With its circuitous route and leisurely timekeeping, the Erie Railroad held perhaps the least advantageous position in the heated competition for passenger traffic between New York and Chicago. Its equipment also left something to be desired from a competitive standpoint; while individual cars might have been upgraded from time to time, the Erie never officially launched a fully streamlined train. All told, there was little reason for travelers heading from New York to Chicago to select the Erie in preference to the Pennsylvania or the New York Central--or even the Baltimore & Ohio and the Nickel Plate/Lackawanna team.

But the traffic from Chicago to the East Coast was not what kept the Erie's passenger trains in business. Along that circuitous route lay dozens of small towns, and for most of them the Erie was the principal connection to the outside world. So while Chicago to New York passengers were likely to look elsewhere, passengers headed from New York to Marion, OH or from Wellsville, NY to Chicago were the Erie's captive audience. In addition, the Erie's passenger trains carried a broad mix of head-end traffic, including mail and express, priority freight, and even milk being shipped from the farms to the dairy.


From the pages of the Official Guide, July 1956

Erie RR herald

The Lake Cities

Erie Railroad
April 29, 1956

New York-Jersey City via Motor Coach
6 25P Dp Rockefeller Center Terminal C R Ar 8 00A
8th Ave. at W. 42nd St. Ar 7 53A
6 33P Dp 8th Ave. & W. 34th St.
8th Ave. at W. 32nd St. Ar 7 51A
5 Train Number 6
Daily Miles Services Daily
6 55P Dp 0.0 New York, NY (Chambers St. Ferry) (ET) C R Ar 7 37A
7 15P Dp Jersey City, NJ (ET) C Ar 7 25A
R 7 34P 12.5 Passaic, NJ C
R 7 42P 16.7 Paterson, NJ C D 6 53A
R 7 51P 21.8 Ridgewood, NJ C D 6 44A
F 8 38P 59.7 Goshen, NY C
F 8 49P 67.1 Middletown, NY C 5 55A
9 18P Ar 88.2 Port Jervis, NY C Dp 5 26A
9 26P Dp Ar 5 16A
9 51P 107.1 Shohola, PA (See Note)
9 57P 111.1 Lackawaxen, PA (See Note)
10 11P 122.4 Narrowsburg, NY (See Note) 4 32A
10 30P 136.2 Callicoon, NY (See Note) C
11 05P 164.0 Hancock, NY (See Note) C
F11 21P 177.1 Deposit, NY C
11 46P Ar 192.6 Susquehanna, PA C Dp 2 57A
11 48P Dp Ar 2 55A
12 21A Ar 215.1 Binghamton, NY C Dp 2 29A
12 35A Dp Ar 2 15A
12 46A 223.7 Endicott, NY C 2 06A
256.2 Waverly, PA C 1 33A
1 49A 273.8 Elmira, NY C R 1 14A
2 17A 291.2 Corning, NY C 12 47A
3 05A Ar 332.3 Hornell, NY C Dp 12 01A
3 15A Dp Ar 11 51P
3 53A 358.5 Wellsville, NY C 11 16P
4 23A 383.3 Cuba, NY C
4 43A 395.7 Olean, NY C 10 31P
5 06A Ar 413.6 Salamanca, NY C Dp 10 05P
5 16A Dp Ar 9 55P
5 36A 431.1 Randolph, NY C
6 02A 447.3 Jamestown, NY (Chautauqua Lake) C 9 18P
6 37A 474.2 Corry, PA C 8 36P
F 6 49A 485.6 Union City, PA C 8 17P
7 08A 501.2 Cambridge Springs, PA C F 8 03P
7 25A Ar 515.9 Meadville, PA C Dp 7 46P
7 30A Dp Ar 7 39P
8 03A 542.1 Greenville, PA C 7 09P
8 28A 558.2 Sharon, PA C 6 44P
8 50A Ar 571.8 Youngstown, OH C R Dp 6 21P
25 Connecting Train Number (Pittsburgh & Lake Erie) 86
7 35A Dp 0.0 Pittsburgh, PA (ET) C R Ar 9 00P
8 35A 47.3 New Castle, PA C 7 54P
9 00A Ar 64.9 Youngstown, OH (Erie Sta.) C R Dp 7 30P
Through Coach Jersey City-Cleveland
625 Connecting Train Number (Erie RR) 628
9 10A Dp 0.0 Youngstown, OH (Erie Sta.) C R Ar 6 10P
9 22A 8.8 Niles, OH C 6 00P
9 34A 13.9 Warren, OH C 5 52P
10 35A Ar 66.5 Cleveland, OH (Union Tml.) (ET) C R Dp 4 20P
9 03A Dp 571.8 Youngstown, OH C R Ar 6 05P
9 22A 585.7 Warren, OH C 5 48P
9 46A 609.6 Ravenna, OH C 5 25P
9 54A Ar 615.9 Kent, OH C Dp 5 17P
10 00A Dp Ar 5 11P
10 14A 626.0 Akron, OH C R 4 57P
11 04A 676.5 Ashland, OH C 4 05P
11 23A 693.2 Mansfield, OH C 3 46P
11 43A 708.6 Galion, OH C 3 28P
12 05P Ar 729.6 Marion, OH C Dp 3 07P
12 14P Dp Ar 3 02P
F12 37P 754.5 Kenton, OH C F 2 36P
1 01P 781.5 Lima, OH (ET) C 2 13P
1 05P Ar 856.1 Huntington, IN (CT) C Dp 12 06P
1 13P Dp Ar 11 56A
1 52P 897.8 Rochester, IN C 11 19A
3 05P 978.1 Hammond, IN C 10 06A
3 25P 992.4 Englewood, IL (63rd St.) C 9 44A
3 40P Ar 998.7 Chicago, IL (Dearborn Sta.) (CT) C R Dp 9 30A

