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  • Santa Fe Interest in the Erie Lackawanna

  • 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

 #1482147  by XC Tower
 
Another topic told to me by a train crew waiting for OIEL in the former yard office in Meadville, PA, during the mid-1980's.....How serious and real was this?
Thank you.



XC
 #1482267  by XC Tower
 
Thank you, Cactus Jack (I will take this over to the proper forum from the state of Pennsylvania one)
The Santa Fe plus the EL sure feeds the "What If?" imagination...
Over the years, I have heard others..In the early 1980's, I even heard that CP Rail had an interest, which led to an "interesting conversation" with the conductor, who had to date back the ERIE days about the subject when ELOI was switching the old Allegheny (former PRR) interchange in Corry, PA, sharing that with him, I got ripped by his response, "I hope they tear the whole ****ing railroad out!!!" Stunned, I walked over to the waiting ALY northbound (railroad west) to Erie, when the engineer, a former P&LE employee invited me up (Yes, it was still a different era then)...telling him the old Conrail conductor told me. He just shrugged it off, saying" He's just mad because of having to get out of the caboose to do some work."..... Gotta watch who you share those railroad rumors with, I've learned!


XC
 #1596726  by Gilbert B Norman
 
You can hear anything you want at a Yard Office; at least back then there was no internet over which to spread it.

Now here's another one that actually made it into print in the Chicago Tribune.

During '80, after the MILW shut down Lines West during November '79, Japanese maritime interests approached the Trustees with a proposal to acquire Lines West with the idea of having a line to Chicago that was under their control? Lest we forget, Tacoma (which was actually end of track for Lines West) is at least one day less sailing time from Japan than is LA.

Possibly those same interests could have approached Conrail to acquire the ERIE thus enabling a Coast to Coast Land Bridge.

I was hardly enough of a "ling" in MILW's management to be "privy". For all I know, the Trib's financial reporter was sitting in a bar thinking "he heard something", but nothing was heard after that article.

Naturally, post-PANAMAX, any thought of a Land Bridge is simply off the table.
 #1601265  by ExCon90
 
Just found this while browsing. There were stories from more than one source that a group of Japanese steamship lines did indeed explore the idea of acquiring the MILW and EL lines but after running the numbers concluded that it wouldn't work out, not having identified enough volume to cover costs. Actually there might have been about one train a day, with none at all on some days. One of the lines also inquired of Conrail what it would cost to acquire a business car which they could use on existing railroads to show shippers the operation, as they themselves had experienced as guests; we told them the downsides of owning their own car and suggested they contact AAPRCO as occasions arose and let the car owner handle all the arrangements. Never heard whether they followed up.