Erie Railroad

The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Erie, at Dunkirk, New York. It expanded west to Chicago with its 1865 merger with the former Atlantic and Great Western Railroad, also known as the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio Railroad (NYPANO RR). Its mainline route proved influential in the development and economic growth of the Southern Tier of New York State, including cities such as Binghamton, Elmira, and Hornell. The Erie Railroad repair shops were located in Hornell and was Hornell's largest employer. Hornell was also where Erie's mainline split into two routes, one northwest to Buffalo and the other west to Chicago.
On October 17, 1960, the Erie merged with former rival Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad to form the Erie Lackawanna Railroad. The Hornell repair shops were closed in 1976, when Conrail took over, and repair operations moved to the Lackawanna's Scranton facility. This had a devastating effect on Hornell, from which it has never recovered. (The repair shops have subsequently been used, intermittently, for the assembly of railroad and transit cars, and are now owned by Alstom.) Some of the former Erie line between Hornell and Binghamton was damaged in 1972 by the floods of Hurricane Agnes, but the damage was quickly repaired and today this line is a key link in the Norfolk Southern Railway's Southern Tier mainline. What was left of the Erie Lackawanna became part of Conrail in 1976. In 1983, Erie remnants became part of New Jersey Transit rail operations, including parts of its Main Line. Today most of the surviving Erie Railroad routes are operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway.
==History==
===New York and Erie Rail Road (1832–61)===
The New York and Erie Rail Road was chartered on April 24, 1832, by Governor of New York Enos T. Throop to connect the Hudson River at Piermont, north of New York City, west to Lake Erie at Dunkirk. On February 16, 1841, the railroad was authorized to cross into the northeast corner of Pennsylvania on the west side of the Delaware River, a few miles west of Port Jervis, NY, as the east side was already occupied by the Delaware & Hudson Canal to a point several miles west of Lackawaxen, PA. Construction began in 1836 and was opened in sections until reaching the full length to Dunkirk on May 19, 1851. At Dunkirk, steamboats continued across Lake Erie to Detroit, Michigan. The line crossed the Kittatinny Mountains at 870 feet.
When the route was completed in May, 1851, President Millard Fillmore and several members of his cabinet, including Secretary of State Daniel Webster, made a special, two-day excursion run to open the railway. It is reported that Webster viewed the entire run from a rocking chair attached to a flatcar, with a steamer rug and jug of high-quality Medford rum. At stops, he would step off the flatcar and give speeches.
The line was built at 6 ft wide gauge; this was believed to be a superior technology to standard gauge, providing more stability.
In 1848, the railroad built the Starrucca Viaduct, a stone railroad bridge over Starrucca Creek in Lanesboro, Pennsylvania, which has survived and is still in use today. In fact, current owner Central New York Railway spent $3.2 million in 2021 centering its single remaining track, re-ballasting and repairing masonry. The viaduct is 1040 ft long, 100 ft high and 25 ft wide at the top. It is the oldest stone rail bridge in Pennsylvania still in use.
===Erie Railway (1861–78)===
In August 1859, the company went into receivership due to inability to make payments on the debts incurred for the large costs of building, and, on June 25, 1861, it was reorganized as the Erie Railway. This was the first bankruptcy of a major trunk line in the U.S.
In the Erie War of the 1860s, four well-known financiers struggled for control of the company; Cornelius Vanderbilt versus Daniel Drew, James Fisk and Jay Gould. Gould ultimately triumphed in this struggle, but was forced to relinquish control in 1872–73 due to unfavorable public opinion following his involvement in the 1869 gold-rigging scandal and to his loss of $1 million of Erie Railroad stock to the British con-man Lord Gordon-Gordon.
In 1869, the railroad moved its main shop facilities from Dunkirk to Buffalo. Rather than demolishing the shops in Dunkirk, the facility was leased to Horatio G. Brooks, the former chief engineer of the NY&E who was at the controls of the first train into Dunkirk in 1851. Horatio Brooks used the facilities to begin Brooks Locomotive Works, which remained in independent business until 1901 when it was merged with seven other locomotive manufacturing firms to create ALCO. ALCO continued new locomotive production at this facility until 1934, then closed the plant completely in 1962.
The cost of breaking bulk cargo in order to interchange with standard gauge lines led the Erie to introduce a line of cars designed to operate on either broad or standard gauge trucks. Starting in 1871, this allowed interchange traffic by means of truck exchange, including through passenger and freight connections to Saint Louis, Missouri using a Nutter car hoist in Urbana, Ohio.
