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Re: (erielack) Marion and environs
Thanks, Mike for helping clear this up. You are correct about the line from Marion to Lima. My mistake. Although acquired by Conrail, it was never used for any but the mentioned train movements. Ownership of that now trackless real estate has ended up with CSX. A local park conservancy group has been negotiating with CSX for about 2 years now trying to acquire this property for conversion to a hiking/bike trail. The city of Marion has already acquired property at the west end of the old Marion yards which would serve as a parking area and the gateway to the proposed Phoebe Snow Trail. (I personally would rather have seen it named The Erie Limited Trail but......oh well). Mike, can you comment on the motivation of Conrail's acquistion of this property? Was it to block a possible connection by the N&W or Chessie from Lima to Marion? Since we interchanged with both railroads at both locations, this could have worked if that was the intent. Comments? Thanks again for the correction and additional information.
Rich Tubbs
Marion, OH
ELHS Subscriber #1226 (a GP7)
Former EL Tower Operator
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~tubbs/ErieLackawanna/
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Connor" <mjconnor_rr_@_hotmail.com>
To: <rtubbs_@_acc-net.com>; <paultup@lucent.com>
Cc: <Mdye_@_inairaviation.com>; <erielack@lists.railfan.net>
Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 2004 8:56 PM
Subject: RE: (erielack) Marion and environs
> Rich - The disposition of the Marion Division is a bit more complex than you
> indicate. Conrail acquired from the EL Estate the line from Marion to just
> west of Lima, a segment of line at Decatur, and some of the Chicago Terminal
> property (51st Street IIRC). Most of these were later abandoned under the
> various NERSA "easy abandonment" procedures but there acquisition by CR did
> serve to make the attempt to create a profitable railroad out of the Marion
> Division a doomed effort as key traffic points had been cherry-picked away.
> The latest change in the disposition of the Marion Division is the segment
> at Decatur IN which is now operated by the Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern
> which acquired it from CSXT, IIRC.
> CR also operated as an LDL, IIRC, some more portions of the EL but
> they ultimately became the SPEG and the Erie Western. The Marion Division
> was (and today even more so)an ideal fit with the C&O and even, arguably,
> the N&W but industry leaders then operated on the theory that today's
> traffic level was the most we will ever carry so new capacity is not needed.
> Today we all pay the price for their shortsightedness and that of the ICC
> as a co-conspirator. M J Connor
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