Holy Moly, all those boxcars and roadnames!!! Just about every railroad is seen, and all types of cars, even a Milwaukee Road "Ribsider"!!
I wonder if the class lights still work? They have added the "X" in her number boards, but the lights are not illuminated.
Are these E units still operational? I haven't seen any mention of them with all the hoopla about UP's steam program.
OK. Technically, during the days of their actual use the class lights must be lit and/or same color flags displayed. Otherwise it would have been a timetable scheduled move, no need to show other than it's usual lead unit number. The "X" shown in number boards is informational, but unofficial. These are a quite different use from warning lights such as a strobe, or ditch lights.
Back in time table days I believe the X in front of the locomotive number signified an extra movement as opposed to a regular train number. Some railroads, like the SP, put the train number in the number boards while most railroads just left the engine number there. Only when it was an extra did they put the engine number there preceded by the X. It was fun when the Santa Fe ran on track rights over the SP route from Houston to Rosenberg. They had to knock down the engine number and put up their train number, as well as use different marker light colors on the end of the train, until they were back on home rails. Then they had to change everything back.
Bethlehem, PA was the site of a large CNJ engine terminal, with turntable and roundhouse. It remained important to CR as these shots from August 1980 show. The last slide is of the 9998, an "RS3M", retaining its Alco RS-3 carbody, but with EMD internals. These were also known as DeWitt Geeps, as PC worked a number of the early rebuilds in Syracuse, NY at the road's DeWitt Shops.
It simply means "Extra". Out west, UP and SP were noted for this added feature. I know it was done elsewhere in the US, as well. In addition to flags and/or class lights, this helped operators at wayside depots and train order offices in knowing what movement had passed, for their OS sheets and calling them out to dispatchers.
A few more shots at Bethlehem, PA, all taken in October 1980. Below is Union Station built in 1924 by the LV and Reading and now owned by a hospital. The mighty works of Bethlehem Steel can be seen at the upper left in the slide below. Steel production continued into 1995; it's now a casino. This was the RDG's side of the station. Passenger service ended in July 1981.
Former liquid sugar tank cars, now in use for water service, built 1942, seen here at Tehachapi Cal, early 90s
Bridge carrying CSX & NS mainlines over The Miami River in Dayton, Ohio. Built to last or on it's last legs?
Was eating lunch today in a cafe in Comfort, Texas when I noticed this hanging on the wall. Looks like maybe a San Antonio & Aransas Pass depot.
