Embedded Files
by Richard J. King (c) 2025
The following narrative was written based upon available documentation (i.e. Record of Trains Handled by Conductor), photographs, and known train crew routines. The day's actual events may have transpired somewhat differently from how they are described here, but this narrative is written as accurately as possible. Documentation made available by Ken Miller and Jeff Jargosch. All photos shown were taken by Daniel G. McFadden.
Wednesday, October 25, 1978, was a sunny, breezy fall day. The day started chilly, about 40 degrees, but got up to about 67 degrees. The train crew signed on at Kenilworth at 10 AM. On that day, Eddie Jones worked as engineer, Darren Famular as conductor, and Joe Ferry as brakeman. That morning, No. 17 was pulled out of the engine house to handle the day's switching duties. Railfan Dan McFadden was out to chase the train that day.
No. 17 has been pulled out of the engine house. Bernie Cahill's Cadillac is parked alongside the office car, No. 1551.
Joe Ferry sits on the office car steps as No. 17 is tied down on the main.
Joe Ferry stands on No. 17's rear deck, getting ready to leave. Stored hoppers of plastic, consigned to Monsanto, are seen on the old Kenilworth Steel siding.
There were twenty cars on the railroad that morning with nine ready to be picked up from Conrail at Roselle Park. The train crew received instructions that five cars were ready to be picked up from consignees and handed over to Conrail.
Cars on the RV on Friday morning, October 25, 1978 (cars ready to go out in bold):
Road / Car # - Car Type - Inbound Load - Outbound Load - Consignee - Location - Inbound Date
MEC 31201 - Boxcar - Paper - MTY - J. L. Hammett Co. - Union - 10/24/1978
EL 68809 - Boxcar - Load - MTY - Griffith Labs - Union - 10/24/1978
USLX 10944 - Boxcar - Load - MTY - Griffith Labs - Union - 10/24/1978
ICG 590285 - Boxcar - Load - MTY - Griffith Labs - Union - 10/24/1978
PC 553660 - Gondola - MTY - Scrap - National Tool - Kenilworth - 10/16/1978
RBOX 15492 - Boxcar - MTY - Load - Monsanto - Kenilworth - 10/24/1978
RBOX 18588 - Boxcar - MTY - Load - Monsanto - Kenilworth - 10/24/1978
DUPX 35626 - Hopper - Plastic - MTY - Monsanto - Kenilworth - 10/20/1978
DUPX 37029 - Hopper - Plastic - MTY - Monsanto - Kenilworth - 10/17/1978
DUPX 35077 - Hopper - Plastic - MTY - Monsanto - Kenilworth - 10/13/1978
ACFX 97987 - Hopper - Plastic - MTY - Monsanto - Kenilworth - 10/12/1978
ACFX 57902 - Hopper - Plastic - MTY - Monsanto - Kenilworth - 10/12/1978
DUPX 35151 - Hopper - Plastic - MTY - Monsanto - Kenilworth - 10/12/1978
CSPX 5299 - Hopper - Plastic - MTY - Monsanto - Kenilworth - 10/12/1978
CSPX 5284 - Hopper - Plastic - MTY - Monsanto - Kenilworth - 10/11/1978
DUPX 35085 - Hopper - Plastic - MTY - Monsanto - Kenilworth - 10/11/1978
PLCX 42688 - Hopper - Plastic - MTY - Monsanto - Kenilworth - 10/9/1978
PLCX 42829 - Hopper - Plastic - MTY - Monsanto - Kenilworth - 10/5/1978
ACFX 57848 - Hopper - Plastic - MTY - Monsanto - Kenilworth - 10/5/1978
RAIX 60851 - Hopper - Plastic - MTY - Monsanto - Kenilworth - 10/3/1978
With Joe Ferry flagging the Boulevard, No. 17 departs Kenilworth and heads to the Conrail interchange at Roselle Park. To the right, hoppers full of plastic are stored for Monsanto. The car on the right is PLCX 42829, which had arrived on 10/5/1978.
