A Trip on the ‘Erie Limited’ Steam Train
(Scroll down for images and video)
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 #765
2 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, NY
8 IN GREAT NORTHERN DOME CAR PRAIRIE VIEW ON THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’, NORFOLK SOUTHERN BISON YARD, BUFFALO, NY
9 DEPARTING BISON YARD, BUFFALO, NY
10 NORFOLK SOUTHERN INTERMODAL CRANE, BUFFALO, NY
11 ROLLING STOCK AT BISON YARD, BUFFALO, NY
12 DEPARTING BISON YARD, BUFFALO, NY
13 RAILFANS, DEPEW, NY
14 BRIDGE, ALDEN,NY
15 CROSSING TONAWANDA CREEEK, ATTICA, NY
16 SIDING, ATTICA, NY
17 RAILFANS, ATTICA, NY
18 FIELDS, DALE, NY
19 RAILFANS ON A BRIDGE, WARSAW, NY
20 RIDING OVER NORFOLK SOUTHERN’S SOUTHERN TIER LINE
21 RAILFANS, ROCK GLEN, NY
22 RAILFAN ON ROOF OF HOUSE
23 RIDING OVER NORFOLK SOUTHERN’S SOUTHERN TIER LINE
24 STATION, SILVER SPRINGS, NY
25 CASTILLE, NY
26 IN THE DOME APPROACHING PORTAGEVILLE BRIDGE, LETCHWORTH STATE PARK
27 CROSSING PORTAGEVILLE BRIDGE, LETCHWORTH STATE PARK, PORTAGEVILLE, NY
28 CROSSING PORTAGEVILLE BRIDGE, LETCHWORTH STATE PARK, PORTAGEVILLE, NY
29 HORSE
30 LOWER LOUNGE OF NORTHERN PACIFIC DOME CAR STAMPEDE PASS
31 IN THE DOME OF NORTHERN PACIFIC DOME CAR STAMPEDE PASS
32 NEAR DALTON, NY
33 SWAINS SKI AREA
34 NEAR CANSERAGA, NY
35 ARKPORT, NY
36 HORNELL, NY
37 CROSSING A CULVERT, HORNELL, NY
38 HORNELL DEPOT
39 FORMER ERIE RAILROAD ERECTING SHOPS, HORNELL, NY
40 VIEW FROM REAR OF GREAT NORTHERN DOME CAR PRAIRIE VIEW, HORNELL, NY
41 CROSSING A CULVERT, HORNELL, NY
42 NORFOLK SOUTHERN BAY-WINDOW CABOOSE, HORNELL, NY
43 LUNCH ONBOARD THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’
44 SIGNAL MAST, CANISTEO RIVER VALLEY, NY
45 NKP #765 PULLS THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’ THROUGH THE CANISTEO RIVER VALLEY
46 NKP #765 PULLS THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’ THROUGH THE CANISTEO RIVER VALLEY
47 NKP #765 PULLS THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’ THROUGH THE CANISTEO RIVER VALLEY
48 NKP #765 PULLS THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’ THROUGH THE CANISTEO RIVER VALLEY
49 NKP #765 PULLS THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’ THROUGH THE CANISTEO RIVER VALLEY
50 RAILFANS, CANISTEO RIVER VALLEY, NY
51 NKP #765 PULLS THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’ THROUGH THE CANISTEO RIVER VALLEY
52 NKP #765 PULLS THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’ THROUGH THE CANISTEO RIVER VALLEY
53 REMAINS OF ERIE RAILROAD WATER TOWER, ADDISON, NY
54 STATION, ADDISON, NY
55 IN THE GREAT NORTHERN DOME CAR PRAIRIE VIEW, ADDISON, NY
56 APPROACHING CORNING, NY
57 CROSSING THE CANISTEO RIVER, CORNING, NY
58 CORNING, NY
59 CROSSING A CREEK, CORNING, NY
60 PASSING OLD RAILROAD RIGHT OF WAY, CORNING, NY
61 DEPOT, CORNING, NY
62 NKP #765 PULLS THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’ FORWARD THROUGH THE WYE AT CORNING, NY
63 LOWER LOUNGE OF GREAT NORTHERN DOME CAR PRAIRIE VIEW
64 BACKING THROUGH THE WYE AT CORNING, NY
65 COAL TRUCK THAT WILL REFUEL NKP#765
66 IN THE LOUNGE OF SEABOARD AIR LINE SLEEPER-LOUNGE HOLLYWOOD BEACH, CORNING, NY
67 BEDROOM ON BOARD PULLMAN SLEEPER-BUFFET-LOUNGE DOVER HARBOR
68 LOUNGE ON BOARD PULLMAN SLEEPER-BUFFET-LOUNGE DOVER HARBOR
69 VIEW FROM REAR VESTIBULE OF DOVER HARBOR
70 ON BOARD THE ‘ERIE LIMITED’, LEAVING CORNING, NY, ON RETURN TRIP
71 CROSSING THE CANISTEO RIVER, CORNING, NY
72 NORFOLK SOUTHERN GP38-2 #5254, NORFOLK SOUTHERN SHOPS, CORNING NY
73 NORFOLK SOUTHERN SD40-2 #3491, NORFOLK SOUTHERN SHOPS, CORNING NY
74 PERSON IN CHERRY PICKER WATCHING OUR TRAIN, CORNING, NY
75 ADDISON, NY
76 CONRAIL TRAIL VANS, HORNELL, NY
77 CROSSING PORTAGEVILLE BRIDGE, LETCHWORTH STATE PARK, PORTAGEVILLE, NY
78 RAILFANS PORTAGEVILLE, NY
79 RIDING OVER NORFOLK SOUTHERN’S SOUTHERN TIER LINE
80 MEET WITH A FREIGHT LED BY NORFOLK SOUTHERN SD70M-2 #2649
81 RAILFANS, DALE, NY
82 RAILFANS, LINDEN, NY
83 STATION, ATTICA, NY
84 VINTAGE CAR, GRISWOLDS, NY
85 STATION, DARIEN CENTRE, NY
86 PASSING A QUARRY, APPROACHING BUFFALO, NY
87 SEABOARD AIR LINE SLEEPER-LOUNGE HOLLYWOOD BEACH, AFTER ARRIVAL AT BUFFALO, NY
88 PULLMAN SLEEPER-BUFFET-LOUNGE DOVER HARBOR AFTER ARRIVAL AT BUFFALO, NY
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