Freight in the 1930s?

[avalon76]

Hi folks!

I'm working on a story and was wondering - can you point me towards info about LIRR freight trains in the 1930s? 

Thanks!

Jennifer 

[RGlueck]

Get Kramer and Krause's book the transition years of LIRR freight.  Check out Steve Lynch's LIRR site, at Trains are fun.
Freights were handled for the most part, with H-10s class 2-8-0 steam locomotives (#'s 101 - 119).  These locomotives were hand fired and
tough old brutes.  Trains consisted of a variety of materials and cars.  endless refrigerator cars filled with Long Island potatoes were a staple
of freight traffic.  Hopper cars filled with coal for power plants, were also moving.  The LIRR was owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad at that time,
so many boxcars, flat cars, and hoppers were PRR cars.  There were endless varieties of eastern railroad cars from, say, Jersey Central, Lehigh Valley, New York Central, Lehigh New England, Erie, and tons more.  The railroad was not elevated at that time either, so freights coming out of Holban Yard had to often wait during rush hour, between crossings.  Each train stood secondary to the endless flight of passenger trains, hauled by G5s class 4-6-0's and PRR locos leased to the LIRR.  There were no road Diesels at all.  Trains always followed up with a red, wooden N52 caboose.  Again, check out Lynch's site. 
PM me if I can help you further.  Good luck.

[Johnny F]

Some good info, though it's for the 20s not 30s, at http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/semaphore/semaphore.htm. , first set of articles by Herb Doscher from the Semaphore.