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  • EL Survivability What-If?

  • Discussion relating to the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, the Erie, and the resulting 1960 merger creating the Erie Lackawanna. Visit the Erie Lackawanna Historical Society at http://www.erielackhs.org/.
Discussion relating to the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, the Erie, and the resulting 1960 merger creating the Erie Lackawanna. Visit the Erie Lackawanna Historical Society at http://www.erielackhs.org/.

Moderator: blockline4180

 #433372  by rrfoose
 
So I have a what-if question...but it's not the usual "could the EL have survived on its own if it didn't go into Conrail" that always pops up. I've seen and participated in many of those and know the facts and theories.

However, my question is... IF the EL hadn't gone into Conrail, but instead merged with former DERECO partners D&H and B&M, could that have made a viable system? Obviously this didn't happen..so I'm not concerned about the ability of such a merger to actually occur. But from a financial standpoint, could this system have made it into today?

I doubt one would see EL as a big player in Chicago-NYC freight, but they could be competitive into New England by partnering with NS and CSX before the CR split, and NS afterwards. However, by turning the western part of the system into a built-for intermodal route, they could focus on hauling trailers and containers on a fast schedule, and use the eastern part of the system to gain carload traffic to pay the bills.

Lastly, if a combined system were to pick up MEC and the ex-CP lines that are now New Brunswick Southern, EL could potentially haul run-through intermodel from St John-Chicago to the Santa Fe. This would bypass Boston's lack of capacity and the busy ports around NYC. Sure, Halifax is huge for CN today, but this could be a reason to expand St John and create a new super-port.

And with that, hopefully my question is unusual enough to not draw the usual responses and criticisms. Thanks!

 #433426  by rrfoose
 
washingtonsecondary wrote:Seven threads down (as of 8:30am) this is being discussed.

http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=37952
I suppose I missed that thread... However, after reading all of the posts (which I have read through this thread a few times before anyway), I only saw one statement that somewhat related to my question. I am asking specifically about an EL + D&H + B&M merger in 1976. There are SOOO MANY possibilities to discuss, and I don't want to open up that can again. Obviously Agnes still would have occured, the Ford plant would have closed, steel would have dropped off, etc etc. Really, anything west of Lima would be used to haul intermodel and maybe a few freights, but this combined system would be more of a terminator of traffic for NS and CSX via Buffalo and Akron, respectively. Could have worked...