View source for Erie Railroad

{{short description|Former railroad that operated in the northeastern United States}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=March 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox rail
|railroad_name = Erie Railroad
|logo_filename = Erie Herald.png
|logo_size = 100
|system_map = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=290|frame-height=200|type=line
               |from=Erie Railroad.map
               |from2=Newburgh Branch.map
               |from3=Graham Line.map
               |from4=Paterson and Ramapo Railroad.map
               |from5=Paterson and Hudson River Railroad.map
               |from7=Atlantic and Great Western Railroad.map
               |from8=Buffalo and Jamestown Railroad.map
               |from9=Chicago and Atlantic Railway.map
               |from10=Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad.map
               |from11=New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway (pre-1976).map
               |from12=Erie Terminals Railroad.map
               |from13=Wallkill Valley Railroad.map
               |from14=New York and Greenwood Lake Railroad.map
               |from15=Paterson and Newark Railroad.map
               |from16=New Jersey and New York Railroad.map
               |from17=Jefferson Railroad.map
               |from18=Attica and Buffalo Rail-Road.map
               |from19=Canandaigua and Niagara Falls Railroad.map
               |from20=Canandaigua and Elmira Railroad.map
               |from21=Lodi Branch Railroad.map
               |from22=Hackensack and New York Railroad.map
               |from23=Cleveland and Mahoning Valley Railway.map
               |from24=Atlantic and Great Western Railroad (Canal Branch).map
               |from25=Middletown, Unionville and Water Gap Railroad.map
               |from26=New Jersey Midland Railway.map
               |from27=Wilkes-Barre and Eastern Railroad.map
}}
|map_size = 300px
|map_caption = A map of Erie Railroad's rail lines
|image = 
|image_caption = 
|founders=
|marks = ERIE
|locale = [[New Jersey]]<br />[[Pennsylvania]]<br />[[New York (state)|New York]]<br />[[Ohio]]<br />[[Indiana]]<br />[[Illinois]]
{{Infobox | decat = yes | child = yes
    | title = 
    | label2= Founder
    | data2 =[[Eleazar Lord]]
   }}
|start_year = 1832
|end_year = 1960
|successor_line = [[Erie Lackawanna Railway]]
|gauge= {{Track gauge|56.5in|allk=on}}
|old_gauge = {{Track gauge|6ft|lk=on}} gauge
|length = {{convert|2316|mi|abbr=off|sp=us}}
|hq_city = [[New York City]], U.S. (1832–1931)<br />[[Cleveland]], Ohio, U.S. (1931–60)}}

The '''Erie Railroad''' {{reporting mark|ERIE}} was a [[railroad]] that operated in the [[Northeastern United States]], originally connecting [[Pavonia Terminal]] in [[Jersey City, New Jersey]], with [[Lake Erie]] at [[Dunkirk, New York]]. The railroad expanded west to [[Chicago]] following its 1865 merger with the former [[Atlantic and Great Western Railroad]], also known as the [[New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio Railroad]] (NYPANO RR).

The mainline route of the Erie Railroad proved influential in the development and economic growth of the [[Southern Tier]] of [[New York (state)|New York state]], including the cities of [[Binghamton, New York|Binghamton]], [[Elmira, New York|Elmira]], and [[Hornell, New York|Hornell]]. The Erie Railroad repair shops were located in Hornell and was Hornell's largest employer. Hornell was also where Erie's mainline split into two routes with one proceeding northwest to [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] and the other west to Chicago.

On October 17, 1960, Erie Railroad merged with its former rival, [[Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad]], to form the [[Erie Lackawanna Railway]]. The Hornell repair shops were closed in 1976, when [[Conrail]] took over, and repair operations moved to the Lackawanna's facility in [[Scranton, Pennsylvania]]. Some of the former Erie line between Hornell and [[Binghamton, New York|Binghamton]] was damaged in 1972 by [[Hurricane Agnes]], but the damage was quickly repaired and today this line is a key link in the [[Norfolk Southern Railway]]'s Southern Tier mainline. What was left of the Erie Lackawanna became part of Conrail in 1976.<ref name=drury/> In 1983, remnants of the Erie Railroad became part of [[New Jersey Transit rail operations]], including parts of its [[Main Line (New Jersey Transit)|Main Line]], and most of the surviving Erie Railroad routes are now operated by the [[Norfolk Southern Railway]].

== History ==
=== New York and Erie Railroad: 1832–1861 ===
[[File:1834 Erie.jpg|thumb|Erie Railroad's 1834 rail line plan]]
[[File:1855 Erie.jpg|thumb|An 1855 map of the New York and Erie Railroad]]
The '''New York and Erie Rail Road''' was chartered on April 24, 1832, by [[Governor of New York|New York governor]] [[Enos T. Throop]] to connect the [[Hudson River]] at [[Piermont, New York|Piermont]], north of [[New York City]], west to [[Lake Erie]] at [[Dunkirk, New York|Dunkirk]]. On February 16, 1841, the railroad was authorized to cross into the northeast corner of [[Pennsylvania]] on the west side of the [[Delaware River]], a few miles west of Port Jervis, NY, as the east side was already occupied by the [[Delaware and Hudson Canal]] to a point several miles west of Lackawaxen, PA. Construction began in 1836 and was opened in sections until reaching the full length to Dunkirk on May 19, 1851. At Dunkirk, [[steamboat]]s continued across [[Lake Erie]] to [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]]. The line crossed the Kittatinny Mountains at 870 feet.

When the route was completed in May, 1851, President [[Millard Fillmore]] and several members of his cabinet, including Secretary of State [[Daniel Webster]], made a special, two-day excursion run to open the railway. It is reported that Webster viewed the entire run from a rocking chair attached to a flatcar, with a steamer rug and jug of high-quality [[Medford, Massachusetts|Medford]] [[rum]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Stover|first=John F.|date=1995|title=History of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad|publisher=Purdue University Press|page=74|isbn=9781557530660}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Stover|first=John F.|date=1999|title=The Routledge Historical Atlas of the American Railroads|publisher=Psychology Press|page=70|isbn=9780415921404}}</ref> At stops, he would step off the flatcar and give speeches.

The line was built at {{Track gauge|6ft|lk=on}} [[Broad-gauge railway|wide gauge]]; this was believed to be a superior technology to standard gauge, providing more stability.

In 1848, the railroad built the [[Starrucca Viaduct]], a stone railroad bridge over [[Starrucca Creek]] in [[Lanesboro, Pennsylvania]], which has survived and is still in use today. In fact, current owner [[Central New York Railroad]] spent $3.2 million in 2021 centering its single remaining track, re-[[Track ballast|ballasting]] and repairing masonry. The viaduct is {{convert|1040|ft|m|0}} long, {{convert|100|ft|m|1}} high and {{convert|25|ft|m|1}} wide at the top. It is the oldest stone rail bridge in [[Pennsylvania]] still in use.

As stated in the introduction, the shops in [[Hornell, New York]] were the largest on the Erie system beginning in the late 1920s, processing about 350 locomotives per year with "classified" (heavy) repairs. However, the first major repair facilities were built in [[Susquehanna, Pennsylvania]] in 1848, which were enlarged in 1863 to employ 700 workers. The primary car shops were located in [[Meadville, Pennsylvania]] in the western part of the state, employing 3,500 in 1912.<ref>Starr, Timothy. (2022). The Back Shop Illustrated, Vol. 1.</ref>

===Erie Railway: 1861–1878===
[[File:NutleyTracks.JPG|thumb|Former Erie Railroad tracks pass through [[Nutley, New Jersey]]; the track on the left is out of service]]
[[File:NutleyRailSwitch.JPG|thumb|The railway switch in Nutley, New Jersey]]
In August 1859, the company went into [[receivership]] due to inability to make payments on the debts incurred for the large costs of building, and, on June 25, 1861, it was reorganized as the Erie Railway. This was the first [[bankruptcy]] of a major [[Trunk line (railway)|trunk line]] in the U.S.

