At 2336 route miles in 1956, the Erie Railroad was the larger and more senior partner of the two railroads that merged on October 17,1960 to form the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad Company. The Erie Railroad got its charter in 1835 to build a railroad from some point on the Hudson River to some point on the shore of Lake Erie. It completed its line across the Southern Tier of New York State in 1851, reached Dunkirk in May of that year and opened in its entirety. At 447 miles in length, the New York and Erie Railroad, as it was then known, was the longest railroad in the world at that time.

 

ROSTER OF ERIE RAILROAD ROAD LOCOMOTIVES

 

EMD     FT    5400 hp    4 units  700a-d--706a-d

EMD     F3    6000 hp    4 units  707a-d--714a-d

EMD     F7    6000 hp    4 units  715a-d--722a-d

Alco FA/B1   6000 hp    4 units  725a-d--732a-d

Alco FA/B2   6400 hp    4 units  735a-d--739a-d

EMD  F3 psgr. 4500hp  3 units  800abd--805abd

EMD  E8A    2250 hp        820-833

Alco  PA 1    2000 hp        850-859

Alco  PA2     2250 hp        860-863

Alco RS3 psgr 1600 hp     900-927    used on commuter trains

Alco RS3 frt.   1600 hp      1001-1027

BLW DRS4415 1500 hp     1050-1059

BLW DRS6615 1500 hp     1150-1159

EMD  GP7      1500 hp       1200-1246,1250-1259

EMD  GP7 psgr. 1500 hp    1400-1405

EMD  GP9        1750 hp      1260-1265

 

Normal pairing of the E8s was as follows with odd numbered unit pointed west and even numbered unit facing east:

1.820-821

2.822-823

3.824-825

4.826-827

5.828-829

6.830-831

7.832-833

Typical operating cycle for the E8s, using 820 and 821 as an example was as follows: Hornell-Chicago-New York-Chicago-New York-Hornell at which time the units came off the train and went to the shop for maintenance and any necessary repairs while a fresh set went on the train they came in on.

As the Erie Railroad evolved, it absorbed scores of smaller companies that built the branch and other lines that would later become part of the Erie System. The New York and Erie Railroad was the original company and laid the foundation for a greater Erie Railroad to come. To this company were added lines to Buffalo,Rochester,Niagara Falls, Chicago, and Cleveland, to name a few points that were associated with the Erie Railroad. Mr. Eleazar Lord, one of the Erie's founding fathers, was the railroad's first, third, and seventh presidents. Other Erie Presidents included Benjamin Loder, Daniel Craig MacCallum, the infamous Jay Gould, Frederick Underwood, Robert Woodruff, Harry Von Willer, and Milton McInness, to name many if not all of the men who handled the Erie's throttle through the years. Of these men, it was Mr. Woodruff who began the railroad's dieselization program with the EMD FT four unit freight diesels, all of which were delivered in 1944. Harry Von Willer completed the program in 1953, when the last steam locomotive was retired. By 1956, when preparation for merger with the Lackawanna was begun, the Erie operated 223 road locomotives, consisting of 324 units, and 152 switchers, which hauled 20,785 freight cars in various trains. The passenger car total stood at 570, many of them coaches designed for suburban passenger service.

 

Through line passenger service in later years consisted of Nos. 1 and 2, The Erie Limited, 5 and 6 The Lake Cities, No.7 Pacific Express and No.8 Atlantic Express. In addition four pairs of trains serviced the Cleveland-Youngstown market, with continuing service to Pittsburgh,Washington and Baltimore in conjunction with the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie and Baltimore and Ohio railroads. This continued into the Erie Lackawanna era.

 

Of course, the Erie's east end, which was the railroad's birthplace, was heavily involved with commuters, since these passengers  were going to work in Midtown Manhattan and elsewhere in New York City. The main line east of Port Jervis handled the most commuter traffic, particularly south of Suffern New York, with Alco RS3s and 1400 series EMD GP7s the primary power for these trains. More on this later. Enjoy the ride.

 

ERIE RAILROAD FAMILY TREE

So as to get a rough understanding of the debt structure that plagued the Erie Railroad right up through the Erie Lackawanna years, the following is an approximation of the Erie Railroad family tree as taken from an excerpt of a 1951 issue of Railway Age Magazine:

1.Arnot and Pine Creek RR

2.Avon,Geneseo & Mt. Morris RR

3.Bath and Hammondsport Railroad

4.Bergen County Railroad

5.Bergen and Dundee Railroad

6.Blossburg Coal Company Railroad

7.Buffalo,Bradford & Pittsburgh RR

8.Buffalo and Southwestern RR

9.Chicago and Erie Railroad

10.Cleveland and Mahoning Valley Railroad

11.Columbus and Erie Railroad

12.Elmira State Line Railroad

13.Erie and Wyoming Valley Railroad

14.Erie Railway Buffalo Branch

15.Erie Railway

16.Genesee River Railroad

17.Goshen and Deckertown Railroad

18.Jefferson Railroad

19. Long Dock Company

20. Middletown and Crawford Railroad

21.Montgomery and Erie Railroad

22.Newark and Hudson Railroad

23.Moosic Mountain & Carbondale RR

24.Newburgh and New York RR

25.New York and Erie Railroad (parent company)

26.New York and Greenwood Lake Railway

27.New York, Lake Erie & Western Coal and Railroad Company

28.New York,Pennsylvania & Ohio RR (reorganization of Atlantic and Great Western).

29.Northern Railroad of New Jersey

30.Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad

31.Nyack and Northern Railroad

32.Nypano Railroad

33.Paterson and Hudson River Railroad

34.Paterson and Ramapo Railroad

35.Penhorn Creek Railroad

36.Paterson, Newark, and New York Railroad

 

ERIE RAILROAD COMPANY-1956 PROFILE

Mileage: 2336

Locomotives:223 Road, 156 Switcher. Road locomotives consisted of 324 units.

Freight cars: 20,785

Passenger cars: 570

Miscellaneous (company service):739

 

Western District total 1278.3 miles

1.Marion Division, 269.5 miles

2.Kent Division: 205.2 miles

3.Mahoning Division; 370.7 miles

4.Allegany-Meadville Division;436.6 miles

 

Eastern District, total 1256.0 miles

1.Buffalo-Rochester Division 240.1 miles

2.Susquehanna Division, 611.1 miles

3.Wyoming Division, 77.2 miles

4.New York Division, 327.6 miles

 

Stations on the Erie Railroad

New York Division   224

Susquehanna Division, 118

Wyoming Division, 79

Buffalo-Rochester Division, 68

 

total Eastern District 489 stations

 

Western District Stations

Allegany-Meadville Division 118

Mahoning Division                88

Kent Division                       56

Marion Division                    66

Total Western District       318 stations

Total Stations Entire Erie Railroad: 817

 

Train Order Offices

Western District 79

Eastern District 83

Total Erie Railroad: 159

 

Major Terminals on the Erie Railroad: Croxton, NJ, Hornell,NY, East Buffalo,NY,.