Beginning in 1876, the Erie began plans to convert its line to standard gauge, as it became clear that the cost of changing from one gauge to another was not justified by the added stability brought by the wider gauge. By the time of its reorganization in 1878, the Erie had built a third rail along the entire mainline from Buffalo to Jersey City. This project all but brought the railroad to bankruptcy.
===New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad (1878–95)===
The Erie still did not see profits, and was sold in 1878 via bankruptcy reorganization to become the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad.
The work of converting the railroad to standard gauge was continued, and, on June 22, 1880, the entire trackage of the Erie was converted to standard gauge.
In 1886, it was reported that the Erie and the Philadelphia and Reading Railway shared ferry services between their two Jersey City terminals, the larger being Pavonia Terminal, and Fulton Ferry in Brooklyn, New York for 11 round trips on weekdays and Saturdays, and four round trips on Sunday. In 1889, it opened a new bridge across the Hackensack River improving service to its terminals.
===Erie Railroad (1895–1960)===
By 1893, the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad went into bankruptcy reorganization again and emerged in 1895 as the Erie Railroad.
George W. Perkins brought Frederick D. Underwood into the Erie Railroad in 1910. During the eastern railroad strike of 1913 Underwood agreed to accept any ruling made by mediators under the Newlands Reclamation Act. One of the demands made by Erie employees was a 20% increase in wages. Erie management had refused a wage increase, but compromised by asking employees to wait until January, 1915 for any advance. Union leaders agreed to make this an issue which Erie management would settle with its own men. However, W.G. Lee, president of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, asserted that the only way "to deal with the Erie is through J.P. Morgan & Company, or the banks". Underwood responded from his home in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, saying "I am running the Erie Railroad: not George W. Perkins, nor J.P. Morgan & Co., nor anybody else."
In the mid-1920s, the successful Van Sweringen brothers of Cleveland, Ohio gained control of the Erie, improving operations (such as standardizing the railroad's locomotives and rolling stock) and bottom-line earnings. Unfortunately, both brothers—who at the time owned several other railroads—died at an early age, but had they lived the shape of railroads in the east would likely look very different today.
Despite the ravages of the Great Depression, the Erie managed to hold its own until it entered bankruptcy on January 18, 1938. Its reorganization, accomplished by December, 1941, included the purchase of the leased Cleveland and Mahoning Valley Railroad, swapping high rent for lower interest payments, and the purchase of formerly-subsidized and leased lines. The reorganization paid off, as the Erie managed to pay dividends to its shareholders after the dust had settled.
In 1938, the Erie Railroad was involved in the famous U.S. Supreme Court case of Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins. The Erie doctrine, which governs the application of state common law in federal courts, is still taught in American law schools today.
On September 15, 1948, the Cleveland Union Terminal Company allowed the Erie to use the Union Terminal adjacent to Terminal Tower in lieu of its old station. Also that year, the Erie purchased a share of the Niagara Junction Railway, along with the New York Central and the Lehigh Valley.
Steam last operated on the Erie on March 17, 1954, when the fires were dropped on K-1 class Pacific locomotive No. 2530, used on a commuter run between Jersey City and Spring Valley, New York.
The Erie prospered throughout the mid-1950s, but then began an irreversible decline. The company's 1957 income was half of that in 1956; by 1958 and 1959, the Erie posted large deficits. The business recession that occurred in the 1950s led the Erie to explore the idea of doing business with the nearby Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W). The first result of this was the abandonment of duplicate freight facilities in Binghamton and Elmira, New York. Between 1956 and 1957, the Erie shifted its passenger trains from its Pavonia Terminal to the DL&W's newer Hoboken Terminal. Also, the DL&W's mainline between Binghamton and Elmira was mostly abandoned in favor of the Erie's parallel mainline, in 1958. These successful business consolidations led to merger talks (which, at first, also included the Delaware and Hudson Railroad); on October 17, 1960, the two railroads merged to create the Erie Lackawanna Railroad. Erie's large repair facility in Hornell was closed when Conrail took over in 1976 and operations were consolidated at the Lackawanna's Scranton facility. However, the merged railroad only survived for 16 years before continued decline forced it to join Conrail in 1976.
