Photo from Alco Historic Photos Collection
Erie Mogul 254, built by Danforth Cooke of Paterson, N.J.
in 1865, was notable as an example of the Erie's early venture
into powerful Mogul-type power. As described by John H. White,
Jr. in his American Locomotives: An Engineering History,
1830-1880, "(a)side from its wheel arrangement, the most
notable feature of the 254 is its boiler. It was built on Milholland's
plan for anthracite burning" with a large firebox and watertube
grate. The 250-class of 35-1/2 ton 2-6-Os were a great success
in moving the Erie's ponderous broad-gauge freight trains. Observes
White, "the Erie showed good sense by not only purchasing the
most advanced type of coal-burning locomotive but also adopting
the most progressive design available."
The ERIE Goes 'Standard'
by Richard Palmer
INTRODUCTION
Most railroad historians are aware
of the fact that the Erie Railway was originally built to six-foot
gauge, and it has been chronicled many times in various histories.
But very little is said of the effort made to standard-gauge
the system.
For a period of years starting in the late 1860s, a third rail
was gradually laid the length of the system to accommodate standard-gauge
rolling stock and to permit interchange with other railroads.
The Lehigh Valley Railroad advanced the money to the Erie to
lay a third rail west from Waverly, N.Y. so it could run standard-gauge
coal trains to Buffalo. The LV continued this arrangement until
it built its own mainline from Sayre, Pa., near Waverly, to
Buffalo.
But after awhile, this became a cumbersome operation and a
nightmare, requiring sometimes novel methods of coping with
peculiar situations. For instance, locornotives had to have
offset couplers to handle both wide and standard-gauge cars.
Dual-gauge yards became tangled nightmares when snow covered
the tracks.
For this sort of information, we have to turn to the yellowed
pages of local newspapers for the fascinating details of how
the massive slimming of rails was accomplished. Months of preparation
went into this, and what a relief it was when the project was
completed. Following are two rare articles rich in detail outlining
the change-of-gauge operation. By 1882, most of the Erie had
been standard-gauged, something unparalleled in railroad history
to that time. It almost bankrupted the already financially-ailing
Erie because it also necessitated the standard-gauging of thousands
of pieces of rolling stock, including locomotives, coaches and
freight equipment.
Most of the rolling stock conversion took place at company
shops such as Susquehanna, Pa. and Hornell, N.Y., while some
was done at smaller facilities for convenience.
Cattaraugus Republican, Salamanca, N.Y., Thursday, June
24, 1880:
The Erie Narrowed Standard Gauge--A Day Without A Railroad
Train--Waiting Passengers--Quick Work--An Ovation--Again On
Time</p>
Never was the enterprise and push characteristic of our age
more fully exemplified than in narrowing the gauge of the Erie
last Tuesday. For the last few weeks extra gangs of men had
been busily at work preparing the track and switches for the
change, and getting everything in readiness for the moment when
the order should be given to move one rail fifteen and a half
inches nearer the other.
Moving the rail, however, did not constitute the greatest amount
of work to be done. The handling of the vast amount of rolling
stock was one of the largest jobs in connection with the work.
Monday morning the yards all along the division were full of
broad gauge cars, and these had to be sent to Hornellsvile on
that day. During the day 300 cars were shipped out of Salamanca,
and at night the yard on the Erie side looked desolate and deserted.
The old switch engines, 304, 36 and 73, which had so long pulled
in and out on the labyrinth of switches, were likewise sent
away. As these old switch engines left the yard the Atlantic
(and Great Western) engines and engines in the shops gave them
a parting salute. The departing locomotives gave a long good-bye
blast, which had in it some little tinge of sadness, and the
whistles which had become familiar to all were heard for the
last time on the Reservation. At 6 o'clock Monday evening there
were but three broad gauge cars in the Erie yard -- the tool
car and two gondolas, which were to be narrow-gauged here.
The passenger trains ran regular Monday forenoon, but in the
afternoon there was a general abandonment after train 9 had
passed over the road. The last broad gauge train over the road
was a wildcat from Dunkirk to Hornellsville, run by conductor
Kimball, and passed Salamanca at 9:30 P.M.
Monday night was a remarkable one in the history of the Erie
road. After Kimball's "wildcat" reached Hornellsville, the shriek
of no engine broke the stillness between Dunkirk and Hornellsville.
