(erielack) Special Day?

["Peter Heimbach" <plh5_@_charter.net>]

I must honestly disagree that this is a great day.  To me it is a black day
in the history of a fine railroad, the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western
Railroad.

 

Read pages 146, 147 and 148 of "The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad
in the Twentieth Century, by Taber and Taber.  Here is, to me, a clear
description of some of what went on and how the Erie executives did not move
as previously agreed to.

 

"Or as Sam Shoemaker states, in retrospect, that it was a takeover and not a
merger.  Lackawanna's operating and maintenance practices and procedures in
all departments, without exception were superior to those of Erie and had
resulted in superior productivity and efficiency statistics.  Lackawanna was
a better operated and managed railroad.  Erie personnel were unable to
accept any Lackawanna practice as better than Erie's and to a tragic degree
Lackawanna people, whether supervisors or rank and file were regarded as
second class citizens.  The effect on morale was immediate.  Erie
supervision was unable to accomplish anticipated merger savings from
continued Erie route, facilities, and operating practices on the one hand
and with Lackawanna routes, facilities, and operating practices being down
graded, if not abandoned, on the other."

 

As I said this is a black day.  None of the RR's in the northeast may have
lasted, but this wedding accelerated the loss of a really good RR.

 

Pete Heimbach

ELHS #2848

 



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