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Todays article in NY Times on farewell to FL-9's |
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Posted by Dutchrailnut on Sun Nov 6 08:56:17 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/06/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/06commute.htmlConnecticut | Commuter's Journal The Last Stop Draws Near: Catching Up With the FL9 By JACK KADDEN Published: November 6, 2005 WHEN George L. Humphreys Jr. became a conductor in 1971, the first FL9 locomotives had already been in service for 14 years. Now, Mr. Humphreys and the FL9 are in the twilight of their careers, so it was fitting that he was a conductor on a special rail-fan excursion from Stamford to Canaan two weeks ago that was a farewell to the FL9. Enlarge This Image (photo on web site) Jack Kadden/The New York Times The FL9 at the West Cornwall station. Mr. Humphreys, who plans to retire next year, has worked mainly on the Danbury branch, where the FL9's were still hauling passenger trains until about three months ago, when they were replaced by eight newer Genesis engines leased from Amtrak. "I love the FL9," he said. "I love the sound of it revving up. It's music to my ears. I know those engines better than I know my car's motor." The first 30 FL9's began running on the New Haven Railroad in 1957. Another 30 arrived in 1960. Today, only seven remain in service on Metro-North, for use on work trains until they are no longer worth repairing. Some of the locomotives have been retired to museums, including railroad museums in Danbury and Willimantic. Although the FL9's date from the 1950's, the original streamline design goes back even further, to the late 1930's when the first F-series diesels were built by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors. The design has become something of a railroading icon, much as the DC-3 is to aviation and the Model T is to automobiles. Which may explain why almost 400 people turned out for the farewell trip, paying $75 for a seat in coach and $200 for first class on vintage parlor cars. One of the first-class passengers was Mike Jacob, who came from Nottingham, England, for the event, and whose job involves buying equipment for the Great Western Railway back home. "The FL9 is a very historic locomotive," he said. "It's a classic Art Deco streamline design. There's nothing of this vintage running in England." He said he was inspired to cross the Atlantic for the trip after seeing FL9's in Stamford last year while taking a train. "I saw these locomotives, and it was like a vision from the past," he said. The FL9's, which weigh 282,000 pounds and have 1,800 horsepower, were designed to run on diesel power until they reached the outskirts of New York City, where they could pick up power from the third rail and run exhaust-free in the tunnels into Grand Central. Despite the nostalgia surrounding them, the FL9's were considered far less reliable when running on electric power than on diesel, and they deteriorated considerably as the New Haven Railroad sank into bankruptcy and was taken over by Penn Central and then Conrail. When Metro-North came into being in 1983, it began a program of refurbishing them. Still, A. Pierce Haviland Jr., who was an engineer for 16 years and has been training Metro-North engineers since 1990, said he won't miss the FL9's. "For the engineers, they were extremely hot in the summertime and very drafty in the wintertime," he said. "The new Genesis engines are air-conditioned." He added, "Which would you rather drive, a new car or an old one?" Mr. Haviland let me try my hand at "driving" an FL9 on the simulator he uses in his training program. Sitting next to an actual control stand from a locomotive, and watching video of Metro-North track on the Hudson line, I tried to pull a train into the New Hamburg station. With my left foot on the dead-man's pedal, I used my left hand to ease off the throttle and apply the brakes. The train gently glided to a stop - 200 yards short of the station. A second try got us closer, but still left the rear cars off the platform. Let's just say it's harder than it looks, and nothing like driving a car. Early next year, Paul J. Licata will be learning that for himself. Mr. Licata, who retired recently from Eastman Kodak, is going to school to become an engineer. He was on the FL9 trip with his 17-year-old godson, John Simpson, a fellow rail fan and an FL9 enthusiast, who gave him a ticket for his 46th birthday. "He was so excited to give this to me," Mr. Licata said. "The smile on his face was worth everything." |
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