B Line pusher on L&N cut at Hartwell Ave.

NG501071

B Line pusher on L&N cut at Hartwell Ave.

Steam Freight Train

Another kind of across-the-river transfer, one equally if not more interesting than the NYC version, is the one handled by the power and crew of either of the south-bank operators, the L&N or the C&O. The sight of an L&N or C&O train on NYC rails is strange enough, and the doubleheaded combination of an NYC helper and L&N or C&O road engine is even more of an oddity. In this picture, the 1967 is shown assisting an L&N heavy U.S.R.A. 2-8-2, no. 1836, on 89 cars of coal at Hartwell Avenue, just below Lockland. The train length is significant - the B&O places a limit of 90 cars on all foreign-road freights running over their tracks between Cincinnati Junction and Ivorydale Junction. In cold weather, moreover, they will not accept an eastbound train of more than 60 cars in this territory unless it. has a helper. This latter restriction is not a "gag” on across-the river transfer operations; the run from Mill Creek to Sharon is practically all upgrade on the B&O and the NYC, and the heavy tonnage of the traffic handled would make it impractical to operate without helpers in any case (these helpers, which are known by the misleading name of "B-line pushers", are still very much in evidence on the dieselized transfers of today).

Jeremy Taylor

Jeremy Taylor

2-1/4x3-1/4 neg

Nov-55

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solid coal

351

H-7e

#1967, L&N #836

Cincinnati, OH

See NG501071a