After officially taking the relief job at the Cleveland, Ohio passenger station, I, naturally, had to learn the job. I did receive much help from most of the people involved, expecially the Baggage Agent and the two Asst. Baggage Agents. However, since no one had bid on the job before, the regular people were working their jobs seven days a week, picking up quite a bit of over time. Since I had bid on the job, and been awarded it, I kind of spoiled their nest eggs.
However, I made up my mind that since I bid on the job, was awarded the job, I was going to work the job, come hell or high water. The first month or so was not very happy. Some stumbling blocks were thrown in my path; however, the people involved soon found out that when I made up my mind to do something, I did it. Gradually, things improved, and by the first of March I had just about fit in with everyone.
At that time, the Cleveland passenger station was a very busy place. If memory serves, the day started at 3:30 a.m. with Train Number 687, a train that ran from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania thru to Detroit, Michigan, the routing being Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad from Pittsburgh to Youngstown, Ohio; Erie Railroad from Youngstown to Cleveland, and the New York Central from Cleveland to Detroit. A P&LE engine was used from Pittsburgh to Cleveland, where a NYC engine took over. At 5 a.m. the return move arrived from Detroit, powered by a New York Central engine. The P&LE engine that arrived from Pittsburgh on Train 687 was used to take this train, Train 688 to Pittsburgh. Trains 687 and 688 were almost always powered by a 9200-series Pittsburgh & Lake Erie 4-6-2 Pacific, not as large as the Erie 2900 series Pacifics.
At 8 a.m. Train Number 624 departed, heading to Washington, DC via Erie to Youngstown, P&LE from Youngstown to Pittsburgh, then Baltimore & Ohio Railroad from Pittsburgh to Washington. An Erie engine was used on this run from Cleveland to Youngstow, always a 2900-series Pacific.
Immediately after Train 624 departed, a commuter train arrived from Youngstown, usually powered by a small Erie Pacific, with no baggage or mail cars on the head end. It stopped at almost every station on the route from Youngstown to Cleveland, brought many workers who lived in the small towns to their daily jobs in Cleveland.
After the commuter train arrived, things were quiet until 11:45, when Train Number 625 arrived with coaches and Pullmans from Jersey City, New Jersey. Train 625 started from Jersey City as Train Number 5, The Lake Cities, which was broken up at Youngstown, Ohio. Part of the train went west from Youngstown to Chicago as Train 5, The Lake Cities, while the balance of the train went to Cleveland as Train 625. Both these trains were powered by a 2900-series Pacific.
At 1:00 p.m. Train 626, heading to Youngstown and Pittsburgh departed, powered by an Erie Pacific as far as Youngstown.
Things were again quiet until 3:25 p.m., when Train 685, from Pittsburgh to Cleveland arrived, usually powered by a 2900-series Pacific. This train had coaches for Detroit, but were switched to the Cleveland Terminal by New York Central power.
At 5:15 p.m. Train 686 departed, heading for Youngstown, with a connection there with Train Number 6, The Midlander, heading to Jersey City, and the balance of the train going to Pittsburgh. This train was usually powered by a 2900-series Erie Pacific.
Shortly after Train 686 departed, the Cleveland to Youngstown commuter train departed, with many stops along the way.
Things were again quiet until 9:30 p.m., when Train 623, from Pittsburgh to Cleveland arrived, again powered by a 2900-series Erie Pacific.
And, finally, Train 679 from Pittsburgh to Cleveland arrived at 11:40 p.m., usually powered by a P&LE 9200-series Pacific engine.
Train 679 usually carried a car, called a storage car, almost completely filled with U. S. mail. At that time, an 8-man crew, not employed by the Erie Railroad, came in about midnight to help with the mail. I'm not really sure who they worked for, but they surely did do a wonderful job in clearing up the mail. In fact, all of the trains arriving or departing from the Cleveland passenger station carried U. S. mail, with the exceptions of the two commuter trains. Most of the trains carried something called a R. P. O. car (Railway Post Office car), with a usual 4-man crew, and this crew sorted and bagged mail enroute.
More later about my adventures on the Erie Railroad in Cleveland.
