greg g Posted April 23, 2020 Report Share Posted April 23, 2020 This picture from 1936, shows the NYC Empire Express at it's stop in Syracuse, NY the year before the tracks were moved north a few blocks to the new elevated R O W. The Marron and black car looks like a 28 or 29 Plymouth. Is the one in front of it a Chrysler? Can anyone I'd any others. Pic looks to be colorized so some of the shades on the vehicles probably aren't right. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TodFitch Posted April 23, 2020 Report Share Posted April 23, 2020 The details/trim on the side of the hood of the black car with tan spare tire cover appear to be that of a 1930 Chrysler Model 77. The car near the curb with the three long horizontal louvers might be a 1934 Chevrolet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg g Posted April 24, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2020 Just noticed the brown delivery truck might be a Dodge Humpback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertKB Posted April 24, 2020 Report Share Posted April 24, 2020 That is one cool picture!! Most people there are not even noticing the train as it was likely a daily occurrence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg g Posted April 24, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2020 (edited) 3 x a day in each direction for east west for the Empire Express, and 2x each direction for the 20th Century Limited passengers and multiple freights also this was the NYC Mainline on the water level route to Chicago. https://www.syracuse.com/vintage/2016/06/video_syracuse_finally_free_fr.html Edited April 24, 2020 by greg g 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted April 25, 2020 Report Share Posted April 25, 2020 Great pic but I am amazed that the train line went thru the city without it appears to have any barriers.............lol............hard to miss the train being there but......lol.......andyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
61farnham Posted April 25, 2020 Report Share Posted April 25, 2020 Can you imagine the complaints you'd get from the nimby's these days! There's a large naval dockyard just down the coast from me where they've just built a housing development across the water and the new residents are complaining about the noise from the ships. I guess they didn't see the two aircraft carriers when they were buying their new home.You couldn't make it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg g Posted April 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2020 Well there was precedant. The NYC took over the right of way of the Erie canal through the city when it was updated and relocated to the rivers north of the city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sniper Posted April 25, 2020 Report Share Posted April 25, 2020 13 hours ago, 61farnham said: Can you imagine the complaints you'd get from the nimby's these days! There's a large naval dockyard just down the coast from me where they've just built a housing development across the water and the new residents are complaining about the noise from the ships. I guess they didn't see the two aircraft carriers when they were buying their new home.You couldn't make it up. Same thing when I was stationed at Miramar Naval Air Station, been there since before WWII. People would whine about the noise of the planes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted April 25, 2020 Report Share Posted April 25, 2020 Believe me , I'm no nimby...........lol........ but I'd have thought that the train company would have wanted something purely to stop having to clear out the arms & legs from the train wheels, still I suppose the guts would have reduced the downtime to lubricate the bearings etc............lol............andyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plymjim Posted April 26, 2020 Report Share Posted April 26, 2020 Nope, back then people were usually smart enough to not put themselves in the position of becoming "train wheel oil". And they didn't even have to have "safe places". There was a train track in Washington, D C that ran up the middle of Water Street in Georgetown. If you were on that street you could feel that thing coming a couple of blocks away.And you got out of the way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TodFitch Posted April 26, 2020 Report Share Posted April 26, 2020 Still a few places that have “street running” active train tracks. Union Pacific/Amtrak through Jack London Square in Oakland, California comes to mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg g Posted April 26, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2020 (edited) Look on you tube for Schuyler Street Chaos. As the supplies for the Adirondack brewing Co formerly (Utica Club and F X Matt) gets their barley bottles, hops, labels,0 cartons and cases for the various brands brewed there, by local dedicated freight. And while we are talking about urban railroads check out the P 15 under the Third Ave Elevated tracks in NYC. Caption says 1945 but the Buick looks 49 or 50. Edited April 26, 2020 by greg g Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Hiebert Posted April 27, 2020 Report Share Posted April 27, 2020 I was working in Brownsville, TX from '86 to '90. The Southern Pacific still had tracks running through a lot of downtown that they still used once a day. They had been there for a hundred years or so already. Most crossed the streets with alleys, but one or two ran down the middle of the street. No mainlines, they were spurs to/from various industries. No signals at all, and not one accident while I was there. Only "odd" thing I noticed was that the once a day was between midnight and 2AM to set cars out and pick them up, but no one seemed to notice. Pretty sure it's changed ("modernized") since, as the railroad crossing at the US/Mexico border and the commensurate yard was moved a few miles west of the city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sniper Posted April 27, 2020 Report Share Posted April 27, 2020 When I was a kid we had railroad tracks maybe a half block from the house. Now these tracks were not on a street, but I never really noticed the sound when it went thru, day or night. I guess you get used to it. You'd know the train was coming, but it didn't wake you up in the middle of the night. Guess you knew subliminally to get out of the way, but not consciously enough to wake you up if you were asleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg g Posted April 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2020 Going to college in Brooklyn, the Myrtle Ave Elevated train passed a half block from our apt bldg. 1 each in both directions, every 20 minute during the day and every 40 minutes at night. In April of 69 they shut it down. With it quiet, the other noises that could then be heard, were much more disturbing than the trains going by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyHarold Posted April 27, 2020 Report Share Posted April 27, 2020 The noisiest 'el' line I ever heard is the Brown Line in Chicago. It is about 12 feet off the ground and runs tightly between buildings. I don't know how people can stand living near it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertKB Posted April 28, 2020 Report Share Posted April 28, 2020 Jake and Elwood Blues did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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