(erielack) What Locals Called the Railroads (was Re: Re: Lackawanna original steam bell)

[A Samostie <quahog_@_sprint.ca>]

Dear Marty, Robert and Group,

Larson,Martin A. wrote:
> 
> On Fri, 25 Jan 2002 Robert John Davis <trains_@_robertjohndavis.com wrote
> 
> >I would bet that he's not that clueless. The years I spent living in
> >Scranton in the late 1980's, almost every non-buff I knew called the
> >railroad the E-L. Not sure why, but the E-L name had lasting power.
> 
> I remember my parents always referring to the Lackawanna Railroad as the
> D&L.
> 
> Marty Larson

Interesting topic.  Like Marty's parents, my elder relatives (who were
scattered about the region between Scranton, Binghamton and Sayre)
always referred to the Lackawanna as the D&L... probably out of force of
habit, since the D&H was also nearby. 

Although the "Erie-Lackawanna Limited" (including hyphen, in the early
days) never rang true, the EL name does indeed have staying power.  One
can't expect non-railfans to know the niceties of pre-merger vs.
post-merger names... so if you see an ebay auction for an Erie
Lackawanna timetable from 1908, just smile and nod.  The same applies to
railfans outside of the EL region... just try explaining anything about
the pre-merger DL&W or Erie to someone in Phoenix... if they even
recognize the merged EL name at all, you're doing well!

Although many commuters hated them, the electric MU cars kept the EL
name alive in North Jersey years after the railroad itself was gone. 
(Many of the push-pull coaches and U34CHs still had EL logos, but never
bore the EL name).  Until NJT became firmly established, radio
announcers still referred to the former EL commuter lines as EL.

As for other roads in the region...
Rarely was there any mention of the NYO&W, even from another older
family friend who lived in Mayfield for many years... it was just "the
railroad" (that ain't there no more).  Another elderly family friend who
lived in Little Ferry for many years always referred to the NYSW as "The
Suskie", but I have also heard of locals referring to it as "The Squeak"
(which accurately describes its condition in pre-Delaware Otsego days).

Does the EL name survive in western PA, Ohio and Indiana, or do those
who remember the railroad at all still call it the Erie?

Cheers,
Alan <quahog_@_sprint.ca>

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