The End of Passenger Service on the Putnam Division

Hello, Peter. I also went to Manhattan College from 1971 to 1975 (Mechanical Engineering), and got a Masters Degree there in 1977. On top of that, I went to Manhattan College Prep High School from 1967 to 1971 in the last senior class to graduate before the Prep closed. I once walked the Put from 225th street up to the remains of the Van Cortlandt Park station with my dad (we lived on Marble Hill by 228th Street at the time).

Looking forward to seeing your layout developments.

Joe Garcia

Great memories Peter, thanks for sharing. The way you describe it, it almost brings the scenes to life.

Nice memories Joe, I'll bet walking the Put was fun.

I don't have pictures, but the Long Island Rail Road Oyster Bay branch that I now model holds many fond memories for me. The Oyster Bay branch was always there when I was growing up. It passed behind right behind the baseball fields that I played on, and where we also had football practice in the fall. It ran behind my elementary school, and I would hear the diesels rev their engines as they passed by. It ran through an industrial complex where my father and I would go to the Lumber yard for supplies. They had a spur that ran into their shed. The spur is in the shed to this day. You could see the train on the trestle as it passed over Jericho Turnpike. And when the wind was blowing from the south, you could hear the horns on the diesels as they passed through Mineola.

Andy

I know what a "Ram" is, but what the Heck is a "Jasper," I never figured that one out!  I graduated from Fordham, Rose Hill Campus '72 [in "da real Bronx"], and was educated by the "Good Brothers" at Christian Brothers Academy, Syracuse NY; Class of 68.

Good luck on the Layout it looks great.

@West Side Joe posted:

Hello, Peter. I also went to Manhattan College from 1971 to 1975 (Mechanical Engineering), and got a Masters Degree there in 1977. On top of that, I went to Manhattan College Prep High School from 1967 to 1975, in the last senior class to graduate before the Prep closed. I once walked the Put from 225th street up to the remains of the Van Cortlandt Park station with my dad (we lived on Marble Hill by 228th Street at the time).

Looking forward to seeing your layout developments.

Joe Garcia

Joe.....I was a pre-Med bio major and spent all my time in the Hayden Science Building or the Science Building on the Mount St Vincent campus.

Fellows......I went to Spellman 1967-71.

Small world!

Peter

This may be my favorite thread of all time.

I have no experience with the real Put, but have lived since 1981 in Yorktown Heights, NY that had a station along The Put in Northern Westchester County, and that station has been historically preserved. Here is my rendition of that station:

There were dairy and other farms along the Put in Northern Westchester County, NY. Here is mine:

Down the line southbound, there are the most prominent features of the Put on my layout near Sedgewick Avenue in the Bronx, including Yankee Stadium:

And, across the Harlem River in Manhattan is the Polo Grounds:

One more thing: long after passenger service on the Put terminated, I attended Columbia College in NYC from 1969 to 1973, not far from where the Put used to be. I also commuted to and from college. In the morning I took  the Metro North train to 125th Street, took the bus across town and walked a few blocks to Columbia. On the way home in the evening I took subways to Grand Central Station and took the commuter train to the Fleetwood Station in Mt. Vernon, NY.

Arnold

There is a lot of great info online about the Put…….this is a pretty good overview:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/..._and_Putnam_Railroad

This talks about what happened to abandoned railroad stations in the Bronx…..there is a section on the old stations of the Putnam Division:

https://www.columbia.edu/~bren...abandoned/bronx.html

Peter

Like Peter, I have focused my recent model train purchases on trains that ran on The Put.

I will start with posting this short video of a ten wheelers hauling Pullman Green NY Central Madison heavyweight passenger cars:

There will be more videos of model trains along the Put to come.

For those who like books, this is my collection and these are usually available online:

Peter

Since I lived east of the Grand Concourse around 170th St., I didn't get to see the Put on a regular basis.

My memories were glimpses of Put trains during occasional visits to Van Cortlandt Park.

My father also took me over to the Highbridge area when they were building the Cross Bronx Expressway. We'd watch construction and see an occasional train. What impressed me most was that some tracks weren't electrified.

It was strange being able to walk along some sidings there without worrying about the third rail. Many of the Put's facilities were lost during this extensive construction project.

I was born just a little too late to see regularly scheduled steam, but we did catch a rare steam movement - probably on the way north to the storage tracks around Harmon where engines were kept waiting for the torch.

Found this YouTube video of the Put in VanCortlandt.

Jim

Great tribute and awesome thread.  Thanks for sharing!

One of our Forum sponsors, JR Junction Train and Hobby in Syracuse, NY, was the exclusive retailer to sell an MTH PS3 NY Central RS3 diesel. This diesel, shown in the short video below, also ran on The Put in the 1950s:

Arnold

Pay particular attention to the details in this short video of my Fields of Dreams Along the Put layout:

@Putnam Division posted:

In less than 10 days, on May 29, 2023, it will be the 65th anniversary of the end of passenger service on the Old Put. I have no memories of this (I turned 5 about a week later). However, in adulthood I have been captivated by this iconic subdivision of the New York Central railroad. I went to Manhattan College from 1971-75 and rode along the Put as I drove north and south on the Major Deegan Expressway and over it as I crossed over to Broadway via Van Cortlandt Park South/240th St ( Oh, the smell of cookies from the Stella Doro factory it served!).