Showing posts with label Ohio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ohio. Show all posts
Monday, January 14, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
21 Years On The Erie Railroad
World War II ended in 1945. I graduated from high school in May of 1946, decided not to go to college right away. Due to the end of the war, the economy slowed up a bit, the G. I. s came home, and I found myself out of a job in my home town.
I checked the Erie Railroad job list every day, finally found one that looked interesting. It was located in the Erie Railroad Passenger Station, Cleveland, Ohio. Old timers from Cleveland will remember that the Erie at that time did not run into the Terminal Building, had its own passenger station located at West 9th. Street and Superior Avenue, directly under the Detroit-Superior high level bridge. The job was one of many duties; baggage porter, janitor, baggage agent and assistent baggage agent, with one day per week off. I bid on the job, was awarded it.
I rode Number 5 to Cleveland to look over the job, decided to take it. The passenger agent kindly looked through the Cleveland papers, found me a room on West Blvd., just off Detroit Avenue. The room was $5.00 per week, was just a sleeping room with a comfortable bed, a closet, and a desk. There were two other rental rooms in this large house, both occupied. We shared a bathroom. No kitchen, so all my meals had to be eaten out. I decided to take the room, moved in on January 15, 1947, and stayed for two years and three months. More later.
I checked the Erie Railroad job list every day, finally found one that looked interesting. It was located in the Erie Railroad Passenger Station, Cleveland, Ohio. Old timers from Cleveland will remember that the Erie at that time did not run into the Terminal Building, had its own passenger station located at West 9th. Street and Superior Avenue, directly under the Detroit-Superior high level bridge. The job was one of many duties; baggage porter, janitor, baggage agent and assistent baggage agent, with one day per week off. I bid on the job, was awarded it.
I rode Number 5 to Cleveland to look over the job, decided to take it. The passenger agent kindly looked through the Cleveland papers, found me a room on West Blvd., just off Detroit Avenue. The room was $5.00 per week, was just a sleeping room with a comfortable bed, a closet, and a desk. There were two other rental rooms in this large house, both occupied. We shared a bathroom. No kitchen, so all my meals had to be eaten out. I decided to take the room, moved in on January 15, 1947, and stayed for two years and three months. More later.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
21 Years On The Erie Railroad
After working a few months for the Erie, I began to take an interest in locomotives. At that time, the Erie had five types of mainline power: the 2-8-0 Consolidation, the 2-8-2 Mikado,the 2-8-4 Berkshire, the 2-10-2 Santa Fe, and for the mainline passenger trains, the K-5 4-6-2 Pacific. The Pacifics, especially, impressed me. They had 79-inch drivers, some had the Box-Pox drive wheels, were usually very-well kept. I have always felt that the Erie's Pacifics deserved more press, should have been placed in the same category as the K-4 Pacifics on the Pennsylvania, or the New York Central Hudsons.
During World War II, a person might see many odd combinations of motive power on the passenger trains. It was not at all unusual to see Number 7, a train that carried an unusual amount of mail and Railway Express, to be double-headed with a Pacific leading, and a Berkshire for help. It was not unusual, either, to see a Berkshire subbing for a Pacific. I think the most unusual combination I can remember was Number 7 arriving about 2 hours late on a very cold December day, with a 2-10-2 leading, and one of the light 2700-series Pacifics cut in behind it for steam heat to the coaches.
The 2700-series were rarely seen on the Mahoning Division, where I was located. However, one Sunday afternoon I listened in on the dispatcher's wire, which I usually did when I had nothing else to do. The dispatcher reported that there was a "main train," the Erie's designation for a special train, heading East, powered by a 2700-series Pacific. The train happened to be a troop train of 12 cars. The Mahoning Division, for those not familiar with the Erie, took in the territory from Kent, Ohio in the West to Meadville, Pannsylvania in the East. The territory could be called "saw-toothed," in that there was very little level ground on the whole division, and eastbound was mostly up-hill.
The eastbound troop train finally came into sight. The little Pacific was struggling, but made it. I heard later that the only reason the engine was used on that particular movement was that the engine was heading "home" to New Jersey to go back into commuter service, where it belonged.
