1977: Mid-Day at S. Elizabeth, NJ - Everything Imaginable

RAILROAD MERCH. STORE: urlis.net/ftgr...
Our latest from the Jim Crosby collection has us standing on the platform at the South Elizabeth station on Amtrak's recently-acquired Northeast Corridor shooting everything imaginable. We catch triple-header GG1s in freight service cluding "Old Rivets"), Metroliners in both Amtrak paint and PC/USDOT varnish, a local freight with an SW still boasting it's Erie-Lackawanna jacket; the NJ Transit "Jersey Builder" with a rainbow of former Great Northern and Burlington Northern Empire Builder equipment. E44s, E60s, brand new Amfleet cars, and more; you name it, all with original sound.
Take 5 min. out of your day and enjoy!
James P. Crosby Film, Exclusive to EDO Trains, ©2024, All Rights Reserved

[@alanthefisher]

those long Amfleet consists behind the E-60's are wild

[@EDOTrains]

I'm not an expert and I guess someone else could probably weigh in, the little I know would tell me that's a Clocker. That or the much more interesting just a whole long line of brand new cars on their way to delivery!

[@S4b_3r]

Alan are you an E60 loyalist by any chance?

[@Robloxity_News]

Nice to see you here Alan.

[@AndreiTupolev]

GG1s with prewar passenger cars alongside E60s with Amfleet coaches (14 on one train!) and Metroliners. What an amazing time.

[@EDOTrains]

This is sort of time capsule fantasy stuff, certainly for me too, if not for the fact that there it is right on the silver screen! Thank you for checking it out and your commentary, please subscribe if you haven't already!

[@JasonWright-vz9yp]

1977. 10 years old and seeing most of these engines and more at New Haven. I was hooked. Please take me back.

[@KevinCNYC1991]

Nice to hear an MP54 whistle. Videos with authentic sounds of the MP54s are very rare to come by, even audio recordings are very rare themselves. Thank you for posting this footage and thank you to Jim Crosby for taking this footage when he did.

[@philipnasadowski1060]

Yeah, the MP-54 never got any love, even on Long Island. Granted, I can't think of a more hated train car in North America...

[@EDOTrains]

If folks want to sample that whistle sound, they should!

[@EDOTrains]

Thank you to both of you for your feedback, I can't see if you're subscribed so please do if you haven't already. Many thanks again!

[@elirosen1391]

Awesome video! So nice to hear the MP54 whistle in its original form!

[@EDOTrains]

Same here, even if it's just that little toot! Wish I had more coverage of this like we did with the Lackawanna MUs, which also had very era-revealing trumpets on it.

[@1940limited]

@@EDOTrains I put a lot of miles behind me on the DL&W MUs under Lackawanna, EL, Conrail and NJ Transit. Managed to wangled a ride in a couple of the private subscription cars, too. The restored one at the Whippany Rail Museum used to run on the Gladstone branch. Nice to see a good number of the former high roof trailing cars in service today on the Reading & Northern behind steam.

[@elirosen1391]

@@EDOTrains How was the audio for this video recorded?

[@NJCommutr]

This is truly everything imaginable, what a fantastic window into the past. The Jersey Builder is my favorite, but everything here is a treat, thank you, I've subscribed.

[@EDOTrains]

It is truly my pleasure to provide this content for folks. If you get a chance, please do subscribe, and check out the over 60 minutes of footage I have of the last 3 days of operation for the Lackawanna MU cars.

[@jimschneider1123]

Brings back so many memories of the trains in Elizabeth as a kid, thanks for the trip back in time!

[@RichardKroboth]

GG1s, E44s, Metroliners, even a former EL switcher. Great views, all of them.

[@wandtvdougwolfe1]

Cool old film!

[@EDOTrains]

Coming from a legit newsman, that is high praise! As the land of Lincoln goes, myself and my Chicago wife miss the city. I've got about 35 minutes of stuff in and around Chicago Union Station and 25 minutes at Joliet station from about 1977; Please consider subscribing if that interests you )and you have not subscribed already), and thank you again for the compliment!

[@fldon2306]

Remember the Penn Central 4-track main growing up in Maryland. Those GE GG1s would be hauling freight and the Metroliners would be doing 100+ mph. And back then, there were still gated crossing grades; insane! Now, the roads, they’re all bridged now. Thanks!

[@johnuhelski8613]

Great vid , I remember this era ! The tower op was busy all shift !!