Once at Roselle Park, nine cars were picked up:
Road / Car # - Car Type - Load - Consignee - Destination
MEC 6120 - Boxcar - Paper - J. L. Hammett Co. - Union
MEC 6017 - Boxcar - Paper - J. L. Hammett Co. - Union
BKTY 18494 - Boxcar - Furniture - The Mart - Union
SOU 263585 - Boxcar - Furniture - The Mart - Union
IC 12936 - Boxcar - Paper - Jersey Tab Card - Union
GATX 2553 - Tank car - Oil - Carter Bell - Springfield
ACFX 54244 - Hopper - Plastic - Monsanto - Kenilworth
ACFX 54572 - Hopper - Plastic - Monsanto - Kenilworth
LV 8364 - Boxcar - MTY - Monsanto - Kenilworth
No. 17 assembles that morning's inbound cars at Roselle Park. Already coupled up are LV 8364, an empty for Monsanto; SOU 263585, a carload of furniture for The Mart; and one of the ACFX cars for Monsanto.
No. 17 crosses the diamond at Roselle Park. The track that No. 17 is crossing was Conrail's (earlier the Lehigh Valley) Roselle Park team track.
No. 17 departs the interchange yard at Roselle Park.
No. 17 crosses W. Webster Ave. in Roselle Park.
No. 17 crosses W. Colfax Ave. in Roselle Park.
With its nine cars in tow, the train proceeded westbound to Kenilworth. The two ACFX hoppers were set out in storage some place. The Volco and Kenilworth Steel sidings appeared to be full. These cars may have been set out at the old Mike's Coal siding. The LV may have been tied down some place to be brought down the Rahway River Branch (the Can Branch) later.
The train would have continued west, crossed Route 22, and arrived in Union. It's likely that the Tab Card and Carter Bell cars would have been flown past to get ahead of the engine. The Tab Card car would have been set out before The Mart cars. The two sidings crossed each other with a diamond. Mart cars would foul the diamond when spotted at the loading platform, which only accommodated one car at a time, but two cars arrived that day. The Hammett cars would have been set over to the top leg of the wye.
With that work done, the only car to proceed west would have been the tank car of soybean oil bound for Carter Bell on the mountain in Springfield. The car would've been shoved about two miles to Carter Bell's facility.
Returning light to the wye, No. 17 would have come down to Route 22 to switch over to the lower wye leg. The Hammett cars, set out earlier, would have been picked up from the upper wye leg. The two cars would have been taken up the Newark Heights Branch to J. L. Hammett Co. at the end of the branch. The outbound car would have been pulled out, set over, and the two inbound loads spotted at Hammett's loading platforms.
No. 17 would have shoved the outbound Hammett car back down the branch. On the way, an outbound Griffith car would have been picked up. No. 17 would have shoved the two cars through the upper wye leg back to the main. Reversing direction, No. 17 would have led eastbound back down the main. The two cars were likely tied down in the clear of the Rahway River Branch switch. The LV boxcar was retrieved (or it may have tagged along during the other work) and No. 17 headed down the branch with it.
No. 17 approaches Monroe Ave. Darren Famular and Joe Ferry ride the pilot.
No. 17 approaches Monroe Ave. Darren Famular and Joe Ferry ride the pilot.
No. 17 has crossed Monroe Ave. and heads towards Monsanto. LV 8364 is an empty boxcar. It will eventually be loaded with plastic sheeting bound for Proctor & Gamble in Mehoopany, PA.
Upon arriving at Monsanto, the LV boxcar was set out on the runaround track. Two yellow Railbox boxcars, loaded with plastic sheeting for Proctor & Gamble in Mehoopany, PA, were picked up from further back in the plant.
No. 17 works the Monsanto plant.
A close up of No. 17 working at Monsanto shows Eddie Jones at the throttle and Joe Ferry riding the rear pilot steps.
No. 17 departs Monsanto and crosses N. 8th Street with two boxcars in tow.
After departing Monsanto, an outbound gondola of scrap metal was picked up from National Tool. The train of three cars proceeded carefully eastbound, traversing the many grade crossings of Kenilworth's residential section.
No. 17 is about to cross Monroe Ave.
No. 17 is about to cross Monroe Ave.
No. 17 rounds the upper part of the S-curve and approaches N. 17th Street.
Joe Ferry jumps down from No. 17 to flag N. 17th Street.
No. 17 crosses N. 21st Street.
Back at the branch switch, the three cars picked up from the Rahway River Branch would have been coupled up to the outbound Hammett and Griffith cars. The five car train proceeded eastbound back to the Conrail interchange, arriving there about 2 PM. After making set outs, No. 17 returned to Kenilworth and tied up at about 2:30 PM.
The train crew marked off after a four-and-a-half hour work day, handling 13 cars.
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