I finally dug out and scanned in from a somewhat faded 8x10 color print what I consider to be one of my 2 best railroad photos (which isn’t much of a claim . . . [:-^] ). It’s a little rare and unusual - shows mostly the rear of a train and a crewman on the back platform of a caboose on a partially ‘curving’ bridge over a river, taken in Sept. 1971. I do know exactly where it was taken from - the question is, for a little fun (only) - can anyone else here identify the location ? (henry6, I’ll ask you to recuse yourself, because you’ll know it.)
Next I’ll try and find my photo of the head-end power on that train - it too was somewhat rare, and not on its home road by over a hundred miles, if that’s a clue . . .
It’s the Lehigh and Hudson Railway bridge over the Delaware River in Easton, PA looking east towards Phillipsburg, NJ across the river. The grey concrete or ballast in the extreme lower right hand corner of the picture is CNJ mainline. I’m not sure if the photographer took a telescope shot of the train from the east end of the old Lehigh Valley station platform in Easton or walk beyond the end of the platform to get a closer shot of the train (trespassing was more acceptable in 1971). The two wooden sheds in the foreground are “guard” houses on each side of a small bridge crossing the canal which allows boats to sail between the Delaware River and the Lehigh River.
My best guess at motive power would be New Haven locomotives where they would be run through power between Allentown and Maybrook. But by 1971 it would have been Penn Central and they were shifting traffic away from the Poughkeepsie Bridge so that may splash so cold water on this theory.
Merrily nailed it (and thanks, henry). I was standing right where the photo would indicate - no telephoto, just a 55 mm lens as I recall - on the ROW cut through the pinnacle of rock / “Devil’s Pulpit” just south of PA Rt. 611, at about these Lat./ Long coords.: N 40.68737 W 75.20547
It was an indeed an L&HR train from Allentown to Maybrook. The power was an N&W F-something A-unit. Let me see if I can find that photo. I have always liked the ‘human interest’ aspect of the crewman on the rear platfrom of the caboose looking off into the distance - perhaps contemplating the uncertain future of eastern US railroading at the time ? - as his train rumbles downgrade on the bridge, around another curve, and then out of sight. behind the trees.
Excellent photo. I was actually going to say “Easton, PA” even tho I have never been there. I have seen photos of the bridge at Easton and knowing your locale, plus the comment to Henry…
And at that time you could have found a virtual country wide assortment of power…I saw the various owners’ power there, PRR, LV, CNJ, RDG, B&O, N&W, and Sante Fe at one time or another. Yes, in Easton looking at NJ, Phillipsburg in fact. Just around that bend to the north is Hudson Yard where PRR cars would be interchanged. The bridge is indeed L&HR, too, but the track in fhe foreground is CNJ and the track across the Delaware is PRR’s Belvidere and Delaware, the L&HR hitting their own main about 10 miles north at Hazen.
And it should be noted that the LV bridge is gone, the CNJ bridge was rebuilt, and this bridge is still in use as a connection to the track to Martin’s Creek, NJ and PA where there’ s a PRR bridge back into the Keystone State that NS uses to get to several industries and to Bangor and Portland, PA and the power plants and on to the Delaware-Lackawanna interchange at Slateford. Another bridge north of the Martin’s Creek Bridge goes into another power plant. At this time none of the plants are receiving coal. PRR track Hazen to Belvedere industrial track I believe are out of service and L&HR track has been picked up all the way to Limestone,NJ except for about a half mile at Great Meadows.
And some day we will be able to (legally) recreate this photo by standing at the end of the passenger platform when passenger service is reestablished in Easton as part of commuter service between Allentown to New York City [:D]
Of course I am hoping for service to Scranton, and thus to Binghamton, get started, soon, I believe this is a serious service that has to be restored quickly.