In the [[Erie War]] of the 1860s, four well-known financiers struggled for control of the company; [[Cornelius Vanderbilt]] versus [[Daniel Drew]], [[James Fisk (financier)|James Fisk]] and [[Jay Gould]]. Gould ultimately triumphed in this struggle, but was forced to relinquish control in 1872–73 due to unfavorable public opinion following his involvement in the 1869 [[Black Friday (1869)|gold-rigging scandal]] and to his loss of $1 million of Erie Railroad stock to the British con-man [[Lord Gordon-Gordon]]. Investors in the railroad were also weary of Gould's financial wars with Vanderbilt that caused wild stock price fluctuations and operating losses from rate battles. Upon leaving the Erie he managed to take $4 million, which he claimed was the railroad's "debt" to him.<ref>Halstead, Murat. Life of James Gould. 1892.</ref><ref>Starr, Timothy. Railroad Wars of New York State. The History Press, 2012.</ref>

In 1869, the railroad moved its main shop facilities from Dunkirk to [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]. Rather than demolishing the shops in Dunkirk, the facility was leased to [[Horatio G. Brooks]], the former chief engineer of the NY&E who was at the controls of the first train into Dunkirk in 1851.<ref>Dunkirk Evening Observer. "Brooks Locomotive Works History. Nov. 1, 1939 ed.</ref> Horatio Brooks used the facilities to begin [[Brooks Locomotive Works]], which remained in independent business until 1901 when it was merged with seven other locomotive manufacturing firms to create [[American Locomotive Company|ALCO]]. ALCO continued new locomotive production at this facility until 1934, then closed the plant completely in 1962.

The cost of [[Break bulk cargo|breaking bulk cargo]] in order to interchange with [[standard gauge]] lines led the Erie to introduce a line of cars designed to operate on both broad gauge and standard gauge [[Bogie|trucks]].<ref>The Erie Railway Report, [https://books.google.com/books?id=6uo6AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA422 The Railroad Gazette], Jan. 6, 1872; page 422.  See final two paragraphs, column 2.</ref>  Beginning in 1871, the railroad interchanged traffic by means of [[Bogie exchange|truck exchange]], including through passenger and freight connections to [[St. Louis]], Missouri, using a Nutter car hoist in [[Urbana, Ohio]].<ref>L. U. Reavis, St. Louis, Vandalia, Terre Haute, and Indianapolis R. R., [https://books.google.com/books?id=tU9KAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA58 The Railway and River Systems of St. Louis], Woodward, Tiernan and Hale, St. Louis, 1879; page 58.</ref><ref>The Urbana Hoist, [https://books.google.com/books?id=LGEjAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA30 American Railroad Journal, Vol. XXXIII], No. 1 (Jan. 6, 1877); page 30.</ref><ref>No. 1737, Grafton T. Nutter, Jersey City, New Jersey., U.S., November 2, 1872, for 10 years: "A Railway Wagon Lifting Machine", [https://books.google.com/books?id=MbpQAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA8 The Canadian Patent Office Record, Vol. 1], No. 1 (March 1873); page 8.</ref> Beginning in 1876, the Erie carried out their plans to convert their trackage to standard gauge, since it was deemed that the standard gauge-broad gauge interchange operations could not justify the costs. By 1878, the Erie built a third rail along the entire mainline from Buffalo to Jersey City. The third rail installation and standard-gauge conversion projects were so expensive, that the railroad was forced into bankruptcy.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.alleganyhistory.org/culture/transportation/railroads/erie-railroad/2015-the-erie-a-the-narrow-gauges?showall=1&limitstart=|title=The Erie & The Narrow Gauges|website=www.alleganyhistory.org|access-date=2020-04-06}}</ref>

=== New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad: 1878–1895 ===
[[File:Erie Limited.JPG|thumb|The ''[[Erie Limited]]'', which traveled between [[New York City]] and [[Chicago]]]]
[[File:1884 Erie.gif|thumb|A rail line system map, {{circa|1884}}]]
The Erie still did not see profits, and was sold in 1878 via bankruptcy reorganization to become the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad. On June 22, 1880, the railroad's standard-gauge conversion process was completed.<ref name=":0" />

In 1886, it was reported that the Erie and the Philadelphia and Reading Railway shared ferry services between their two [[Jersey City, New Jersey|Jersey City]] terminals, the larger being [[Pavonia Terminal]], and [[Fulton Slip, Brooklyn|Fulton Ferry]] in [[Brooklyn, New York]] for 11 round trips on weekdays and Saturdays, and four round trips on Sunday.<ref>{{cite news| newspaper=Brooklyn Eagle Newspaper| date=January 3, 1886| page=13| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/12992477/ferry_schedule_from_booklyn/| via=Newspapers.com| title=Erie and Brooklyn Annex}}{{open access}}</ref> In 1889, it opened a new bridge across the [[Hackensack River]] improving service to its terminals.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1889/11/18/106212395.pdf | work=The New York Times | title=The Erie's New Bridge.; The Draw At The Hackensack River Safely In Position | date=November 18, 1889}}</ref>

=== Erie Railroad: 1895–1960 ===
By 1893, the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad went into bankruptcy reorganization again, and then the company emerged in 1895 as the Erie Railroad.<ref name=drury/> By that time, the company began to obtain financial support from  [[J. P. Morgan]]. In 1898, the Erie obtained a subsidiary, the [[New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway|New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad]] (NYS&W), after Morgan purchased the majority of their shares, on the Erie's behalf.<ref name=":2">{{cite book |last1=Krause |first1=John |title=Susquehanna: New York Susquehanna & Western RR |last2=Crist |first2=Ed |publisher=Carstens Publications |year=1991 |isbn=0-911868-38-0 |pages=6;7}}</ref> The control of the NYS&W allowed the Erie to gain access to anthracite coal mines south of [[Scranton, Pennsylvania]], competing with coal operations from the [[Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad]] (DL&W).<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Tupaczewski |first=Paul R. |title=New York, Susquehanna and Western In Color |publisher=Morning Sun Books, Inc. |year=2002 |isbn=1-58248-070-2 |location=[[Scotch Plains, New Jersey]] |pages=3}}</ref>[[File:PostcardErieRRStaJamestownNY1909.jpg|thumb|Erie Railroad's station in [[Jamestown, New York]], {{Circa|1909}}]]
[[File:ErieMainLine PortJervis 19190406.png|thumb|The Erie Railroad Main Line's westbound passenger timetable for its New York City to Susquehanna service under the United States Railway Administration, effective April 1919]]
George W. Perkins brought [[Frederick Douglas Underwood|Frederick D. Underwood]] into the Erie Railroad in 1910. During the eastern railroad strike of 1913 Underwood agreed to accept any ruling made by mediators under the [[Newlands Reclamation Act]]. One of the demands made by Erie employees was a 20% increase in wages. Erie management had refused a wage increase, but compromised by asking employees to wait until January, 1915 for any advance. Union leaders agreed to make this an issue which Erie management would settle with its own men. However, W.G. Lee, president of the [[Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen]], asserted that the only way "to deal with the Erie is through [[J.P. Morgan & Co.|J.P. Morgan & Company]], or the banks". Underwood responded from his home in [[Wauwatosa, Wisconsin]], stating "I am running the Erie Railroad: not George W. Perkins, nor J.P. Morgan, nor anybody else."<ref>{{cite news| title=Erie Road Agrees to Accept Ruling of Mediators| newspaper=[[Lincoln, Nebraska]] Daily News| date=July 23, 1913| page=6| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/12992523/erie_agrees_to_mediators_ruling/| via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}}</ref>

