NYC P electric engine tale


NYC_George

NYC_George

Well-Known Member
Talking about NYC P & T electric engines in another thread. I had just hired out as a fireman on the Penn Central. It was my third day on the railroad. I knew all most nothing about running any kind of engine. At the time I was just learning the signals. I was called off the extra list to cover the second shift yard job at North White Plains. When I arrived I was told they split the job. The engineer did all the switching in yard C and the fireman took care of the switching in yard A. I didn’t know what to say. I knew almost nothing about running an engine, just the two days I watched the engineers I worked with. The conductor said to me. Well get on that P electric engine with the coaches attached. When the 4:10 pm train stops to change power we’ll have to add the 5 coaches to the end of their train. They changed power at NWP from a RS-3 to P electric engine. I wanted to say I’ve only been here 3 days, but I didn’t. I got on the huge P engine you know with about 32 wheels. I had only about 10 minutes to figure out how it moved. When the train arrived they threw the switch to the main and gave me the signal to move. I pulled out the throttle and the air was sucked in through the window by the huge cooling fans and the engine began to move. I was now going to couple on a train full of people for the first time so I wasn’t moving to fast. I had to cross over to another yard track to reach the main and the cars were getting close to the couple on point. At that moment the engine started bucking because the third rail stopped before the cross over and only one shoe was drawing power. So at that I was afraid and applied the train brake and the engine was now stuck with no power in the middle of the crossover. The conductor walked over to me and threw his lantern up in the air and gave me a bad look. He then said, let off the train brake and see if you can roll back a little, but it didn’t so they had to get the wooden poles with the long wire attached and apply one to the third rail and the other to the shoe of the engine. Then he said, this time don’t use the train brake only the engine brake and do you mind moving a little faster. We finally got coupled on and I was glad that was over.
Now you have to go to school for 6 months before you even touch an engine. I guess they were the good old days.

NYC_George
 
Really cool story George ! I guess they were like that just about every where back then I just started a new job at Goodyear in the yard and they wanted me to move a couple hopper cars with a small switcher . I told the boss I couldn't do it . I was never on the dam thing . He got pissed but I was already in the Union so I said get my steward and we'll talk about it . He relented and gave me a day to learn how to use it . A day lot of training back then Lol
 
The F rule

I did not know you ran engines Paul. So you know what I mean. I found out the F rule for the first time when I went in the wrong direction while switching. They said F is always forward or your going to get someone hurt. I knew from then on.

NYC_George
 
Not engines George it was just a small High-Rail switcher . Just moved around some cars and what ever else needed to be moved around the plant !
 
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Yes, things were indeed different back then. Was that one of the ex-Cleveland Union Terminal engines they asked you to run? I would have been way too scared to even get up in the cab let alone try to run it. Those things are like the size of battleships. At least you didn't get chewed out too bad.
 
George, yep, that's an ex-CUT engine. I can't even imagine using it for a switcher. There were still a few running when I was a very young kid and the Shaker Rapid ROW ran parallel to the CUT tracks into the Terminal Tower. Just being next to one of those things scared me. :eek:
 
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