DLW/EL Logo

I've noticed that alot of people love Lackawanna but dispise the Erie Lackawanna. But you have to admit the EL Logo looked really good unlike just putting a "Lackawanna Railroad" infront of the E-8s? Also was the EL really bad once their management took over?

Who despises Erie Lackawanna?
I have never heard that before..

among railfans anyway, EL has always been a much loved road as far as I have always seen..as was Erie and DL&W.

sure, with any merger, you are going to have employees and railfans who dont like it, but I have always thought EL was much more liked than say Penn Central..

And any employees who might have been unhappy with the merger in 1960 are now between 70 and 110 years old..I doubt there are many of them still out there holding a grudge!

so basically..your question confuses me greatly..
I have never seen, in 25 years of railfanning along the EL (southern tier main) anything like you describe..I have never heard of one single person who doesnt like the EL!

and yes, the logo is one of the coolest railroad logos ever!
it was designed by an employee who won the "design the new EL logo" contest!

Scot

I'm a fan of the DL&W, and a fan of EL. I love EL's logo and color scheme, which was essentially the DL&W scheme. I've never heard a bad word about EL.

I've noticed that alot of people love Lackawanna but dispise the Erie Lackawanna.

Huh? Some people like some railroads, some people like others. Despise? I don't know about that. What does this have to do with the logo?

But you have to admit the EL Logo looked really good unlike just putting a "Lackawanna Railroad" infront of the E-8s?

Yes, it did... in my opinon...

Also was the EL really bad once their management took over?

This is a matter of opinion. What does this have to do with the logo?

-otto-

I'm a DL&W and EL fan. I like both logos.

It is a well documented fact that EL was not a merger but a takeover by Erie management. Because of cronyism and nepotism rampant in the old dysfunctional Erie guard, EL lost a lot of competent DL&W management.

EL decimated DL&W wherever it wished, as an example they gave away a strategic DL&W ROW in NJ so that rt 80 could be built. The inferior parallel Erie route was fraught with numerous crossings, curves, and grades. There was no way possible that EL could get a freight over that route as fast as the DL&W row they gave up. That was one of their biggest blunders.

None of the merger savings were realized until William White - a former Erie *AND* DL&W man - was brought back three years into the merger to straighten up the bridge. He had a tough job but was capable of the work and had capable men working under him, and EL turned a profit during his tenure and morale rebounded. White even forced his own brother out of EL because of his cronyism.

The first three years of EL suffered from lousy management but beyond that they were in capable hands.

Supposition being that those who allegedly claimed they did not like the EL never stood at trackside and watched the Advanced Croxton-99 pound the diamond at X Tower, Olean, NY.

In its last decade, EL adopted a color scheme based on DL&W colors for its freight engines after initially painting its new 2nd gen diesels (eg, C424s) in Erie black and yellow. EL was also fan friendly running a few steam powered excursions between Hoboken and Binghamton. And of course, William White re-established use of the DL&W Tavern lounge obs cars on the Phoebe Snow until its demise in '66. Unlike many RRs that were anxious to exit passenger hauling in that era, the EL maintained the Phoebe Snow as a well appointed train until the end w/ baggage car, 2 coaches, diner, sleeper, and obs.

As a former resident of the Southern Tier in the '60s and early '70s, I came to "despise" Conrail! I don't mean to revive an old discussion but it's too bad that Chessie didn't end up with the Southern Tier instead of the grim reaper.

I am relieved that CSX does not own the southern tier line. The tracks were in worse condition than the NYC route at the end of CR's reign. With CSX's record of deferred maintenance and neglect, there would had been more derailments along the southern tier line!

The "grim reaper" keeps its tracks in better condition.