Cleveland, Youngstown, Marion, Dayton, Huntington,IN,, Chicago 55th Street. Also Port Jervis and Binghamton.

 

ERIE RAILROAD OPERATIONAL SET UP

Since Hornell, NY was located at the geographical heart of the Erie Railroad, it was divided into two districts, each containing four divisions centering around Hornell. Eastern District consisted of the Buffalo-Rochester, Susquehanna,Wyoming, and New York divisions in that order, while the Western District consisted of the Allegany-Meadville, Mahoning, Kent, and Marion divisions in that order. Hornell was also Eastern District headquarters in addition to the Susquehanna Division, while the Western District headquarters was located at Youngstown, Ohio. What follows is a description of the divisions on each district in a west to east order:

1.Marion Division- covered the main line from Chicago's Dearborn Station to Marion, Ohio. Major yards were at Chicago 51st Street, Huntington, Indiana, and Marion, Ohio.

2.Kent Division, covered the territory from Marion to Kent Ohio and included the Dayton Branch in its entirety.

3.Mahoning Division- covered the territory from Kent,Ohio to Meadville,Pennsylvania and included the Cleveland-Youngstown Main line, the Transfer, Lisbon, and Franklin Branches. Due to the location of steelmills and other heavy industry, this territory was often regarded as "the breadbasket of the Erie".

4. Allegany-Meadville Division- covered the territory between Meadville, Pennsylvania and Hornell,NY and included the BSW line up to Buffalo, the River Line, Bradford Branch. Hornell was where the Western District ended and the Eastern District began, thus ends this brief tour of theErie Railroad's Western District.

EASTERN DISTRICT

5.Buffalo-Rochester Division- consisted of the Buffalo-Hornell main line, the Niagara Falls, International, Lockport, Attica, Lakeville-Livonia and Wayland branches. The latter two were the product of severing of theAvon-Corning line.

6.Susquehanna Division-covered from Hornell to Port Jervis, NY and included the Tioga Branch  that ran from Lawrenceville to Blossburg, Pa.

7.Wyoming Division,extending from Lackawaxen,PA down to Scranton, with a branch to Suscon from Plains, this was the coal hauling territory of the Erie. As the coal traffic dried up, this division's existence followed suit.  In severed form portions lasted into the Erie Lackawanna years, before it was finally gone altogether, save the Lackawaxen-Honesdale branch which also does season excursion trips as well as freight under the name Stourbridge Railroad.

8. New York Division- Being on the Erie's East End, this was Commuter country, with commuter service on the Main Line-Bergen County Line, Greenwood Lake Line, NJ&NY, Newark Branch, Northern Branch, all taking commuters to and from their jobs in Manhattan and other parts of New York City.  Major freight classification yard was at Croxton, NJ, which is now a prime intermodal terminal for Norfolk Southern today. Commuter trains still run on the Main Line,Bergen County Line, and NJ&NY line with Sunday service to Port Jervis having been in operation since 1989.

 

ERIE RAILROAD PASSENGER OPERATIONS

 

The through line passenger operations of the Erie Railroad consisted of three pairs of trains a day each way between Jersey City (Hoboken after 1956) and Chicago, consisting of the following trains: Nos. 1 and 2, The Erie Limited, Nos. 5 and 6, The Lake Cities, No.7 The Pacific Express, and No.8 The Atlantic Express, all making as many as 36 intermediate station stops during their runs. Nos. 7 and 8s were maids of all work, being heavy on mail and express traffic, with passenger accommodations tacked on almost as an afterthought, these two trains made late night departures from their respective terminals. They were usually the longest trains of the bunch, often running to 20-21 cars or so behind the pair of E8 diesels hauling the train. Starting in 1959, both the E8s and Alco PAs began to be modified with nose multiple unit jumper receptical and hoses, so that the locomotives could be run in sets of three or four units depending on the train's power requirements.

 

Erie passenger trains were usually made up with the RPO lpost office car directly behind the locomotive, followed by the storage mail cars and baggage car, followed in turn by one or more sleepers, the dining car, and several coaches. The Erie Limited, which was the premiere train of the railroad, usually got the best equipment first, then the Lake Cities, and the maids of all work ran with semisuburban coaches that were suitable for either suburban or through line service and equipped accordingly.

 

In addition to the main line trains, the Erie also operated several pairs of trains in and out of Cleveland to and from Youngstown, of which several were through trains to and from Pittsburgh, Washington, and Baltimore in conjunction with the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie and Baltimore and Ohio Railroads. Two others,  628 and 629 primarily served commuters between Youngstown and Cleveland. As such, these two trains were the last to operate in and out of Cleveland Union Terminal, outlasting all other Erie passenger service by seven years. Final runs were made by Conrail on January 17,1977.  The Cleveland trains were prime assignments for the Alco PAs which sometimes ran in tandem with those of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, whose PAs were painted in New York Central's lightning strip livery. In their final years, trains 28 and 29 were usually assigned E8s 825 and 833, though ex Lackawanna E8 No. 816 was used occasionally.

 

The passenger trains of the Erie Railroad served such college towns as Olean, Jamestown, Binghamton, Kent, Ohio, Cleveland, and Chicago, to name a few and handled considerable student traffic at break times and over the holidays. As a result, Erie trains were often run in two sections during peak travel periods; this as much to take care of as much heavy mail and express traffic as the increased passenger loads, particularly in foul weather.

 

The Erie's passenger service pattern remained intact into Erie Lackawanna Railroad's first months of operation, though, by then, ex Lackawanna cars came to be mixed in with what had been all Erie consists. In addition, the practice of operating the E8 diesels in consecutively numbered pairs faded away as the Lackawanna E8 fleet became part of the merged fleet and the nose MU connections were installed allowing for three unit consists to be operated as needed.

 

Changes to the Erie's passenger service in 1961, consisted of the shifting of the Erie Limited and Lake Cities trains to the ex Lackawanna route via Scranton, the creation of Delaware Division locals 21,21, 61-25 and 26 to keep the level of the Delaware Division the same as before. Trains 7 and 8 remained on their all Erie routing.

