Princeton Jct 1979

[@orangecactusproductions2144]

Wow what good footage of time long gone. Phase two paint, metroliners, GG-1s, e44s, e60s, just amazing!

[@arts.4014]

Fantastic!

[@andreweasternman8788]

My family and I used to live in Plainsboro, NJ from around late 1979-early 1981, and I had been 6 & 7, at that time. My parents used to take me to Princeton Junction on occasion, and I always loved it. Just as I remember it!! Amazing. Just like stepping through a time portal.

[@JoeyLovesTrains]

It’s interesting how fast those passenger trains were able to go without any serious accidents happening. Mostly taking into account the poor track conditions.

[@burlingtonfan7492]

4:59 That’s Conrail 2233, now at the Railroad Museum of PA in CR blue, a scheme I think it never wore in service. Interesting seeing a museum piece doing what it was made to do 40 years ago

[@stevesulligan1080]

What a cool video. Great piece of history. So fun to watch this

[@cgtower8860]

Truly a “hot box”...

[@steve1964]

was 15 then living in princeton......my dad used to take the "dingy" from princeton, to princeton junction to go to NY

[@redriverwave]

Those Amfleets keep rollin’!!

[@adamm2837]

Wow this is some great stuff!! I'm surprised at how many unpainted Metroliners there were still in 1979, most of the ones in this video seem to just have small little Amtrak patches on them and not the full red white an blue treatment. Those Conrail electrics and GG1s were absolutely epic. So much has changed since this footage....except for the Amfleet coaches, 41 years later....they are still going strong. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if there were some still rolling 10 years from now. Thank you for posting this!!

[@mikeglevy]

What an amazing variety of equipment. Nice footage!

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

1:35 Man that Metroliner's Leslie horns sounded like they ingested a bird as it was squawking😂😂😂

[@bubblelvr1]

Wow hot box on a old wick type bearing I remember those flip the lid and add oil usually at a yard hump

[@chuckabbate5924]

Holy hot 🔥 box!

[@cats0182]

GG1's still running with the best of them. Crime that they weren't rebuilt and upgraded. Could have run successfully for another 40 years or so.

[@erik_griswold]

Huge issue with PCBs, but I agree with your notion.

[@maciekkra539]

The main issue with GG1s were their main frames cracking. A lot of time was spent in the shop welding them. It didn't help that for at least 15 years they were not maintained properly and were literally run into the ground at high speeds on deffered tracks. An old friend who was an enginehouse foreman in Phily (retired now), confirmed to me also what i have read about new tires for the GG1s having come from Great Britain, but never put on the locomotives. The reason for new tires was that the original ones were worn to the point that few of them came loose in high speed metroliner substitution service. By that time no foundry in the States was able to turn new tires for the "G"s, so Amtrak ordered new ones in UK. The issue with the PCBs in transformers was later reversed for locomotive transformers, on condition that they were leak free. So the main reason for the withdrawal of GG1 was mainly political. You're right, they could have been run for several more years, provided that they were properly miantained. Amtrak sadly did the same with AEM7s, there were never enough of them on the property, so not enough time for proper maintenance. 35 years of service is not that long for an electric locomotive. In my country they still run some electrics from the 1960s, its deffinitely doable.

[@tommythomason6187]

Whoa! E60s to the fore! Even a couple of those freights were bookin' it like a commuter train. Both were headed up by pairs of those big electric engines, whose designation, I forget, right off hand. They were called ET44s, or something like that.

[@AlexTrain5249]

E44 is the designation. ET44s are the designation for GEVOs today.

[@ChadsRailfanExperience]

Conrail electrics, awesome

[@Conrailfan2323]

This is some outstanding footage.

[@_SP64_]

It’s kinda weird how NJT barely existed at this point

[@ArrowIIIRailfan]

I wish i was alive in those days

[@ArrowIIIRailfan]

@Yosarian Mack You are lucky to live in such a golden time .

[@amtrak706]

I am pretty sure this audio is pitch shifted up a little bit. I was first surprised at how high pitched the P0 horns sounded, and then when I heard the Amfleets braking into the station (a sound I know well that still occurs today) I realized why.

[@RailroadMediaArchive]

It is.

[@amtrak706]

Any clue why?

[@RailroadMediaArchive]

@@amtrak706 In laymen's terms the speed of the film and the speed of the tape it was transferred to are inherently different.

[@amtrak706]

Still, it should be pretty easy to lower the pitch digitally. I know it is in Premiere Pro at least.

[@RailroadMediaArchive]

@@amtrak706 The very minor change in pitch doesn't really bother me.

[@Bammer2001]

4:53 What are these clothes these three people are wearing?

[@_mynewcareer]

Amazing

[@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory]

5:35 before those ugly Amfleets took over, we had these. It's hard to find footage of trains with all heritage-fleet cars in Amtrak paint.

[@kyaing9047]

'ugly', you havent seen the Siemens Venture coaches! those are literally boxes!

[@mattk9644]

I like the Phase IV paint scheme

[@mattk9644]

But I also like the old ones too

[@WesternOhioInterurbanHistory]

@@kyaing9047 I hate those even more

[@tundewillis3326]

That tanker car at 5 12 with smoking/ flaming bearing

[@JoshJonesFitness]

Awesome video! Do you have any footage of AEM-7s when they first came into service?

[@truckerkevthepaidtourist]

so is this the route the Acela goes barreling along??

[@RailroadMediaArchive]

It does now, yes.

[@truckerkevthepaidtourist]

@@RailroadMediaArchive who would have thought 40 years later huh..🤗

[@stevesulligan1080]

Yes

[@jimkerr5426]

As a kind in the 80s, the E60s were my favorite Amtrak engine! Which station is this?

[@RailroadMediaArchive]

Princeton Jct...just like the title says...

[@JessicaKasumi1990]

@@RailroadMediaArchive On the former New York Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

[@123bos321]

noisy jointed rail back then! so clanky. Was this footage from a single day, or multiple days?

[@retroguy1976]

no njt trains back then???

[@RailroadMediaArchive]

Not really. Commuter service in New Jersey was operated by Conrail under contract from the state. Limited service to Trenton was offered. Before 2005 there were hourly "Clocker" trains operated by Amtrak to Philadelphia that made alot of intermediate stops.

[@ArturoRailProductions]

P01235's sweet

[@RedCard94]

Wow, those old Metroliner coaches (2:34) look like they're just runaways. XD

[@kyaing9047]

nope, thats just how they're run, buddy

[@RedCard94]

@@kyaing9047 I know, but I mean the way they move, to me, look like they're out of control.

[@bubblelvr1]

I hate what they have done by modernizing and high tech geeking everything just sucked the life out of a great job for me and the industry as a whole no more excitement and veriety. They bother assimilated everything cars engines paint schemes it’s just sad

[@chandlerbranchrailfanprodu5928]

4:53 center girl looks like Hannah Montana.

[@bubblelvr1]

That was borged. Assemilated