W&LE Old Logo Question

I just had a coil car in our plant with this. Built date on the car was 12/93  it looked to have had the original paint. 

Thanks!  I wonder if it pre-dates 1990, though.  Was hoping it would.

FrankM posted:

I just had a coil car in our plant with this. Built date on the car was 12/93  it looked to have had the original paint. 

The font, ampersand and periods after the letters are all different on this car than the graphic in the first post.  Even the second outline is missing.

I just went through Corns' book, The Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway, Vol. 1 and, unfortunately, there are no pictures that show that logo. Most of the photos are of locomotives or rolling stock and they are all lettered with some variation of W & L E. The only logo depicted is the circular, "The Wheeling Way".

645 posted:

Fridge56Vet posted:

Thanks!  I wonder if it pre-dates 1990, though.  Was hoping it would.

Today's W&LE came into being in 1990. Prior to that it was a "paper subsidiary" of Nickel Plate Road then Norfolk & Western which became Norfolk Southern. In 1989 NS dissolved the W&LE and in 1990 when it was spun off to investors the W&LE name was revived.

For more read this:  http://www.wlerwy.com/index.php/history/

So technically the W&LE existed prior to 1990 but not with the logo you are asking about - think they only used 'W&LE' initials or spelled the name out if equipment even got W&LE markings - at least for locomotives.

The W&LE wasn't just a paper subsidiary, but very much its own line before being leased by the Nickel Plate Road in 1949.  It's the pre-war years I was wondering about.  Possibly even pre-1900, though I'm not sure it would've have been known by that name at that time given its mottled history. 

Fridge56Vet posted:

The W&LE wasn't just a paper subsidiary, but very much its own line before being leased by the Nickel Plate Road in 1949.  It's the pre-war years I was wondering about.  Possibly even pre-1900, though I'm not sure it would've have been known by that name at that time given its mottled history. 

The Wheeling & Lake Erie was incorporated in 1871; originally the line was narrow gauge, with operations beginning in 1877. In 1880 Jay Gould bought the line, and standard-gauge operations began again under the W&LE name in 1882.

I sent the logo to a photographer/railfan friend of mine who has researched the W&LE quite a bit . He thinks it is an early logo. Has a photo of it on a caboose.

Would love to see that. My own limited research shows that no logos at all were used on cabooses or freight cars.

jim pastorius posted:

I sent the logo to a photographer/railfan friend of mine who has researched the W&LE quite a bit . He thinks it is an early logo. Has a photo of it on a caboose.

Awesome!  I would LOVE to see that.  Thank you!

I will ask him to send it to me or you !  The first part of his e mail address is "wle".

jim pastorius posted:

I will ask him to send it to me or you !  The first part of his e mail address is "wle".

Thanks! 

- Neal