 

The other part of the Erie Railroad's passenger operation were the commuter services, which were operated on the Main Line, Bergen County Line, Newark Branch, Northern Branch, NJ&NY RR, Greenwood Lake Line, and Caldwell Branch. Timetables for these services were colorcoded as follows: Blue for Northern Branch, Yellow for NJ&NY, pink for Greenwood Lake Division, and a grayish white for Main Line and Bergen County Line trains, which also included the Newark Branch. This color coding of the commuter timetables corresponded to the train designating lights at track gates used in Hoboken Terminal.

 

Since much of the Erie's through line passenger equipment was painted primarily two-tone green, the EMD E8 diesels were delivered painted to harmonize with the cars they were pulling. The Stillwell car fleet, however, was painted solid green. Unlike the through service, the commuter operation was characterised by multiple ride tickets, frequent service, with fairly short trains, frequent stops, along with two peak periods of intense activity. Unlike the through line trains, the commuter trains generally did not handle checked baggage and were usually powered by 900 series Alco RS3s, supplemented by the1400 series EMD GP7s and later the Alco PAs as well, which came to be used on these trains before they were put into freight service in1967. Of these passenger services, only the east end commuter trains remain today under NJ Transit. The long since departed through line trains have left behind a paper trail of timetables, tickets, baggage tags, and other sundry articles of historical interest to enthusiasts of this railroad.

 

Unlike its competitors on the New York-Chicago run, the Erie Railroad's passenger service was not really crafted for riders going the entire distance but was rather designed to provide a local service between the 36 intermediate stations at which the trains stopped each day. Given the Federal Government's policy of subsidizijng the highway and airline competition, what is surprising is that the Erie's through line passenger service lasted as long as it did, and that is a miracle in itself.

 

ERIE RAILROAD FREIGHT OPERATIONS

 

The Erie Railroad gained a reputation as a fast freight hauler that made it the route of choice for perishable traffic moving from California to the east coast markets, such as New York and Boston, to name two of them. Solid reefers of fresh California produce were hustled y Erie crews from Chicago to Jersey City's Croxton Yard for transfer into such New York's produce markets as Hunt's Point in the Bronx, to name the best known one. These reefers full of produce generally moved in solid trains received from the Erie's western connections, of which the Santa Fe was the Erie Railroad's biggest interchange partner. Both railroads also exchanged passengers at Chicago's Dearborn Station.

 

The major freight terminal the Erie had in the Chicago area was at 51st Street,which also came to handle intermodal traffic as well as car load freight. The Erie had a pair of trains which became known as The Flying Saucers. Nos. 99 and 100,were the two hottest freight trains on the Erie Railroad at that time . As such, these trains operated at close to passenger train speeds where track conditions allowed and each train developed into a family of 99s and 100s, Such as NE for New England, PB, for Piggyback and so on. This distinguished each 99 0r 100 train from one another.

 

The next major terminal on the trip east was at Marion, Ohio, where several westbound 99 trains were combined into a single train for the last leg into Chicago, while the 100 was split into several trains, with one going to New York, one to Buffalo and Rochester, one to Maybrook. These were later joined by Train 74, which developed into a family all its own.  These three sets of main line freight trains formed the foundation on which the Erie perfected and refined its freight service. They spawned sections that originated and terminated in such cities as Buffalo, Rochester, and Clevelend, and some of these were split off at Marion.

 

One other Erie Railroad freight train that evolved into a family of trains all its own was the 98, a Chicago to New York manifest train, which was split at Marion into NE98 and NY 98, while the 98 itself carried traffic destined for the Buffalo and Rochester markets. The Erie yard serving the Cleveland area was 55th Street Yard (now Von Willer Yard), located at East 55th Street and McBride avenue as was a passenger station. It was supplemented by a yard at Literary Street Yard, located in the Flats and another at North Randall for handling ore traffic, as the Erie operated a considerable number of ore trains in and out of Cleveland.

 

At Youngstown, the Brier Hill Yard primarily serviced the steel mills in the area, but also handled other carload traffic as well. Next came Meadville which also had a significent yard and was also home for the system freight car shop as well. Further east was a modest yard at Jamestown, which serviced its furniture manufacturing customers and local industry. At Salamanca was a more substantial yard, which primarily handled coal traffic generated south of Bradford, PA.  Hornell, which was the geographical heart of the railroad, was also home to a major yard and the system diesel shops. The yard stretched from the station to ZY tower (now CP Horn) 2 miles to the east and had a freight house for LCL freight and every other facility needed for the swift handling of freight. Dispatchers' offices were located on the second floor of the station.

 

Some of the operating patterns in the freight service perfected by the Erie Railroad carried over into the Erie-Lackawanna merger, even after the Lackawanna's freight operations were blended in. Unlike the merger partner, Erie, the Lackawanna Railroad had stiff grades through Dansville,NY and Scranton, PA to move its tonnage between Buffalo and New York while the Erie main line ran along more or less a water level route much like the New York Central main to the north.

 

The Erie's early dieselization of its operations helped keep the railroad afloat longer than it otherwise might have been when merger talks with the Lackawanna began in1956, as did the consolidation of the Erie's passenger operations into  Lackawanna's Hoboken Terminal along with some other freight and passenger facilities of the two railroads. Between Binghamton and Corning, both the Erie and Lackawanna had double track mainlines that paralleled each other for considerable distances along a 75 mile stretch. At strategic locations, track connections between the two railroads allowed the Lackawanna trains to begin using Erie tracks between Corning and Binghamton, doing so starting on August 31,1959. Lackawanna trains then began  calling at the Erie stations of Endicott,Waverly, Elmira instead of at Vestal, Nichols, and the DL's own Elmira station. However, the Lackawanna retained its own yard at Elmira.

 

ERIE LACKAWANNA RAILWAY FAST FACTS

 

Piggyback Ramp locations:Chicago,IL, Huntington,IN, Lima,Marion,Mansfield,Akron and Cleveland,OH; Sharon,PA, Buffalo,Rochester,Elmira,Binghamton,Syracuse,Utica,Norwich,and Port Jervis,NY;Scranton,PA, Maybrook,NY, Croxton,NJ.

 

Service are: Six States: New Jersey,Pennsylvania,New York,Ohio, Indiana, Illinois as follows:

1.New York; 25 counties

2.Pennsylvania, 19 counties

3.Ohio, 19 counties

4.Indiana, 14 counties

5.New Jersey; 7 counties

6.Illinois: 1 county

 

Approximately 3000 miles of railroad serving 807 communities in the six state service area above, utilizing the following equipment:

 

Locomotives; 526

Freight Cars: 21,864

1219 Misc. (company service)

501 passenger cars (used mostly in New York-New Jersey commuter service. 5 coaches used on the Cleveland-Youngstown service).

