Classic Trains – September 2019

ClassicTrainsMag.com 77

for, and sent them back north.
The Newberry territory had to be one
of the most scenic on the entire NYC, and
in fall 1967 we handled a pair of excur-
sions through the canyon. One came
from the Erie Lackawanna at Corning and
ran south to Cammal at the south end of
the canyon, then back north. It was
pulled by a pair of EL Alco PAs. The oth-
er came from the PRR at Newberry Junc-
tion and ran north to Wellsboro Junction
and return. It was a big train with an
open-end observation car on the rear and
two E units up front. My wife Rita rode
along too, and on the southbound trip I
talked her into riding the cab with me.
By the time we got to the canyon it
was dusk, and I remember how neat the
train appeared as we looked back to in-
spect it on the many curves. At Cammal
the manual-block and train-order signal
was red, and a pair of track torpedoes ex-

ploded under us as we approached.

When we got stopped I walked up to see

what was going on. When we got the

block, our engineer whistled in the flag-

man and eased ahead to the station to

pick me up. As much as I enjoy photogra-

phy, I think sometimes the best images

are in my head and not on film. That was

the case here. The still night except for

the creek running nearby, the E unit’s

chime whistle echoing through the can-

yon, and the long passenger train with

the windows all lit up combined to exem-

plify the romance of railroading for me. I

couldn’t wait to tell Rita how I felt, but

when I got back in the cab I found her

sound asleep in the fireman’s seat.

During this time, we all knew of the

Penn Central merger discussions, but no

one knew when the two troubled giants

would combine, let alone what it might

mean for us. When a job offer from the

Chicago & North Western came along,

my decision was tough. Rita was pregnant

with our first daughter, I loved my job and

the people I worked with, but there was an

element of uncertainty. Also, the C&NW

paid its trainmasters more than the NYC

did, so off we went to Wisconsin. As I

look back at what was probably the big-

gest and best decision I ever made, all I

can say is, “Better lucky than good.”

CHRIS BURGER, retired since 1998 from

a career with NYC, New

Haven, Chicago &

North Western, Central

Ve r m o n t , a n d C e n t r a l

of Indiana, lives with his

wife Rita in north-

central Indiana. This is

the ninth entry in his

“Best of Everything” ret-

rospective series.

At CB Junction, Pa., on trackage used by both NYC and PRR, a Pennsy coal train from Cherry

Tree curves beside the West Branch of the Susquehanna River in fall 1966.