Re: (erielack) Re: No Erie Hudsons or Trainmasters or Tavern-Lounges

["Ken" <"lackawanna_@_iname.com">]

Your comment about Erie and Baldwin caught my eye.  I seem to remember that,
in Erie Power, mention is made of Baldwin road switchers, perhaps more than
one MU'd, handled the Cleveland-Youngstown commuter run much of the time.
Were those 4-motor or 6-motor engines?  If 4-motor, the Erie had more than
one.  Unfortunately, I loaned someone the book, so I can't check the diesel
roster!


Ken B.
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "G" <"jimg_@_newcommunity.org">
To: "Phoebe Westbound" <"pipesnlinen_@_mkl.com">; "EL LIST"
<"erielack_@_internexus.net">
Sent: Friday, February 04, 2000 12:09 PM
Subject: (erielack) Re: No Erie Hudsons or Trainmasters or Tavern-Lounges


> Matt,
>
> Thanks for the interesting note.  You are right, the DL&W was always more
> passenger minded than the Erie.  When they were buying their "big steam
power"
> in the late 20s, they obviously kept passengers in mind -- i.e., the
Hudsons
> and the dual service Poconos.  Obviously the Erie motive power people
focused
> on freight service needs with the Berks; the best they could do for
passengers
> was to modernize the big Pacifics.  Another unimaginable loco would be an
Erie
> Hudson! Even in the diesel days, the DL&W obviously still had dual service
on
> its mind when ordering big power, i.e. the Trainmasters (although the
primary
> intent for them was fast freight). From what I've heard, the FMs could
pull
> heavy loads but were also fast accelerators, thus making them feasible for
> secondary passenger runs.  It makes sense, since the FM O.P. engine was
> designed for WW2 submarine service, where fast get-aways were needed.  By
> comparison, when the Erie needed six-motor diesel power, they went to
Baldwin
> for heavy duty lugging units that were never meant to pull passengers (the
> 1150s).  As to Baldwins, the Erie did try one 4-motor Baldwin road
switcher in
> passenger service, the 1140 I believe. Obviously it wasn't repeat-ordered
and I
> think it was kept mainly in freight service, although I recall once seeing
a
> block sheet at WJ Tower Ridgewood showing it pulling a Suffern local in
1964!
>
> As to passenger cars -- the neat thing about the Erie was that a lot of
the old
> stuff that ran on the Erie Limited in the 30s and 40s survived into the
60s and
> 70s.  E.g., the old 2200 series coaches that were rebuilt into the
round-roof
> 1000s, but a few kept the clerestory roof, i.e. the 1100 series (recall
the
> 1105 that lasted in commuter service as a club car into the early 1970s in
EL
> grey-maroon).  The surviving diners got rebuilt with round roofs, but a
few of
> the section sleepers stayed in passenger service into EL days, #75-77.
Even
> after the long-haul passenger trains died off,  they lingered on in work
train
> service (renumbered).  I think they retained their original roof design,
> clerestory with A/C bulges.  From the photos I've seen, the Erie Limited
of the
> 40s had head end cars, three 2200 series coaches, a diner, and a sleeper.
But
> the Depression version had 2 or 3 coaches and a combined sleeper - diner -
> lounge with solarium windows at the lounge end.  A very cramped car, no
doubt;
> obviously in the 30s, not many could afford Pullman space or dinner in the
> diner.  I gather that the Erie Limited never had a true observation car
any
> time after the 1920s, and that lounge space was limited to the diner.
(Again,
> contrast with the DL&W buying full-car tavern-lounge observations around
1950
> for the Snow, and keeping old parlor cars in service through the 50s).
>
> Overall, the different attitude between the Erie and the DL&W regarding
> passengers is summarized by their imaginary corporate spokespersons:
Smiley the
> puppet loco engineer vs. Phoebe Snow the demanding passenger.  Smiley
obviously
> didn't mind some dust and cinders, whereby Phoebe was the Martha Stewart
of the
> 1910s and 20s.
>
> Jim Gerofsky
>
> >
>
>
>  ------------------------------------------------------------
> Visit the erielack photopage at http://el-list.railfan.net
>


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End of Erielack Digest V2 #596
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