2300 piggyback trailers for intermodal service.

 

1971 Division Realignments

1.Marion Division, 449.6 miles

2. Mahoning Division; 523.0 miles

3.Susquehanna Division; 512.6 miles

4.New York Division; 434.6 miles

5.Buffalo Terminal Division; 55.2 miles

Scranton Division remained the same as before.

 

Major Terminals: Chicago-51st Street, Huntington,IN, Marion,OH, Buffalo,NY,

Cleveland-East 55th St., Binghamton,NY, Scranton,PA, and Croxton,NJ.

 

Featured Freight services: 74,98,99, and 100 families of fast freight trains between Croxton and Chicago.

 

Passenger Routes (Commuter): Cleveland-Youngstown, on the Mahoning Division. On the New York Division: Main Line; Hoboken-Port Jervis, Bergen County Line, Pascack Valley Line: Hoboken-Spring Valley; Boonton Line: Hoboken;Upper Montclair-Boonton-Denville-Netcong; Morristown Line: Hoboken-Dover (electrified),Gladstone Branch (electrified) Summit-Gladstone, and Montclair Branch(Montclair to Newark, electrified). Of these, the Montclair Branch and the Boonton Line have since been spliced together, forming the Montclair-Boonton Line. the last piece of the ex Erie Greenwood Lake line still carrying passengers has been shut down. While most of the stations inherited from the Erie Lackawanna and its predecessors are still in use/existence, all of the equipment used on the New York Division (now Hoboken Division under NJ Transit) has been replaced with new equipment bought by NJ Transit, except for the Comet I cars originally bought for Erie Lackawanna in the early 1970s. These, too, are slated for replacement. Gone are the GE U34CH diesels, which set the Erie Lackawanna commuter operation apart from those of the other roads taken over by NJ Transit from Conrail. Going fast, if not already all gone are the operating personnel who began their railroading careers with Erie Lackawanna and its predecessors. The spirit of The Friendly Service Route lives on in the commuter trains of the Erie Lackawanna's New York Division, now the Hoboken Division

 

ERIE LACKAWANNA- GENERAL OPERATIONS

 

In this chapter will be presented several train dispatchers' sheets as obtained from George Elwood's Erie Lackawanna pages and furnisehed to him by Todd Hollritt. These will typify operations on the New York and Scranton Divisions. To read these; train symbol is the first column, engine numbers next, loads and empties, tonnage, caboose number, and time the train was reported by that location in that order. Also to be discussed is the EMD E8A fleet including which units remained in the passenger pool and which were modified for freight service, making Erie Lackawanna one of the few railroads to successfully operate E8s in freight service. Union Pacific tried the same thing but for technical reasons, failed. The following is the Dispatcher's sheet for the Scranton Division for December 17,1972.

1. WESTBOUND TRAINS

TBX   3646/2578 14 loads, 83 empties, 3873 tons, C309     0257

TC3  3320/3319 28x74,4300 tons, C326 1330 hrs.

SCX 2557/6352/925 om tow, 24x47, 3248 tons, C349, 0955 hrs.

CS9 3323/3651 1x50, 1400 tons, C338 2015 hrs.

ES99 CNJ3065,3063,EL3305, 15x30 2093 tons, 2330 hrs.

1819  1277 2x9, 471 tons, C131 2026 hours

SC99,3669,2521, 17x57, 2570 tons, C366

Elmhurst Turn, EL444, 0250 hrs, EL406, 0x1 at E. Binghamton 1645 hrs.

 

Trains assisted

2403,CNJ1554,EL1277 pushed TBX 3636 Scranton to Dalton

1245 pushed SCX 2557 Taylor to Dalton

2401/2411 pushed TC3, 3320 Stroudsburg to Gouldsboro

 

2. EASTBOUND TRAINS

BS4 3324/3327 24x16, 5052 tons, C307 1158 hrs.

PN98 3327/1554(CNJ)31x6, 2512 tons, C895, 1430 hours

SE98, 3067CNJ,3311,3324, 63x11, 5985 tons, C882,1653 hrs

NY98 801/3606 58x2, 4198 tons, C910, 1622 hrs.

PN98, 2551/3669 47x23,3526 tons, C366, 1857 hrs.

EL406, 3x0 at E. Binghamton, 1620 hrs.

 

Trains Assisted

2411/2402 pushed (?) Scranton to Tobyhanna

2403 pushed NY98 Scranton to Tobyhanna

2411/2402/2403 pushed 2404 Northumberland Turn Exeter to Taylor

 

BANGOR AND PORTLAND- Shut down for Weekend

 

Syracuse Branch

BS53 1273/1280/1270/1276 28x17 2798 tons

1902 1282

Utica Branch

1811   1262

1819 1277/1272

1812 1279/1274

1810 1271

Bloomsburg Branch

NU2, D&H311/301/312/307, 97x62, 8995 tons

1742 2412/2407/2409

NSMT 2404/2401/2410/2405, 99x1,9726 tons

EX EL462

 

In addition to these trains and any extras run, the train dispatcher's sheet also specified which dispatchers were on duty during a given trick, unusual conditions and occurrances reported by train crews and other railroad personnel.

 

The next train shet to be presented will be the one from WC Tower, Waldwick, New Jersey, in the four track commuter territory. It is dated December 18,1970 and is split into Eastbound and Westbound sections. Tracks 2 and 4 are the eastbound tracks and tracks 1 and 3 the westbound tracks.

 

EASTBOUND TRAINS

Track 2                                                        Track 4

Train         Engine        Time     Remarks       Train           Engine         Time

1104          953          0654                         1158             921             0757

1152                         0652                         2/NY100      2521             0925

1154        1404         0659                          RI-100         3610             0939

1108         829         0705                          T-Car           500-1            1356

50            827         0713                           Apollo 2      3648              1740

1110        915         0720                           ECE           3665              2046

1156        830        0730                            :Lite         953-931            2123

1114       929         0734                            414              927

1112       826         0739                            SF100       3632               2158

52          832         0748                            NE74         2413               2151/2200

1120      1408        0756  dr. cripple WC

1118      1405        0800

1130      910          0833

54         2507         0859

1122     953           0905

1162     1403         0943

1164     1406         1043

1166     908           1244

1170    1405          1524

1172    918            1704

X150    1403          1725

X154    918            1811

X156    828            1838

1176   914-907       1844

Lite     923            2152 from WC Yard

 

WESTBOUND TRAINS

Track 1                                                       Track 3

Train       Engine    Time        Remarks            Train         Engine         Time

1103       1405      0733                                CBall          2455          0716 E.

