(erielack) Erie Narrow Gauge

["Michael Connor" <mjconnor_rr_@_hotmail.com>]

List - despite its 6-foot gauge heritage over much of its system, the Erie 
had a few "predecessors" with less than standard gauge (the semi-independent 
"Erie Narrow Gauge System" and the original B&H comes to mind along with, 
IIRC, some of the ultimate components of the Erie & Wyoming Valley 
Railway/Pennsylvania Coal Company lines).  Appropos of more Erie narrow 
gauge -  in archiving some copies of "Railroad Magazine" I noted the 
following on pg 72 of the March 1941 issue:
"Q - Furnish information concerning the narrow-gage pushers employed at the 
Cleveland ore-transfer docks of the Erie Railroad -- W.A., Cleveland, O.
A - Three of these units are used by the Erie Dock Company to speed up 
car-loading operations.  Twenty-four feet long, each has a wheelbase of 
sixteen feet and runs on track with a gage of forty-two and one-half inches. 
  Motivation is furnished by a thirty-eight horsepower electric motor which 
receives a 250-volt current supply through a third-rail pickup shoe, and 
transmits energy to triple sheaves working on a seven-eights-inch wire rope 
cable, securely anchored at the extremeties of the 450-foot tramway.
       The heavy pushing arm may be extended from either side of the car 
through slots at the forward end of the cab.  Located at poling-socket 
height, it engages adjacent standard-gage hoppers and moves them into 
position under the ore dumps, or returns them to dockside switching engines 
which classify them into trains at a nearby yard.
        The capacity of each pusher is fifteen loaded, open-topped cars, or 
thirty empties.  Collectively, the three machines maintain a practically 
continuous rolling operation, averaging about 2,500 long tons per hour."
        From the information in this Q&A I would opine that an Erie Press 
Release or, at least, an official response, is the basis for this.  On the 
adjacent page 73 is a photograph captioned "Massive Car-Lading [sic] 
Apparatus at the Erie Dock Company's Cleveland, Ohio, Transfer Pier.  The 
Narrow-Gage Pusher in the Central Foreground is Described in our Answer to 
W.A., on Page 72."
        Hope this item from 65 years ago next month is of interest to fellow 
ELHS listers.
M J Connor



	The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List
	Sponsored by the ELH&TS
	http://www.elhts.org

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