Next images is of the gang car and trailer being put away in the hand car shed. What is fascinating about this image to me is that the hand car shed is not that small building in frame, but a large building across the tracks out of frame, so these men are about to pull this thing over all four tracks. I’m pretty sure… or am I nuts?
Now we have a Jersey Central M2s Mikado on a Joint CNJ/Reading freight (easbound) taking on water. This is a distant head on shot. I had previously posted closer shots of this train, which can be found (as can the whole Skillman collection) by clicking on the word Skillman NJ where it says Location up top of the frame on any of these images.
Moving on, this is a summer, or late spring shot of The Crusader passing under Camp Meeting Road behind one of the streamlined Pacifics. This isn’t nearly as good as his other image of the same train at the same location on a different day, but still fun to see.
Enjoyed the old black and whites. Just a question. Wonder why the two outer tracks are laid down with more space between them and the next inside track…compared to the two center ones.
Thanks very much for posting these. It was most enjoyable seeing them, particularly because they showed the railroad, not just the locomotives.
Quentin, look at the second photo (the motorcar being lifted off) and observe the platforms. The center tracks are passenger, outside tracks are freight. That’s your reason. Some railroads preferred on 4-track configurations to make the outside tracks for passenger so that passengers were not crossing a live track to reach the platform, making it necessary to have a hold-out rule for freights on the outmost track. The advantage of putting the freight tracks on the outside is it meant they could access lineside industries and freight houses without having to crossover the passenger mains.
Figured it might have had something to do with passenger / freight operations, but wasn’t sure. Thanks for the opinion.
In Johnstown, Pa. on the old 4-track Pennsy main I believe the two inner tracks were passenger. But at that location there was an underground passageway to arrive up at the trackside inner tracks from inside the station.
Edit: Still is, but it’s only 3-tracks since the last decade or two…
In most 4 track territory the inside 2 tracks were for express passenger and through freight operations. The outside 2 tracks were designed for local passenger and local freight operations, but like any track could be used for the through train operations if the operating situation warranted.