1155        923      0810                                 BT Ord       3310          1350

X153        910      0815                                 HOB Ord    2510           1514

1105       953       0832                                 1121            828           1820

1157       1406     0957                                  1119           908           1822

1159       908      1159                                  CX Ord        3657          2046

1161       1405    1319                                  Apollo 1       2417          1937

T-Car      ------     1351    To SF

1163      1407     1450

1111      1404     1616

1165        918     1620

1113      1403     1708   145 ot

57           822     1711

1107   907-914   1737

1117       916     1954    315  5 min eng.

1169       830     1807

59          829     1825

1125      923      1825   261

1171    925/929  1845

1173     1403      1933

1175       922      1944

1131      916       1950 ot 84

1177     1408       2032

1133      828        2050

coaches 414       2107 off 1127

1179    1404       2144

Lite      1400      2149

 

Most of these trains utilized ex Erie Railroad Stillwell cars, while others used former El Capitan coaches purchased from the Santa Fe and modified for commuter service. The Port Jervis trains consistently drew EMD E8A diesels for power. This lasted until September, 1974 when the E8s and Stillwell cars were replaced with GE U34CH diesels and push pull cars. A few E8s went into the Cleveland-Youngstown passenger pool and the rest went into freight service.

 

The 23 surviving E8 diesels were grouped into two classes: PE22-4 and FE22-4. As of January 19,1973, the PE22-4 class consisted of the following units:816,821,822,824,825,829-831, and 833. The FE22-4 class consisted of these units: 809,810,820,826,828,832. The FE22-4 class was regeared for a top speed of 65 mph while the PE22-4 group retained its 89.5 mph gearing. 826 handled the last Lake Cities Train out of Hoboken, while 813 and 814 handled the final runs of The Phoebe Snow on November 27-28,1966.

 

ERIE LACKAWANNA- Through Line Passenger Operations- DL&W Side

 

The DL&W portion of the railroad was the more passenger oriented portion of the Erie Lackawanna, with such train names as The Phoebe Snow, Pocono Express, The Westerner, The New Yorker, The Owl, and New York Mail, to name a few of the trains that made up the Lackawanna's through line passenger service.. The following consists for Trains L3 and L6, The Phoebe Snow, although of December 15 and 17,1959, are representatives of how the trains were operated during the early days of the Erie Lackawanna's merged operations.

 

December 15,1959 consist

Engine 819    E8A            400 to 397 (Hoboken to Buffalo)

Engine 812    E8A            400 to 397 (Hoboken to Buffalo)

DL&W 2029 Express

Erie   6620  Mail

Erie   6644  Mail

NKP  329    papers

NYC 8681  Hoboken to Binghamton

DL&W 1812 Mail, Hoboken to Buffalo

DL&W 302 coach

DL&W 311 coach

DL&W 321 coach

DL&W 470 diner

DL&W 312 coach

DL&W 790 tavern-lounge observation.

J. Gilhouley was the Conductor from Hoboken to Scranton and G.V. McCauley was the conductor from Scranton to Buffalo.

 

December 17,1959 Consist

Engine 819 E8A

Engine 812 E8A

NYC 7483 Express, Hoboken to Buffalo

Erie 549  mail, Hoboken to Binghamton

DL&W 1812, mail, Hoboken to Buffalo

DL&W 304 coach

DL&W318 coach

DL&W303 coach

DL&W 470 diner

DL&W 321 coach

DL&W 790 tavern-lounge observation car

DL&W 10032 mail, Scranton to Buffalo

DL&W 10089 mail, Scranton to Buffalo

 

Generally, two sets of equipment were used to operate the Phoebe Snolw between Hoboken and Buffalo. As one set of equipment was enroute in each direction, the other set was being turned and serviced for its runs.  The same pair of E8 diesels would be turned as well so that, say, when the westbound train arrived in Buffalo with 819 in the lead, the other unit, 812, would be in the lead on No.6's outbound run from Buffalo.  Here are a couple of consists for a couple of Lackawanna's secondary trains:

No.14, 10/11/59

Engines 815,816

1755 RDG   Storage Mail   to Binghamton

1779 RDG   Express         to Binghamton

343  NKP    Express         to Hoboken

1817 DLW  RPO               to Hoboken

8257 NYC  Storage Mail    to Hoboken

Tioughnioga DL&W Sleeper  to Hoboken

City of Painesville, NKP Sleeper, to Hoboken

108   NKP  Coach             to Hoboken

81     NKP Coach              to Hoboken

313   DL&W coach            to Hoboken

312  DL&W  coach            to Hoboken

306  DL&W  coach            to Hoboken

463  DL&W  coach            to Hoboken

 

Train  No.14 departed Buffalo with 14 cars and left Binghamton with 12 cars, which was about typical for DL&W trains to and from Buffalo. This train lasted for several months oof Erie Lackawanna into 1961. Here is a second train out of Scranton for Hoboken. This time, t wo F3s provide the power. Date of Operation: 11/24/56:

 

Engine 802C F3A

Engine 801B F3B

Conductor: A.J. Bateman, On Duty, 6:45 am

Engineer: F. Malley, On Duty, 6:45 am

Depart Scranton 7:21 am, 6 minutes late

2078 DL&W baggage/mail

318 DL&W coach

320 DL&W coach

788 DL&W Buffet

301 DL&W coach   All to Hoboken

Ar.Stroudsburg 8:39am, dep. 8:47am on time

 

The DL&W passenger F3s were renumbered into the 8400 series by EL and continued in the passenger pool until 1963, when they were first put into the freight pool, and then began to be traded in on EMD GP35s and other new road power. This train got renumbered in the Erie Lackawanna restructuring of what had been the two railroads' through line passenger service. This restructuring consisted of;

March, 1961, trains 1,2 and L5, discontinued Elmira to Buffalo

April , 1961, Trains L3 and E1 combined

April , 1961, Trains L6 and E2 combined

April, 1961, Trains L7 and E5 combined

April, 1961, Trains L8 and E6 combined.

 

At this time, Trains 1 and 2, The Erie Limited began runnint to and from Chicago via Scranton and Youngstown, with Elmira-Buffalo through cars for Nos.31 and 32, on and off at Elmira. In addition, trains 25 and 26 were created to replace the throug hservice formerly provided by Nos. 5 and 6 and Nos. 21 and 22 to connect with Nos. 1 and 2 at Binghamton.

