On August 1-2 2015, a steam-powered excursion train known as the ‘Erie Limited‘ operated on a 1-day 250-mile round-trip rare-mileage excursion between Buffalo and Corning, New York over a portion of the former Erie Railroad (now Norfolk Southern’s freight-only Southern Tier) mainline. This was a special train consisting of Nickel Plate Steam locomotive #765 and several privately owned railway cars. The train ran on the former Erie Railroad from Buffalo to Corning, NY via Hornell where a stop was made for train staff to pick up catered lunches for passengers on board the train.
Motive power consisted of ex-Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 type steam locomotive #765, built by Lima Locomotive works in 1944, with a tractive effort of 64,135 lbs. The last time the 765 operated over this route was over 20 years ago.
The route of the Erie Limited was a scenic one, with the train departing Norfolk Southern’s Bison Yard in Buffalo, NY, crossing the incredible Portageville Bridge over the Genesee River Gorge in Letchworth State Park, through the town of Hornell, and rolling along the beautiful Canisteo River Valley before reaching Corning, NY where passengers had the option to take a bus ride to visit the Corning Museum of Glass .
The service & scenery on the Erie Limited were second to none, all while being able to enjoy the special treat of a long-distance mainline steam excursion.
1 THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’ ARRIVES IN DEPEW, LED BY NKP #7652 NORFOLK SOUTHERN COACH #43 ON THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’3 PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD PARLOUR CAR PAUL REVERE ON THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’4 WABASH DOME CAR JACKSON SQUARE ON THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’5 GREAT NORTHERN DOME CAR PRAIRIE VIEW ON THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’6 PULLMAN SLEEPER-BUFFET-LOUNGE DOVER HARBOR BRINGING UP THE MARKERS ON THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’7 NICKEL PLATE ROAD 2-8-4 BERKSHIRE CLASS STEAM LOCOMOTIVE #765 ON THE POINT OF THE ERIE LIMITED, BUFFALO, NY8 IN GREAT NORTHERN DOME CAR PRAIRIE VIEW ON THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’, NORFOLK SOUTHERN BISON YARD, BUFFALO, NY9 DEPARTING BISON YARD, BUFFALO, NY10 NORFOLK SOUTHERN INTERMODAL CRANE, BUFFALO, NY11 ROLLING STOCK AT BISON YARD, BUFFALO, NY12 DEPARTING BISON YARD, BUFFALO, NY13 RAILFANS, DEPEW, NY14 BRIDGE, ALDEN,NY15 CROSSING TONAWANDA CREEEK, ATTICA, NY16 SIDING, ATTICA, NY17 RAILFANS, ATTICA, NY18 FIELDS, DALE, NY19 RAILFANS ON A BRIDGE, WARSAW, NY20 RIDING OVER NORFOLK SOUTHERN’S SOUTHERN TIER LINE21 RAILFANS, ROCK GLEN, NY22 RAILFAN ON ROOF OF HOUSE23 RIDING OVER NORFOLK SOUTHERN’S SOUTHERN TIER LINE24 STATION, SILVER SPRINGS, NY25 CASTILLE, NY26 IN THE DOME APPROACHING PORTAGEVILLE BRIDGE, LETCHWORTH STATE PARK27 CROSSING PORTAGEVILLE BRIDGE, LETCHWORTH STATE PARK, PORTAGEVILLE, NY28 CROSSING PORTAGEVILLE BRIDGE, LETCHWORTH STATE PARK, PORTAGEVILLE, NY29 HORSE30 LOWER LOUNGE