Re: (erielack) Special Day? What if?

[mdelvec952_@_aol.com]

- -----Original Message-----
From: Charles_Walsh_@_Berlex.com
To: mdelvec952_@_aol.com
Cc: erielack_@_lists.elhts.org; erielack-owner@lists.elhts.org; toddsyr@twcny.rr.com
Sent: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 9:18 AM
Subject: Re: (erielack) Special Day? What if?


Dear Mike,

Of course, that begs the question of what would have happened to the Erie
if it hadn't merged with the Lackawanna?

Chuck



Hi Chuck,
     Not sure.  Back then end-to-end mergers were not in vogue, which is one reason I thought the NKP / DL&W was logical and forward thinking. That's the benefit of looking back from the future.
Many mergers of that era were parallel.  I would guess that without DL&W, the Erie would have been acting out of a more desparate position. It needed to come up with some economies, so it would have been cutting services and expenses where it could. Erie wanted DL&W because E-L could cut some costs and services that were duplicative.  That would mean a parallel railroad.  
It may have courted Lehigh Valley (Hudson River terminals, Buffalo facilities, main lines cross west of Binghamton).  In the late 1950s when Erie-Lackawanna was cooked up, the Erie wasn't going to be a minor player to any partner, so that leaves joining the Penn or NYC out.  The CNJ had a terminal, local freight and lots of debt, but not much else the Erie would want.
     No question that merging the Lackwanna and the Erie was a logical move.               ....Mike  
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