The Erie, and successor, Erie Lackawanna, were arguably the dominant railroad companies in Orange County, New York. That was not a trivial statement as within the county’s borders one could also find the trackage of a half dozen major eastern carriers; the New York Central, the New Haven, the Lehigh & New England, the Lehigh & Hudson River, the New York, Ontario & Western and at one point, the New York, Susquehanna & Western as well. However, only the Erie/EL operated two heavily-trafficked main lines traversing the county as well as a major yard at Port Jervis. In addition there were a number of branches; the Pine Bush Branch, the Montgomery Branch, the Pine Island Branch, the Newburgh Short Cut and the Newburgh Branch.
This book is mostly a compilation of the first decade of articles, many written by railroad veterans, that have appeared in The Unionville Flyer, the official publication of the Middletown and New Jersey Railway Historical Society. While the society’s publication focuses on the M&NJ and predecessors, it also has published many articles on the other carriers in Orange County. The Erie/EL’s preeminent position in the county has been reflected in a large number of related articles over two decades.
As a compilation of many articles on the Erie/EL that appeared in The Unionville Flyer, this is not a comprehensive coverage of every Erie/EL operation or location in the county. There is extensive material on local freight and passenger operations in Orange County. Over 125 years of Erie and EL operations are covered with emphasis on the era of the Erie Railroad.
204 pages, glossy paper, 70 black and white photographs, 26 color photographs, 43 illustrations and 17 maps.
The book is available from the M&NJ RHS, ELHS, O&W RHS and Ron's Books
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
EARLY OPERATIONS
Arrival of the Erie Railroad in Orange County Fosters a Milk Trade, John Deserto
Railroading on the Erie’s New York Division in 1863-1864 With Conductor Henry F. Bristol
Erie’s Operation of the Middletown, Unionville & Water Gap, John Deserto
Railroading on the Erie in the 1870’s
Erie’s Middletown Delivery Yard
Maps of Middletown, Goshen and Newburgh; 1890’s and 1918
The Erie Bridge, Pete Brill
DG YARD; WHERE MIDDLETOWN’S RAILROADS MET
Early Development of DG Yard, Where Middletown’s Railroads Met, John Deserto
Rhe Glory Days of DG Yard: The Erie and M&U as Bickering Tenants, John Deserto
DG Yard: The 1930’s to the End of the M&U Era Post World War II, John Deserto
DG Yard: The M&NJ and Erie/EL, John Deserto
Rebuilding the Sprague Avenue Bridge
PERSONNEL
Michael F. Scalley, One of the Erie Passenger Engineers Who Ran Out of DG Yard, Dennis Carpenter
Me and the Erie, Carl Detwyler
The Adventures of a Teenage Trackman, Carl Detwyler
Five Generations of a Remarkable Railroad Family, the Dilgers of Matamoras, Pa.
LATER OPERATIONS (ERIE AND EL)
Erie Extends Itself to Move Large Shipment, Railway Age reprint of September 14, 1929
New Signaling Increases Track Capacity on the Erie – Railway Signaling July, 1934
Local Passenger Service on the Erie’s New York Division in the 1930’s, Joe Landspurg
Delivering the Cars; Yard Jobs, Local Freights and Road Jobs, Joe Landspurg & Pete Brill
Yard Jobs and Local Freight Runs on Erie’s New York Division in the 1950’s & Early 60’s, Joe Landspurg
Erie Territory and Operations in Orange County, Dan Biernacki
Snow Removal on the M&NJ with Help from EL
M&NJ/EL Correspondence Regarding a Snowplow, Dan Myers & Ed Horan
Reflections on the Newburgh Branch, Mike Joyce
This book is mostly a compilation of the first decade of articles, many written by railroad veterans, that have appeared in The Unionville Flyer, the official publication of the Middletown and New Jersey Railway Historical Society. While the society’s publication focuses on the M&NJ and predecessors, it also has published many articles on the other carriers in Orange County. The Erie/EL’s preeminent position in the county has been reflected in a large number of related articles over two decades.
As a compilation of many articles on the Erie/EL that appeared in The Unionville Flyer, this is not a comprehensive coverage of every Erie/EL operation or location in the county. There is extensive material on local freight and passenger operations in Orange County. Over 125 years of Erie and EL operations are covered with emphasis on the era of the Erie Railroad.
204 pages, glossy paper, 70 black and white photographs, 26 color photographs, 43 illustrations and 17 maps.
The book is available from the M&NJ RHS, ELHS, O&W RHS and Ron's Books
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
EARLY OPERATIONS
Arrival of the Erie Railroad in Orange County Fosters a Milk Trade, John Deserto
Railroading on the Erie’s New York Division in 1863-1864 With Conductor Henry F. Bristol
Erie’s Operation of the Middletown, Unionville & Water Gap, John Deserto
Railroading on the Erie in the 1870’s
Erie’s Middletown Delivery Yard
Maps of Middletown, Goshen and Newburgh; 1890’s and 1918
The Erie Bridge, Pete Brill
DG YARD; WHERE MIDDLETOWN’S RAILROADS MET
Early Development of DG Yard, Where Middletown’s Railroads Met, John Deserto
Rhe Glory Days of DG Yard: The Erie and M&U as Bickering Tenants, John Deserto
DG Yard: The 1930’s to the End of the M&U Era Post World War II, John Deserto
DG Yard: The M&NJ and Erie/EL, John Deserto
Rebuilding the Sprague Avenue Bridge
PERSONNEL
Michael F. Scalley, One of the Erie Passenger Engineers Who Ran Out of DG Yard, Dennis Carpenter
Me and the Erie, Carl Detwyler
The Adventures of a Teenage Trackman, Carl Detwyler
Five Generations of a Remarkable Railroad Family, the Dilgers of Matamoras, Pa.
LATER OPERATIONS (ERIE AND EL)
Erie Extends Itself to Move Large Shipment, Railway Age reprint of September 14, 1929
New Signaling Increases Track Capacity on the Erie – Railway Signaling July, 1934
Local Passenger Service on the Erie’s New York Division in the 1930’s, Joe Landspurg
Delivering the Cars; Yard Jobs, Local Freights and Road Jobs, Joe Landspurg & Pete Brill
Yard Jobs and Local Freight Runs on Erie’s New York Division in the 1950’s & Early 60’s, Joe Landspurg
Erie Territory and Operations in Orange County, Dan Biernacki
Snow Removal on the M&NJ with Help from EL
M&NJ/EL Correspondence Regarding a Snowplow, Dan Myers & Ed Horan
Reflections on the Newburgh Branch, Mike Joyce
