Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s (when I moved to California in 1984), the Elizabethport shops were a wide open, railfan friendly smorgasbord of amazing relics.
First image is of two derelict (parts sources) Penn Central E8s sitting among some monster sized cans of Valvoline.
Durung that period of time you mentioned I worked in the WTC for a major steamship line as there Intermodal Mgr & spent a good part of my time visiting the intermodal ramps in NJ & probably saw those locos at one time or another but never used to lug my camera so my bad since looking back I could have gotten many super pix. [:)]
I do know about missed opportunities photography wise. I’ve gone through a few periods in my life of not photographing anything, and when I think of the things that I saw that I have no image of, it kills me.
Morris County Central steam trains.
UA Turbo Trains
E8s on the Northeast Corridor
Erie Lackawanna RS3s, E8s, and GEEPs puling Stillwell passenger cars.
Yes I used to ride the NJCL from Newark to Hazlet & used to watch the engine change at South Amboy from the GG1 to the Es or from Es to GG1 & alas never thought to take 1 pix of them. Sure makes me quite upset thinking about it today. Once I arranged with the NWRR to bring UPRR engines to Oak Island which they did & I again never took pix of them against the WTC. They even washed them to pretty them up! Can you imagine those pix now? Oh well memories are great but in the end it is what it is