[Date Prev][Date Next] [Chronological] [Thread] [Top]

Re: (erielack) Cleveland-Buffalo



Mike
Your trip must have been on a Saturday night, Sunday morning. On that night
the thru cars went east on Train 14, a Sunday morning train rather than
train 8 which did not run on Saturday night from Buffalo.  Train 14 which
left between 1 am and 2 am run in lieu of train 8 and train 2.  Otherwise
you and your father would not have time to go to a restaurant in Buffalo.

Art Tross

At 01:07 PM 2/10/07 -0500, you wrote:
>I shared this with the Nickel Plate list awhile back and since we have 
>been talking about the Lackawanna terminal in Buffalo, thought you might 
>enjoy this personal remembrance.  If you were familiar with Cleveland 
>Union Terminal you'll recognize some of the description also.
>
>-----
>
>I grew up on the west side of Cleveland and my parents were from the 
>Wyoming Valley of PA and several times in the 1950s we traveled by train 
>from Cleveland to Scranton.  I think I remember most clearly the last 
>time in November 1959 when my grandfather died.  I was eight years old 
>and really excited about taking the train.  We got to ride down to the 
>Terminal Tower in one of those Yellow Checker Cabs which was another 
>plus.  While waiting for the cab to come I can remember my dad taking me 
>aside and saying don't be to too excited because we are going to a funeral.
>
>The Cleveland Union Terminal was one of those wonderful places.  From 
>the perspective of a little boy, the waiting room was so huge and the 
>large chandeliers were not quite bright enough.  There was this large 
>painted mural back against the one wall with pictures of guys on horses 
>and it looked like their clothes were coming off.  I wasn't sure what 
>that had to do with trains and may have even felt a little embarrassed 
>looking at it.  A man came over to the gate and advanced the black 
>scroll with the white lettering ( kind of faded to yellow) that read, 
>NICKEL PLATE ROAD, TRAIN NO.8, THE NEW YORKER....The wait seemed like 
>forever.  People were dressed up, men wearing suits and ties and a lot 
>of people smoking.  Even today when I smell a cigar, it can take me back 
>a little to those days.  I didn't like getting dressed up normally, but 
>here I didn't mind it so much because I felt "big" like those business 
>men waiting around me.
>
>Finally, the rumble began underneath the station.  It got louder and 
>louder and slowly died off.  The man opened the gate, but you still 
>couldn't go down until the passengers came up. I wanted to get down 
>there in the worst way. They announced the train's arrival and 
>destinations over the loudspeaker, but the sound system and acoustics 
>were so bad, you could hardly understand what was being said.  We waited 
>in line until that magic moment finally came to walk down those stairs.  
>Down below it was dark and mysterious and steam was rising from under 
>the cars.  On the other track were unlit New York Central cars.
>
>We were directed to the through coach to Hoboken.  Climbing aboard, it 
>actually seemed like two cars because of the divider in the middle.  I 
>remember the large pictures they had in the coach, one of them was an 
>aerial view of Cleveland Municipal Stadium.  Of course once in my seat I 
>had to investigate and make sure everything was in proper working order; 
>the footrest in all positions and the overhead reading light had to be 
>turned on and off several times.  Finally, you could here the traps 
>closing and the car began to glide forward.  We were on our way!
>
>Fast Forward to Buffalo...
>
>It was late and I could hardly stay awake, but I had to, not wanting to 
>miss what was coming.  After all the darkness, the plunge into the 
>Buffalo Station lit up the car.  The inside of the Buffalo Terminal 
>seemed brighter than downstairs in the Cleveland Terminal.  Outside all 
>that neat maroon and gray on other tracks.  I never got to see that 
>around Cleveland.  I don't remember any people getting off or on in our 
>car since everyone was going to Lackawanna destinations.  Pretty soon 
>the car went completely dark and we started drifting backwards, then 
>forward again as a switcher began pulling the train apart.  Since we 
>were going to be here for awhile, my dad and I got off and went to a 
>little all-night diner across the street.  (I had hot chocolate.)  My 
>mom stayed on the coach with my sleeping sisters. When we got back on, 
>the car men came into our coach and began turning the seats around so 
>they faced the opposite direction.  That was noisy and disrupted 
>everyone trying to sleep.  Some parents asked not to have the seat 
>turned because they didn't want sleeping children to awaken.  Soon we 
>were getting ready to go and fatigue was beginning to get the best of 
>me.  Slowly the car began to move and I stayed looking out the window 
>only until we left the station lights and were out in the darkness 
>again.  Then I laid across the seat and gave in to sleep.  Lackawanna's 
>New Yorker was on its way Scranton.
>
>Sorry for the lengthy discourse guys, but after 47 years that's some of 
>my remembrance of the NKP (and DL&W).
>
>Mike Oravec
>
>
>	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

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