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(erielack) ERIE'S DAILY OPERATIONS (fwd)

I received this on my WEB site. I thought the mix of Erie and NYC in a
model was interesting.

George Elwood
http://www.dnaco.net/~gelwood

- ---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2000 15:39:58 -0600
From: Removed by request
To: "gelwood_@_dnaco.net"
Subject: ERIE'S DAILY OPERATIONS

George,

     Some people have a "guest book" on their websites, where they "fish"
for information on who's looking and what they are interested in.  With
over 12,000  hits since September first, you obviously have a following,
and would be buried in guest book entries if you had one.

     But, you're website is so very good that you still deserve at least a
few "Atta Boys!" from those of us who regularly check out what's new.
So....
ATTA BOY!!!

     I do not remember who first gave me your web address,.... but  what an
overwhelming bonanza came forth when I found it.  I remember spending about
10 hours over several days initially going over things.  There were quite a
few "thank you's" uttered when I found things that I never thought existed.
You've helped me in two major ways:  1) your photos helped me introduce
railroads to 25  Boy Scouts in my son's troop, and 2) you've provided very
useful details for my modeling projects.  Please let me elaborate on each.

     The Association of American Railroad's really dropped the public
relations football by not providing the Scouts with editing assistance when
the prototype section of their "Railroading" merit badge book was being
written.  Kalmback publications (Model Railroader magazine) did a great job
with the model railroad section.  The prototype section, about 2/3 of the
50 page booklet, misses the mark in subject matter, demeanor and photo
coverage (one is glaringly mis-captioned).  Your website helped me quickly
assemble color photos of freight cars and locomotives in representative
road names.  I printed them onto overhead transparencies and used them in
teaching the badge.  The color photos were a hit, along with the maps I got
off the major RR's websites.  Should I volunteer to re-write the booklet, I
may contact you for help in locating and securing reproduction rights for
appropriate photos.

     Then there's my hobby (which got my son's Scoutmaster to request the
merit badge classes).  My basement is being filled with a double deck HO
scale model of the Big Four between Berea and Marion, Ohio, in October
1953.  Steam and diesel action; passenger trains; lots of interchange
switching; varied freight train assignments, and paired track with the Erie
are the main attractions.  I bet that hits a few of your "hot" buttons too.

     My interest in the Erie was an outgrowth of studying the Galion to
Marion joint track operation.  Originally, I was just going to have two
hidden ("staging") tracks for one Erie freight and one passenger train,
which would run once over the appropriate section of the layout.  After
some enjoyable research, I found a very interesting operation.  Now, the
Erie will have it's own six track staging yard and a continuous run around
the basement.  Right now, 30 feet of benchwork and backdrops for downtown
Marion are in place; the main NYC staging yard and the helix connecting the
decks are under construction.

     Obviously, the signal department maps you re-drew for your website,
along with the AC tower insulated joint map, and some of the other scanned
AFE  maps on your website are really exciting discoveries.  You've also had
a steady stream of nice photos of the area.  They'll help in modeling Big
Four / Erie's unique towers on "stilts", along with the brick towers at
Crestline and Berea.

     One research "gap" that you recently helped me with relates to the
Erie's daily freight operations.  In that section of your website, you have
the 1968 Eastbound and Westbound freight schedules.  Until finding them,
the best I had was in the back of a 1974 employee timetable.  Those
schedules are dominated with UPS piggyback trains.  Hence, your 1968
schedules give me a better picture of Erie's boxcar era operation.  You
also have the "blocking" information on each Eastbound train on your
website (labeled as "EL Eastbound Classification").  It is very interesting
to trace the various New York, New Jersey and New England service
offerings, and interpolate Marion's pivotal car sorting role.  By studying
the scheduling and blocking schemes, I can see that Marion was really busy
when three "98" trains arrived between 3:00AM and 6:15AM and got totally
re-switched over the next six to eight hours.

     A few questions to come to mind.

     Do you have a "EL Westbound Classification"?  Maybe it got lost during
     some web maintenance?
     1950's era schedules and blocking information would be even more
     ideal.  If you do not have such information, do you know anybody who
     does (Harold Werthwein?).
     How about similar Big Four schedules and blocking information?  The
     schedules appear in employee timetables, which I have, but interchange
     and car blocking information is elusive.  I've got NYC's 1948 freight
     schedule booklet with some blocking information.  But, NYC overhauled
     their freight schedules in late 1952/early 1953 (under the
     administration of then new president William White -- remember
     him????).

     Don't let me ruin your evening by my babbling on forever.  Thanks
again for sharing your information with those of us who are age and
geographically "disadvantaged".

          Ralph Schiring



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