17-12-24 PHOTOS: Second Ave Nostalgia

This holiday photo set has a little bit of everything! Of course the headline content, continued from last week's video post, covers my trip to NYC to ride the Holiday Nostalgia Train on it's new (and long delayed) routing up the 2nd Ave Subway to 96th St. From there I take a holiday road trip to the Easton, PA area where I was alas too late to photograph some former Lehigh Valley searchlight signals on the former Conrail Lehigh Line. Instead of grabbed some photos of the new signals at some area interlockings. Finally I grabbed a few more holiday photos from the Baltimore Streetcar Museum.

You can find the full set of still content right here!

I took NJT to NYC, but earlier in the month I was in 30th St station on other business where I caught a snow covered Metroliner Cab Car #9644 in Keystone service.

NJT ALP-46 #4606 at Newark Penn Station. Catching the Nostalgia Trains at the 2nd Ave terminal is best accomplished through taking the PATH and then catching an (A) train at World Trade Center.

The new World Train Center PATH station is quite pretty, but not at all worth the cost. I dearly miss the old rabbit warren mall as it gave an advantage to savvy commuters over the tourists in terms of speedy navication.

The Nostalgia Train parked on the 2nd Ave center stub tracks that I believe were built to support the original Second Ave Subway plan, which today only runs between 63rd St and 96th St. The leading and training R1/9 cars were #1802 and #381.

With interest from the 1950's vintage cosplay set, the Holiday Nostalgia trains are more popular than ever, even on the "early" morning 10am run. A GoPro window mount or selfie stick are easy ways to avoid the crush of kids at the Railfan Window.

#381 at 96th St.

View of the lavish 96th St mezzanine. One wonders if there were some areas for cost savings.

Revenue R160 (Q) trains laying over at 96th St while the Nostalgia Train rested out of service on the tail tracks.

This was mostly a video related trip so here is a photo of another NJT ALP-46, #4635, at Hamilton.

Moving to Phillipsburg, NJ, the old Union Station is now part of the New Jersey Transportation Heritage Museum.

The Museum includes the former CNJ 'PU' interlocking tower, which is undergoing restoration.

The tower still contains it's original US&S Model 14 interlocking machine, although a lot of pieces are missing.

The lower level relay room and compressor plant still contains some of the air compressor equipment used to work the pneumatic point machines.

CP-PHILLIPSBURG was re-signaled a number of years before the rest of the Lehigh Line, but fit the pattern of what was to come.

A simple two track cantilever at CP-EASTON has replaced the surviving LVRR gantrylever type bridge that had stood at the western end of the old Easton station platforms.

NS merchandise train headed east through CP-JU by C44-9W #9975 and SD70M-2's #2652 and #2646.

CP-JU used to be the junction between the Reading Bethleham Branch to Philadelphia and the CNJ main line as well as the eastern end of the Allentown Yard complex. Previously a pneumatic plant with a local interlocking tower, the interlocking was rebuilt by Conrail in the 80's or 90's before being re-signaled by NS in 2017.

Located on a major choke-point for east-west freight, CP-JU featured two old school defeat detectors that used floodlights and cameras to inspect passing trains.

Moving on to the Baltimore Streetcar Museum we have their pair of work cars, the sweeper C-145 and former Philly PCC #2187, sitting on the new station track.

Here we see single truck car #4535 with the holiday PCC car #2168 on the loop track.

As usual the holiday PCC was being used for the special Santa runs with small children while #264 and #4535 maintained the regular schedule.

Well that's it for this week. Tune in next time for the photos from the 2017 SEPTA Mid-Winter Trip.