 

In 1962, in conjunction with the railroad's desire to shut down the ex DL&W main line west of Corning as a through route, trains 35 and 36 with through cars on and off at Hornell began operating via Warsaw, NY on the line through Wyoming County,NY enroute to and from Buffalo. Trains 31 and 32 were  switched to originate and terminate at Hornell instead of Elmira to provide better connections with Nos. 1 and 2. This change was effected in July,1962 as was the shift of Nos. 10 and 15 to the route through Hornell, allowing theEL to downgrade and sever the former DL&W main west of Corning.

During the fall of 1962, the former DL&W station in downtown Buffalo was closed and the Babcock Street station established the same day. Food service on trains 31 and 32 was discontinued as was the use of the Phoebe Snow name for these trains.

In 1963, nos. 1 and 2, The Erie Lackawanna Limited were rechristened The Phoebe Snow and the Erie Limited name retired after 44 years of service. Cars for trains 31 and 32 reverted to connecting at Elmira for a time. In 1964, they switched back to being switched in and out of Nos. 1 and 2 at Hornell and continued to operate as Hornell-Buffalo trains until they were discontinued in 1964. Also in 1965, trains 7 and 8 were discontinued as passenger trains, but continued to operate as mail and express trains Nos. 3 and 4 on the same schedule as before.

November 27-28 saw the discontinuance of Nos. 1 and 2, The Phoebe Snow, and its Delaware Division connections 21 and 22, leaving just no.s 5 and 6, The Lake Cities, as  the only remaining passenger trains of consequence. Nos. 10 and 15 continued to haul mail, parcels, and an occasional passenger until May 23,1969 when No.15 made its last run while No. 10 was annulled.

 

The end came for Erie Lackawanna through line passenger service on January 4-5,1970, when Nos. 5 and 6, The Lake Cities, made their final runs. E8A No. 826 had the honors of taking the final No.5 out of Hoboken for the last time. This left Cleveland-Youngstown trains 28 and 29 the only passenger service outside of the New Jersey/New York commuter z one. These trains continued to operate for seven more years before they, too, were discontinued under Conrail auspices.

 

Today, the remaining commuter service is now operated by NJ Transit and Metro North Railroad, which has responsibility for the New York State portions of the runs of commuter trains in and out of Hoboken on the Main Line and the Pascack Valley Lines. The Montclair Branch and Boonton Line have been joined together forming the Montclair -Boonton Line, and thus providing commuters on the line  through service to Hoboken, and on some trains, a single seat ride into midtown Manhattan. Commuter service has returned to Hackettstown and revival of passenger service to Scranton is currently in the works. In addition, Steamtown USA continues steam passenger excursions out of Scranton to Moscow, and occasionally Mount Pocono, keeping the spirit of Phoebe Snow alive.

 

ERIE LACKAWANNA-Premerger Passenger Operations.

The following are the schedules for through line passenger service that the Erie and the Lackawanna had in effect at the time of the October 17,1960 merger. Table 1 is a condensed Erie Main Line Schedule for 4-24-60.

 

9         7          5            1              Stations             2               6            8

0045  0045   2015      0930    L    Hoboken,NJ  A   1855          0905      2240

0230  0245   2215      1126    A  Port Jervis,NY L   1643          0626      2042

0240  0255   2246      1136    L  Port Jervis, NY A  1616          0616      2032

0516  0536   0046      1406 A Susqhehanna,PA L   1412         0357      1750

0518  0538   0048      1408 L  Susquehanna,PA a  1410          0355      1748

0552  0638   0121      1443 A Binghamton, NY  L   1338          0329      1712

0602  0638   0133      1454 L Binghamton, NY  A   1328          0315      1658

0724  0822   0249      1618    Elmira, NY               1219          0214      1547

0838  0953   0405      1741 A Hornell, NY         L    1116         0101     1425

0850  1008   0415      1751  L Hornell, NY         A   1056         0051    1400

1047  1219   0605      1938  A Salamanca,NY   L    0916        2259     1208

1057  1432   0615      1948  L  Salamanca NY  A    0906        2049     1158

1243  1432   0825      2158    Meadville, PA            0657        2049     0934

1258  1442   0830      2208  L Meadville,PA       A   0649        2042     0925

1415  1558   0950      2331  A Youngstown,OH  L   0502        1921     0750

1425  1614   1000      2347  L  Youngstown,OH  A  0444        1906     0730

1544  1800   1114     0116       Akron, OH              0323        1757     0610

1803  2059   1305     0338   A  Marion, OH        L   0055        1607     0400

1813  2235   1314     0348   L   Marion, OH       A   0045        1602     0350

1915  2217   1401     0444        Lima, OH               2338        1513     0300

1901  2205   -----       0433       Decatur, IN CT        2143         -----      ------

1940  2235  1405      0502   A Huntington, IN     L   2107        1306     0049

1940  2245  1413      0512   L  Huntington, IN    A   2057        1256     0039

2145  0055  1605      0725       Hammond, In          1851        1106    2249

2226  0130  1640     0800   A  Chicago, IL        L    1810       1030   2210      

 

These trains remained pure Erie consiss until equipment that got repainted with the name of the new railroad could be put into service. All 14 E8 diesels got a special set of Erie Lackawanna decals to put over the nose logo and 'ERIE-LACKAWANNA' for the flanks on the sides.  The next table will show the former Lackawanna's passenger service between Hoboken and Buffalo. This series of tables will illustrate the decline of the Erie Lackawanna's passenger service until the final runs of Nos. 5 and 6 The Lake Cities, on January 4-5, 1970. 

 

Table 2. LACKAWANNA  Timetable 9-5-60 Hoboken to Buffalo.

 

8          10         6         2         Stations               15         3        5        7

2359   1710    1000   0420  L   Buffalo,NY  A      1257     1915   0240   0455

0102   1818    1103   0535  Mount Morris           1130     1808   0122   0338

0121   1854    1122   0555       Dansville            1102     1750   0102   ------

------    1909    -------   ------        Wayland            1044     -------   -------   ------

------    1925    -------   ------        Cohocton           1030     --------   ------    ------

0200   1959    1158   0644       Bath                  1008     1717   0025   0243

0225   2034    1218   0720       Corning              0937     1657   0006   0225

0244   2053    1238   0755   a   Elmira         l     0908     1636   2338   0201

0254   2127    1243   0817   l    Elmira        a     0837     1630   2320   0148

------    2218    1325   0902       Owego               0750     1549   2238  -------

0356   2248    1352   0917  A  Binghamton  L     0712     1520   2203  0045

0413   2355    1407   0933  L   Binghamton  A    0616     1503   2148  0028

0532   0104    1518   1049  A   Scranton      L    0455     1355   2043  2325

0645   0136    1518   1108  L   Scranton      A    0406     1355   2023  2305

0645   0311    1635   1240  A Stroudsburg   L    0253      1227   1856  2150

0645   0316    1635   1247  L  Stroudsburg  A    0246      1227   1845  2145

0823  -----       1807   1416   Brick Church,NJ     ------       1055   1711  2016