The moon shone down upon a stretch of 198 miles of track upon
which stood not a single car. Excepting a few cars in the shops
at Salamanca, there was not a car on the Western division from
12 M until 9 o'clock on Tuesday morning.
The work of moving the rail began at 4:30 Tuesday morning,
and at 8 A.M. intelligence was flashed over the wires to Superintendent
Beggs that the work was completed on the main line. About 800
men were employed in the great enterprise, which was carried
through without accident in just three hours and a half from
the time the first spike was pulled. The Little Valley section
was first to report its work finished. In just two hours from
the time of beginning Foreman Carroll sent in his report that
his section was ready for the narrow gauge trains. Track Foreman
Wyman telegraphed to Superintendent Beggs that the Salamanca
section was ready at 7:30. A number of sections were completed
at almost the same moment.
Shortly after the news that the line was reduced to standard
gauge, an inspection train, with Wm. Wilcox as conductor and
containing Division Superintendent Beggs and other railroad
officials was started out of Dunkirk. The train was pulled by
an engine from the Dunkirk & Allegany Valley Railroad, "The
Conewango, No. 3"--with engineer Tibbits at the throttle. The
engine and cars were decorated with flags and the train was
greeted with continuous ovation as it passed over the road.
As it reached Salamanca, at 11:45, there was such a screeching
of engines as is seldom heard. The "wildcat" inspection train
proceeded to Olean where it was met by a similar train from
Hornellsville. The Dunkirk train returned to Salamanca and was
closely followed by the Homellsville inspection train, under
the direction of Conductor Langworthy. The train was pulled
by engine 574 and reached here at 2:30 P.M. and was greeted
with an enthusiastic reception. M.W. Coburn, one of the most
reliable engineers on the road, has the distinction of driving
the first Erie engine over the narrow gauge track. Engine 574
is nearly new, having been used on the Buffalo Division for
a few weeks. It is a 60 ton Mogul, built at the Grant Locomotive
Works at Paterson.
The inspection trains having passed over the road, the track
was pronounced in good condition, and train three was dispatched
from Homellsville as "wildcat." The train, run by Conductor
Martin, came into Salarnanca at 2:50 P.M., being about three
hours behind its regular time. David Cary, one of the oldest
men on the line, pulled the train with engine No. 57. Thus with
comparatively little inconvenience to the traveling public the
Erie was reduced to standard gauge, and again the trains are
speeding over the road nearly on time.
Notes
The gauge of the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad
between Leavittsburg, Pa., and Dayton, Ohio, was changed Tuesday
from broad to standard. Two thousand five hundred men were placed
along the line from Dayton to Leavittsburg, 325 miles. The work
began at 3 a.m. and ended at 9 a.m. the shortest piece of work
of this kind on record.
The trains on the Eastern Division of the NYP&O, with few
exceptions, ran on about their usual time Monday and Tuesday.
Twenty new consolidated 60-ton moguls from the Grant Locomotive
Works are to pull the freight on the westem division of the
Erie. Their power seems almost limitless, and the boys say they
will draw everything that can be hitched to them. One of them
took about eighty log fed cars out of Salamanca yesterday morning.
On Monday a special order was issued by Superintendent Beggs,
enjoining engineers and conductors to use the utmost care in
running trains. The order was faithfully obeyed and the great
amount of rolling stock moved to the east terminus of the division
without delay or accident. The same care was enjoined and complied
with in moving the train after the road had been reduced to
standard gauge.
About 70 cars have been narrow gauged at the Erie shops since
the 15th of May. They are stamped "N.G. Salamanca, May (or June)
1880." "N.G." doesn't always stand for "no good."
The new bob-tail switch engine No. 515, to be used in the yard
here, reached Salamanca Tuesday. Two more of the same pattern
are expected to do the same work by the old switch engines.
Train 12 on the N.Y. P.& 0. came into Salamanca Tuesday
with narrow gauge coaches.
1,600 cars from the N.Y.P.& 0. road were sent east over
the Erie between Monday and Monday night.
Since the "embargo has been raised," freight traffic has been
lively.
Photo from Collection of Henry Libby, NRHS
The Erie built this wide-gauge American type, First No.
164 George G. Barnard, at Dunkirk, N.Y in 1868, sporting
66-inch diameter driving wheels. Note the wood piled high in
the tender.
