Engineer on NYC #16 August, 1965

[PETER C HOYT]

To Mr. Chris Burger:

Was Lee Bartlett your engineer on the day you took the photo from the cab of #16 which appears on page 92 Spring 2019 Classic Trains? I had the great pleasure of riding with Mr. Bartlett in December, 1965 when I was 13 from Harmon to Albany in the cab of #51, the Empire State Express. He lived in Albany and my understanding was he took #16 eastbound to Harmon in the early mornings. Mr. Bartlett was an exceptionally kind man and he and I maintained a correspondence until his death in 1971. He was an officer in the BLE&F and was second in seniority on the Hudson Division in 1965. When he took mandatory retirement from the PC in 1970 he had been with the railroad 53 years. Thank you. ..Pete Hoyt