RE: (erielack) Lackawanna Lightweight Coaches

["Montgomery, Edward T" <Edward.Montgomery_@_fcps.edu>]

LAST NIGHT I REMEMBERED WHERE I GOT THE IDEA THAT THE LACKAWANNA
LIGHTWEIGHT COACHES HAD PROBLEMS.  IN THE SPRING OF 1972 WILLIAM D.
MIDDLETON WROTE AN ARTICLE IN "TRAINS" ABOUT RIDING THE ERIE AND
ERIE-LACKAWANNA BETWEEN CHICAGO AND JERSEY CITY HOBOKEN.  HE MENTIONED
THAT HE WOULD BE ONE OF THE FEW PASSENGERS WHO WOULD MAKE THE END-TO-END
TRIP.  HE COMPLAINED THAT AFTER THE MERGER THE OLD ERIE REBUILT COACHES
WERE REPLACED WITH THE LACKAWANNA CARS WHICH HE DESCRIBED AS DESIGNED
MORE FOR DAY-COACH PASSENGERS.  HE MENTIONED THAT THE ERIE CARS WERE
BETTER FOR OVERNIGHT TRAVEL.  ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT?

ED MONTGOMERY

- -----Original Message-----
From: erielack-owner_@_lists.railfan.net
[mailto:erielack-owner_@_lists.railfan.net] On Behalf Of Richard Recordon
Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 7:10 AM
To: EL List
Subject: (erielack) Lackawanna Lightweight Coaches

Paul,

I rode these coaches from the time I was about 6 years old until my last
ride when I was 16. Never had any trouble looking out of the windows
even as a small kid. Cars always struck me as light and airy. A pleasure
to ride in and you could even get a good view out the windows across the
aisle. My father always went for the 4 facing seats that were usually
set up at the ends of the car when we were all traveling together.

Remember the bathroom and accompanying lounge well. As Tim said the men
used to hang out in the lounge and smoke. A long couch type seat was
against the wall separating the lounge from the seating area of the
coach. The sinks were against the wall toward the end of the car, and
the small door to the toilet was at the car side of this wall.

Toilet always fascinate me as the rumble of the train was always very
muted in the windowless, dimly lighted booth. That was until you flushed
the toilet and could look down to see the roadbed blurring by beneath
the car. The first time I did that as a little kid I thought I had
broken something. My father explained it to me. It was a real thrill
when a train was blasting by in the opposite direction.

Every once in a while I would end up in there alone and I would just
hang out on the couch pretending I had my own private car. Conductor
once came in for a smoke and caught me in there. Rather than throwing me
out he talked to me about working on the railroad. Ended up giving me a
bunch of the canceled checks they used to stick on the backs of the
seats to keep track of passengers. I must have been 7 or 8. Experiences
like that made me a Laxkawanna man for life.

Glad to hear the Boehners have saved one of these cars.

Rusty

------------------------------