Jenkins Curve in Bridgeport in 1966.

A pair of EF-4s heads west around Jenkins Curve in Bridgeport in 1966. Next stop. . .LIRR’s Bay Ridge Yard.

Model by Rick Abramson

Summer, 1966.  The Long Island Rail Road was busy reballasting a lot of track.  All the ballast originated at the New Haven Traprock quarry in Branford, handed off to the New Haven from the Branford Steam Railroad at Pine Orchard.  Shipped in 125-car lots, the trains consisted of New Haven’s 70-ton quad-hoppers filled to the max (meaning halfway).  These were “DO NOT STOP” trains, with the dispatcher closely monitoring their movement all the way.  I suspect that at least one passenger job may have been inconvenienced by these trains.

At S.S. 4 we were given a heads-up when they were crossing over at Pelham Bay, and the dispatcher called both S.S. 4 and S.S. 3 to make sure the train had a clear, unobstructed shot for Hell Gate Bridge.  And we had to call back, confirming that the signals were cleared off.  Then she came rolling through at 45 m.p.h.  You could feel how heavy the train was, but the two EF-4s made it appear easy.

Once she cleared off the model board, a sigh of relief followed, preceded, of course, by an OS to the West End dispatcher.

I don’t think you could do such a thing nowadays.  But, that’s progress, I think.