You sent me back for a second look. Yes, it is definitely regular underrunning third rail, as in continued use by Metro North today. Think it is a special run for photography, not a regular train. And running south from Harmon including passing through Tarrytown.
OvermodThe small town in the first couple of minutes is distinctive. Do I not see at least one small station/shelter on a parallel or converging route?
At least one station in the electrified zone (Tarrytown) had a shelter between the tracks.
Not all taken in the same place... or, I think, direction.
Engine is so new she still has Walschaerts gear.
No question to me that is third-rail territory -- I can see the chairs holding up the under running-contact rails and the boarding on top. Southbound with the Hudson to the right, probably not far below Harmon -- and I think we have other publicity film shot from around this era at the same spot on the line. I even think there are pictures from the streamlined era that show the location.
The small town in the first couple of minutes is distinctive. Do I not see at least one small station/shelter on a parallel or converging route?
View from left side shows a river, so north/westbound, but only one distant track to the left so I'd say west of Albany. The deep road underpass followed by river/stream crossing would be landmarks for someone familiar with the Water Level Route. Doubt the engine would be running on subsidiaries or the West Shore this early in the game.
That standing three-car coach train may be valuable to look at in close 'still' detail I can't get off this crackphone...
Mike, I agree. Looks like 3rd rail on at least some tracks. And an overhead passenger walkway.
They look like NYC 3rd rails to me. There is also the typical overhead power supply line towers. The 3rd rails went a little north of Harmon to Croton North freight yard. Also a hudson may have run a long mail train down the West Side line toward the big PO near NYC's 30th street yard and Penn Station.
If it was going to the freight yards in the NYC area, then no. There's footage of steam running on Manhattan's lower West Side in the 1920's, filmed just about the same time that Hudson cab ride was filmed. Hudsons certainly weren't freight engines but I wouldn't stick my neck out and say they were NEVER used as such. If you need power for the run in a pinch you'll use anything handy.
Steam was definately banned from Grand Central Terminal at any rate.
I think we need Dave Klepper for an answer to just where that Hudson might have been going. What Dave doesn't know about NYC railroading never happened anyway!
I could be VERY wrong, but personally I think he's north of Harmon. I watched the film again and those rails that look like third rails may just be there to prevent ballast shift. I'm not sure those are electrified third rails at all.
What a great film! The first "talkie" was only 1 year before and they have a good sound recording in a locomotive cab as opposed to a movie studio. As Al Jolson said in the first talkie, "you ain't seen nothing yet!"
But, seeing third rail and four main tracks I assume this is south of Croton-Harmon, but I thought steam was banned south of CH?
creepycrank I wonder what it was like operating this locomotive in the winter with the cab window open?
I wonder what it was like operating this locomotive in the winter with the cab window open?
That's a good question. Traditionally it's been considered a miserable experience, but on the other hand there was a gent I worked with years ago who was part of a US Navy work detail clearing snow from a vital rail junction during WW2. He got a cab ride out of it on the steam locomotive, which was pretty exciting in itself, but with the cab curtains drawn he said it was nice and warm in there.
He also said the coffee brewing on the backhead was pretty good too!
but they should have shown the semaphore signal move from horizontal to vertical before the locomotive began moving.
Yes, and don't you admire the way he kept his savoir-faire under the unblinking eye of the camera? A real pro!
Definitely a lot of work for the engineer.
Thanks Charlie!
Remarkable film, both for the razor-sharp picture quality and the way the film makers pushed the technology of sound recording equipment to get it in the cab.
91 years ago. Amazing.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=NgRyIaJePnQ
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