Little did I know that 20 years later I would embark on a journey to learn all I could about it; a journey that continues to this day.

I know that many of you out there are fans. Please share your pictures and memories as we approach May 29.

My new layout is not wired......but, I have wired two of the outer loop power drops in conventional through my ZWL. Here is a passenger train that could have run on the old Put.... an Alco RS unit with 60 ft heavyweights.

Have a great weekend!

Peter

There is some sort of mystique of railroads  you never saw in action. I think a lot about the Ma and Pa that would have run through the country roads that are part of my sunday drives, or the b&o station that stood a mile or so from my house back in the day (only know it existed due to old pics). 

@Csxcellent posted:

There is some sort of mystique of railroads  you never saw in action. I think a lot about the Ma and Pa that would have run through the country roads that are part of my sunday drives, or the b&o station that stood a mile or so from my house back in the day (only know it existed due to old pics).

I agree, but I also believe that the fallen flag railroads, no longer in existence, that one experienced as a child, also have mystique. For me that would be the New Haven, the PRR including the original Penn Station in NYC,  and the NY Central.

Still, the Put, which I never experienced, is my #1 favorite. The Boston & Albany and Baltimore & Oho, which I also never experienced, have great appeal for me.

My wife works at the VA Hospital on Kingsbridge Rd, sometimes I drive her and it amazes me that there are still a few of the tell tales and poles along the Deegan before you get to 230th St. I can remember freight trains crossing Tarrytown Rd in Elmsford bringing cars to the A&P warehouse. While I didnt go to Fordham or Manhattan Prep, I went to Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, you know the school that wins all the sports championships in NY. But, I did go to the University of Dayton with guys from Fordham Prep.

Jim, I grew up on Villa Avenue, between the Concourse and Jerome Ave up around 204th St.  Went to Salesian HS in New Rochelle, then like Peter and Joe went to Manhattan College although about 8-9 years later.  I played hockey at the Riverdale Skating Rink early Saturday mornings and the Stella D'oro smell was so intense you could taste the cookies.

I've liked reading this thread.  I never saw passenger trains running prior to Amtrak. I've seen various videos on YouTube of various passenger lines.  I never rode on these trains as it seems many of you have, or at least seen them.  I can certainly see why this would be a very fond memory for you collectively.

John

@jbmccormick posted:

I've liked reading this thread.  I never saw passenger trains running prior to Amtrak. I've seen various videos on YouTube of various passenger lines.  I never rode on these trains as it seems many of you have, or at least seen them.  I can certainly see why this would be a very fond memory for you collectively.

John

I agree with this. Amtrack and scenic railroads are the only passenger service I have seen (that leave a city). I'm very interested in threads like these.

@jbmccormick posted:

I've liked reading this thread.  I never saw passenger trains running prior to Amtrak. I've seen various videos on YouTube of various passenger lines.  I never rode on these trains as it seems many of you have, or at least seen them.  I can certainly see why this would be a very fond memory for you collectively.

John

Part of my fascination with the Put is my regret……..I grew up in the Bronx. I spent 4 years literally next to it in college….yet, I didn’t take advantage of studying it when more signs of it still existed.

Peter

How about Put trains into Yonkers’ Getty Square station……the Getty Square branch was an early casualty, passenger service ending on this branch of the Put in the 40s.

Peter

Rats carrying slices of pizza into the subway station near Yankee Stadium along the Put:

LOL, Arnold

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Rats carrying slices of pizza into the subway station near Yankee Stadium along the Put:

LOL, Arnold

Hope you reported those miscreants to the City Rat Czar

@Apples55 posted:

Hope you reported those miscreants to the City Rat Czar

Not the City Rat Czar, but rather the Building Inspector.

A hilarious British comedy, Faulty Towers, starring John Cleese, had an episode involving a rat and a building inspector. It is one of the funniest comedies I've ever seen.

Arnold

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Not the City Rat Czar, but rather the Building Inspector.

A hilarious British comedy, Faulty Towers, starring John Cleese, had an episode involving a rat and a building inspector. It is one of the funniest comedies I've ever seen.

Arnold

Well, as long as you don’t use Mr. O'Reilly for any of your work, you should be fine (and “don’t mention the war”!!!).

"Mr. Fawlty! Is not a rat! Is a Siberian Hamster."

As we approach the anniversary of the last day of service, New York Central 627, a 4-6-0 ten wheeler, gets a run....

Have a great Memorial Day weekend, folks!

Peter

A News item in Trains in 1958 informed readers (myself included) of the Putnam Division's passenger service demise.  As a 6th grade student in Southern California, The Put was about as far from home as possible, but that news item piqued my interest, and I joined the legion of Putnam Division fans.  It is amazing to realize the amount of affection that the quaint little NYC Division has generated, nationwide.

I always liked Lionels model of the NYC F12e class that were the mainstay power on the Putnam Division, but the larger tender bothered me. When assigned to the Putnam Division, this class received smaller tenders from older engines to stay within bridge weight restrictions. This past summer I removed all the electronics from the tender of my 827 and transplanted them into a modified Lionel mogul shell. Results are below and I think it is a vast improvement.

How I did it can be seen here:

Lionel Ten-Wheeler Tender Swap | O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum (ogaugerr.com)

~Chris