[@EDOTrains]

I was talking with an Amtrak buddy of mine; I can't imagine there was ever as much a blend of the very old and the brand new as there was and this era on the NEC. Thanks for checking it out, please subscribe if you have not!

[@chicagolandrailroader]

This is some of the best footage of a GG1 freight I've ever seen. Stellar video!

[@EDOTrains]

Thanks much! Chicago; my kind of town! I've got about 25 minutes of footage shooting from the Taylor Street bridge in 1976, 10 minutes at the lumber Street bridge with GMNO cab units leading commuter trains, and 20 minutes at the diamond at Joliet and everything you might imagine that yielding in 76. Please do subscribe if you haven't already so you don't miss that. I'm going to check out your page now. Thanks!

[@groverfan1389]

Wow! You really did find everything imaginable. There's more variety of equipment here than in a hobby shop! Thanks for sharing.

[@EDOTrains]

It's one of those things, right, where if you modeled it, you would be accused of just wanting to run one of everything as opposed to something from an accurate era and location. But obviously it all happened! Please consider subscribing if you haven't, thanks for feedback and positive comments!

[@groverfan1389]

@@EDOTrains Thanks. I'm already subscribed!

[@williamj3843]

I used to commute to Elizabeth and watched the great action from the CNJ Bayonne line that crossed below. There was almost constant action.

[@maestromecanico597]

Whoa! Tuesday morning flashback! Thank you.

[@EDOTrains]

I hate that I missed this era in person but to be able to put a video up and relive it that way is a privilege. Thank you for checking it out, please subscribe if you haven't already!

[@maestromecanico597]

@@EDOTrains They were crazy times. All my life up until then I watched the NE railroads sink into the mud. No internet so everything was via the “grapevine.” Then came ConRail and I watched in horror as my beloved EL was picked apart by the vultures. After close to a half-century I now understand what happened, why it happened and how the industry survived as a whole because of it. Even so, there were other, better options that could have been taken but maybe that’s just wishful thinking on my part.

[@adamchristman9761]

Great footage!

[@EDOTrains]

Adam, thank you so much! I can't tell if you're subscriber here, but please do if you haven't. Also, I'm soliciting feedback on what other subjects from this era folks would like to see films of. We don't have everything of course, but I think there's a one and three chance if you make a few suggestions, it might be something we have. Thanks again!

[@davidluciano7495]

The GG1's did it All. This is North New Jersey, But reminds Me of The Old Reading Terminal traffic in the 70's when I was a Kid in Philly. Railroading family members will do that.❤💯🚉🚈

[@truckerkevthepaidtourist]

It's great to see the GG 1ones in action. And look at those boxing tank cars no damn graffiti to be found anywhere. And this was 77

[@skimastersam]

GG1s with amfleets!!

[@Blake4625kHz]

This kicked major ass for the Lord.

[@EDOTrains]

He is all-powerful and with any luck a subscriber. Thanks for stopping by!

[@tomy.1846]

Awesome stuff!

[@EDOTrains]

Thank you much! I can't tell if you're subscribed or not, please do! Also let me know if there's something you'd love to see from this era and we'll see if we got it.

[@Imintune...]

GG1s were built to last over 50yrs. Never be another one like it again

[@EDOTrains]

Cheap Chinese steel versus All American, you decide, right? Thanks for watching, please consider subscribing if you haven't already.

[@HenrikSweden1]

great video ! subscribed. Thanks !

[@EDOTrains]

It is much appreciated! Drop me a line here if there is a particular subject matter from this era that you want to see films of and I will see what we have. Thanks!

[@thebops4180]

My times have changed :)

[@EDOTrains]

Indeed! I think of every single piece of equipment that's there, the only stuff that still exists are the Amfleet cars and the CNJ GP40, which exists in a highly rebuilt state for New Jersey Transit. Thank you for watching and please consider subscribing if you have not!

[@bayareakid4775]

Wow! I love all those classic "GG1" Locomotives back in da day joints. Those powerful engines used to haul me and my family to North Philly from Penn Station in N.Y. to visit relatives there. Also, bring back the cabooses! We need something that really shows the end of a freight train, not some stupid red lantern or red light flashing at the end of the last box car or something! Co'mon. Lol.

[@MachenLand]

should do a "then and now", at this location..

[@jamesinman1198]

Cool video! Amtrak part was awesome! And I like the freight train part. I remember seeing long freight trains running on the north east corridor.

[@EDOTrains]

Thank you much! Where does all that traffic go now? Please subscribe if you haven't already, thank you for your feedback!

