Snow plow extra on the Ramapo River Bridge, Oakland, NJ Feb 14, 2014 Ralph Bonnano in our warm vehicles chasing the train, there was NO heat in the cab of the snow plow, making a long day seem longer for the crew and track dept. personnel no doubt. But the weather cooperated (even if the sun in the sky seemed to be there just for decoration), and the plow train was a nice diversion in a pretty cold and long winter season. Kudos to the crew of Jason Emery and Todd Hryn (who endured the lack of heat in the plow’s cab) along with the track dept. employees. MOTIVE POWER UPDATE Things have been kind of quiet in this area this time around. One item of interest was that in late March, it was announced that the threeGP20’s (#s 2062, 2064, 2066), long in the4 dead line in Binghamton NY, have been sold for scrap to a local dealer, Ben Weitzman and Sons. The fluids were drained, the the scrapping was expected to take place in the Liberty Street yard in Binghamton, NY. This leaves the three SD70Ms and 2 SD45’s on the deadline, with their fates unknown at the present time. As for the rest of the roster, the SD60’s have been performing their duties largely without incident, as have the tunnel motors and SD40-s. The 3022 returned to Jersey for a bit in late March, as the 3014 and 3016, which had been mainstays on the Southern Division, were sent north for inspections and some mechanical work. The lone GP40, 3040 continues to soldier on in Utica, with other power being rotated between Syracuse, Cortland and Binghamton. The NJ based locals are being handled by CSXT 2732, NS 5294, and NS 5291. The only time these have left the property has been to go to their respective owners for their periodic inspections and any mechanical repairs that might be needed. But aside from that, its pretty much all quiet on the power front these days. 15 RETIREMENT, NYS&W STYLE, PART DEAUX And lastly, in what seems to be a regular feature, I would like to note the retirement of a long time NYS&W locomotive engineer and good friend, Mark “Sparky” Wilber, last October. Mark, having reach the combination of 30 years of service and 60 years of age, decided it was time to “pull the pin” after a lengthy career. It should be noted that before his time on the NY&W, he also worked on companion Delaware Otsego Corp railroad Fonda, Johnstown and Gloverville, an operation which has long since passed from the scene and has been abandoned. Mark was working the BH-1 job out of Binghamton NY when his retirement came, and you can bet he doesn’t miss the alarm clock going off or having to answer the phone anymore. I’ve had the privilege of knowing Mark several years, and I’m glad to call him a friend and fellow professional. He was always gracious and hospitable to me when I ever was in the area, and a great guy to talk with (and share the occasional spaghetti dinner with in Bogota NJ when he made it to Jersey on a few occasions). I don’t know of anyone who didn’t like him, and I can only wish him many happy days in his retirement, and thank him for his years of service and friendship. Enjoy your rest, Sparky, you’ve earned it !! Finally, as I noted, this column is a little smaller this time for several reasons, but nevertheless its here again. With the coming spring, there should hopefully be more news, and a trip to the Northern Division for me is in order to renew friendships first and foremost, and then as well to scope things out in the news department. But keep in mind, I cant do it alone; your contributions are always welcome, for its YOUR Reflector, YOUR T&HS, and YOUR dues that help us to keep going and publishing. Please email me at blet601@gmail.com with any pertinent clippings or news items and they will most likely be used the following Reflector. I cant do it alone; your help is needed and always welcome. Until next time…….
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