In the mid-1920s, the [[Van Sweringen brothers]] of Cleveland, Ohio, assumed control of the Erie, and they installed a new president for the railroad, [[John Joseph Bernet]].<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4">{{cite web |author=Stratton, Fred |title=Presidents of the Erie Railroad |url=http://erierr.railfan.net/eriepres.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050318171642/http://erierr.railfan.net/eriepres.html |archivedate=2005-03-18 |accessdate=2007-05-29 |work=Fred's Erie Railroad History Page}}</ref><ref name=":Bernet 1927" /> Bernet only served as the Erie's president from January 1927 to May 1929, but during that time, he initiated a reorganization and cost-cutting program to improve the company's operations and finances.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":Bernet 1927" /> He also arranged for the Erie to replace most of their steam locomotives and rolling stock with newly built standardized equipment to speed up their freight operations, and it involved the introduction of the Erie's fleet of [[2-8-4]] "Berkshire" locomotives.<ref name="Trains">{{cite web |author=Drury, George H. |year=1997 |title=The Berkshire: Steam's fast-freight legend |url=http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=518 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927000357/http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=518 |archive-date=2007-09-27 |accessdate=2007-05-29 |publisher=Trains Magazine; Kalmbach Publishing}}</ref> In the mid-1930s, both Van Sweringen brothers died at an early age, before they could carry out any further plans they had for the Erie and their other railroads.{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}}
[[File:EL 953 (Alco RS3) switching Hoboken, NJ terminal september 3, 1965 Note Erie herald on front, EL herald on side (22349581239).jpg|thumb|left| An [[ALCO RS-3]] with [[Erie Lackawanna Railway|Erie Lackawanna]] Railroad markings at Hoboken terminal, September 3, 1965]]
Despite the ravages of the [[Great Depression]] in the 1930s, the Erie managed to continue operations on their own, until they filed for bankruptcy again, on January 18, 1938. That same year, the Erie was involved in the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] case, the ''[[Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins]]''. The [[Erie doctrine]], which governs the application of state common law in federal courts, is still taught in American [[law school]]s, as of 2024. By December 1941, the Erie emerged from bankruptcy, following a reorganization process, which involved the purchase of the leased [[Cleveland and Mahoning Valley Railroad]], swapping high rent for lower interest payments, and the purchase of formerly-subsidized and leased lines. In 1940, the NYS&W became disbanded from the Erie's control, as part of their own bankruptcy reorganization, and in the process, the Erie was entrusted ownership of their [[Susquehanna Connecting Railroad]].<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> The Erie's reorganization was deemed a success, since the railroad managed to pay dividends to their shareholders.<ref name=drury/>[[File:Erie Western Electric Railway, Toledo, Ohio - DPLA - 4c754203613a294242f0b2d42474487e (page 1).jpg|alt=Erie Western Electric Railway car in Toledo, Ohio with one man standing in the entrance to the car while another stands on the ground next to the car.|thumb|Erie Western Electric Railway, Toledo, Ohio]]
On September 15, 1948, the Cleveland Union Terminal Company allowed the Erie to use the Union Terminal adjacent to [[Terminal Tower]] in lieu of its old station.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1948%20Sep%2004.wd.pdf#search='PRR%20Heavyweight%20Diners'| title=PRR Chronology, 1948| date=September 2004| website=The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929111217/http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1948%20Sep%2004.wd.pdf| archive-date=September 29, 2007}}</ref> That same year, the Erie purchased a share of the [[Niagara Junction Railway]], along with the [[New York Central]] and the [[Lehigh Valley Railroad|Lehigh Valley]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Drury |first=George H. |editor-last=Hayden |editor-first=Bob |date=1985 |title=The Historical Guide to North American Railroads |location=Milwaukee, WI |publisher=[[Kalmbach Publishing Company]] |page=232 |isbn=0-89024-072-8}}</ref> On March 17, 1954, the Erie completely dieselized its locomotive roster, when K-1 class [[4-6-2]] No. 2530 hauled the railroad's final steam-powered commuter train between [[Jersey City, New Jersey|Jersey City]] and [[Spring Valley, New York]].<ref>{{cite book| last=Ball| first=Don Jr. | title=America's Colorful Railroads| year=1987| publisher=Bonanza Books, a division of Crown Publisher's, Inc.| edition=Bonanza 1979| lccn=79-54682| isbn=0-517-30488-0| page=[https://archive.org/details/americascolorful00ball/page/53 53]| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/americascolorful00ball/page/53}}</ref> Later that same year, the railroad launched [[trailer-on-flatcar]] (TOFC) services.<ref name=":03">{{Cite book |last=Schafer |first=Mike |title=Freight train cars |date=1999 |publisher=MBI Pub |others=Mike McBride |isbn=0-7603-0612-5 |location=Osceola, Wis. |pages=20–21, 29 |oclc=41002704}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last=Ayre |first=Josephine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GaceAQAAMAAJ |title=History and Regulation of Trailer-on-flatcar Movement (piggyback) |publisher=U.S. Bureau of Public Roads |year=1966}}</ref>

Erie Railroad prospered throughout the mid-1950s, but its profits were simultaneously on a decline. The company's 1957 income was half of that of 1956; by 1958 and 1959, Erie Railroad posted large deficits. The Erie's financial losses resulted in them entering negotiations to merge with the nearby Delaware, Lackawanna and Western. The proposed merger led to the abandonment of duplicate freight facilities in [[Binghamton, New York|Binghamton]] and Elmira, New York. Between 1956 and 1957, the Erie shifted its passenger trains from its Pavonia Terminal to the DL&W's newer [[Hoboken Terminal]]. The DL&W also abandoned most of their mainline between Binghamton and Elmira, in favor of the Erie's parallel mainline, in 1958. The merger negotiations subsequently accelerated, and they briefly considered including the [[Delaware and Hudson Railway|Delaware and Hudson Railroad]] (D&H); on October 17, 1960, the Erie and the DL&W merged to create the [[Erie Lackawanna Railway]].<ref name="drury">{{cite book| last=Drury| first=George H.| title=The Historical Guide to North American Railroads: Histories, Figures, and Features of more than 160 Railroads Abandoned or Merged since 1930| publisher=Kalmbach Publishing| year=1994| location=Waukesha, Wisconsin| pages=129–135| isbn=0-89024-072-8}}</ref> However, the merged railroad only operated for sixteen years, before their financial decline forced them to be absorbed into [[Conrail]] in 1976. Some former Erie trackage between Hornell and Binghamton were damaged in 1972 by [[Hurricane Agnes]]. The Erie's large repair facility in [[Hornell, New York|Hornell]] was closed following Conrail's takeover, and operations were consolidated at the Lackawanna's [[Scranton, Pennsylvania|Scranton]] facility.{{Rail freight
|title=Revenue freight traffic, in millions of net ton-miles.
|float=right
|1925|9,474
|1933|6,318
|1944|15,004
|1960|8,789<ref group=note>Totals include Chicago & Erie and NJ&NY, but not NYS&W/WB&E or L&WV. Total for 1960 is Erie through 16 October and then Erie-Lackawanna.</ref>
}}{{Clear left}}

