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54-400: James P. Kirkwood selected the site of the reservoir, one of the highest elevations within the 1855 city limits. As the reservoir occupied only 18 acres (7.3 ha) of the site, Kirkwood suggested the remaining land be turned into a park. The top of the reservoir structure was at one time covered with elevated tennis courts; presently, two newer tennis courts lie to the east. The water tower

108-623: Is through 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." 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 . Bernet only served as

162-515: 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 schools , 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

216-749: The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) from 1867 to 1868. Kirkwood was born in Edinburgh , Scotland He graduated at the Edinburgh College, and learned civil engineering on the Boston and Albany Railroad , an early work from which a number of engineers and contractors came to the Erie when it was building. Kirkwood had come to the United States in 1832 with letters to McNeill, who arranged work for him on

270-652: The Delaware and Hudson Railroad (D&H); on October 17, 1960, the Erie and the DL&;W merged together to create the Erie Lackawanna Railway . 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

324-596: 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 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

378-538: The German-American Alliance in honor of Carl Schurz , Emil Preetorius and Carl Daenzer , editors of the German St. Louis newspaper Westliche Post . Controversy erupted over the statue's nudity before the monument was even built when a jury selected the design of Wilhelm Wandschneider , the only non-local sculptor in the design contest. At the request of Adolphus Busch , who had contributed $ 20,000 of

432-465: The Grand Avenue Water Tower ). The 179-foot (55 m) tower was built to disguise a 6-foot (1.8 m) diameter, 130-foot (40 m) tall standpipe in its interior. The standpipe helped to control the dangerous surges in the city's pipes caused by the reciprocating pumps and maintain an even water pressure. The water tower was designed by Harvey Ellis who also had a hand in designing

486-538: The Hudson River at Piermont , north of New York City , west to Lake Erie at 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

540-693: 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 , 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 , in

594-555: The Southern Tier of New York. 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

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648-404: The $ 31,000 cost of the monument, the statue was made of bronze instead of white marble to deemphasize the nudity . The statue was moved to its present location south of the water tower after Interstate 44 was constructed through the northern edge of the park. The statue was designated a city landmark in 1969. James P. Kirkwood James Pugh Kirkwood (27 March 1807 – 22 April 1877)

702-826: The Cleveland Union Terminal Company allowed the Erie to use the Union Terminal adjacent to Terminal Tower in lieu of its old station. That same year, the Erie purchased a share of the Niagara Junction Railway , along with the New York Central and the Lehigh Valley . On March 17, 1954, the Erie completely dieselized their locomotive roster, when K-1 class 4-6-2 No. 2530 hauled the railroad's final steam-powered commuter train between Jersey City and Spring Valley, New York . Later that same year,

756-634: The Erie Railroad proved influential in the development and economic growth of the Southern Tier of New York state , including the cities of Binghamton , Elmira , and 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 and the other west to Chicago. On October 17, 1960, Erie Railroad merged with its former rival, Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad , to form

810-507: The Erie also operated an electric commuter rail line to its terminal station in Rochester, New York . The station was one of the Erie's few electrified railroad stations, and the railroad became one of the first to provide electric commuter services in 1907. 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 ,

864-478: 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. 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

918-669: The Erie he managed to take $ 4 million, which he claimed was the railroad's "debt" to him. In 1869, the railroad moved its main shop facilities from Dunkirk to 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. Horatio Brooks used the facilities to begin Brooks Locomotive Works , which remained in independent business until 1901 when it

972-443: 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. 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. In

1026-546: 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). George W. Perkins brought 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

1080-473: The New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad went into bankruptcy reorganization again, and then the company emerged in 1895 as the Erie Railroad. 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 Railroad (NYS&W), after Morgan purchased the majority of their shares, on the Erie's behalf. The control of

1134-661: The Norwich Worcester Railroad. He served on the Boston & Providence Railroad, and in 1835 became Assistant Engineer of the Stonington Railroad . In that same year he surveyed the route for the Long Island Rail Road , which was opened from the foot of Atlantic street to Hicksville in 1837. He had charge of the construction of that road until operations were stopped by the panic of 1837 . In 1840 Kirkwood

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1188-489: The abandonment of duplicate freight facilities in 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

