often close well for specialty interests.