== Lines operated ==
{| class="wikitable"
!Railroad
!Branch
!From
!To
!Approx. Mileage
!Years Erie-Operated
!Notes
|-
| rowspan="4" |'''Erie Railroad'''
|Original Main Line
|[[Piermont, New York|Piermont]]
|[[Dunkirk, New York|Dunkirk]]
|{{convert|448|mi||abbr=}}
|1841 - 1960
|Construction began in 1836, and opened from Piermont to [[Goshen (NY)|Goshen]] on September 23, 1841. After some financial problems, construction resumed in August, 1846, and the next section, to [[Port Jervis (NY)|Port Jervis]], opened on January 7, 1848.  Further extensions opened to [[Binghamton (NY)|Binghamton]] December 27, 1848, [[Owego (NY)|Owego]] January 1, 1849, and the full length to Dunkirk May 19, 1851. At Dunkirk [[steamboat]]s continued across [[Lake Erie]] to [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]].
|-
|[[Newburgh Branch]]
|Main Line at Greycourt near [[Chester, Orange County, New York|Chester]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3803o.la000537/|title=Map of Orange County New York : from actual surveys|website=Library of Congress|access-date=2020-03-27}}</ref>
|[[Newburgh, New York|Newburgh]]
|{{convert|18.6|mi||abbr=}}
|January 8, 1850 - 1960 (Except five miles at the east end)
|The Erie's charter was amended on April 8, 1845, to allow the building of the branch. This amendment was later used to spur the construction of a railroad line to the bustling port city of Newburgh, NY. Newburgh was once the site of coal piers owned by the Pennsylvania Coal Company and later served as a connection to the [[New York and New England Railroad]] via a [[car float]] operation across the river to Beacon, New York. When opened in 1850, it was Newburgh's first railroad. Today, the line is completely abandoned except for a small portion between Newburgh and Vails Gate that is used as an industrial spur.
|-
|Newburgh and New York Railroad (Newburgh Shortcut)
|Newburgh Junction, near [[Harriman, New York|Harriman]]
|Newburgh Branch at [[Vails Gate, New York|Vails Gate]]
|{{convert|12.7|mi||abbr=}}
|July 1869 - 1936
|Known as "the shortcut" because it was a more direct link between Newburgh and the southern section of the mainline when compared to the Newburgh Branch. When the Graham Line was constructed between 1906 and 1909, the first two to three miles of the "Shortcut" right of way were utilized and elevated to eliminate any grade crossings. Due to the decline of Newburgh's coal industry, the line was formally abandoned between 1936 and 1937. Parts of it remain in service today as Metro North's Port Jervis line and a short industrial spur in Vails Gate, NY, while others, like a small section in Highland Mills, NY, remain intact but abandoned.<ref>{{Cite book|last=McCue|first=Robert|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_hS9AwAAQBAJ&q=shortcut|title=Erie Railroad's Newburgh Branch|date=2014|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=978-1-4671-2096-8|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|[[Graham Line]]
|Newburgh Junction, near [[Harriman, New York|Harriman]]
|[[Otisville, New York|Otisville]]
|{{convert|42.3|mi||abbr=}}
|1909 - 1960
|Due to the steep grades, sharp curves, and numerous grade crossings of the Erie mainline between Harriman and Otisville, NY, the Graham Line was constructed between 1906 and 1909 as a freight bypass. In order to eliminate any grade crossings, the line was elevated considerably. Numerous local railroad marvels were built as a part of the Graham Line, such as the [[Moodna Viaduct]] and the [[Otisville Tunnel]]. The line remains in service today as the [[Metro-North]] [[Port Jervis Line]].
|-
| rowspan="2" |'''[[Paterson and Ramapo Railroad]]'''
|New Jersey Line
|New York Line at [[Mahwah, New Jersey|Mahwah]]
|[[Paterson, New Jersey|Paterson]]
|{{convert|14.5|mi||abbr=}}
| rowspan="2" |1852 - 1960
| rowspan="2" |Opened as an independent company in 1848. Through ticketing began in 1851, with a required change of cars at Ramapo due to the [[gauge break]]. A third gauge rail was built by 1853.
|-
|New York Line: '''Union Railroad'''
|New Jersey Line at [[Suffern, New York|Suffern]]
|Main Line in [[Suffern, New York|Suffern]]
|{{convert|0.82|mi||abbr=}}
|-
| colspan="2" |'''[[Paterson and Hudson River Railroad]]'''
|[[Paterson, New Jersey|Paterson]]
|[[New Jersey Rail Road and Transportation Company|New Jersey Rail Road]] in [[Jersey City, New Jersey|Jersey City]]
|{{convert|15.7|mi||abbr=}}
|1852 - 1960
|Opened as an independent company in 1833. Through ticketing began in 1851. In November 1853, Erie stock began operating to the [[New Jersey Rail Road|New Jersey Rail Road's]] [[Jersey City, New Jersey|Jersey City]] terminal after a [[Dual gauge|third rail]] for [[Broad gauge|wide gauge]] was finished.
|-
| colspan="2" |'''Buffalo and New York City Railroad'''
|[[Hornellsville, New York|Hornellsville]]
|[[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]
|{{convert|92.3|mi||abbr=}}
|Leased November 17, 1852 – 1857; owned October 31, 1857 – 1859
|Founded as the Attica and Hornellsville Railroad in 1845. In 1852, bought the [[Buffalo and Rochester Railroad]]'s old alignment from Buffalo to Attica, and subsequently renamed itself to the Buffalo and New York City Railroad, and [[Track gauge conversion|converted]] to the Erie's [[Broad gauge|wide gauge]]. The Buffalo and New York City began leasing their track to the Erie upon the completion of their extension from Attica southeast to [[Hornellsville (NY)|Hornellsville]], opened on November 17, 1852, giving the Erie access to Buffalo, a better terminal than Dunkirk- thus it became a branch of the Erie's mainline.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/abnyrr.Html|title=Early Railroads of New York|website=www.catskillarchive.com|access-date=2020-03-28}}</ref> Upon the Erie's bankruptcy, sold line from Buffalo to Attica to the Buffalo, New York, and Erie.
|-
| colspan="2" |'''[[Chemung Railroad]]'''
|[[Horseheads (village), New York|Horseheads]]
|[[Watkins Glen, New York|Watkins]]
|{{convert|16.7|mi||abbr=}}
|Leased 1850–1853; 1857–1859
|Upon independence of Canandaigua and Elmira, the Erie subleased the Chemung Railroad to the Canandaigua and Elmira. Reverted to the Erie in 1858 during the C&E's bankruptcy.
|-
| colspan="2" |'''[[Elmira, Canandaigua and Niagara Falls Railroad]]'''
|[[Watkins Glen, New York|Watkins]]
|[[Canandaigua (NY)|Canandaigua]]
|{{convert|47.7|mi||abbr=}}
|Leased 1851–1853; 1859–1866
|Founded as the Canandaigua and Corning Railroad on May 14, 1845. Upon completion, was renamed to the Canandaigua and Elmira Railroad, and immediately leased to Erie. Upon independence from Erie, began subleasing the Chemung. Renamed to EC&NF 1857. Went bankrupt from 1858 to 1859, during which time the Chemung was leased to Erie. Reorganized in 1859 as Elmira, Jefferson and Canandaigua Railroad, at which time the Erie leased it again. In 1866 transferred to the Northern Central, and a [[Dual gauge|third rail]] was built to allow the Northern Central's {{Track gauge|56.5in|allk=on}} trains to operate over it.
|-
| colspan="2" |'''[[Canandaigua and Niagara Falls Railroad]]'''
|[[Canandaigua (NY)|Canandaigua]]
|[[North Tonawanda, New York|North Tonawanda]]
|{{convert|86.5|mi||abbr=}}
|Leased 1853 - 1858
|Leased by the Canandaigua and Elmira to continue it beyond Canandaigua. When the line went [[bankrupt]] in 1858, it was reorganized as the Niagara Bridge and Canandaigua Railroad and was leased by [[New York Central Railroad]].  The NYC converted it to [[standard gauge]] and blocked the Erie from it.
|-
| colspan="2" |'''[[Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad]]'''
|[[North Tonawanda, New York|North Tonawanda]]
|[[Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge]] in [[Niagara Falls (NY)|Niagara Falls]]
|{{convert|12.2|mi||abbr=}}
|Trackage rights 1853 - 1858
|Trackage rights obtained by C&NF
|-
| colspan="2" |'''Buffalo, Bradford and Pittsburgh Railroad Company'''
|Erie Main Line at [[Carrollton, New York|Carrollton]]
|Gilesville (later Buttsville) in southeast [[Lafayette Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania|Lafayette]]
|{{convert|25.97|mi||abbr=}}
|February 26, 1859
|Formed by the merger of two earlier railroads in northwest Pennsylvania for the Erie to acquire a source of fuel for its locomotives. Extended from Bradford to Gilesville, the site of a [[bituminous]] mine, by January 1, 1866.<ref name="erie22">{{cite news|last=Scott|first=George A.|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2335056/the-progress/|title=The Erie Railroad|date=November 16, 1967|newspaper=The Clearfield Progress|access-date=April 1, 2020|page=1}}</ref>
|-
| colspan="2" |'''New York, Lake Erie, and Western Coal and Railroad'''
|BB&P in [[Lafayette Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania|Lafayette]]
|[[Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania|Johnsonburg]]
|{{convert|29.68|mi}}
|1882-
|This section encompassed the once significant [[Kinzua Bridge]]: partially destroyed by a microburst "tornado" in by 2003.<ref name="erie22" />
|-
| colspan="2" |Section of '''[[Pennsylvania Railroad]]'''
|[[Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania|Johnsonburg]]
|[[Brockway, Pennsylvania]]
|{{convert|27.76|mi||abbr=}}
|Trackage rights 1897–1907
|
|-
| colspan="2" |Section of '''[[Buffalo, Rochester, and Pittsburgh Railway]]'''
|Clarion Junction, north of [[Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania|Johnsonburg]]
|Eleanora Junction (later Cramer), northeast of [[Stump Creek, Pennsylvania|Stump Creek]]
