Touring the Erie Railroad

The first video in this series is an introduction to Harold’s work on the Erie.

Coming out of the staging yard, this layout of the Erie begins at Binghamton, New York. The second section of Train 98 is eastbound from Elmira with a string of reefers loaded with perishables from the West. The reefers are headed for a ferry-boat ride into the Duane Street Market in New York City.

HEADING OUT OF BINGHAMTON
Binghamton Yard has interchanges with the Lackawanna and the Delaware and Hudson. The four F7s run as a set of two A units and two B units permanently coupled as #710. On this journey, almost 30 freight cars are attached.

After Binghamton, the Erie crosses into Pennsylvania and passes through the farm community of Great Bend, named for its location at a bend in the Susquehanna River. Hugging this same river, the Erie next passes the town of Susquehanna and crosses the relatively new concrete Landsboro Bridge. It replaced a steel truss in the 1930s.

STARRUCCA VIADUCT
The most photographed spot on the Erie is Starrucca Viaduct. The grade of 1.7 percent is the steepest on the line. Even 6,000 horsepower is not enough to lift this much tonnage, so the F units get some help across the bridge.

Learn more about the Starrucca Viaduct portion of this layout.

After the Starrucca Viaduct, the railroad moves back into New York state through an undeveloped section, going through the town of Narrowsburg, with its lumber yard and depot. The video displays a map at several points to help viewers orient themselves on the route.

Lackawaxen is the junction of the planned branch line for the Wyoming Division. There’s a tunnel right after this.

PORT JERVIS
Port Jervis Yard borders New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The Gillinder Glass Factory in Port Jervis provides a lot of revenue for the Erie. As this video ends, the Erie has just passed through Port Jervis.