1242-531: The age of 70 and was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery . The Starrucca Viaduct was designed by Julius W. Adams and James P. Kirkwood and built in 1847–1848 by New York and Erie Railroad , of locally quarried random ashlar bluestone , except for three brick interior longitudinal spandrel walls and the concrete base portions of the piers and deck covering. This may have been the first structural use of concrete in American bridge construction. The viaduct

1296-400: The area, hired James P. Kirkwood, a civil engineer who had previously worked on the Long Island Rail Road . Accounts differ as to whether Kirkwood worked on the bridge himself, or whether Adams was responsible for the plans with Kirkwood working as a subordinate. It took 800 workers, each paid about $ 1 per day, equal to $ 35.22 per day today, to complete the bridge in a year. The falsework for

1350-399: The bridge required more than half a million feet of cored and hewn timbers. The first general superintendent, Hezekiah C. Seymour , came from Oneida County, and got the name on the road of the "Oneida Chief." In 1849 a successor to Superintendent Seymour was to be appointed, as he intended to quit the service. S. S. Post was superintendent of transportation. He was in the line of promotion to

1404-602: The company; Cornelius Vanderbilt versus Daniel Drew , 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 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

1458-459: 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

1512-528: The design of a state-of-the-art waterworks. He served in that capacity until 1867, when he was replaced by Thomas Jefferson Whitman, brother of Walt Whitman . In 1867 he moved back to New York and served as president of the American Society of Civil Engineers from 1867 to 1868. In the last years of his life he was consulting engineer at the Lynn, Massachusetts water-works. In 1877 Kirkwood died in Brooklyn, New York at

1566-537: The general superintendency, and as he was very popular with the employees, they were delighted with the prospect of having him as their superintendent. James P. Kirkwood was also mentioned in connection with the place. W. H. Stewart ran what was called the night line, and, in expectation of hearing the news somewhere along the line that Post had been elected superintendent, he had a big transparency, inscribed "S. S. Post, General Superintendent", all ready to light and display on his train. The news came, however, that Kirkwood

1620-482: The headhouse for St. Louis Union Station . Occasionally, the observation deck at the top of the water tower is opened to the public, allowing visitors to see 360-degree panoramic views of the city. The Compton Hill Water Tower was declared a city landmark in 1966 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The statue The Naked Truth , unveiled in 1914, was a gift to the city of St. Louis by

1674-606: The largest stone viaduct , and for its first use of concrete in American bridge construction. This success led to his appointment as General Superintendent of the Erie Railroad on 1 April 1849, where he succeeded Hezekiah C. Seymour . Only one year later at Erie Railroad, 1 May 1850, Kirkwood was succeeded by Charles Minot , and became Chief Engineer of the Missouri Pacific Railroad . the Pacific Railroad , and

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1728-467: 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. 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 U.S. Supreme Court case,

1782-556: The park, reducing the area of the park to its present size. The Compton Hill Water Tower, built in 1898, is the youngest of three remaining stand pipe- water towers in St. Louis. Whereas, in 1901, more than 423 stand pipe style water towers existed in the United States , as of 2008 only about a dozen remain standing, three of which are in St. Louis (the other two being the Bissell Tower and

1836-403: 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. The Erie's reorganization was deemed a success, since the railroad managed to pay dividends to their shareholders. On September 15, 1948,

1890-537: 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- ballasting and repairing masonry. The viaduct is 1,040 feet (317 m) long, 100 feet (30.5 m) high and 25 feet (7.6 m) wide at

1944-450: The railroad interchanged traffic by means of truck exchange , including through passenger and freight connections to St. Louis , Missouri, using a Nutter car hoist in Urbana, Ohio . 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,

1998-426: The railroad launched trailer-on-flatcar (TOFC) services. Erie Railroad prospered throughout the mid-1950s, but their 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

2052-432: The railroad men as the "Silent Man", from a peculiarity of his disposition. His office was at 56 Wall Street, New York. Audience with him was easily obtained, and as the caller entered, the superintendent would look up at him a moment. If the caller did not at once go on to mention the business that had brought him there, Kirkwood would turn his eyes back to his work without a word. Then the visitor might stand or sit there all

