Joe-thanks for that great memory. In the 40's my mom and I would hop an Erie Mainline train in Paterson on our way to Astoria, Queens. There was a pocket yard south of the Paterson station, and I would always sit on the right side to see any locos that might be there. Some of that yard is still there and is visible from Interstate 80 eastbound. After arriving in Jersey City behind a 2500 series Pacific, we too would take the ferry to Chambers Street. At the Erie ferry terminal there, my mom would buy me a hot dog and soda before we walked several blocks to the subway. My parents never drove or owned a car. The Erie was our way to get to New York. Of course, we could have taken the Lackawanna from Marshall Street, but that would have meant a long walk or a Public Service bus from downtown Paterson to the DL&W station on their Boonton line. The Erie steamers lasted until about 1952 and were replaced by Alco RS-3's in the 900 series. Dom Mele (ELHS # 769) ------------------------------
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