Year-end mileage operated, including C&E but not NYS&W/WB&E: 2451 route-miles, 6013 track-miles in 1925; 2320 route-miles, 5395 track-miles in 1956. NJ&NY adds 46 route-miles in 1925, 39 in 1956.
The former Erie tracks between Hornell and Binghamton were partially damaged in 1972 by Hurricane Agnes.
==Lines operated==
Railroad 	Branch 	From 	To 	Approx. Mileage	Years Erie-Operated 	Notes
Erie Railroad 	Original Main Line 	Piermont 	Dunkirk 	448 mi 	1841 - 1960 	Construction began in 1836, and opened from Piermont to Goshen on September 23, 1841. After some financial problems, construction resumed in August, 1846, and the next section, to Port Jervis, opened on January 7, 1848. Further extensions opened to Binghamton December 27, 1848, Owego January 1, 1849, and the full length to Dunkirk May 19, 1851. At Dunkirk steamboats continued across Lake Erie to Detroit, Michigan.
Erie Railroad 	Newburgh Branch 	Main Line at Greycourt near Chester 	Newburgh 	18.6 mi 	January 8, 1850 - 1960 (Except five miles at the east end) 	The Erie's charter was amended on April 8, 1845, to allow the building of the branch. This amendment was later used to spur the construction of a railroad line to the bustling port city of Newburgh, NY. Newburgh was once the site of coal piers owned by the Pennsylvania Coal Company and later served as a connection to the New York and New England Railroad via a car float operation across the river to Beacon, New York. When opened in 1850, it was Newburgh's first railroad. Today, the line is completely abandoned except for a small portion between Newburgh and Vails Gate that is used as an industrial spur.
Erie Railroad 	Newburgh and New York Railroad (Newburgh Shortcut) 	Newburgh Junction, near Harriman 	Newburgh Branch at Vails Gate 	12.7 mi 	July 1869 - 1936 	Known as "the shortcut" because it was a more direct link between Newburgh and the southern section of the mainline when compared to the Newburgh Branch. When the Graham Line was constructed between 1906 and 1909, the first two to three miles of the "Shortcut" right of way were utilized and elevated to eliminate any grade crossings. Due to the decline of Newburgh's coal industry, the line was formally abandoned between 1936 and 1937. Parts of it remain in service today as Metro North's Port Jervis line and a short industrial spur in Vails Gate, NY, while others, like a small section in Highland Mills, NY, remain intact but abandoned.
Erie Railroad 	Graham Line 	Newburgh Junction, near Harriman 	Otisville 	42.3 mi 	1909 - 1960 	Due to the steep grades, sharp curves, and numerous grade crossings of the Erie mainline between Harriman and Otisville, NY, the Graham Line was constructed between 1906 and 1909 as a freight bypass. In order to eliminate any grade crossings, the line was elevated considerably. Numerous local railroad marvels were built as a part of the Graham Line, such as the Moodna Viaduct and the Otisville Tunnel. The line remains in service today as the Metro-North Port Jervis Line.
Paterson and Ramapo Railroad 	New Jersey Line 	New York Line at Mahwah 	Paterson 	14.5 mi 	1852 - 1960 	Opened as an independent company in 1848. Through ticketing began in 1851, with a required change of cars at Ramapo due to the gauge break. A third gauge rail was built by 1853.
Paterson and Ramapo Railroad 	New York Line: Union Railroad 	New Jersey Line at Suffern 	Main Line in Suffern 	0.82 mi 	1852 - 1960 	Opened as an independent company in 1848. Through ticketing began in 1851, with a required change of cars at Ramapo due to the gauge break. A third gauge rail was built by 1853.
Paterson and Hudson River Railroad 	Paterson and Hudson River Railroad 	Paterson 	Penhorn Creek in Jersey City 	15.7 mi 	1852 - 1960 	Opened as an independent company in 1833. Through ticketing began in 1851. In November 1853, Erie stock began operating to the New Jersey Rail Road's Jersey City terminal after a third rail for wide gauge was finished.
Buffalo and New York City Railroad 	Buffalo and New York City Railroad 	Hornellsville 	Buffalo 	92.3 mi 	Leased November 17, 1852 – 1857; owned October 31, 1857 – 1859	Founded as the Attica and Hornellsville Railroad in 1845. In 1852, bought the Buffalo and Rochester Railroad's old alignment from Buffalo to Attica, and subsequently renamed itself to the Buffalo and New York City Railroad, and converted to the Erie's wide gauge. The Buffalo and New York City began leasing their track to the Erie upon the completion of their extension from Attica southeast to Hornellsville, opened on November 17, 1852, giving the Erie access to Buffalo, a better terminal than Dunkirk- thus it became a branch of the Erie's mainline. Upon the Erie's bankruptcy, sold line from Buffalo to Attica to the Buffalo, New York, and Erie.