My interest in locomotives caused me to start exploring the power on the other railroads that served my home town. The other two railroads were the Pennsylvania, on the Pittsburgh-Erie Branch, and the Bessemer & Lake Erie, a coal and iron ore-hauling railroad, running from North Bessemer, Pennsylvania north to Erie, Pennsylvania, with a branch to Conneaut, Ohio. The Pennsylvania used a large variety of power, but my favorites were the 2-10-0 Decapods and the 2-10-2 Santa Fe types. One type, and I can't remember which one, had a very shrill whistle, called by some of the old-timers around town a "banshee" whistle. There was one passenger train North to Erie, PA at 11:30 a.m., and a return South to Pittsburgh at 5:25 p.m. The passenger train usually had a K-4 for power, with a beautiful steam-boat type whistle. Once in awhile, if there was a heavy consist, a 4-8-2 Mountain would be used.
The Bessemer & Lake Erie used the huge 2-10-4 Texas-type 600-series engines. Heading south, with iron ore, they used one 600 on the head end, with another 600 pushing on the rear, with the caboose behind the pusher. The Bessemer also used some 2-10-2 Santa Fe types when traffic got heavy. The railroad also ran one passenger train southbound to North Bessemer, which left at 7 a.m., with a return at 5 p.m., and a northbound passenger train to Erie, PA, which left at 7:05 a.m., and returned at
5:15 p.m. The passenger trains were powered by light Pacifics, probably comparable to the Erie's 2700-series.
During World War II, a person might see many odd combinations of motive power on the passenger trains. It was not at all unusual to see Number 7, a train that carried an unusual amount of mail and Railway Express, to be double-headed with a Pacific leading, and a Berkshire for help. It was not unusual, either, to see a Berkshire subbing for a Pacific. I think the most unusual combination I can remember was Number 7 arriving about 2 hours late on a very cold December day, with a 2-10-2 leading, and one of the light 2700-series Pacifics cut in behind it for steam heat to the coaches.
The 2700-series were rarely seen on the Mahoning Division, where I was located. However, one Sunday afternoon I listened in on the dispatcher's wire, which I usually did when I had nothing else to do. The dispatcher reported that there was a "main train," the Erie's designation for a special train, heading East, powered by a 2700-series Pacific. The train happened to be a troop train of 12 cars. The Mahoning Division, for those not familiar with the Erie, took in the territory from Kent, Ohio in the West to Meadville, Pannsylvania in the East. The territory could be called "saw-toothed," in that there was very little level ground on the whole division, and eastbound was mostly up-hill.
The eastbound troop train finally came into sight. The little Pacific was struggling, but made it. I heard later that the only reason the engine was used on that particular movement was that the engine was heading "home" to New Jersey to go back into commuter service, where it belonged.
My interest in locomotives caused me to start exploring the power on the other railroads that served my home town. The other two railroads were the Pennsylvania, on the Pittsburgh-Erie Branch, and the Bessemer & Lake Erie, a coal and iron ore-hauling railroad, running from North Bessemer, Pennsylvania north to Erie, Pennsylvania, with a branch to Conneaut, Ohio. The Pennsylvania used a large variety of power, but my favorites were the 2-10-0 Decapods and the 2-10-2 Santa Fe types. One type, and I can't remember which one, had a very shrill whistle, called by some of the old-timers around town a "banshee" whistle. There was one passenger train North to Erie, PA at 11:30 a.m., and a return South to Pittsburgh at 5:25 p.m. The passenger train usually had a K-4 for power, with a beautiful steam-boat type whistle. Once in awhile, if there was a heavy consist, a 4-8-2 Mountain would be used.
The Bessemer & Lake Erie used the huge 2-10-4 Texas-type 600-series engines. Heading south, with iron ore, they used one 600 on the head end, with another 600 pushing on the rear, with the caboose behind the pusher. The Bessemer also used some 2-10-2 Santa Fe types when traffic got heavy. The railroad also ran one passenger train southbound to North Bessemer, which left at 7 a.m., with a return at 5 p.m., and a northbound passenger train to Erie, PA, which left at 7:05 a.m., and returned at
5:15 p.m. The passenger trains were powered by light Pacifics, probably comparable to the Erie's 2700-series.
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