Erie Big Loads ?

I remember once hearing that the Erie was able to ship extra large freight.Was this true in comparison with other competing roads and if so did it mean the vertical or horizontal clearances on the Erie were higher or wider than most ?

john56 wrote:I remember once hearing that the Erie was able to ship extra large freight.Was this true in comparison with other competing roads and if so did it mean the vertical or horizontal clearances on the Erie were higher or wider than most ?

The Erie Railroad was originally built in the 1800s as a 6-foot guage railroad and as a result, was able to ship larger freight.

The Erie and later, Erie-Lackawanna was able to benefit a little extra by shipping large-dimensional loads that other roads were unable to carry mostly due to height restrictions. When Conrail was still in existance as a class-1 carrier, it used the less-utilized ex-EL line from Buffalo-Croxton, NJ for double-stack trains until their 2 mains in NY State and Pennsylvania were able to accomodate these trains.

Here's some more info...........
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie_Railroad

Charlie

I recall seeing advertisements in Trains magazine from the early/mid 1950's where the Erie (No EL back then.) touted the shipper's advantage in using the Erie for high/wide loads.

I believe I read someplace that the New York and Erie engines were taller than most others which also gave them some vertical advantage though I don't know how much or for how long. However, some of the pictures you see would seem to emphasise the height of the loads. Ted

On page 90 of Bill Gordon's Erie Railroad Rochester Division is a photo of a high load entitled: "Highest Shipment ". The caption relates that the shipment is a giant wheel standing 18' 6" above the top of the rail going from Westinghouse Electric to Eastman Kodak in Rochester, NY. It is stated that it was the highest shipment ever on the Erie. Photo is undated.