(erielack) 30th anniversary of the death of Erie Lackawanna

[Wdburt1_@_aol.com]

The approaching April Fools' Day has been on my mind, too.  I feel a little 
older thinking about it.

In places like Hornell or the main line west of there, the runup to this date 
in 1976 was unrelieved gloom, and justifiably so.  Some may recall the New 
York Times' funereal story on the closure of the Hornell shops.

I have come to realize that many EL men in our region stayed with Conrail and 
made a living there.  They tended to hope for the best, having been advised 
by their unions (erroneously, at least in the Southern Tier) that Conrail was a 
sure thing, with employment by the federal government or "welfare-for-life" 
if it went bust.  They knew better even then, and lived in fear of their 
livelihoods as a result.  Many ended up going to Conway or Buffalo to find work.  
Few actually took the welfare option.

Some of the EL "boat people" adapted and did well.  The cream always rises.  
Our own Steve Timko is an example.  They have a point when they observe that 
Conrail existed longer than EL.  But of course EL was the continuation of two 
proud predecessors whose roots went back to the beginning.  On the former EL, 
Conrail was an occupying power.

They also have a point in fondly remembering all the useful work that Conrail 
did to straighten out and standardize the disparate operating procedures and 
processes of its predecessors, rationalize overbuilt railroad trackage, etc.  
Yet the fact remains that no successor has matched the performance of the 
eastern railroads in the 1960s, overall.

At WNYP, we are like a family that has two children whose birthdays fall so 
close together that we celebrate them together.  WNYP's startup was April 23, 
2001.  For many here, the advent of Conrail stood for the decline and eventual 
death of rail service in our region.  Hopefully, WNYP stands for its rebirth.

WDB


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