Chemung Railroad 	Chemung Railroad 	Horseheads 	Watkins 	16.7 mi 	Leased 1850–1853; 1857-1859 	Upon independence of Canandaigua and Elmira, the Erie subleased the Chemung Railroad to the Canandaigua and Elmira. Reverted to the Erie in 1858 during the C&E's bankruptcy.
Elmira, Canandaigua and Niagara Falls Railroad 	Elmira, Canandaigua and Niagara Falls Railroad 	Watkins 	Canandaigua 	47.7 mi 	Leased 1851–1853; 1859-1866 	Founded as the Canandaigua and Corning Railroad on May 14, 1845. Upon completion, was renamed to the Canandaigua and Elmira Railroad, and immediately leased to Erie. Upon independence from Erie, began subleasing the Chemung. Renamed to EC&NF 1857. Went bankrupt from 1858 to 1859, during which time the Chemung was leased to Erie. Reorganized in 1859 as Elmira, Jefferson and Canandaigua Railroad, at which time the Erie leased it again. In 1866 transferred to the Northern Central, and a third rail was built to allow the Northern Central's 56.5 inch trains to operate over it.
Canandaigua and Niagara Falls Railroad 	Canandaigua and Niagara Falls Railroad 	Canandaigua 	North Tonawanda 	86.5 mi 	Leased 1853 - 1858 	Leased by the Canandaigua and Elmira to continue it beyond Canandaigua. When the line went bankrupt in 1858, it was reorganized as the Niagara Bridge and Canandaigua Railroad and was leased by New York Central Railroad. The NYC converted it to standard gauge and blocked the Erie from it.
Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad 	Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad 	North Tonawanda 	Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge in Niagara Falls 	12.2 mi 	Trackage rights 1853 - 1858 	Trackage rights obtained by C&NF
Buffalo, Bradford and Pittsburgh Railroad Company 	Buffalo, Bradford and Pittsburgh Railroad Company 	Erie Main Line at Carrollton 	Gilesville (later Buttsville) in southeast Lafayette 	25.97 mi 	February 26, 1859 	Formed by the merger of two earlier railroads in northwest Pennsylvania for the Erie to acquire a source of fuel for its locomotives. Extended from Bradford to Gilesville, the site of a bituminous mine, by January 1, 1866.
New York, Lake Erie, and Western Coal and Railroad 	New York, Lake Erie, and Western Coal and Railroad 	BB&P in Lafayette 	Johnsonburg 	29.68 mi 	1882- 	This section encompassed the once significant Kinzua Bridge: partially destroyed by a microburst "tornado" in by 2003.
Section of Pennsylvania Railroad 	Section of Pennsylvania Railroad 	Johnsonburg 	Brockway, Pennsylvania 	27.76 mi 	Trackage rights 1897-1907 	
Section of Buffalo, Rochester, and Pittsburgh Railway 	Section of Buffalo, Rochester, and Pittsburgh Railway 	Clarion Junction, north of Johnsonburg 	Eleanora Junction (later Cramer), northeast of Stump Creek 	50.67 mi 	Leased 1907- 	
Eriton Railroad 	Eriton Railroad 	Eriton Junction, SE of West Liberty 	Eriton Mines, south of West Liberty 	0.869 mi 	1908-(1940s) 	
Buffalo, New York and Erie Railroad 	Original Main Line 	Erie Main Line at Corning 	Buffalo 	41.6 mi 	Leased 1863- 	Created during the Erie's bankruptcy in 1858. Took over the Buffalo and New York City from Attica to Buffalo in 1859. Acquired the Buffalo, Corning and New York Railroad the same year and connected the two lines. Leased the Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad in 1858.
Buffalo, New York and Erie Railroad 	Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad 	BNY&E at Avon 	Rochester 	98.5 mi 	Leased 1863- 	Completed 1853; leased to Buffalo, NY, and then Erie in 1858.
