Re: (erielack) Youngstown (2)

["Rich Behrendt" <rbehrendt_@_columbus.rr.com>]

Steve,
The EL is intact from Binghamton westward to Hornell, Olean, Jamestown, 
Corry and Meadville (from Hornell to Corry owned by NS, but leased and 
operated by WNY&PA; and the portion from Corry to Meadville owned by the 
rail authority there (can't remember the name) but also operated by the 
WNY&PA).

From Meadville west to Hubbard, the line is still in service as NS's 
Meadville Line.

As Rick F. noted in an earlier email, the EL coming west out of Hubbard was 
connected to the NS ex-CR/PC/NYC Youngstown Line at CP 56, about 1-1.5 miles 
west from the EL Hubbard station (which is still there today. The Youngstown 
Line handles mostly ore and coal traffic coming off the docks at Ashtabula 
Harbor heading south for Pittsburgh, and remains a busy line.  Unlike the 
EL, the Youngstown Line skirted along the east side of the City, crossing 
the CSX ex-B&O main at Center St. (where the P&LE connected w/the EL at NK 
yard ) and heading  south to Rochester where it connected w/the PRR main.

The EL west of the connection at Hubbard into and through downtown 
Youngstown is gone.   Effective with an agreement (which I happen to have a 
copy of) dated 7/8/83 between Youngstown and CR,  CR donated the ROW 
(indicated as 21.24 acres total) to Youngstown for $1 from West Lakes 
Crossing (about .5-1 mile west of the station) eastward to Himrod Jct. (at 
Valley St. (tower) where the EL and the Youngstown Line crossed, and where 
the EL connection to the P&LE at Center St. diverged off)

The sale of the EL ROW was done due to the number of older overhead bridges 
that were in need of replacement, as well as the City's desire to eliminate 
several grade crossings within the downtown area, plus the fact that the EL 
by the 1980's through Youngstown was no longer a through route for CR 
freight traffic.  With the tracks gone, the bridges were removed and 
replaced with fill...

From West Lakes crossing the track is in service and operated by Ohio 
Central westward through what's left of Brier Hill yard, Girard and into 
Niles (about where the old Niles station was).  OC interchanges with CSX 
across the valley from Brier Hill at Ohio Jct., as well as with NS (I 
believe off their Lordstown Sec. at Niles) OC operates several other pieces 
of railroad in/around Youngstown, accessed via NS or CSX trackage rights...

It's amazing how much railroad there was at one time in Youngstown, with the 
many connections and junctions that used to exist - but like the 
retrenchment of the steel industry, railroads also cut back as the big names 
in steel also left, leaving only remnants of a once-mighty industry in 
Youngstown...

Rich Behrendt
ELHS #384

- ----- Original Message ----- 
From: <STEVEZ10_@_aol.com>
To: <erielack_@_lists.elhts.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 7:22 PM
Subject: Re: (erielack) Youngstown


> Paul,
>
> Is it physically still possible to go an all ex-Erie routing from 
> Binghamton
> to Youngstown, OH via the restored WNYP and then down  to Youngstown??? 
> Can
> you still connect from Meadville to Youngstown or has  that been severed??
>
> Thanks,
> Steve
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