Were steam locomotives banned from all of New York City during that period? If so, then presumably Central would have used an electric to haul passenger trains outside the city to where steam would have taken over?
This was the only scene in the movie shot in France, while several scenes were shot up in Montreal, where CN was still running electrics at that time. Did CN’s electrics look similar to the electrics used in New York during 1938?
Beautifully shot scene, and I have to give the film-makers credit for trying to recreate the era and atmosphere, but anyone who knows anything about GCT and the New York Central knows that’s not GCT or the Central, it’s Europe.
That being said steam locomotives were totally banned in Manhattan by the 1930’s, they were banned in tunnels prior to WW1 but there was steam powered freight service down the West Side into the 1920’s. I don’t believe steam was ever banned in the other four boroughs.
I’m not a CN fan but I don’t think CN’s electrics looked anything at all like the NYC’s.
I never even noticed the SNCF on the other train! I guess the film-makers did their job well! Even though I knew it wasn’t right I was still captivated by what I saw.
Until Amtrak, there WAS steam in GC Station. But NOT propulsion. NYC’s electric locomotives had steam generators for train heat. PRR’s GG1’s had oil fired steam generators for train heat.
Prior to the ban, the railroad had covered the locos used on the west side (Shays?) so they looked like coaches, so as not to scare the horses quite as badly.
This was also the domain of the 10th and 11th Street cowboys, who rode ahead of the trains to warn people of their presence. There were still a lot of accidents (and fatalities).
"Geared steam locomotives are usually associated with logging operations, where grades were steep and the track was light and temporary. The Shay geared locomotive used vertically thrusting cylinders to turn a shaft transmitting power to the trucks. These slow-moving locomotives, with their small wheels, offered greater leverage on hills and were easier on the track than conventional engines with their pounding side rods and counterbalances.
The New York Central was not known to conduct logging operations, but its 1940 roster listed five Shay type locomotives, Nos. 7185-7189 (originally numbered 1896-1900). They were built in 1923 by Lima Locomotive Works for use on the West Side freight line in New York City, chiefly on street trackage on 10th and 11th Avenues. An old city ordinance required them to be covered to avoid frightening horses, and they also had to be preceded by a horse and rider when operating in the street. When most of the street trackage was removed and the West Side line was electrified around 1932, the Shays were replaced by box-cab diesels that could a
IN this Thread posted by (Dale) nanaimo73, re: “Steam in NYC” I would like to point those with any level of interest in the railroads of the NYC area to a ‘members’ site(trainweb) which hosts an extremely,(IMHO) interesting website.
It is authored by Mr. Phillip M.Goldstein, and a number of other contributors; the site is concerned with a number of NYC area railroad switching and dock and wharehouse railroad related activities. The site contains a number of interesting, and inter-related NYC railroad activities. The base linked site is
Judging by the Times headlines, this was set at the time of Prohibition repeal. Someone sharp might be able to resolve the actual date from the headlines.
Everything in that shot is European except for the unprototypical New York Central oval stickers… and the track sign saying “New York”.
There are paintings of older French power in the Gare du Nord by one of the famous French artists – not Monet at the Gare St. Lazare…
The movie has scenes set in 1918, 1933 (end of prohibition) and 1968 - kinda goes back and forth, not linear. Anyway, even the earliest scene is a decade after steam was banned on Manhattan.
p.s. The engine and cars are clearly French - I wonder if the cars weren’t the ones from the restored then (1984) recently restored Orient Express?
"Geared steam locomotives are usually associated with logging operations, where grades were steep and the track was light and temporary. The Shay geared locomotive used vertically thrusting cylinders to turn a shaft transmitting power to the trucks. These slow-moving locomotives, with their small wheels, offered greater leverage on hills and were easier on the track than conventional engines with their pounding side rods and counterbalances.