Avon, Geneseo and Mt. Morris Railroad 	Avon, Geneseo and Mt. Morris Railroad 	BNY&E at Avon 	Mount Morris 	15.3 mi 	Leased 1872- 	Founded as Genesee Valley Company. Acquired land initially bought by Rochester and Genesee Valley in 1856. In 1859, reorganized as the AG&MM.
Atlantic and Great Western Railroad 	Erie and New York City Railroad 	Erie main line at Salamanca 	Pennsylvania Line near Niobe in Harmony 	47.7 mi 	1868–1880, 1874–1880, 1883-1960 	Founded in 1862, as all three railroads merged were renamed in their respective states as the A&GW Railway. Reorganized as the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio Railway in 1880
Atlantic and Great Western Railroad 	Meadville Railroad 	New York Line in Freehold Township 	Ohio Line in South Pymatuning Township 	87.9 mi 	1868–1880, 1874–1880, 1883-1960 	Founded in 1862, as all three railroads merged were renamed in their respective states as the A&GW Railway. Reorganized as the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio Railway in 1880
Atlantic and Great Western Railroad 	Franklin and Warren Railroad 	Pennsylvania Line in Orangeville 	Dayton 	250. mi 	1868–1880, 1874–1880, 1883-1960 	Founded in 1862, as all three railroads merged were renamed in their respective states as the A&GW Railway. Reorganized as the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio Railway in 1880
Atlantic and Great Western Railroad 	Oil City Branch 	At Meadville near Meadville 	Oil City 	33.3 mi 	1868–1880, 1874–1880, 1883-1960 	Founded in 1862, as all three railroads merged were renamed in their respective states as the A&GW Railway. Reorganized as the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio Railway in 1880
Suspension Bridge and Erie Junction Railroad 	Suspension Bridge and Erie Junction Railroad 	Buffalo 	Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge in Niagara Falls 	23.2 mi 	1871- 	Chartered by Erie in 1868 to restore access to the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge
Erie International Railway 	Erie International Railway 	International Junction in Buffalo 	International Bridge 	4.86 mi 	 	Erie-chartered in 1872
Lockport and Buffalo Railway 	Lockport and Buffalo Railway 	Tonawanda 	Lockport 	13.1 mi 	1879 	Erie-chartered in 1871
Jefferson Railroad 	Main Line 	Lanesboro 	Carbondale 	37.5 mi 	1870-1960 	As far back as 1840, there had been a number of attempts to build a railroad from the Erie mainline to the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania. The Jefferson was incorporated in 1851 by the Pennsylvania legislature, which squashed local attempts to build a line on that route.
Jefferson Railroad 	Edgerton Branch 	Mayfield 	Coal mines of Hosie and Park 	1.5 mi 	1884-1910 	Abandoned 1910
Jefferson Railroad 	Honesdale Branch 	Erie and Wyoming Valley at Hawley 	Honesdale 	9.03 mi 	1869-1960 	Built to create a more direct connection from the Jefferson's southern terminus at Carbondale to points east via the E&WV and the Delaware and Hudson Gravity Railroad (though the two companies' rails were not explicitly linked)
Erie and Wyoming Valley Railroad 	Main Line 	Lackawaxen 	Plains Junction in Wilkes-Barre 	63.8 mi 	1863-1960 	
Erie and Wyoming Valley Railroad 	Jefferson Railroad Connection 	E&WV Mainline 	Jessup 	7.72 mi 	 	
Erie and Wyoming Valley Railroad 	DL&W and WB&E Connection 	Plains Junction in Wilkes-Barre 	Ashley 	11.3 mi 	 	
Erie and Wyoming Valley Railroad 	Scranton Branch 	E&WV main line 	Scranton 	2.4 mi 	 	
Erie and Wyoming Valley Railroad 	Jones Lake Railroad 	Manning Junction 	Lake Ariel 	2.142 mi 	1888- 	
Susquehanna Connecting Railroad 	Susquehanna Connecting Railroad 	Suscon Junction 	Old Forge 	7.72 mi 	June, 1938 - 	Consolidated from existing railroads
Delaware and Hudson Railroad 	Delaware and Hudson Railroad 	Carbondale 	Moosic 	24.1 mi 	1900(?)- 	Connected the Erie and Wyoming Valley and the Jefferson
Moosic Mountain and Carbondale Railroad 	Moosic Mountain and Carbondale Railroad 	Throop 	Jessup 	3.43 mi 	1888- 	
Buffalo and Jamestown Railroad 	Buffalo and Jamestown Railroad 	Jamestown 	Buffalo 	57.3 mi 	1881- 	Chartered in 1872 to connect the A&GW with the Erie mainline. Soon after the line was completed in 1873, the company was reorganized as the Buffalo and Southwest Railroad.