|{{convert|50.67|mi||abbr=}}
|Leased 1907-
|<ref name="erie22" />
|-
| colspan="2" |'''Eriton Railroad'''
|Eriton Junction, SE of West Liberty
|Eriton Mines, south of West Liberty
|{{Convert|0.869|mi||abbr=}}
|1908-(1940s)
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |'''Buffalo, New York and Erie Railroad'''
|Original Main Line
|Erie Main Line at [[Corning (city), New York|Corning]]
|[[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]
|{{convert|41.6|mi||abbr=}}
| rowspan="2" |Leased 1863-
|Created during the Erie's bankruptcy in 1858. Took over the Buffalo and New York City from Attica to Buffalo in 1859. Acquired the '''Buffalo, Corning and New York Railroad''' the same year and connected the two lines. Leased the Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad in 1858.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wnyrails.org/railroads/erie/rgv_home.htm|title=Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209000000/http://wnyrails.org/railroads/erie/rgv_home.htm|archive-date=February 9, 2012}}</ref>
|-
|'''Rochester and Genesee Valley Railroad'''
|BNY&E at [[Avon (NY)|Avon]]
|[[Rochester (NY)|Rochester]]
|{{convert|98.5|mi||abbr=}}
|Completed 1853; leased to Buffalo, NY, and then Erie in 1858.
|-
| colspan="2" |'''Avon, Geneseo and Mt. Morris Railroad'''
|BNY&E at [[Avon (NY)|Avon]]
|[[Mount Morris (village), New York|Mount Morris]]
|{{convert|15.3|mi||abbr=}}
|Leased 1872-
|Founded as Genesee Valley Company. Acquired land initially bought by Rochester and Genesee Valley in 1856. In 1859, reorganized as the AG&MM.
|-
| rowspan="4" |'''[[Atlantic and Great Western Railroad]]'''
|'''Erie and New York City Railroad'''
|Erie main line at [[Salamanca (city), New York|Salamanca]]
|Pennsylvania Line near Niobe in [[Harmony, New York|Harmony]]
|{{convert|47.7|mi||abbr=}}
| rowspan="4" |1868–1880, 1874–1880, 1883–1960
| rowspan="4" |Founded in 1862, as all three railroads merged were renamed in their respective states as the A&GW Rail''way.'' Reorganized as the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio Railway in 1880
|-
|'''Meadville Railroad'''
|New York Line in [[Freehold Township, Warren County, Pennsylvania|Freehold Township]]
|Ohio Line in [[South Pymatuning Township, Pennsylvania|South Pymatuning Township]]
|{{convert|87.9|mi||abbr=}}
|-
|'''Franklin and Warren Railroad'''
|Pennsylvania Line in [[Orangeville, Ohio|Orangeville]]
|[[Dayton, Ohio|Dayton]]
|{{convert|250.|mi||abbr=}}
|-
|Oil City Branch
|At Meadville near [[Meadville, Pennsylvania|Meadville]]
|[[Oil City, Pennsylvania|Oil City]]
|{{convert|33.3|mi||abbr=}}
|-
| colspan="2" |'''Suspension Bridge and Erie Junction Railroad'''
|[[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]
|[[Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge]] in [[Niagara Falls (NY)|Niagara Falls]]
|{{convert|23.2|mi||abbr=}}
|1871-
|Chartered by Erie in 1868 to restore access to the [[Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge]]
|-
| colspan="2" |'''Erie International Railway'''
|International Junction in [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]
|[[International Bridge (Buffalo)|International Bridge]]
|{{convert|4.86|mi||abbr=}}
|
|Erie-chartered in 1872
|-
| colspan="2" |'''Lockport and Buffalo Railway'''
|[[Tonawanda (city), New York|Tonawanda]]
|[[Lockport (NY)|Lockport]]
|{{convert|13.1|mi||abbr=}}
|1879
|Erie-chartered in 1871
|-
| rowspan="3" |'''Jefferson Railroad'''
|Main Line
|[[Lanesboro, Pennsylvania|Lanesboro]]
|[[Carbondale, Pennsylvania|Carbondale]]
|{{convert|37.5|mi||abbr=}}
|1870-1960
|As far back as 1840, there had been a number of attempts to build a railroad from the Erie mainline to the [[Wyoming Valley]] of Pennsylvania. The Jefferson was incorporated in 1851 by the Pennsylvania legislature, which squashed local attempts to build a line on that route.
|-
|Edgerton Branch
|[[Mayfield, Pennsylvania|Mayfield]]
|Coal mines of Hosie and Park
|{{convert|1.5|mi||abbr=}}
|1884-1910
|Abandoned 1910<ref>{{Cite book|last=S. Robert Powell|url=https://archive.org/details/11TheJeffersonBranchOfTheErieRailroad|title=The Jefferson Branch of the Erie Railroad|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|Honesdale Branch
|Erie and Wyoming Valley at [[Hawley, Pennsylvania|Hawley]]
|[[Honesdale, Pennsylvania|Honesdale]]
|{{convert|9.03|mi||abbr=}}
|1869-1960
|Built to create a more direct connection from the Jefferson's southern terminus at Carbondale to points east via the E&WV and the [[Delaware and Hudson Gravity Railroad]] (though the two companies' rails were not explicitly linked)
|-
| rowspan="5" |'''Erie and Wyoming Valley Railroad'''
|Main Line
|[[Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania|Lackawaxen]]
|Plains Junction in [[Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania|Wilkes-Barre]]
|{{convert|63.8|mi||abbr=}}
|1863-1960
|<ref name=":02">{{Cite book|last=Commission|first=United States Interstate Commerce|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g8MFAAAAIAAJ|title=Interstate Commerce Commission Reports: Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States. Valuation reports|date=1931|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|pages=230|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|Jefferson Railroad Connection
|E&WV Mainline
|[[Jessup, Pennsylvania|Jessup]]
|{{convert|7.72|mi||abbr=}}
|
|
|-
|DL&W and WB&E Connection
|Plains Junction in [[Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania|Wilkes-Barre]]
|[[Ashley, Pennsylvania|Ashley]]
|{{convert|11.3|mi||abbr=}}
|
|
|-
|Scranton Branch
|E&WV main line
|[[Scranton, Pennsylvania|Scranton]]
|{{convert|2.4|mi||abbr=}}
|
|
|-
|'''Jones Lake Railroad'''
|Manning Junction
|[[Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania|Lake Ariel]]
|{{Convert|2.142|mi||abbr=}}
|1888-
|
|-
| colspan="2" |'''Susquehanna Connecting Railroad'''
|[[Suscon, Pennsylvania|Suscon]] Junction
|[[Old Forge, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania|Old Forge]]
|{{convert|7.72|mi||abbr=}}
|June, 1938 -
|Consolidated from existing railroads
|-
| colspan="2" |'''[[Delaware and Hudson Railway|Delaware and Hudson Railroad]]'''
|[[Carbondale, Pennsylvania|Carbondale]]
|[[Moosic, Pennsylvania|Moosic]]
|{{convert|24.1|mi||abbr=}}
|1900(?)-<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.trains.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/scranton-railroad-map.pdf|title=Scranton Railroad Map|website=Trains Magazine|access-date=April 16, 2020}}</ref>
|Connected the Erie and Wyoming Valley and the Jefferson
|-
| colspan="2" |'''Moosic Mountain and Carbondale Railroad'''
|[[Throop, Pennsylvania|Throop]]
|[[Jessup, Pennsylvania|Jessup]]
|{{convert|3.43|mi||abbr=}}
|1888-
|<ref name=":02" />
|-
| colspan="2" |'''[[Buffalo and Jamestown Railroad]]'''
|[[Jamestown, New York|Jamestown]]
|[[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]
|{{convert|57.3|mi||abbr=}}
|1881-
|Chartered in 1872 to connect the A&GW with the Erie mainline. Soon after the line was completed in 1873, the company was reorganized as the Buffalo and Southwest Railroad.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bcjrailroad.com/history/|title=History|website=Buffalo Cattaraugus & Jamestown Scenic Railway|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-03}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2" |'''Chicago and Erie Railroad'''
|Main Line
|[[Marion, Ohio|Marion]]
|Illinois Line at [[Hammond, Indiana|Hammond]]
|{{convert|249|mi||abbr=}}
| rowspan="2" |1895-
|Founded in 1871 as the [[Chicago and Atlantic Railway]] and went into bankruptcy in 1890.
|-
|[[Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad]]
|Indiana Line at [[Calumet City, Illinois|Calumet City]]
|[[Chicago]]
|{{convert|19|mi||abbr=}}
|Already owned by C&E in joint ownership with 4 other companies
|-
| rowspan="7" |[[New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway|'''New York, Susquehanna, and Western Railway''']]
|Main Line
|[[Jersey City, New Jersey|Jersey City]]
|[[Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania|Stroudsburg]]
|{{convert|100.7|mi||abbr=}}
| rowspan="3" |1898-1940
| rowspan="3" |American financier [[J. P. Morgan|J.P. Morgan]] began to take notice of the railroad, which by the 1890s had become a rapidly expanding coal-hauler; he quietly bought up its stock on behalf of the Erie. The railroad was leased, and soon after took over complete operation of the line. The depression caused the bankruptcy of the NYSW, which was spun off as a private company in 1940, working closely with the [[NYO&W]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tnyswthsi.shuttlepod.org/page-875119|title=The New York Susquehanna & Western Technical & Historical Society Inc. - History of the NYSW|website=tnyswthsi.shuttlepod.org|access-date=2020-04-16}}</ref>
|-
|[[Edgewater Branch|'''Erie Terminals Railroad''']]
|[[Ridgefield, New Jersey|Ridgefield]]
|[[Edgewater, New Jersey|Edgewater]]
|{{convert|3.74|mi||abbr=}}
|-
|Middletown Branch
|[[Ogdensburg, New Jersey|Ogdensburg]]
|[[Middletown, Orange County, New York|Middletown]]
|{{convert|33.8|mi||abbr=}}
|-
|'''Wilkes-Barre and Eastern Railroad'''
|[[Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania|Stroudsburg]]
|[[Plains, Pennsylvania|Plains]]
|{{convert|64.4|mi||abbr=}}
|1898-1939
|Since the Erie chose to send all of its traffic along the Erie and Wyoming Valley, the line was doomed to failure, and was abandoned in 1939.
|-
|'''[[Lodi Branch Railroad]]'''
|[[Teterboro, New Jersey|Teterboro]]
