EL Monday: One Day at Wilbeth Road

It is the late 1960s/early 1970s in Akron where Erie Lackawanna C424 No. 2409 is westbound long hood forward with a train underneath the pedestrian bridge where Wilbeth Road once crossed the tracks. The signal in the foreground belongs to the Baltimore & Ohio. You may notice the signal has a letter “P” on a plate on the signal mast. That means “proceed,” which tells the crew of a train that if it gets a red signal indication here it can proceed at restricted speed to the next signal. It does not have to stop here.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

EL Monday: An E8A in Kent

I’ve long thought my favorite E8As are Southern Railway E8As. The Erie Lackawanna had my second favorite E8As. EL 830 is getting fueled as it stops at the EL passenger station in Kent in the late 1960s. Soon, it and the Lake Cities will be westbound for Chicago. The man seen on the left is Mike Ondecker and the worker is unidentified.

Article and Photograph by Robert Farkas

EL Monday: Working in Akron in 1972

Here are a pair of Erie Lackawanna Alco locomotives working in Akron. Note that the engineer is looking toward the back of the train, which most likely is either working EL’s McCoy Street Yard or picking up/dropping off cars there. The image was made on July 23, 1972. Behind the train is the former Erie Railroad passenger station. Also visible is a sign promoting the Akron Beacon Journal with large letters “BJ.”

Photograph by Robert Farkas

EL Monday: What You Could Find in Marion

A railfan visiting the Erie Lackawanna in Marion in mid 1973 might find this scene in front of the diesel shop. The SD45 is No. 3635, and the first E8A is No. 810. The top image shows the full scene while the bottom image is a crop of that scene.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

EL Monday: Quite a Lashup in Akron

There are four motors in this motive power consist on the Erie Lackawanna heading west over Voris Street in Akron. We have here the 2506 (GE U25B), 2462 (Alco C425), 2458 (Alco C425), and 3622 (EMD SD45). The mage was made on Sept. 4, 1972.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

EL Monday: We Found This in Kent

It’s a March day in 1973 in Kent. Mike Ondecker and I caught Erie Lackawanna F7A No. 7124 on the point of an eastbound mixed freight going through the yard. The engine was built by EMD for the Erie Railroad in December 1951 and initially had roster number 712D.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

EL Monday: Coming and Going in Kent

That’s quite a motive power consist pulling this eastbound train through Kent on April 6, 1968. Here is a coming and going view. In the bottom image is the photographer’s 1967 Volkwagon that he reports he, John Woodard and Mike Ondecker had some great trips in that car.

Photographs by Robert Farkas

EL Monday: An E8A in Akron

Erie Lackawanna E8A is stuck in the middle in the motive power consist of this EL train in Akron on October 1, 1972. The 813 was built in April 1951 for the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western where it had the same roster number as shown here.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

EL Monday: Inside the Marion Yard

The late Mike Ondecker seldom took photographs of railroad operations but he enjoyed traveling to view them.

Except for using a Kodak Instamatic in 1967 and his aunt’s nearly 30-year-old 120 medium format roll film camera in 1968, I doubt Mike took another railroad photo after that.

He, John Woodard, and I had some amazing trips together. Mike was a great friend, first-class driver, and the person who got photographic permission.

Here are some of his Instamatic photos from what I believe to be the Erie Lackawanna yard in Marion in 1967.

There are a variety of scenes including locomotives, rolling stock of various railroads, the coaling tower, the hump and the hump tower. The selection also include some cars damaged in a derailment.

Article by Robert Farkas, Photos by Mike Ondecker

EL Monday: Work Train in Akron

Technically, this is a Conrail train. The image was made on July 2, 1976, in Akron and Conrail was a mere three months old. But NW2 No. 410 still wars its EL livery and markings and is working the former EL tracks. So we’ll call it an EL train even if it isn’t.

Photograph by Robert Farkas