Welcome to the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Historical Society web site. We hope that you will find many interesting and informative items on these pages, and will come back to visit us often.

November 30, 2011

The first P&LERRHS project car (Rebuilt 50' Single Door Boxcar) has been a huge success!

There are limited quantities remaining.  You can find more information about it on our Company Store page!.

May 7, 2012 - STATUS UPDATE!
Intermountain Railway has informed the PLERRHS that there will be a delay in the delivery of the CA-4 special run cabooses. The projected delivery date is now July/August, 2012. We will keep everyone up to date as more information is available . . .

November 27, 2011
The Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Historical Society proudly announces the second "Project Car" for model railroaders.  Based on the Union Pacific Railroad CA-4 cabooses sold to P&LE subsidiaries in 1969 (seven to the Montour Railroad, two to the Youngstown & Southern Railroad and two to the Pittsburgh, Chartiers & Youghiogheny Railroad), three were eventually bought back by the P&LE between 1979 and 1981..

        

This project utilizes Intermountain Railway's CA-3 way car with appropriate paint and graphics. P&LE and Montour cars will come Ready-To-Roll. A painted/unlettered version will include decals for the Y&S, PC&Y, and Montour railroads (for those wishing additional car numbers). Both HO and N scale versions will be available (Quantities are limited).

Delivery is expected in May, 2012 and orders are being accepted now.
Road names and numbers available: P&LE 530, P&LE 533, Montour 36 and undecorated.
Pricing information and order form are available in PDF format: P&LE CA-4 Caboose Order Form.

November 27, 2011
The latest issue of The Little Giant, the magazine of the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Historical Society, is a 48 page double issue and is available now.

In this issue Jack Yarbrough gives us an in depth look at the history of Gateway yard and the iconic building of the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad - the Hump Crest Tower. Jack also provides a description of how he modeled the Hump Crest area, including the tower, in HO Scale.

The issue begins with a brief discussion of the modernization of the New York Central System during the regime of Al Perlman. Perlman felt that the “road to the future” would need striking changes in thinking and the use of innovative technology. The following strategies were key to his strategic vision:

• Implementation of Centralized Traffic Control while simultaneously reducing the famed four-track mainlines between New York and Chicago to three or two tracks.
• Development of the Flexi-Van and Flexi-Flo systems for attracting new revenue streams.
• Hiring the best and brightest to develop a marketing team that would use new analytical tools to understand what markets could be cultivated or advanced.
• Speeding up the classification of freight through key rail centers in the New York Central territories.

These concepts would drive the massive investment that resulted in construction of Gateway Yard in Youngstown, Ohio.

Gateway Yard was in fact a combination of the twelve small yards. There were three main yards: The Receiving Yard, The Hump Classification Yard and the Departure Yard. Arranged in essentially a straight line, these three yards were the heart of Gateway's operation, with the remaining nine yards performing specific tasks. The article includes a track chart that shows all twelve yards and a description of their functions, along with a brief description of how the hump yard was operated.

The building that controlled all operations at Gateway Yard was the Hump Crest Tower. It was one of the most photographed buildings of the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad, not only because of it's location at the top of the hump crest, but also because the hump crest contained a "fly over" above the Lake Erie & Eastern's connection to Gateway Yard. There are photos that show the construction of the prototype Hump Crest Tower and the hump itself as well as color photos of operations at the yard.

Jack concluded that the Hump Crest Tower was the defining structure of the railroad and a “must have” if he wanted to build an accurate portrayal of Youngstown, Ohio. Jack goes on to describe the construction of the diorama and the Hump Crest Tower model. Scale drawings of the tower are included along with photos that illustrate the construction of the diorama and the tower model. Six color photos of the finished diorama with equipment from several eras are the final part of the article.

In addition to this fantastic issue, the P&LERRHS is also making available an abridged set of construction drawings for the Gateway Yard buildings. These drawings are part of the Brent Lewis Collection. The drawings maybe found here: Gateway Yard Blueprints..

We hope you enjoy this fascinating look at the history of Gateway Yard and the superb modeling of Jack Yarbrough.

Our Goals
This web site exists for everyone who is interested in the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad. We are here to provide a service to you - but to continue to make this site grow, we need your help. Do you have original images of either the prototype railroad or a model that you've built, drawings of any sort, or if your a former employee and have an interesting story to tell, please share these items with everyone who considers the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad to truly be The Little Giant!

Do you have any ideas on how to make this web site better? We welcome all suggestions and comments.