832   0458      1816   1424   Newark                 ------        1048   1704 2009

0845   0510    1830   1440  A Hoboken, NJ  L   0055       1035    1654 1955

 

Basic service pattern for the Lackawanna provided three trains daily in each direction between Buffalo and Hoboken. Some of these were dovetailed to operate on weekend schedules different from those on weekdays. An example of this was Train No.15, The Owl, which ran as No.17 on weekends and on a different schedule. One will find numerous other examples of this in Lackawanna passenger timetables of the period. By this time, on the Erie side, only the westbound Pacific Express was dovetailed in this way. This train operated as No.9 on weekends on a schedule different from that operated as No.7 the rest of the week. Starting July 1, 1962, those of these trains still running, were shifted to the ex Erie line via Hornell, NY and the DL side was downgraded to branch line status. As a result, Erie and Lackawanna trains  operating on close schedules to each other between Binghamton and Elmira (later Hornell), ran combined between those points. The next two tables, both taken from the final public timetable of June 15,1969 show Nos. 5 and 6 The Lake Cities as being the only through line passenger train left of a once extensive fleet and trains 28 and 29 between Cleveland and Youngstown, the last remaining service between those cities.

 

Table 3. The Final Erie Lackawanna Through Line Timetable. 6-15-69

 

5             Stations               6

1900  L  Hoboken, NJ  A  0845

1915       Newark             0832

1923   Brick Church         0823

1937      Summit             0809

2005      Dover                0742

2035  Blairstown,NJ        0710

2100 E.Stroudsburg,PA  0651

2118     Cresco              0629

2132  Pocono Summit   -------

2210 A Scranton,Pa  L   0539

2220 L Scranton,PA  A  0532

2310 A Binghamton   L  0430

2335 L Binghamton   A  0430

0015    Waverly             0331

0035 A Elmira          L   0315

0100 L Elmira          A  0314

0125   Corning             0255

0220 A Hornell         L  0210

0230 L Hornell         A  0200

0303   Wellsville          0125

0350   Olean               0040

0410 A Salamanca  L  0005

0420 L Salamanca  A  0005

0440   Randolph         2338

0500   Jamestown,NY 2320

0529   Corry, PA        2250

0615   Meadville         2205

0645   Greenville        2130

0705   Sharon,PA      2105

0721 A Youngstown L2045

0735 L Youngstown A2032

0800    Warren          2011

0845    Kent              1935

0910    Akron            1915

1002    Ashland         1812

1030   Mansfield        1755

1045   Galion             1730

1110 A Marion      L   1710

1125 L Marion      A   1655

1225   Lima               1605

1350  Huntington,IN    1445

1331  Rochester         1255

1455  Hammond,IN     1140

1530 A Chicago IL  L  1100

A notation beside each set of times read' Application Pending to Discontinue This Train-Consult Agent" told the story that the end was near for the through line passenger service on the Erie Lackawanna. Both trains tied up at their respective terminals for the last time at the end of January 5, 1970. After that, nothing remained but the matter of the disposition of the equipment. Many diners and Pullman sleepers went to scrap, a few coaches were given over to the Cleveland Youngstown service, others sold to the Delaware and Hudson, and still others sold to the Penn Central for conversion to commuter  coaches. The E8 diesels were then deployed to New Jersey commuter service and then freight service on the west end of the railroad.   

 

The two Phoebe Snow Tavern-Lounge observation cars went first to the Long Island Railroad, which used them in parlor car service on its Montauk Branch trains, and then transfered them to Metro North Railroad, which continues to use them on inspection trains and other special moves. The Cleveland Youngstown pool of E8 diesels consisted of the following units 816,825,833 and two other units. The following is the Cleveland -Youngstown schedule:

 

Table 4. Cleveland-Warren-Youngstown

 

28                Stations                       29

1720  L Cleveland   CUT        A     0740

1729     East 55th Street              0732

1740     Lee Road                        0721

1745     North Randall                  0716

1752     Solon                             0710

1759     Geauga Lake                  0702

1806     Aurora                           0656

1824     Jeddoe                          0638

1830    Garrettsville-Hiram           0631

1851    Warren                           0612

1849    Niles                              0602

1910 A Youngstown               L  0550

 

After trains 5 and 6 came off on the main line, the above schedule was all that was left of the once extensive passenger operations the Erie had outside of the New Jersey commuter zone.         

 

ERIE LACKAWANNA COMMUTER OPERATIONS- Fast Facts

 

Perhaps the most visible part and biggest cash drain of Erie Lackawanna's overall passenger operations were the commuter operations in Northern New Jersey and Orange and Rockland counties in southeastern New York State. In October, 1960, these consisted of the following lines and number of stations served by each line:

 

ERIE SIDE

1. Main Line, 87.5 miles, 25 stations

2.Bergen County Line, 17.2 miles, 4 stations

3.Pascack Valley Line (NJ&NY) 30.6 miles, 21 stations

4.Newark Branch, 20.7 miles, 12 stations

5.Greenwood Lake Line, 32.1 miles, 22 stations

6.Caldwell Branch, 5.7 miles, 4 stations

 

Total Erie Side, New York Division, 208.2 miles, 105 stations.         

 

DL&W SIDE

1.Morristown Line, 41.5 miles, 22 stations

2.Hoboken-Boonton-Denville, 29.1 miles, 20 stations

3.Dover-Washington, 28.5 miles,

4.Sussex Branch, 21.5 miles, 5 stations

5.Montclair Branch, 5.3 miles, 5 stations

6.Gladstone Branch, 22.1 miles, 12 stations

 

Total DL&W side, Morris and Essex Division, 157.0 miles, 65 stations

 

Grand total for the New York Division 1960:365.2 miles, 170 stations. By 1976, this had dropped to 243.6 miles of commuter lines serving 108 stations. This stemmed from the complete discontinuance of service on the Sussex, Caldwell, Northern, Newark Branches and the upper portion of the Greenwood Lake line. Today, NJ Transit operates commuter service on 221.8 of those route miles, serving a total of 98 stations on the former Erie Lackawanna District now known as the Hoboken Division. The following stations have been discontinued:

MORRISTOWN  LINE                        BOONTON-MONTCLAIR LINE

Harrison                                              Roseville Avenue (Jct. Station)

Grove Street                                        Ampere

                                                          Rowe Street

                                                          Arlington

MAIN LINE                                          North Newark

Harrison (original station)

Goshen

Chester

Monroe

Middletown (original Station)

 

NEW STATIONS OPENED SINCE 1979

Harmon Cove-Secaucus (Bergen County Line) replaced by Secaucus Jct.

