The New York Central Hudson Division in 1949
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- čas přidán 6. 07. 2024
- I just came across this footage in the National Archives. Labeled as outtakes for an Army film, "Military Police on Trains", it is a treasure chest of on-board and trackside shots of the New York Central Railroad in the midst of its transition from steam to diesel power.
The original film is silent (unfortunately), so I'd eventually like to add some narration to it. I could use some help from my viewers to identify locations, trains and locomotives. Here's what I know so far:
00:00 Taken from above the southern entrance to the Anthony's Nose tunnel.
The next 6½ minutes of film were all taken on a single cold, clear day--February 21, 1949.
00:28 Northbound through Marble Hill station in New York City. The train appears to be 16 or 17 cars long.
00:51 Riverdale.
01:06 Coming into Ludlow (?)
01:25 Unknown location
01:28 Glenwood.
01:39 Hastings-on-Hudson (?)
01:48 Unknown location
01:59 Irvington (note Irvington Public Library across the street from the depot)
02:28 Unknown location
02:33 Unknown location
02:45 S-curve north of Irvington (?)
02:51 Sing Sing Prison.
03:01 Magnificent shot of a 4-8-4 Niagara's drivers as it starts. For a locomotive that's just four years old, the cylinder jacketing is pretty beat up.
03:25 Looking down from Anthony's Nose as a Niagara heads south.
03:54 Northbound, taken from the same location as the previous shot.
04:24 Trackside as 4-6-4 Hudson passes by northbound. The photographer is standing under an overpass of some sort.
05:03 Same location. A Niagara with 12 cars behind heads south.
05:29 Taken from the overpass as a Pacific brings three MU cars north.
06:07 Same location. An A-B pair of EMD's at the head of a name train headed north. Could it be the 20th Century Limited? I can't read the drumhead on the round-end observation car.
06:46 Same location as another A-B pair bring a 12-car train south.
The following shots were taken in March and April, 1949.
07:10 This is an abbreviated shot of a Hudson rounding a curve.
07:16 An A-B pair of Alco diesels in charge of of 16 cars.
07:40 A pair of EMD's with three head-end cars.
07:56 Another set of Alcos.
08:09 Is that a K-3 Pacific in charge of this four-car train?
08:21 A Hudson puts on a smoke show, possibly for the photographer's benefit.
08:40 The classic between-the-rails shot.
09:07 A rather poor shot of a 4-8-2 Mohawk. This and the next few shots are very dark because the cameraman was trying to simulate nighttime.
09:20 This shot was taken as milepost 110, which is in between Greendale and Hudson. A Niagara at the head.
09:36 Another Niagara.
09:52 Same location as the between-the-rails shot. Could be a Pacific at the head, but the shot is so dark that it's hard to tell.
10:21 Another one that's too dark to see much, but the train sure is moving!
10:29 A shot taking in twilight, as a Niagara stops, then starts at a station. Note the triple-beam headlamp.
11:14 A Hudson thunders through Staatsburg
11:38 A Niagara with 18 (?) cars on her tail. Also Staatsburg.
12:05 An A-A pair of EMD's with 15 cars. - Auta a dopravní prostředky
71 years ago, “I think I’ll record my train ride.” 🏆
This is west of NYC on the Hudson River line..... Great stuff , I was out in this area a few years back and the cinders are a foot deep along the ROW.
Those were the days. Thank you for your awesome videos.
The slate that cameraman "A. Swed" held up was US Signal Corps issue. A lot of them were liberated by the men using them who later worked in New York City in the IATSE Camera Local 644.
I got mine from my wife. I have no idea how she got it.
Beautiful well done video thanks!
at the end, about 11:15, its Staatsburg NY ! 15 miles north of Poughkeepsie., about 100 miles north of NYC, a A 484 Nigara pounding thru town on the the 4 track mainline...I can never forget that !
Thanks for the info!
That sequence at 3:01 of the Niagara starting a passenger train reminds me of the NYC Road Foreman written about in Trains magazine who would take a seat in one of the Central's name train diners and order a glass of water. If the Engineer spilled a drop starting the train, he was reprimanded! Great collection of footage thanks!
I think the story mainly pertained to the Century, though other name trains might have been involved as well.
So managers were dickheads even back then...
What a fantastic video!!!!!!! I wish I had been alive then to experience this...I would have spent many a happy day watching trains and the endless variety of equipment they had back then. The New York Central was my favorite railroad and the Hudson Division is one of the most beautiful routes in the USA. Thanks so much for uploading it...made my day.
Wonderful trip back in time. In the late 60's, as well as the 70's and 80's, I lived in Albany and made periodic trips to NYC. Thanks for the ride.
Hastings! My home town. A lot has changed. I was 5 years old at the time. :-)
Great footage. The sound of the Niagara accelerating hard from a standing start later in the film must have been wonderful.
I Love the Hudson's
I lived north of the Bear Mtn Bridge and took the train into GCT, mid 80s to mid 90s. I knew most of the location along the spectacular Hudson River.
