Henry, I suspect it had more to do with management not wanting the (6) passenger trains, involved with Bison Yard operation in any way. Then a new track connection has to be built ($285,000) to avoid the yard, which adds to the cost of continuing to use the old terminal. You are right, another reason to move out of Main Street; Babcock Street is a much cheaper alternative. See page 15 of E-L Magazine (October 1962) http://companypubs.elhts.org/ERLA_Oct1962.pdf Mike Oravec J. Henry Priebe Jr. wrote: Mike, That doesn't make any sense because the same access to the City Branch was used to reach the Abbott Rd Yard and that continued through the EL years and into Conrail. There was a wye at the west end of Bison which connected on one leg to the City Branch and on the other end to the branch to Black Rock and Niagara Falls. The two branches were elevated above grade, the City Branch crossed over top of the Erie on a massive steel bridge and the Black Rock branch crossed over top of NYC's East Buffalo/Frontier Yard. In the center of the wye was a reservoir that was probably used as a water supply for steam locomotives at one time. I would think both btanches would have to be accessible before, during and after construction of Bison. I don't know why passenger trains couldn't use the same tracks freight trains used to get to the terminal. In that aerial shot I sent yesterday, there's an EL train right under the terminal that used the same route to get there that passenger trains used! It sounds like EL just wanted to manufacture as many excuses as possible to get out of the old terminal. The routing through Bison would be on either the south or north side of the yard. See the map at http://www.railfan.net/maps/1950usgs/bison50.jpg for a 1950 representation of the DL&W yard layout. Black Rock is up to the left and the City Branch is down to the left. DM Tower where the DL&W crossed the PRR at grade is under where the LV crosses both at the lower left. That tower was in service into the early 80's. Erie's SK/QX/Canada yards are at middle left. Henry J. Henry Priebe Jr. Blue Moon Internet Corp Network Administrator www.bluemoon.net Internet Access & Web Hosting www.railfan.net Railfan Network Services The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List Sponsored by the ELH&TS http://www.elhts.org To Unsubscribe: http://lists.elhts.org/erielackunsub.html The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List Sponsored by the ELH&TS http://www.elhts.org To Unsubscribe: http://lists.elhts.org/erielackunsub.html ------------------------------
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