Montclair (Bay Street)

Mount Olive

Hackettstown

 

The Montclair Branch and Boonton lines have been spliced together into a through line in a move planned since Erie Lackawanna days but not  carried out due to the  railroad's financial problems. Much of the equipment, save for the Comet 1 coaches delivered in 1971-73, has been replaced. These, too, are  slated for replacement. Gone from these trains are the GE U34CHs, which were replaced by 3 passenger v ariations of GP40s. Today, the former Erie Lackawanna lines are the crown jewel in NJ Transit's rail operations. With the new station at Secaucus Junction, connections can be made with the lines of the Newark Division directly. The Erie Lackawanna may be gone, but the spirit of the Friendly Service Route lives on in these trains. 

 

FREIGHT OPERATIONS AND EQUIPMENT

 

Soon after the 1960 merger, the Erie Lackawanna began to develop several families of fast freight trains taking the basic service patterns of the Erie Railroad and building upon them. The 74,98,99 and 100 families of fast freight trains were the result. 99 and 100 were originally nicknamed the Flying Saucers, as these two trains were the hottest freights on the Erie and given priority second only to the passenger trains. They moved at up to 60 mph during their runs. The sample schedules shown here contain representatives of the 74, 98 and 100 families.

 

98 FAST FREIGHT SERVICE

 

Stations               PN98                NY98               SE98

Chicago      L       1800                 2330                 -------

Hammond            1930                 0300                -------

Huntington  A       2315                 0440                -------

Huntington  L       2345                 0500                -------

Marion    a CST   0300                 0815                 ------

Marion    L EST  1215                  0945                ------

Akron JO Ps      1630                  1415                ------

Meadville A        1930                  1745                ------

Meadville L         2100                  1915               -------

Salamanca Ps   0001                   2245               ------

River Jct.   Ps    0145                   0030               -----

Hornell      A      0230                   0115               ------

Hornell      L      0245                   0215               -------

Gang Mills        0430                   ------               --------

Elmira              0600                   ------               -------

Binghamton      0800                   0630              ------

Scranton    A    1000                   0830              ------

Scranton    L     ------                   0845             1600

Slateford Jct.    -------                  1145              1845

Port Morris      --------                  1315              ------

Lake Jct.         -------                   -------              2005

Croxton           ------                    1500              ------             

 

These three trains were all that was left of the Erie Railroad's 98 family of fast freight trains, some of which were in multiple sections blocked for different destinations. The next set of trains comprise the remnants of the 74 Fast Freight Service as originally set up by the Erie, which was once the largest perishable carrier of the eastern railroads

 

74 Fast Freight Service (1974 schedules)

 

Stations                  MF74         NY74            NE74              PO74

Chicago    L            0530          -------             0945                -------

Hammond               0700         -------             1105                 ------

Huntington A           1045         -------             1405                 ------

Huntington L            1115        -------             1415                 -------

Lima                       1330        -------              ------                  -----

Marion      A            1530        ------              1715                  -------

Marion      L             1700       2045              1915                 ------

Akron JO     Ps       2200        0115              2300                 ------

Meadville   A           0300        0445              0200                 -----

Meadville   L           0430        0600              0245

Jamestown            0530         -----                -----                   -------

Salamanca            0800         0900              0525                 ------

Salamanca            0830         -----                -----                    -----

Buffalo                  1315         ------               ------                  -------

Hornell           A    ------          1130             0735                   ------

Hornell           L     ------          1205            0740                   ------

Binghamton    A    ------          ------             -------                   ------

Binghamton    L    ------           1530            1030                  ------

Susquehanna       ------            ------             1110                 -----

Scranton        A   ------            1730             -----                    ------

Scranton        L   ------             1745             -----                    -----

Port Jervis     A -------              ------             1415                  ------

Port Jervis     L  ------              ------             1715                  1745

Maybrook         --------            ------              1830                  ------

Slateford Jct.   --------             -2045            -----                    ------

Port Morris     ---------              2130            -------                  -------

Croxton         -------                2330            ----------                2000

 

Even with these reduced schedules, the railroad managed to keep the quality of service surprisingly high right up to the last day in 1976. That the Erie Lackawanna was able to manage this  was made all the more remarkable by the handicaps that this beloved and dying railroad labored under, particularly in those final years.

 

100 FAST FREIGHT SERVICE (1974 Schedules)

 

Stations       2/NY100        TC100        PB100          NY100

Chicago L     0430             1500          2000             2230

Hammond     0540             1630          2105             2340

Huntington    0850             2015          0001             0245

Huntington    0910             2100          0010             0300

Marion cst    1205             0030          0315             0605

Marion est    1345             0230          0500             0715

Akron JO      1700             0730          0830             1040

Meadville      2000             1100          1145             1330

Meadville      2020             1230          1215             1400

Salamanca   2310             1530          1500             1640

River jct. By  0050             1715          1645             1820

Hornell         0135             1800           1730            1905

Hornell         0140             1815           1740            1915

Binghamton -------              2230           2045            ------

Binghamton -------              -----             -------            -----

Susquehanna 0505           -------           -------            -----

Port Jervis    0815             ------             -----------       -------

Port Jervis    0840            -----                -------          ------

Croxton       1100            -------              --------        0415

 

NY100 operated via Scranton and handled primarily UPS trailers. TC100 and PB100 were run throughs with the Delaware and Hudson and Boston and Maine. 2/NY100, likewise handled UPS trailers and occasionally operated with sets of former passenger E8 diesels. Both the 99 and 100 families of fast freight trains were the Erie's flagships of the freight fleet. Some symbols continued in use until Conrail could develop its own symbols.  Some trains became D&H trains, while others were simply dropped.

 

99 FAST FREIGHT SERVICE (1974 Schedules)

 

Stations             ES99    TC99    SC99   NY99     PB 99    A/CX99     CX99

 

Croxton              --------    -------     -------   2300      --------      0300        0530

Port Jervis          -------     -----       -------   ------       --------      -------        0800

Port Jervis          -------     ------      ------    ------       --------      ------         0830

Susquehanna     -------     -------      ------    ------      --------      -------        1125

Lake Jct.           1630     ------       -------    ------     --------      -------         ------

Slateford Jct.     1730      -----       ------    0135     --------      0545         ------

Scranton           2030     ------      2330    0345     -------       0745         ------

Scranton           -----       -------     2330    0400     ------        0805         ------

Binghamton      ------       ------      -----     -------      -------       -------         ------