Train 5 (New York-Chicago): 46 stops, 22:45, 43.9 MPHTrain 6 (Chicago-New York): 37 stops, 21:07, 47.3 MPH


Note for No. 5 at Shohola and Lackawaxen: "Stops Friday nights only to discharge passengers, except Fridays, June 29 to August 31, inclusive."

Note for No. 5 at Narrowsburg, Callicoon and Hancock: "During period June 29 to August 31, inclusive, will stop on Fridays to receive passengers for Binghamton and west only. Will stop on other days to receive and discharge passengers.

Note for No. 6 at Narrowsburg: "Stops Mondays only, July 9 to August 27, inclusive, to receive passengers for New York."

Note: Connecting Train 628 does not run Sundays or holidays. On Sundays and holidays connecting train 630 will depart Cleveland 4:20 p.m., arriving Youngstown at 5:50 p.m.

Erie Railroad

Air-Conditioned Trains—Air-conditioned equipment has been assigned to regular sections of trains as shown herein. Every effort will be made to provide it as specified, but the right is reserved to employ non-air-conditioned cars as necessitated by volume of traffic or emergencies.

WESTBOUND.

THE LAKE CITIES. Train No. 5—Daily.
NEW YORK-JAMESTOWN-CLEVELAND-AKRON-CHICAGO.
Diesel Powered.

EQUIPMENT.

Air-Conditioned Sleeping Cars—

New York to Chicago—10 Roomette, 6 Double Bedroom. (Car No. 52.)

New York to Youngstown—6 Roomette, 6 Section, 4 Double Bedroom. (Car No. 51.)

Air-Conditioned Diner-Lounge Car—

New York to Chicago.

Air-Conditioned Parlor-Diner Car—

Pittsburgh to Cleveland. (Except Sunday.)

Air-Conditioned Individual Reclining Seat Coach—

New York to Chicago.

New York to Cleveland.

Pittsburgh to Cleveland.

(Pillows may be rented from train porter for 25c.)

EASTBOUND.

THE LAKE CITIES. Train No. 6—Daily.
CHICAGO-AKRON-CLEVELAND-JAMESTOWN-NEW YORK.
Diesel Powered.

EQUIPMENT.

Air-Conditioned Sleeping Cars—

Chicago to New York—10 Roomette, 6 Double Bedroom. (Car No. 62.)

Youngstown to New York—6 Roomette, 6 Section, 4 Double Bedroom. (Car No. 61.)

Salamanca to New York—4 Section, 6 Roomette, 4 Double Bedroom. (Car No. 63.)

(Salamanca sleeper open for occupancy 8:30 p.m.)

Air-Conditioned Diner-Lounge Car—

Chicago to New York.

Air-Conditioned Individual Reclining Seat Coach—

Chicago to New York.

Cleveland to Salamanca.


(Pillows may be rented from train porter for 25c.)

The 1950s were generally good to the Erie, but by the middle of the decade as the country was in a recession the road was beginning to feel the pinch. In an effort to reduce overhead and improve efficiency, the Erie would by 1957 abandon its antiquated terminal facility in Jersey City and transfer its operations to the Lackawanna's slightly more modern station in Hoboken. This cooperative move would prove to be the precursor to a complete merger between the two companies in 1960.