To quote Edna St. Vincent Millay: "--there isn't a train I wouldn't take, No matter where it's going..." I kick myself for all the train trips I didn't take, back when I was young, fares were actually affordable---and there were a lot of them. I've always thought that part of The water Level Route along the Hudson would be beautiful---do passenger trains still travel there? Thanks for this new footage to add to they other videos showing this route, specially shots of the Century---being pulled by one of the beautiful "Dreyfuss" Hudsons, with the "Roman Helmet" fronts. Stay safe, everyone.
Metro North Commuter Railroad Grand Central Terminal to Poughkeepsie a portion of the New York Central mainline.
Thank you for uploading this.
According to an early timetable, CP 110 is "Hudson Siding" around Hudson, NY. (Signal Station 81).
2:36 looks just outside of Hastings-on-Hudson Station by where MacEachron Waterfront Park is today
1949...twilight of the Steam Age. If only I could have been there.
Beautiful video. The opening sequence looks like it's looking towards Peekskill from the Bear Mountain Bridge. Around 0:54, that may be along Riverdale Park, it looks like there's 5 tracks and there's the remains of a signal bridge down there now. 1:30 looks like Glenwood Power Plant. 2:50 Looks like it's just south of Croton-Harmon with the Croton Point sticking out to the left there. Then 3:25 that looks like it's again from the BMB looking north towards the swamps of Putnam County.
3:35 , from the Bear Mountain Bridge , same view today , just different motive power.....
The northbound (Chicago-bound) Century left GCT at 6pm, which at this time of year would likely have been dark. The southbound train could be the Century heading to GCT from Chicago, the position of the shadows suggests it is morning.
@Speed Graphic Film and Video - Great Historical video, THANKS! I live in NY and can appreciate the historical value of this regarding how much has changed and how some things have not. There is STILL an OLD NY CENTRAL Train Engine Repair building in the YONKERS area in JFK Park that dates back to the very EARLY 1900's.
From this video, you can tell why the NEW YORK CENTRAL was called, "The Water Level Route." For the FIRST NATION PEOPLE, the "HIGHWAYS" were alongside the rivers and were the rivers themselves.
2:17 is glenwood, just up the line from the Yonkers station
I think the opening shot is at one of the tunnels at Bear Mountain.
1:32 looks like Yonkers, just outside the station
This is gold!
2:00 Entering Irvington NY Headed North. As we approach the station the Burnham Building is on the right.
This reminds me of my first winter at PS. 54 in Richmond Hill, Queens, NYC. It had a chimney that spew out light brown smoke for heating the building by burning coal that came once a month from the coal company in winter. And the year was 1964 during the Mad Men era.
0:42 looks a lot like the station of Spuyten Duyvil, especially with the major Deegan in the background.
It's definitely Marble Hill, not Spuyten Duyvil. One of the few locations in this video I can be sure of, because I grew up a few blocks away from it!
@@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo i see! a fellow new yorker!
2:48 is the s curve outside of Irvington
From 4:35 to about 8:35, that's the Route 9 bridge between Crugers and Montrose. It sure was "The Country" back in 1949.... not so much now! Note the NB local with MU cars, headed for Peekskill.
Yonkers below Glenwood by power station, then Glenwood station.
Then Hastings and up the Hudson line seems to me
Great video! At c. 5:45, a 4-6-2 is pulling 3 MU cars. What was being done about heating the cars this cold February day? MU cars had/have electric heat, and these apparently had no steam heat line for such situations, since no "white feathers" from small steam leaks are visible around hose connection points between cars or at the rear.
0:52 is the tracks outside of Riverdale park
I have to disagree, the hills on the other side of the river are, no doubt, the palisades as you indicate but I believe it is slightly farther north, near greystone station. I checked on google earth and the picture looks more correct farther up the river
@@Bamaji2 you might be right, its hard to tell as both are really similar
That looks like Spuyten Duyvil at the :30 mark.
It's definitely Marble Hill, not Spuyten Duyvil. One of the few locations in this video I can be sure of, because I grew up a few blocks away from it!
@@SpeedGraphicFilmVideo Can we agree that I was close? LOL!😄
Just imagine if the people filming this would’ve had GoPros and shotgun mics and drones.... what would that have been like?....
11:45That must have been an early automatic crossing?
At 6:17 could those be FM C-Liners?
No, EMD E7s.
5:29 Pacific, not Hudson.
I know most of the locations in the unknown portion of the video, but all my time stamps are being hidden and need approval :/
Thanks for all your good info. And yes, I do hold all comments for approval. Apologies, but necessary.
Speed Graphic Film and Video understandable
Alfred E. Perlman was like angus paul he wanted steam engines to be scrapped
BS
@coldwar1952 Actually it is true unfortunately, It was said that we was against saving not even one locomotive which is the reason why there are no Hudsons around
And to think they didn’t even save ONE NYC Hudson…., or Niagara.