| As the 1970s wore on, the Bay Ridge Branch, once a busy freight corridor with several trains a day coming off the New Haven to the car floats, became a backwater of the PC system. It would remain so under Conrail, who finally sold it to the LIRR. I often wondered why the daily CR train that came down to Fresh Pond from the Bronx lingered so long there. Surely it couldnt take that many hours to conduct the interchange. A trip to Bay Ridge explained why. I was there for non rail reasons when I caught the local train that handled whatever traffic there was on the Bay Ridge Branch. As you can see, there isnt much. The train is near 8th Av and 65th St in Bay Ridge-thats the N-Sea Beach 8th Av station beyond the train-with an SW 1500 still in PC paint, a caboose and two cars. The line is 10 MPH all the way to Fresh Pond, so it will be a long trip back. Once at Fresh Pond, they have to put the cars in their train for Oak Point, get the power back together, and go back to the Bronx. It makes for a long day. Now I know why those trains sit all day. |