Chicago and Erie Railroad 	Main Line 	Marion 	Illinois Line at Hammond 	249 mi 	1895- 	Founded in 1871 as the Chicago and Atlantic Railway and went into bankruptcy in 1890.
Chicago and Erie Railroad 	Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad 	Indiana Line at Calumet City 	Chicago 	19 mi 	1895- 	Already owned by C&E in joint ownership with 4 other companies
New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railway 	Main Line 	Jersey City 	Stroudsburg 	100.7 mi 	1898-1940 	American financier J.P. Morgan began to take notice of the railroad, which by the 1890s had become a rapidly expanding coal-hauler; he quietly bought up its stock on behalf of the Erie. The railroad was leased, and soon after took over complete operation of the line. The depression caused the bankruptcy of the NYSW, which was spun off as a private company in 1940, working closely with the NYO&W.
New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railway 	Erie Terminals Railroad 	Ridgefield 	Edgewater 	3.74 mi 	1898-1940 	American financier J.P. Morgan began to take notice of the railroad, which by the 1890s had become a rapidly expanding coal-hauler; he quietly bought up its stock on behalf of the Erie. The railroad was leased, and soon after took over complete operation of the line. The depression caused the bankruptcy of the NYSW, which was spun off as a private company in 1940, working closely with the NYO&W.
New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railway 	Middletown Branch 	Ogdensburg 	Middletown 	33.8 mi 	1898-1940 	American financier J.P. Morgan began to take notice of the railroad, which by the 1890s had become a rapidly expanding coal-hauler; he quietly bought up its stock on behalf of the Erie. The railroad was leased, and soon after took over complete operation of the line. The depression caused the bankruptcy of the NYSW, which was spun off as a private company in 1940, working closely with the NYO&W.
New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railway 	Wilkes-Barre and Eastern Railroad 	Stroudsburg 	Plains 	64.4 mi 	1898-1939 	Since the Erie chose to send all of its traffic along the Erie and Wyoming Valley, the line was doomed to failure, and was abandoned in 1939.
New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railway 	Lodi Branch Railroad 	Teterboro 	Lodi 	0.996 mi 	1883- 1898 	
New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railway 	Hackensack and Lodi Railroad 	Hackensack 	Lodi 	1.403 mi 	1898-1940 	
New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railway 	Macopin Railroad 	Macopin Lake Junction in Charlottesburg 	Macopin Pond (Echo Lake) in West Milford 	1.533 mi 	1887-1940 	
Bath and Hammondsport Railroad 	Bath and Hammondsport Railroad 	Bath 	Hammondsport 	8.2 mi 	1903-1935 	After a flood in 1935, the line was purchased by locals who renamed it the B&H Railroad.
Cleveland and Mahoning Railroad 	Main Line 	Cleveland 	Youngstown 	68.4 mi 	1941- 	
Cleveland and Mahoning Railroad 	Hubbard Branch 	Youngstown 	Pennsylvania Line in Masury 	12.1 mi 	1941- 	
Cleveland and Mahoning Railroad 	Niles and New Lisbon Railroad 	Niles 	Lisbon 	33.1 mi 	1941- 	
Sharon Railway 	Main Line 	West Middlesex 	Pymatuning Township 	13.6 mi 	C&MV owned 	During construction absorbed Sharpsville, Wheatland, Sharon and Greenfield Railroad in 1881
Sharon Railway 	Westerman Coal and Iron Railroad 	Ohio Line in Sharon 	Wheatland 	1.5 mi 	 	
Sharon Railway 	New Castle and Shenango Valley Railroad 	West Middlesex 	New Castle 	16.1 mi 	1900- 	
