Lackawanna Cut-Off - Part 35: Amtrak has been here before - Nov 13, 1979

44 years after an Amtrak special ran from Hoboken, NJ to Scranton, PA, over the Cut-Off, we will talk with three men who were on that train: Bill Sheppard, Dominic Keating, both of whom who rode as passengers, and Mike Wikman who was on the locomotive. Chuck will visit in person with Bill and Dom in Johmsonburg, New Jersey and Mike in San Antonio, Texas.

We'll talk about the lead-up to November 13, 1979, including a proposal by NJDOT to run service to Scranton, which never happened, but led to the Amtrak run. We'll also talk about a lot more, not only about the Cut-Off, but also about the overall efforts to save the line from Binghamton, NY to Port Morris, NJ--about 150 miles of railroad--from abandonment. Nevertheless, the 28 miles of the Cut-Off will be abandoned, and Bill Sheppard, who played a part in Conrail's analysis of the routes it inherited (including that of the Erie Lackawanna), will give us more information on that.

Both Bill and Dom grew up around the Lackawanna and the Erie Lackawanna, and rode the trains as kids. Bill worked for the EL, and Dom has played a role with the Pennsylvania trackage on the ex-Lackawanna mainline for over 40 years. As for Mike Wikman, he grew up around the Lackawanna and remembers it back into the late-1930s. He can talk about what happens up on the engine of the Amtrak special. And all three gentlemen will give an idea of what went on the Nov 13, 1979 train, including a bizarre altercation that will occur on board. Then there's what happens afterwards.

And we'll trace the history of the effort to restore passenger service to Scranton all the way to the present day where we await the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA's) announcement about the eligible corridors that will continue to vie for future funding. We will leave no stone unturned in our discussion of the events before, during and after the running of the Nov 13, 1979 Amtrak special. I hope you enjoy the trip!

[ADDITIONAL DETAILS: Jimmy Lyons and Billy Morgan were Conrail employees, not Amtrak. Also, Jack Reilly was the Rear Brakeman on the special. The Amfleet coach number was 21849*. The special departed Philadelphia at 8:25 pm on Nov 12, 1979. Arrived Lane Tower (Elizabeth, NJ) 11:15 pm; departed Lane 11:45 pm, Arrived Hoboken 2:35 am on Nov 13, 1979; left Hoboken 7:15 am; arrived Denville 8:21 am; left Denville 8:35 am; arrived Scranton 2:00 pm; left Scranton 3:00 pm; arrived Philadelphia 9:55 pm. Mike Dillon is listed as being on the train, per Mike Wikman's records from that time. Locomotive 277 was removed from service in Nov 2003 and was sold to LTE (Larry's Truck & Electric) and scrapped in Oct 2007.]

* - Built Oct 1976; renumbered to 81502 (Apr 1979); 44849 (Dec 1988); 44949 (Feb 1995)