Out of curiosity, what railroad ran a G15 4-6-0? (And did it have a throttle with an idle notch?)
Firelock76The roads in Tenafly not suited for co-existance with light rail? I don't know, I'm pretty familiar with Tenafly myself, and they didn't have any problem co-existing with steam powered commuter and freight runs back in my father's time. But of course that was a different world, different traffic patterns, not as many cars, and so on.
I was actually being a bit specific in that much of the trolley ROW downtown was paved over for additional access roads, and there are a relatively large number of cross streets that are inconvenient to stop on for crossings. In my day, there was one peddler freight each way, although sometimes you'd see a special (and there was one shining moment, around 1975, when I actually caught a meet between a Century 424 or 425 and a U-boat... neither of which was remotely 'normal' power on that branch!) The commuter trains were fairly well-spaced, and there was less road traffic (and perhaps more tolerance for train stoppage) back in the days before the mid-Sixties. You had about 5 of them in the morning, and then about 5 at night... and that was all the trains there were.
Contrast that with the required service on the proposed Light Rail. Every 20 minutes most of the day, both ways? That's got major ouch potential... even before we take up the issue of parking in Tenafly, already congested and not particularly 'adjacent' to where the light rail trains will board. There is no place for a park 'n ride lot anywhere near where the stop would be; there really isn't a good place south of Clinton (as commercial development flanks both sides of the ROW). You might get somewhere if you ran the line north past the scrapyard on the west side, as the land opens out up there, but access is going to be more than a little tortuous. And you still would have the trains all day long blocking the streets...
When the carbarns went down, the land under them was turned into more downtown parking. But that is not likely to become free parking for commuters!
John WR Firelock76Oh by the way, there was a Public Service trolley line that ran into Tenafly back in my dad's time as well. It more or less paralelled the Northern Branch. The line was abandoned into Tenafly in 1937. Does a bus run on the same route?
Firelock76Oh by the way, there was a Public Service trolley line that ran into Tenafly back in my dad's time as well. It more or less paralelled the Northern Branch. The line was abandoned into Tenafly in 1937.
Does a bus run on the same route?
Well John, looks like Overmod's hit the bus question, which is good 'cause I don't know. I only get to Tenafly once a year when I'm back in North Jersey. My grandparents are buried in Mount Carmel Cemetery so I go for a visit, and so I can report to Dad how the town looks and whether the house he was born and grew up in is still there. It is. Thank God, I have some wonderful memories of that house.
The line, once called the Englewood Line, ran along what was once called Front Street, now called Dean Drive. Trolleys ran every twenty minutes. The line terminated on the east side of the Erie train station. When trolley service was abandoned in 1937 it was replaced with bus service, I'm assuming Public Service buses.
I Mapquest'ed a satellite view of Tenafly and where the trolley line was is developed, where it's not it has quite a few trees on it.
Hi Overmod! What 'road ran a G-15? Why the old "Weary Erie", that's who! The G-15 was the last of the 4-6-0's puchased by the Erie, built 1903-1904 and rebuilt for suburban service from 1915 through 1924, especially on the Northern Branch. Good locomotives, seven car passenger consists were no trouble for them. The "Suzy-Q" operated them as well. It goes without saying the G-15 was a bit before our time!
I doubt they had a throttle with an idle notch.
By the way if you're interested, the "Images of America" book series has a book about Tenafly. If there's a Barnes and Noble in your area they can order it for you, A fun book, although it pretty much deals with the town pre-1950.
Also, Wislew Publications ( www.wislew.com ) has a DVD called the "Northern Branch in the 21st Century." A very good look at the line, but a little bit long. Hey, that's what "fast-forward" is for!
I was wondering about a bus because today many north Jersey buses run on what were once trolley routes.
Firelock76 ... I can report to Dad how the town looks and whether the house he was born and grew up in is still there. It is. Thank God, I have some wonderful memories of that house.
... I can report to Dad how the town looks and whether the house he was born and grew up in is still there. It is. Thank God, I have some wonderful memories of that house.
Just for fun -- where IS that house? (Mine was at the top of the hill on Joyce Road. There was a bus that ran along Tenafly Road, at the bottom of the hill... but I cannot remember what number it was...)
Those were put in as part of a massive "urban-renewal" sort of beautification project. I still remember being a bit upset that there was no way the trolley track could be restored after that... Was sometime after commuter service ended on the Northern Branch, but probably in absolute years not that much later. Could be at the end of the Sixties; not later than the early Seventies.
Hi Overmod! OK, Dad's house, or I should say Grandma's and Grandpa's is on Gordon Avenue just off Jefferson Ave. Slightly remodeled, but still pretty much as it was. Strangely, it's a bit smaller than I remembered it being. Amazing how thw mind plays tricks on you!
Also, and it's been years now, but I belive the Public Service bus ran along Jefferson to the downtown Tenafly area. I remember riding with Grandma once when she went shopping at the A&P.
Oh, I forgot to mention earlier if you go the the Wislew Publications website they have a "slide show" of the Northern Branch. Quite interesting too.
Right up by the high school! "Almost in Cresskill!"
I'd be interested to see exactly how a bus ran on Jefferson, and where it came from. I remember the A&P being on that little stub of Piermont Rd. near Demarest's, which would mean the bus from Jefferson would turn and run down River Edge past Roosevelt Common. But where it would go after that? Over to the carbarns?
Someone who is a Public Service aficionado should tell us what route that bus was.
"Right up by the high school! 'Almost in Cresskill!'" Bingo!
I'm afraid I can't tell you how the bus ran, I was a little boy when I made the ride with Grandma and that's 50-plus years ago. We need a real Public Service afficionado here, as you said. If memory serves I'm sure we went past Roosevelt Commons. I remember the pond and the HUGE (well, I thought so at the time!) memorial to Teddy Roosevelt.
Here's a bit of Tenafly trivia for you. Right across the street from The House there used to be a freshwater spring on Jefferson Ave. Dad told me it was very popular with the locals, the water tasted great. It disappeared in the 1930's when that side of the road was developed. "Designer Water" before it was cool!
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