Re: (erielack) ore trains,

[RJFlei_@_aol.com]

Brad,
 
I'd like to take a shot at your question.
 
Some things to consider.  
 
The Erie/EL was pretty well financially strapped since the 1950's. The  
Erie, since the era of the robber barons. They probably found themselves with a 
 lot of hoppers on hand due to the decline in coal industry. So why spend 
the  money on specialized equipment that couldn't be used for anything else?
 
I'm thinking that the EL's ore facilities were nearing obsolescense and  
that ore would probably be handled at other facilities.
 
This was also the era of the beginning of the decline of the steel  
industry. The EL's ore movements to the Mahoning Valley was probably most of the  
extent this kind of service on the railroad unless there was some in Buffalo 
or  on some former Lackawanna lines. Anybody know?
 
The EL's ore trains operating to Youngstown and Warren were in their last  
days because steel mills located away from water transportation are at a  
competitive disadvantage when compared to mills located on the Great Lakes or  
other sources of water transportation. 
 
This is the reason that Mahoning Valley Congressman, Mike Kirwan. was  
behind an effort to build a lake to river canal from Ashtabula to the Ohio River 
 which would have benefited mills in the Youngstown Steel District. Only 
trouble  is that a large portion of Ashtabula County in Ohio would have been 
flooded to  provide a reservoir to supply the canal with water and the mills 
were already  somewhat obsolete. 
 
Any other ideas out there?
 
Rick Fleischer
Cortland, OH. 
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