(erielack) Erie Checkerboard Bridge by Athearn AND Erie

[Hhaines_@_aol.com]

Dear Dale and All:

This type of paint was not only on the main line, but also all along the 
Bergen County Short Cut.  I remember many times going under similarly marked 
railroad bridges in the back of my Dad's 1949 Plymouth 2-door black (with brown 
interior) Coupe in the 1950s in towns such as Garfield (Midland Ave) and East 
Paterson from what was to become Saddle Brook (a cut under the BCSC just north of 
the Garden State Parkway). There were other bridges, but those two or three I 
recall the best because they were on the way to either Grandma's house in 
Wallington (a two-trip a weekend jaunt), or my Aunt's in Hawthorne. 

We were always wondering what kind of checkers they had to play with on the 
side of the bridges.  Later, Dad told us that it was painted that way so truck 
drivers wouldn't hit the bridges.  It was not too long after that 
conversation, we had come across a recent accident where a truck had smashed into one of 
those bridges, and was still there when we came up to it and had to turn 
around--he was also heading through the middle of the bridge, blocking both lanes. 

I also recall a similar pattern on a couple of NYSW bridges that were 
eventually embargoed in the late 1960s or early 1970s.  One in particular in Northern 
New Jersey had a memory from a winter Scout trip.  But that's for another 
list.

And I probably ought to order one or two of these.  It will go well with the 
old Athearn "Erie-Lionel" HO-Scale gondola.  Yep, an Athearn Erie Gondola with 
a Lionel L-ball on the side.  I think Athearn tried to recall those at one 
point in life, but hey, my Lionel trains were real to me at one time, so,...
Howard Haines
ELHS member

A later posting showed a shot by Joe Jordan, car window and all.   

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