Railroading as it Once Was: Some Strange Bedfellows Showed up in Early Conrail Days

There were some strange bedfellows in Conrail’s first year or two as the newly merged railroad was leasing anything it could beg, borrow, or even steal for a day or two.

In this August 1976 example we see a former Erie Lackawanna caboose being moved by a former Spokane, Portland, and Seattle Alco RS-3 (renumbered as BN 4065) at Brier Hill Yard, a former EL facility, in Youngstown.

West Coast meets East Coast in the shadow of the YS&T steel mill. In a few short years, Conrail would get its act together and these SP&S/BN units would make their way back to Washington State.

Article and Photograph by Roger Durfee

Chasing Erie Ghosts, Alcos in Meadville

This Alco S2 was an unexpected find during our time in Meadville. It is within sight of the former Erie mainline.

A while back after the conclusion of a chase of a train on the former Bessemer & Lake Erie, my friend Adam and I drove over to Meadville, Pennsylvania.

Our intent was to find Alco locomotives on the Western New York & Pennsylvania, which we did, but I also found myself chasing ghosts of the Erie Railroad.

Meadville was a big Erie town and some passenger trains would set out and drop off cars here, including sleepers, lounges and diners. This practice continued into the Erie Lackawanna era.

The Erie also had a major yard in Meadville, which is used today by the WNY&P. The yard is not hard to find and neither were the Alcos.

We were there on a Saturday of a long holiday weekend, so the Alcos were probably spending the weekend waiting until being recalled for service on Tuesday.

There didn’t seem to be any activity in the WNY&P yard. We got our photos and left.

I then spotted what turned out to be a museum display devoted to the Erie and EL.

The display is maintained by the French Creek Valley Railroad Historical Society and features an Alco S2, a caboose in EL markings and a boxcar, among other artifacts.

The S2 was in the process of being restored to its Erie livery and it turned out that it used to be owned by the Cleveland Illuminating Company and also spent time on the Ashtabula, Carson & Jefferson.

I may have seen No. 518 reposing on the AC&Y and maybe photographed it when it was still in its CEI markings.

So, it turned out, we found more Alcos than we expected in Meadville.

We then turned our attention to our other reason for venturing to Meadville, which was to check out the Voodoo Brewery and Brew Pub, which was quite good.

Article and Photographs by Craig Sanders

Keeping alive the heritage of the Erie Lackawanna in Meadville.

The Erie diamond etched in concrete was saved from the coaling tower in Meadville when it was being razed.

The former Erie mainline in Meadville just east of the yard is now operated by the WNY&P.

Looking eastward on the former Erie mainline at Osgood, Pennsylvania. Norfolk Southern owns the tracks here.

WNY&P No. 427, an Alco C425, was sitting idle at the east end of the former Erie yard in Meadville.

WNY&P C424 No. 435 was one of the Alcos that we came looking for in Meadville.

 

Renovation of ex-EL Caboose Finished

The Conrail Historical Society has completed renovating former Erie Lackawanna caboose 21165 and placed it on display.

Overall, volunteers spent seven years working on the car, which included replacing the oil stove with a coal burning stove, replacing the original worn out wheels with new wheels, cleaning and repairing the interior of the car, replacing the brake shoes on the car with all-new shoes. The caboose was built as EL 368 and was conveyed to Conrail in 1976.  It served Conrail until 1984. The car was sold to a private owner who in 2007 listed it for sale on eBay.

The caboose failed to receive any bids so the owners donated it to Conrail historical group.

Along the way, the car served on the Pennsylvania-based tourist railroad Middletown and Hummelstown.

The caboose now sits in Topton, Pa., where the Conrail group hopes to use it as part of a tourist operation that it wants to develop on the former Kutztown Branch.