OF NORTHERN PACIFIC DOME CAR STAMPEDE PASS31 IN THE DOME OF NORTHERN PACIFIC DOME CAR STAMPEDE PASS32 NEAR DALTON, NY33 SWAINS SKI AREA34 NEAR CANSERAGA, NY35 ARKPORT, NY36 HORNELL, NY37 CROSSING A CULVERT, HORNELL, NY38 HORNELL DEPOT39 FORMER ERIE RAILROAD ERECTING SHOPS, HORNELL, NY40 VIEW FROM REAR OF GREAT NORTHERN DOME CAR PRAIRIE VIEW, HORNELL, NY41 CROSSING A CULVERT, HORNELL, NY42 NORFOLK SOUTHERN BAY-WINDOW CABOOSE, HORNELL, NY43 LUNCH ONBOARD THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’44 SIGNAL MAST, CANISTEO RIVER VALLEY, NY45 NKP #765 PULLS THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’ THROUGH THE CANISTEO RIVER VALLEY46 NKP #765 PULLS THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’ THROUGH THE CANISTEO RIVER VALLEY47 NKP #765 PULLS THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’ THROUGH THE CANISTEO RIVER VALLEY48 NKP #765 PULLS THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’ THROUGH THE CANISTEO RIVER VALLEY49 NKP #765 PULLS THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’ THROUGH THE CANISTEO RIVER VALLEY50 RAILFANS, CANISTEO RIVER VALLEY, NY51 NKP #765 PULLS THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’ THROUGH THE CANISTEO RIVER VALLEY52 NKP #765 PULLS THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’ THROUGH THE CANISTEO RIVER VALLEY53 REMAINS OF ERIE RAILROAD WATER TOWER, ADDISON, NY54 STATION, ADDISON, NY55 IN THE GREAT NORTHERN DOME CAR PRAIRIE VIEW, ADDISON, NY56 APPROACHING CORNING, NY57 CROSSING THE CANISTEO RIVER, CORNING, NY58 CORNING, NY59 CROSSING A CREEK, CORNING, NY60 PASSING OLD RAILROAD RIGHT OF WAY, CORNING, NY61 DEPOT, CORNING, NY62 NKP #765 PULLS THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’ FORWARD THROUGH THE WYE AT CORNING, NY63 LOWER LOUNGE OF GREAT NORTHERN DOME CAR PRAIRIE VIEW64 BACKING THROUGH THE WYE AT CORNING, NY65 COAL TRUCK THAT WILL REFUEL NKP#76566 IN THE LOUNGE OF SEABOARD AIR LINE SLEEPER-LOUNGE HOLLYWOOD BEACH, CORNING, NY67 BEDROOM ON BOARD PULLMAN SLEEPER-BUFFET-LOUNGE DOVER HARBOR68 LOUNGE ON BOARD PULLMAN SLEEPER-BUFFET-LOUNGE DOVER HARBOR69 VIEW FROM REAR VESTIBULE OF DOVER HARBOR70 ON BOARD THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’, LEAVING CORNING, NY, ON RETURN TRIP71 CROSSING THE CANISTEO RIVER, CORNING, NY72 NORFOLK SOUTHERN GP38-2 #5254, NORFOLK SOUTHERN SHOPS, CORNING NY73 NORFOLK SOUTHERN SD40-2 #3491, NORFOLK SOUTHERN SHOPS, CORNING NY74 PERSON IN CHERRY PICKER WATCHING OUR TRAIN, CORNING, NY75 ADDISON, NY76 CONRAIL TRAIL VANS, HORNELL, NY77 CROSSING PORTAGEVILLE BRIDGE, LETCHWORTH STATE PARK, PORTAGEVILLE, NY78 RAILFANS PORTAGEVILLE, NY79 RIDING OVER NORFOLK SOUTHERN’S SOUTHERN TIER LINE80 MEET WITH A FREIGHT LED BY NORFOLK SOUTHERN SD70M-2 #264981 RAILFANS, DALE, NY82 RAILFANS, LINDEN, NY83 STATION, ATTICA, NY84 VINTAGE CAR, GRISWOLDS, NY85 STATION, DARIEN CENTRE, NY86 PASSING A QUARRY, APPROACHING BUFFALO, NY87 SEABOARD AIR LINE SLEEPER-LOUNGE HOLLYWOOD BEACH, AFTER ARRIVAL AT BUFFALO, NY88 PULLMAN SLEEPER-BUFFET-LOUNGE DOVER HARBOR AFTER ARRIVAL AT BUFFALO, NY