|[[Lodi, New Jersey|Lodi]]
|{{Convert|0.996|mi||abbr=}}
|1883- 1898
|
|-
|'''Hackensack and Lodi Railroad'''
|[[Hackensack, New Jersey|Hackensack]]
|[[Lodi, New Jersey|Lodi]]
|{{Convert|1.403|mi||abbr=}}
|1898-1940
|
|-
|'''Macopin Railroad'''
|Macopin Lake Junction in [[West Milford, New Jersey|Charlottesburg]]
|Macopin Pond (Echo Lake) in [[West Milford, New Jersey|West Milford]]
|{{Convert|1.533|mi||abbr=}}
|1887-1940
|
|-
| colspan="2" |'''Bath and Hammondsport Railroad'''
|[[Bath, New York|Bath]]
|[[Hammondsport, New York|Hammondsport]]
|{{convert|8.2|mi||abbr=}}
|1903-1935
|After a flood in 1935, the line was purchased by locals who renamed it the [[B&H Rail Corporation|B&H Railroad]].
|-
| rowspan="3" |'''[[Cleveland and Mahoning Valley Railroad|Cleveland and Mahoning Railroad]]'''
|Main Line
|[[Cleveland]]
|[[Youngstown, Ohio|Youngstown]]
|{{convert|68.4|mi||abbr=}}
| rowspan="3" |1941-
|
|-
|Hubbard Branch
|[[Youngstown, Ohio|Youngstown]]
|Pennsylvania Line in [[Masury, Ohio|Masury]]
|{{convert|12.1|mi||abbr=}}
|
|-
|'''Niles and New Lisbon Railroad'''
|[[Niles, Ohio|Niles]]
|[[Lisbon, Ohio|Lisbon]]
|{{convert|33.1|mi||abbr=}}
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |'''Sharon Railway'''
|Main Line
|[[West Middlesex, Pennsylvania|West Middlesex]]
|[[Pymatuning Township, Pennsylvania|Pymatuning Township]]
|{{convert|13.6|mi||abbr=}}
|C&MV owned
|During construction absorbed '''Sharpsville, Wheatland, Sharon and Greenfield Railroad''' in 1881
|-
|'''Westerman Coal and Iron Railroad'''
|Ohio Line in [[Sharon, Ohio|Sharon]]
|[[Wheatland, Pennsylvania|Wheatland]]
|{{Convert|1.5|mi||abbr=}}
|
|<!--Route inferred by Cleveland and "Mahoning" Railroad-->
|-
|'''New Castle and Shenango Valley Railroad'''
|[[West Middlesex, Pennsylvania|West Middlesex]]
|[[New Castle, Pennsylvania|New Castle]]
|{{Convert|16.1|mi||abbr=}}
|1900-
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |'''[[Tioga Railroad]]'''
|Northern Extension
|Pennsylvania Line in [[Lindley, New York|Lindley]]
|[[Corning (city), New York|Corning]]
|{{Convert|11.392|mi||abbr=}}
|1876-
|
|-
|'''Corning and Blossburg Railroad'''
|New York Line in [[Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania|Lawrenceville]]
|[[Blossburg, Pennsylvania|Blossburg]]
|{{convert|27.00|mi||abbr=}}
|1882-
|Chartered under the [[Tioga Navigation Company]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-1A7|title=Corning and Blossburg Railroad Historical Marker|website=explorepahistory.com|access-date=2020-04-19}}</ref>
|-
|Southern Extension
|[[Blossburg, Pennsylvania|Blossburg]]
|[[Morris Run, Pennsylvania|Morris Run]]
|{{Convert|3.592|mi||abbr=}}
|1853-
|
|-
| colspan="2" |'''Goshen and Deckertown Railway'''
|[[Goshen, New York|Goshen]]
|[[Pine Island, New York|Pine Island]]
|{{convert|11.3|mi||abbr=}}
|1872-
|Operated independently 1869-1872<ref name=":02" />
|-
| colspan="2" |'''[[Wallkill Valley Railroad]]'''
|[[Montgomery, New York|Montgomery]]
|[[Kingston, New York|Kingston]]
|{{convert|33.0|mi||abbr=}}
|1866-1876
|
|-
| rowspan="5" |'''[[New York and Greenwood Lake Railway (1878–1943)|New York and Greenwood Lake Railroad]]'''
|Main Line
|[[Jersey City, New Jersey|Jersey City]]
|[[Sterling Forest, New York|Sterling Forest]]
|{{convert|41.2|mi||abbr=}}
| rowspan="2" |1878-
| rowspan="2" |Company formed under Erie as reorganization of the Montclair and Greenwood Lake Railway. Parts were realigned due to the creation of the [[Wanaque Reservoir]]
|-
|Ringwood Branch
|Main Line
|[[Ringwood, New Jersey|Ringwood]]
|{{convert|3.8|mi||abbr=}}
|-
|'''Arlington Railroad'''
|Main Line
|Newark and Hudson near Hackensack River
|{{convert|1.128|mi||abbr=}}
|1890-
|Built to offer a more direct connection with Jersey City<ref>"[https://www.labellemodels.com/manuals/Erie.pdf Erie Railroad]" (PDF). ''Inventory June 1918''. June 30, 1918. Retrieved 2012-06-06.</ref>
|-
|Orange Branch
|[[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]]
|[[Orange, New Jersey|Orange]]
|{{convert|4.04|mi||abbr=}}
|1895-
|Founded as Watchung Railway
|-
|Caldwell Branch
|[[Little Falls, New Jersey|Little Falls]]
|[[Caldwell, New Jersey|Caldwell]]
|{{convert|5.51|mi||abbr=}}
|1897-
|Founded as Caldwell Railway and the Roseland Railway
|-
| colspan="2" |'''[[Newark Branch|Paterson and Newark Railroad]]'''
|[[Jersey City, New Jersey|Jersey City]]
|[[Paterson, New Jersey|Paterson]]
|{{convert|16.5|mi||abbr=}}
|1869-
|Founded 1864 as Erie subsidiary
|-
| colspan="2" |'''[[New Jersey and New York Railroad]]'''
|[[Rutherford, New Jersey|Rutherford]]
|[[Nanuet, New York|Nanuet]]
|{{convert|20.7|mi||abbr=}}
|1896-
|Founded as [[Hackensack and New York Railroad]] in 1856
|-
| colspan="2" |'''[[Northern Branch|Northern Railroad of New Jersey]]'''
|[[Sparkill, New York|Sparkill]]
|[[Jersey City, New Jersey|Jersey City]]
|{{convert|26.8|mi||abbr=}}
|1859-
|Founded 1854 as Erie subsidiary
|-
| colspan="2" |'''Nyack and Southern Railroad'''
|[[Nyack, New York|Nyack]]
|[[Piermont, New York|Piermont]]
|{{Convert|4.343|mi||abbr=}}
|1870-
|
|-
| colspan="2" |'''Middletown and Crawford Railroad'''
|[[Middletown, Orange County, New York|Middletown]]
|[[Pine Bush, New York|Pine Bush]]
|{{convert|11.3|mi||abbr=}}
|1882-
|Chartered 1868. Completed in 1872 under lease of the [[New York, Ontario and Western Railway|New York and Oswego Midland Railroad]]; spun off as a private company 1875.<ref name=":02" />
|-
| colspan="2" |'''Montgomery and Erie Railroad'''
|[[Goshen (village), New York|Goshen]]
|[[Montgomery, New York|Montgomery]]
|{{convert|10.1|mi||abbr=}}
|1872-
|Built to connect to the Wallkill Valley Railroad
|-
| colspan="2" |'''Arnot and Pine Creek Railroad'''
|[[Arnot, Pennsylvania|Arnot]]
|[[Hoytville, Pennsylvania|Hoytville]]
|{{convert|11.4|mi||abbr=}}
|1883-
|<ref name=":02" />
|-
| rowspan="2" |'''[[Bergen County Line|Bergen County Railroad]]'''
|Main Line
|[[Glen Rock, New Jersey|Glen Rock]]
|[[East Rutherford, New Jersey|East Rutherford]]
|{{Convert|9.8|mi||abbr=}}
|1883-
|
|-
|'''Bergen and Dundee Railroad'''
|[[Garfield, New Jersey|Garfield]]
|[[Passaic, New Jersey|Passaic]]
|{{Convert|1.1|mi||abbr=}}
|1885-
|
|-
| colspan="2" |'''Columbus and Ohio Railroad'''
|[[Columbus, Pennsylvania|Columbus]]
|[[Niobe, New York|Niobe]]
|{{Convert|13.1|mi||abbr=}}
|1908-
|
|-
| colspan="2" |'''Conesus Lake Railroad'''
|[[Avon, New York|Avon]]
|[[Livonia, New York|Lakeville]]
|{{Convert|1.4|mi||abbr=}}
|1882-
|
|-
| colspan="2" |'''[[Long Dock Tunnel|Long Dock Company]]'''
|[[Croxton, Jersey City|Croxton]]
|Docks at [[Jersey City, New Jersey|Jersey City]]
|{{Convert|2.882|miles||abbr=}}
|1861-
|
|-
| colspan="2" |'''Docks Connecting Railroad'''
|
|New Jersey Junction Railroad in [[Jersey City, New Jersey|Jersey City]]
|{{Convert|0.916|mi||abbr=}}
|1886-
|
|-
| colspan="2" |[[New Jersey Junction Railroad|New York and Fort Lee Railroad]]
|[[Long Dock Tunnel]] in [[Jersey City, New Jersey|Jersey City]]
|[[West New York, New Jersey|West New York]]
|
|1870-1886
|Assumed part of the former [[Morris and Essex Railroad|Morris and Essex]] line from the Long Dock Tunnel. The line was transferred to the [[New Jersey Junction Railroad]] in 1886, with the Erie keeping a lease on the former Fort Lee line south of Weehawken. Connection to the Long Dock Tunnel was kept as the Docks Connecting Railroad
|-
| colspan="2" |'''New York, Lake Erie and Western Docks and Improvement Company'''
|New Jersey Junction Railroad in [[Weehawken, New Jersey|Weehawken]]
|Hudson River
|{{Convert|26.895|mi||abbr=}}
|1881-
|Track composed entirely of siding; maximum distance from junction with NJJ is just over half a mile. Accessed via the Docks Connecting Railroad and a lease over the New Jersey Junction Railroad
|-
| colspan="2" |'''Elmira State Line Railroad'''
|[[Elmira, New York|Elmira]]
|Pennsylvania Line in [[Pine City, New York|Pine City]]
|{{Convert|6.503|mi||abbr=}}
|1876-
|
|-
| colspan="2" |'''Erie and Black Rock Railroad'''
|Black Rock Junction in [[Black Rock, Buffalo|Black Rock]]
|Docks at [[Black Rock, Buffalo|Black Rock]]
|{{Convert|1.455|mi||abbr=}}
|1883-
|
|-
| colspan="2" |'''[[Bergen Arches|Penhorn Creek Railroad]]'''
|Jersey Avenue in [[Jersey City, New Jersey|Jersey City]]
|[[Secaucus, New Jersey|Seacaucus]]
|{{Convert|5.422|mi||abbr=}}
|1910-
|
|-
| colspan="2" |'''West Clarion Railroad'''
|[[Brockway, Pennsylvania|Brockway]]
|West Clarion
|{{Convert|2.646|mi||abbr=}}
|1898-1925
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |'''Youngstown and Austintown Railroad'''
|Main Line
|[[Youngstown, Ohio|Youngstown]]
|[[Austintown, Ohio|Austintown]]
|{{Convert|3.777|mi||abbr=}}
| rowspan="2" |1882-
|Parts constructed by the '''Youngstown Railroad Company''' and the '''Wicks and Wells Railroad'''
|-
|Manning Branch
|Main Line in [[Austintown, Ohio|Austintown]]
|Tippecanoe Shaft in Austintown<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Fuller|first1=J. Osborn|url=https://geosurvey.ohiodnr.gov/portals/geosurvey/PDFs/OpenFileReports/OFR_1941-1.pdf|title=The Sharon Coal Mines of Trumbull and Mahoning Counties|last2=Sturgeon|first2=Myron T.|publisher=Ohio Department of Natural Resources|year=1941|pages=14}}</ref>
|{{Convert|6.088|mi||abbr=}}
|
|}
A map from 1960 shows that the Erie had some control over the former [[Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Railway]] and the New York Central from Lawrenceville to Newberry Junction, near Williamsport, PA.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffs4653/5173503248/|title=Erie Railroad And Connections|date=1960|website=Flickr}}</ref>