Tioga Railroad 	Northern Extension 	Pennsylvania Line in Lindley 	Corning 	11.392 mi 	1876- 	
Tioga Railroad 	Corning and Blossburg Railroad 	New York Line in Lawrenceville 	Blossburg 	27.00 mi 	1882- 	Chartered under the Tioga Navigation Company
Tioga Railroad 	Southern Extension 	Blossburg 	Morris Run 	3.592 mi 	1853- 	
Goshen and Deckertown Railway 	Goshen and Deckertown Railway 	Goshen 	Pine Island 	11.3 mi 	1872- 	Operated independently 1869-1872
Wallkill Valley Railroad 	Wallkill Valley Railroad 	Montgomery 	Kingston 	33.0 mi 	1866-1876 	
New York and Greenwood Lake Railroad 	Main Line 	Jersey City 	Sterling Forest 	41.2 mi 	1878- 	Company formed under Erie as reorganization of the Montclair and Greenwood Lake Railway. Parts were realigned due to the creation of the Wanaque Reservoir
New York and Greenwood Lake Railroad 	Ringwood Branch 	Main Line 	Ringwood 	3.8 mi 	1878- 	Company formed under Erie as reorganization of the Montclair and Greenwood Lake Railway. Parts were realigned due to the creation of the Wanaque Reservoir
New York and Greenwood Lake Railroad 	Arlington Railroad 	Main Line 	Newark and Hudson near Hackensack River 	1.128 mi 	1890- 	Built to offer a more direct connection with Jersey City
New York and Greenwood Lake Railroad 	Orange Branch 	Newark 	Orange 	4.04 mi 	1895- 	Founded as Watchung Railway
New York and Greenwood Lake Railroad 	Caldwell Branch 	Little Falls 	Caldwell 	5.51 mi 	1897- 	Founded as Caldwell Railway and the Roseland Railway
Paterson and Newark Railroad 	Paterson and Newark Railroad 	Jersey City 	Paterson 	16.5 mi 	1869- 	Founded 1864 as Erie subsidiary
New Jersey and New York Railroad 	New Jersey and New York Railroad 	Rutherford 	Nanuet 	20.7 mi 	1896- 	Founded as Hackensack and New York Railroad in 1856
Northern Railroad of New Jersey 	Northern Railroad of New Jersey 	Sparkill 	Jersey City 	26.8 mi 	1859- 	Founded 1854 as Erie subsidiary
Nyack and Southern Railroad 	Nyack and Southern Railroad 	Nyack 	Piermont 	4.343 mi 	1870- 	
Middletown and Crawford Railroad 	Middletown and Crawford Railroad 	Middletown 	Pine Bush 	11.3 mi 	1882- 	Chartered 1868. Completed in 1872 under lease of the New York and Oswego Midland Railroad; spun off as a private company 1875.
Montgomery and Erie Railroad 	Montgomery and Erie Railroad 	Goshen 	Montgomery 	10.1 mi 	1872- 	Built to connect to the Wallkill Valley Railroad
Arnot and Pine Creek Railroad 	Arnot and Pine Creek Railroad 	Arnot 	Hoytville 	11.4 mi 	1883- 	
Bergen County Railroad 	Main Line 	Glen Rock 	East Rutherford 	9.8 mi 	1883- 	
Bergen County Railroad 	Bergen and Dundee Railroad 	Garfield 	Passaic 	1.1 mi 	1885- 	
Columbus and Ohio Railroad 	Columbus and Ohio Railroad 	Columbus 	Niobe 	13.1 mi 	1908- 	
Conesus Lake Railroad 	Conesus Lake Railroad 	Avon 	Lakeville 	1.4 mi 	1882- 	
Docks Connecting Railroad 	Docks Connecting Railroad 	Bergen Tunnel in Jersey City 	New Jersey Junction Railroad in Jersey City 	0.916 mi 	1886- 	
Long Dock Company 	Long Dock Company 	Penhorn Creek in Jersey City 	Docks at Jersey City 	2.882 miles 	1861- 	
Section of New Jersey Junction Railroad 	Section of New Jersey Junction Railroad 	Docks Connecting Railroad in Jersey City 	New York, Lake Erie and Western Docks and Improvement Company in Weehawken	2.06 mi 	1886(?)- 	Presumably leased, as it is the only railroad between the Docks Connecting Railroad and the New York, Lake Erie and Western Docks and Improvement Company.
