LOOKING TO MODEL A 3-RAIL POST 1970 ERIE LACKAWANNA E-8 LED FREIGHT TRAIN AND I NEED ROLLING STOCK SUGGESTIONS?

I was born in 1947, and lived in Hoboken for most of my early life, and model the Lackawanna, and Erie Lackawanna. I checked some of my photos from Secaucus yard and Hoboken, and it was really a time of transition. Still some boxcars with full length ladders. Best to look at the built (Blt) date on cars. I just picked up a TOFC car, which was built in 1956, and still carrying trailers in the ‘70’s according to the E-L Freight and Passenger Color Guide. The freights carried most of the Eastern roads, but cars from anywhere could show up.

Hi Chas,

I like your approach. Here are a few suggestions:  a green Penn Central box car, a TOFC from any eastern road, a Canadian National box, A Canadian Pacific "Pac-Man box (newsprint from Canada), a N&W  box (a nod to the Dereco mother ship), an N&W or B&O hopper of soft coal (most northern industrial boilers ran on soft coal),  an EL open or cylindrical  hopper or box car, a Santa Fe covered hopper,  a New York Central box, a yellow D&H box or a red or grey covered hopper, an Erie or DLW gondola  (some were still in old paint), maybe even an N&W caboose! A former Erie repainted EL bay window caboose would be most common, especially in the west where the E8 were more common on freights  (Me? I'd have a  EL painted Dunmore or Keyser hack).    

How about a high and wide load (but not too big in a regular consist)? 

Look into any of the many colorful Morning Sun Books featuring the EL.   

Are you modelling the west end or the east end? The consists vary on either side of Meadville or even Binghamton.    

I like to create EL power consists too, especially with a mix of different models of EMD, Alco and even FM power.  I like to elicit reactions to my mix from visitors to our club layout. It always starts a nice conversation.  

Have fun!

Earl  

Hi Chas, as Earl pointed out, the former Erie and Lackawanna paint lasted quite awhile into the merger. Also ( if you’re going very prototypical),the E8s by this time had lost most of their portholes. I choose to run whatever I want on my layout, and that includes everything from Lackawanna Hudson’s, to well E-L diesels (but nothing beyond the 60’s-I liked those portholes!). I was fortunate to ride the “name” trains; Phoebe Snow, Twilight, the Owl, quite often from Hoboken to Stroudsburg, as I had an aunt and uncle who lived in what then was a very rural Tannersville. Now, I fortunately live only about 20 minutes from Steamtown in Scranton. Good luck!

Artie

Hi, Earl, I just realized you and I know each other, as I also bought  a Lackawanna Trainmaster from you a few years back, and we have a mutual friend in Tom, who also lives in Greentown! We’ve often talked trains at his annual “picnic”! 

Artie

Hi Artie, 

I remember you and our connections.  I really liked the EL E8s after they had their portholes closed up. It gave them a super sleek look.  I had hoped that Sunset/3rd rail was going to follow their plans to produce them in that manner  a couple of years ago.  But alas, when mine arrived, there were the portholes. I never received any notice about the change. I must admit the E's are beautiful and run like a clock, so I am pleased with them.     

Earl

Earl, I’m running the Lionel Phoebe Snow outfit from 1999. I pieced the set together in the last year or so, but I’m still searching for the Railsounds “B”  unit. I have an REA Railsounds boxcar filling in for behind the two “A” units. I just picked up a 53’6” piggyback flat with scale trailer from Grzyboski’s for E-L, that matches perfectly with prototype photos. (Although I mostly run Lionel that is more post war, and not scale, I couldn’t resist)!

Artie

Artie,

Contact me via my email. It is in my profile. We can talk Lackawanna.

Earl

I thought the E's were used in C/TOFC trains 

@Chas posted:

In addition to pulling passenger varnish, I need some suggestions for a 10 piece rolling stock consist (not including the caboose).  Since I would like to only put 10 cars together I would like nothing in duplicate such as 3 coal hoppers with different road numbers.  If Erie Lackawanna pulled freight from other railroads, I would be open to adding something else cool in the consist also.  Please include any pictures, product numbers, or video links.

Thanks,

Chas  

Chas, Let's do this the easy way.  What industries are on your layout and what products would they receive and ship by rail?  Find the origins of the inbound product and pick a railroad serving that area.  While you may not need that particular railroad's rolling stock today, if you expand and have a spur or two those cars could be spotted. at the business.  John