== Passenger service ==
[[File:FWPNW026Rutherford1516A.jpg|thumb|left|Erie Railroad passengers at [[Rutherford station]], circa 1940]]
[[File:Electric traction for railway trains; a book for students, electrical and mechanical engineers, superintendents of motive power and others (1911) (14758768665).jpg|thumb|250px|One of the Erie's electric commuter trains on its Rochester Branch, ca. 1911]]
The Erie Railroad operated a number of named passenger trains, although none were as well-known or successful as others like the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]]'s ''[[Broadway Limited]]'' or [[New York Central Railroad]]'s ''[[20th Century Limited]]''.  Some of the Erie's most well known trains included the ''[[Erie Limited]]'', ''[[Lake Cities (Erie Railroad train)|Lake Cities]]'', ''[[Atlantic Express and Pacific Express|Pacific Express]]'', ''[[Atlantic Express and Pacific Express|Atlantic Express]]'', ''Midlander'', ''Southern Tier Express'' and ''Mountain Express''. All of these had their western termini in Chicago, except the ''Mountain Express'' which terminated in [[Hornell, New York|Hornell]], in the [[Southern Tier]] of New York.<ref>{{Schafer-More-Classic}}</ref>{{rp|52–53}}

The Erie operated an extensive network of commuter routes in northern New Jersey and the lower [[Hudson Valley]] of New York. Most of these routes became part of Conrail along with the rest of Erie Lackawanna's rail operations in 1976. The New Jersey routes are now part of NJ Transit's Hoboken Division, originating and terminating at Hoboken Terminal. The Hudson Valley routes are now part of [[Metro-North Railroad]].