New York, Lake Erie and Western Docks and Improvement Company	New York, Lake Erie and Western Docks and Improvement Company	New Jersey Junction Railroad in Weehawken	Hudson River 	26.895 mi 	1881- 	Track composed entirely of siding; maximum distance from junction with NJJ is just over half a mile
Elmira State Line Railroad 	Elmira State Line Railroad 	Elmira 	Pennsylvania Line in Pine City 	6.503 mi 	1876- 	
Erie and Black Rock Railroad 	Erie and Black Rock Railroad 	Black Rock Junction in Black Rock 	Docks at Black Rock 	1.455 mi 	1883- 	
Penhorn Creek Railroad 	Penhorn Creek Railroad 	Jersey Avenue in Jersey City 	Seacaucus 	5.422 mi 	1910- 	
West Clarion Railroad 	West Clarion Railroad 	Brockway 	West Clarion 	2.646 mi 	1898-1925 	
Youngstown and Austintown Railroad 	Main Line 	Youngstown 	Austintown 	3.777 mi 	1882- 	Parts constructed by the Youngstown Railroad Company and the Wicks and Wells Railroad
Youngstown and Austintown Railroad 	Manning Branch 	Main Line in Austintown 	Tippecanoe Shaft in Austintown 	6.088 mi 	1882- 	
A map from 1960 shows that the Erie had some control over the former Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railway and the New York Central from Lawrenceville to Newberry Junction, near Williamsport, PA.
==Passenger service==
The Erie Railroad operated a number of named passenger trains, although none were as well-known or successful as others like the Pennsylvania Railroad's Broadway Limited or New York Central Railroad's 20th Century Limited. Some of the Erie's most well known trains included the Erie Limited, Lake Cities, Pacific Express, Atlantic Express, Midlander, Southern Tier Express and Mountain Express. All of these had their western termini in Chicago, except the Mountain Express which terminated in Hornell, in the Southern Tier of New York.
The Erie operated an extensive network of commuter routes in northern New Jersey and the lower Hudson Valley of New York. Most of these routes became part of Conrail along with the rest of Erie Lackawanna's rail operations in 1976. The New Jersey routes are now part of NJ Transit's Hoboken Division, originating and terminating at Hoboken Terminal. The Hudson Valley routes are now part of Metro-North Railroad.
In addition to its steam and diesel services the Erie also operated an electric commuter rail line to its terminal station in Rochester, New York. The station was one of the Erie's few electrified railroad stations, and the railroad became one of the first to provide electric commuter services in 1907.
==Company officers==
*Eleazer Lord (1833–35), (1839–41), (1844–45)
*James Gore King (1835–1839)
*James Bowen (1841–1842)
*William Maxwell (1842–1843)
*Horatio Allen (1843–1844)
*Benjamin Loder (1845–1853)
*Homer Ramsdell (1853–1857)
*Charles Moran (1857–1859)
*Samuel Marsh (1859–1861), (1864)
*Nathaniel Marsh (1861–1864)
*Robert H. Berdell (1864–1867)
*John S. Eldridge (1867–1868)
*Jay Gould (1868–1872)
*John A. Dix (1872)
*Peter H. Watson (1872–1874)
*Hugh J. Jewett (1874–1884)
*John King (1884–1894)
*Eben B. Thomas (1894–1901)
*Frederick Douglas Underwood (1901–1926)
*John Joseph Bernet (1927–1929)
*Charles Eugene Denney (1929–1939)
*Robert Eastman Woodruff (1941–1949)
*Paul W. Johnston (1949–1956)
*Harry W. Von Willer (1956–1960)
==Heritage unit==
As part of the 30th anniversary of Norfolk Southern Railway being formed, NS decided to paint 20 new locomotives into the paint scheme of predecessor railroads. NS #1068, an EMD SD70ACe, was painted into Erie Railroad's green passenger scheme. It was released on May 25, 2012.
==See also==
*List of Erie Railroad locomotives
*List of Erie Railroad structures documented by the Historic American Engineering Record
==Further reading==
*Mott, Edward Harold (1908). Between the Ocean and the Lakes: The Story of Erie. New York: Ticker Publishing Co., 1908.
===Primary sources===
*Scanned issues of the Erie, Lackawanna, and Erie-Lackawanna magazines, primarily for employees
*Erie Railway Tourist, 1874. "The management of the Erie Railway Company presents the Tourist to its patrons, friends, and the general public, in this form, to introduce a more intimate and detailed knowledge of the beauties, advantages, and resources of its line. The route of the Erie Railway is peculiarly rich among American railroads in the variety and extent of its scenery."
==External links==
*Erie page by the Erie Lackawanna Historical Society
*Presidents of the Erie Railroad
Category:Class I Railroads
Category:Erie locomotives
Category:United States
Category:American railroads
Category:Companies
Category:Defunct companies
Category:Railways
Category:Railroads
Category:Defunct Class I Railroads