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Re: LV-D&H Trains; was: RE: (erielack)



Chuck Yungkurth wrote:

snip
> 
> Orginally the D&H runs termianted at Owego where cars were interchanged 
> with the LV. Some time in the 1930's an arrangement was worked out with 
> the unions to allow D&H crews to run all the way to Sayre and the LV 
> crews to continue on to Binghamton, thus eleimianting Owego as the 
> interchange point. For years the LV made a day time run from Sayre to 
> Binghamton and back while the D&H made a trip to Sayre and return at night.

Somewhat OT bu completes this discussion.

The D&H obtained trackage rights over the LV at some time.  Perhaps the 
inducement for the TRs was the LV gaining rights to Binghamton.

I went in anthraciterr and Googled  to find when the D&H got rights . I 
have struck out.

If anyone there is on a D&H list would they ask there?

bob gillis
> 
> In the memories of local railfans what stood out was that for years the 
> LV ran Alco PA's on these trains. Since it was a short run almost 
> anything available was put on these trains, incuding newly shooped power 
> that was sent out for a break in.  In steam days power was always a 
> 4-6-2.  Probably the most unsual lashup I recall was four of the LV SW 
> switcher "pups"...sw this from the window of IBM in Owego where I was 
> working and would have dearly loved to get a shot of it!
> 
> JJ Young and I write an extensive article on the operation which was in 
> the very first issue of "RAILFAN" as I recall.  Last I knew Jim Lathrop, 
> engineer for many years on the LV train was still alive and well in Sayre.
> 
> Chuck Yungkurth
> Boulder CO
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Brezicki" <doctorpb_@_bellsouth.net>
> To: "EL Mailing List" <erielack_@_lists.railfan.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2008 4:35 AM
> Subject: LV-D&H Trains; was: RE: (erielack) As long as we're asking 
> about track layouts.....
> 
> 
>> This operation was intriguing for the reasons Mike mentions, plus the 
>> fact that interesting power often appeared, most notably the D&H 
>> Baldwin Sharknose units. Adding insult to injury for the EL (whose 
>> predecessor Erie evidently came out on the bottom of this deal), 
>> there's a photo in LV in Color-3 showing EL SDP45 3647 hauling NWB-4 
>> on LV rails near Smithboro; the caption says May, 1973, which is 
>> post-Dereco! LV used Alcos primarily. By EL years the interchange was 
>> down to a pair of trains, FO-2/OF-1. O=Oneonta on D&H, not sure about 
>> the "F", perhaps N Falls or the symbol for Manchester NY, which was an 
>> active yard until 1967. In 1972 the symbols were changed to NWB-4 and 
>> BNW-3 (B&M-N&W). The operation is one reason why I'm modeling 
>> Bingo-Owego; I get to run trains of LV, one of my favorite RR's.
>>
>> Paul B
>>
>> From: Michael Connor <mjconnor_rr_@_hotmail.com>
>> Subject: RE: (erielack) As long as we're asking about track layouts.....
>>
>> Bob
>> The single-track Lehigh Valley went under the double-track Erie (and, 
>> further southwest, the DL&W) on its Sayre-Owego-Freeville-Auburn, etc. 
>> line. It was Bridge (JC) 249.88, a double-track Thru Plate Girder 59' 
>> 0" in length.  The LV and Erie Center Lines were skewed the Erie being 
>> generally E-W and the LV running from SW to NE.
>>        The Sayre-Owego segment was built in 1870 as part of the 
>> Southern Central Railroad's Sayre-North Fair Haven (a coal transfer 
>> location on Lake Ontario) line.  The first through trains operated on 
>> 3 January 1871 (though only to Auburn as the final work to NFH and the 
>> dock was not completed until 16 May 1872.  This gave the LV (through 
>> its control of the SC and others) a outlet for coal on Lake Ontario.  
>> Until the early part of the 20th Century the line was a neighbor, and 
>> little else, to the Erie.
>>    The changed c. 1906 IIRC when the D&H acquired Trackage Rights over 
>> the Erie from Binghamton to Owego, 22.19 miles.  As coal and other 
>> traffic declined the portion between Owego and Sayre became relatively 
>> more important, being used about 6 times daily IIRC in the mid-60's, 
>> twice by EB and WB LV locals to Owego and north.  The D&H and the LV 
>> had a joint service between Sayre and Binghamton whereby a D&H crew 
>> operated a Binghamton-Sayre turn while an LV crew operated a 
>> Sayre-Binghamton turn, thereby accounting for 4 movements daily.  I 
>> believe these trains carried traffic in both directions.
>> What the Erie got from the D&H (or LV) for granting this strategic 
>> piece of Trackage Rights eludes me at this time (I seem to recall it 
>> might have involved the Erie getting access to the Moon Milling 
>> complex at Binghamton but that might not be the "rest of the story") 
>> but it was a major factor in the LV's competitive posture.  The only 
>> saving grace, insofar as the Erie (and the DL&W, which also suffered 
>> from having a third railroad at Binghamton courting the D&H's traffic) 
>> was concerned was the the LV route involved an intermediate handling 
>> at Sayre while the Erie and DL&W managed to make D&H blocks from at 
>> least East Buffalo.
>>         The LV Sayre-Owego line closely paralleled the Erie east of 
>> Barton and the area looked like a triple-track railroad, albeit with 
>> the north (LV) track being clearly of a lower standard.  Sometime in 
>> the 1960's, I understand, the LV had a derailment in this area, and 
>> fouled at least the EL WB Main (the tracks were very close in this 
>> area).  A brouhaha arose, I was told, over the LV's very slow response 
>> so that the EL wrecker was brought to the scene and set the fouling 
>> derailed cars on LV property. Allegedly this kept the lawyers occupied 
>> for a while until cooler heads prevailed.
>>          Another anomaly was that the LV timetable direction between 
>> Sayre and Owego (and beyond) was westward while the Erie/EL's was just 
>> the reverse.  For those of a contemplative nature this created a 
>> situation where Erie and LV Westbound Trains would pass each other 
>> while going in physically reverse directions.
>>         The LV between Sayre and Owego was abandoned effective 1 Apr 
>> 1976 in the Conrail massacre.
>>         Hope this answers your question and a little more.
>> MJC
>>
>>
>>
>>
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