In addition to its steam and diesel services the Erie also operated an electric commuter rail line to its [[Erie Railroad Depot (Rochester, New York)|terminal station in Rochester, New York]]. The station was one of the Erie's few electrified railroad stations,<ref name="rochny">{{cite web| url=http://gold.mylargescale.com/Scottychaos/Rochester/| title=Railroad History of Rochester, New York| last=Lawrence| first=Scot| access-date=September 14, 2011| date=October 25, 2006| location=Rochester, New York| website=Scot's Train Pages| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324083343/http://gold.mylargescale.com/Scottychaos/Rochester| archive-date=March 24, 2012}}</ref> and the railroad became one of the first to provide electric commuter services in 1907.<ref name=donsdepot>{{cite web| title=Rochester-Mount Morris Electrification| url=http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr919.htm| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517155746/http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr919.htm| url-status=usurped| archive-date=May 17, 2008| website=Don Ross Group: Don's Rail Photos}}</ref>

{{clear}}

== Company officers ==
[[File:HughJJewett.jpg|thumb|right|[[Hugh J. Jewett]], President 1874&ndash;1884.]]
{{Div col}}
* [[Eleazer Lord]] (1833–35), (1839–41), (1844–45)
* [[James Gore King]] (1835–1839)
* [[James Bowen (railroad executive)|James Bowen]] (1841–1842)
* [[William Maxwell (railroad executive)|William Maxwell]] (1842–1843)
* [[Horatio Allen]] (1843–1844)
* [[Benjamin Loder]] (1845–1853)
* [[Homer Ramsdell]] (1853–1857)
* [[Charles Moran (railroad executive)|Charles Moran]] (1857–1859)
* [[Samuel Marsh (railroad executive)|Samuel Marsh]] (1859–1861), (1864)
* [[Nathaniel Marsh]] (1861–1864)
* Robert H. Berdell (1864–1867)
* John S. Eldridge (1867–1868)
* [[Jay Gould]] (1868–1872)
* [[John Adams Dix|John A. Dix]] (1872)
* Peter H. Watson (1872–1874)
* [[Hugh J. Jewett]] (1874–1884)
* John King (1884–1894)
* Eben B. Thomas (1894–1901)
* [[Frederick Douglas Underwood]] (1901–1926)
* [[John Joseph Bernet]] (1927–1929)<ref name=":Bernet 1927">{{cite journal| journal=The Diamond| last1=Brown| first1=Randolph R.| last2=McCourt| first2=John P.| last3=Obed| first3=Martin E. | title=Erie's Heavyweight Steel RPOs: 1927 Through Retirement| pages=4–5| volume=21| issue=1| year=2007 }}</ref>
* [[Charles Eugene Denney]] (1929–1939)
* [[Robert Eastman Woodruff]] (1941–1949)
* Paul W. Johnston (1949–1956)
* Harry W. Von Willer (1956–1960)
{{Div col end}}
{{clear}}

==Heritage unit==
As part of the 30th anniversary of [[Norfolk Southern Railway]] being formed, NS decided to paint 20 new locomotives into the paint scheme of predecessor railroads. NS #1068, an [[EMD SD70ACe]], was painted into Erie Railroad's green passenger scheme. It was released on May 25, 2012.

In October 2023, as part of the 40th Anniversary of [[NJ Transit]] [[NJ Transit Rail Operations|Rail Operations]], [[EMD GP40PH-2]]B No. 4210 was painted into the Erie Railroad's black-and-yellow scheme.

==See also==
{{Portal|Railways}}
*[[List of Erie Railroad locomotives]]
*[[List of Erie Railroad structures documented by the Historic American Engineering Record]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book| last=Ackerman| first=Kenneth D.| title=The Gold Ring: Jim Fisk, Jay Gould, and Black Friday, 1869| year=2011}} ([https://www.amazon.com/The-Gold-Ring-Gould-Friday/dp/1619450054 excerpt])
* {{cite book| last=Halstead| first=Murat| title=Life of Jay Gould: How He Made His Millions| year=1892}}
* {{cite book| last1=Meyer| first1=B.H.| first2=Caroline E.| last2=MacGill| title=History of Transportation in the United States before 1860| year=1917| pages=366–72| url=https://ttu-ir.tdl.org/ttu-ir/bitstream/handle/2346/47132/ttu_stc001_000035.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y| access-date=2016-01-25| archive-date=2016-01-10| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160110155607/https://ttu-ir.tdl.org/ttu-ir/bitstream/handle/2346/47132/ttu_stc001_000035.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y| url-status=dead}}
* Mott, Edward Harold (1908). [https://archive.org/details/cu31924030109122 Between the Ocean and the Lakes: The Story of Erie.] New York: Ticker Publishing Co., 1908.
* {{cite book| last1=Reynolds| first1=William| first2=Peter K.| last2=Gifford| first3=Robert D.| last3=Ilisevich| title=European Capital, British Iron, and an American Dream: The Story of the Atlantic & Great Western Railroad| publisher=The University of Akron Press| year=2002}}
* {{cite book| title=The Back Shop Illustrated, Volume 1: Northeast and New England Regions| author=Starr, Timothy| year=2022}}

=== Primary sources ===
* Daniel C. McCallum, "Superintendent's report: 1856" in {{cite book| editor1-first=Jay| editor1-last=Shafritz| display-editors=etal| title=Classics of Organization Theory| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lOTrBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA47| year=2015| publisher=Cengage Learning| pages=47–48| isbn=9781305688056}}; another copy in {{cite book| editor-first=Alfred D. Jr. | editor-last=Chandler| title=The Railroads: The Nation's First Big Business| url=https://archive.org/details/newhampshiresens00chanrich}}
* [http://elmags.railfan.net/ Scanned issues of the Erie, Lackawanna, and Erie-Lackawanna magazines, primarily for employees]
* {{cite book
|title=The Erie route: a guide to the New York, Lake Erie & Western Railway and its branches, with Sketches of the Cities, Villages, Scenery and Objects of Interest along the Route, and Railroad, Steamboat and Stage Connections. Map and Illustrations
|others=The author is identified as "Of the General Passenger Department of the New York, Lake Erie & Western Railroad"
|last=Mott
|first=E. H. [Edward Harold]
|date=1882
|publisher=Taintor Brothers
|url=https://archive.org/details/erierouteguideto00mott}}
* [https://archive.org/details/erierailwaytouri00erier ''Erie Railway Tourist'', 1874]. "The management of the Erie Railway Company presents the ''Tourist'' to its patrons, friends, and the general public, in this form, to introduce a more intimate and detailed knowledge of the beauties, advantages, and resources of its line. The route of the Erie Railway is peculiarly rich among American railroads in the variety and extent of its scenery."

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.erielackhs.org/index.php/railroads9/erie Erie page by the Erie Lackawanna Historical Society]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050318171642/http://erierr.railfan.net/eriepres.html Presidents of the Erie Railroad]
*{{HAER |survey=NY-124 |id=ny1255 |title=Erie Railway, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania}}

{{ERIE named trains}}
{{Former Class I}}
{{Pennsylvania railroads}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erie Railroad}}
[[Category:Erie Railroad| ]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1895]]
[[Category:American companies disestablished in 1960]]
[[Category:1960 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:Former Class I railroads in the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct New Jersey railroads]]
[[Category:Defunct New York (state) railroads]]
[[Category:Defunct Pennsylvania railroads]]
[[Category:Defunct Ohio railroads]]
[[Category:Defunct Indiana railroads]]
[[Category:Defunct Illinois railroads]]
[[Category:Standard-gauge railways in the United States]]
[[Category:6 ft gauge railways in the United States]]
[[Category:Predecessors of Conrail]]
[[Category:Conrail]]
[[Category:Erie Lackawanna Railway]]
[[Category:Railroads in the Chicago metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Railway companies established in 1895]]
[[Category:Railway companies disestablished in 1960]]
[[Category:1895 establishments in New York City]]
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[[Category:Defunct companies based in Cincinnati]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in New York City]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Hornell, New York]]
[[Category:Transportation in Steuben County, New York]]