[@lawrencenienart6287]

I used to stop in and talk to an operator at Elmora tower. They were very friendly and professional. Every train could be a surprise then.

[@EDOTrains]

There's lots of nostalgia about the post-war era of railroading, and rightly so, but there was never an era of variety of paint schemes, models, ghosts of previous decades and hints of things to come as there was in the 1970s. I can't see right here if you're subscribed, so if you are, thank you; if not, please consider doing so and thank you for this awesome history tidbit!

[@newyorkrailfanner8058]

They had a little bit of everything

[@artiek1177]

Looks like someone broke out the old Super 8 reels. Nice seeing all of the GG1s.

[@EDOTrains]

Yes sir! Just the tip of the iceberg. Are you subscribed with us? Let me know if there's an area of interest that you have and I can see what's in the way back vault here. Thanks!

[@blakemcnamara9105]

A lot more freight traine than today.

[@EDOTrains]

Yeah I thought it was pretty wild that like 40% of the trains are freight, compared to what now; 5% of the total traffic on the corridor? Thanks for dropping by, please consider subscribing scribing if you haven't already!

[@sideshowbob]

I am surprised the freight is following the passenger towards the end so closely. Seems there'd be far more separation for signaling blocks / safety. Even back then?

[@1940limited]

That certainly was a little bit of everything and very interesting. I noticed the GG1s with "CR" hastily painted on the nose. One EL switcher still wearing its colors one year after Conrail. I bet if you stood in the same place today the show would not be nearly as interesting.

[@JoeyLovesTrains]

Have the amfleets always had automatic opening doors? Or were they manual doors back around this time

[@EDOTrains]

So I got feedback from a few of my former colleagues at Amtrak: "AMFLEET I cars have always had trainlieable doors. Amfleet II were always manual.. sorry, my original AM I maintenence manuals are at the storage facility The door controls were in the com cable circuits, not the MU which were added later." Though always automatic, they did of course have a manual option for opening the doors which would have been used in more rural locations; think perhaps once Amfleet started being used in corridor and long-distance service. Thank you for your question, I can't see if you're subscribed so please subscribe if you haven't already!

[@chris51lee]

Unbelievable

[@EDOTrains]

I hate missing this era, but love that these little time capsule snippets still exist for us to enjoy. Please subscribe if you haven't already, and I share your sentiment!

[@JoeyLovesTrains]

3:32 was CNJ low on equipment?

[@EDOTrains]

I'm sure there are folks that better CNJ expertise than my own, but I would surmise that when a plethora of Great Northern Empire Builder equipment (hence the "Jersey Builder" nickname these trains received) became available with the coming of Amtrak, getting 1940s and '50s intercity equipment at scrap rates to replace already 50-year-old PRR commuter coaches (P70? Etc.) was an offer too good to refuse. I can't see if you are subscribed; please consider doing so if you haven't already. Hopefully somebody with additional knowledge will comment and further fill in the blank for you.

[@michaelpigott7271]

No it would not only passenger trains and maybe one or two locals. Also no platform to stand on as that station no longer exists. Great video though.

[@EDOTrains]

Thank you for this history update! Yeah so no station at all there anymore huh? Did they open up one adjacent or just pull up stakes generally?

[@ChristineCarter-d5d]

Gonzalez Steven Williams Timothy Thompson David

[@way75mit9]

i grew up in North Philadelphia in the late 1960s , Pre Amtrak , Penn Central era, watching trains run through the North Philly station on their way to who knows where, I used to love to see the big GG-1s at speed and the E-44 s pulling long freight consist, and the commuter trains going to and from Downtown Center City, Train watching as a little kid from the ghetto was always an adventure but fun !!!!

[@EDOTrains]

I am a city creature and very much know, what you know, and that most Rail fans don't know; that city is the best opportunities to view a variety of trains and that people will generally leave you alone while you experience it. Thank you for watching, hope this was a good stroll down memory lane, please consider subscribing if you haven't already!

[@thomasabramson100]

Even a NW 2 switch engine at 5:39

[@EDOTrains]

Pretty wild, yeah? I looked it up; it's of Erie extraction, and was there number 424 as well: www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPicture.aspx?id=89951 Thanks for stopping by and please subscribe if you haven't already.

[@nicholasryan3836]

fantastic footage!

[@EDOTrains]

Thank you sir, our pleasure! Please subscribe if you have not already and thanks for stopping by!