2106-399: 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 rum . At stops, he would step off the flatcar and give speeches. The line was built at 6 ft ( 1,829 mm ) wide gauge ; this was believed to be a superior technology to standard gauge, providing more stability. In 1848,

2160-584: The rest of the day without the Superintendent paying any more attention to him, or until the visitor broke the silence himself by speaking and making known his errand. [REDACTED] This article incorporates public domain material from Edward Harold Mott Between the Ocean and the Lakes: The Story of Erie . Collins, 1899. p. 405; Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad ( reporting mark ERIE )

2214-653: 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

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2268-522: The western part of the state, employing 3,500 in 1912. 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 in the U.S. In the Erie War of the 1860s, four well-known financiers struggled for control of

2322-636: Was Resident Engineer on the Mountain Division of the Western Rail Road., where he remained until its completion in 1843. He located and constructed the Springfield & Northampton Rail Road. In 1848 he completed the Starrucca Viaduct as Superintendent in one season; The Starrucca Viaduct near Lanesboro, Pennsylvania , considered to be the most expensive railroad bridge at the time, as well as

2376-520: 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

2430-675: Was a 19th-century American civil engineer , and general superintendent of the Erie Railroad in the year 1849–1850. He left the Erie to go to the southwest to construct railroads, and he made the first survey for the Pacific Railroad (later the Missouri Pacific Railroad) west from the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains. The towns of Kirkwood, Missouri and Kirkwood, New York are named in his honor. He served as president of

2484-419: Was built to solve an engineering problem posed by the wide valley of Starrucca Creek. The railroad initially considered building an embankment , but abandoned the idea because it was impractical. The Erie Railroad was well-financed by British investors, but even with money available, most American contractors at the time were incapable of the task. Julius W. Adams, the superintending engineer of construction in

2538-520: Was closed following Conrail's takeover, and operations were consolidated at the Lackawanna's Scranton facility. 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. The Erie Railroad operated a number of named passenger trains, although none were as well-known or successful as others like

2592-595: Was completed. In 1886, it was reported that the Erie and the Philadelphia and Reading Railway shared ferry services between their two Jersey City terminals, the larger being Pavonia Terminal , and Fulton Ferry in Brooklyn, New York for 11 round trips on weekdays and Saturdays, and four round trips on Sunday. In 1889, it opened a new bridge across the Hackensack River improving service to its terminals. By 1893,

2646-516: Was left of the Erie Lackawanna became part of Conrail in 1976. In 1983, remnants of the Erie Railroad became part of New Jersey Transit rail operations , including parts of its Main Line , and most of the surviving Erie Railroad routes are now operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway . The New York and Erie Rail Road was chartered on April 24, 1832, by New York governor Enos T. Throop to connect

2700-407: Was merged with seven other locomotive manufacturing firms to create ALCO . ALCO continued new locomotive production at this facility until 1934, then closed the plant completely in 1962. The cost of 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 trucks . Beginning in 1871,

2754-526: Was opened in sections until reaching the full length to Dunkirk on May 19, 1851. At Dunkirk, steamboats continued across Lake Erie to 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

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2808-567: Was responsible for the construction of the road from St. Louis to Pacific, Missouri . The towns of Kirkwood, Missouri , and Kirkwood, New York , are named after him. Late 1860s he consulted on and completed the Bergen Tunnel in 1858–9. At this time he was Engineer of the Brooklyn Water Supply, whose successful completion was largely due to his efforts. In 1865 he was appointed Chief Engineer of St. Louis, Missouri, in charge of

2862-539: Was retired in 1929, after 30 years, when the Howard Bend Plant was put in service: the static head from the Stacy Park Reservoir, in what is now the St. Louis suburb of Olivette , caused an overflow of pure chemically treated water into the sewer system. The reservoir and water tower were renovated, in 1999, at a cost of $ 19 million. In 1969, Interstate 44 was constructed through the northern edge of

2916-633: Was the choice of the Directors, and there was great disappointment among the "boys." This was in April, 1849. It is highly probable, though, that S.S. Post's long connection with the Railroad Company, and his popularity, would have secured him the place; if he had not shown an inclination to answer, in a non-committal way, queries put to him by the Directors, and a disposition to respond to them by asking questions himself. Superintendent Kirkwood became known among

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