Lehigh Valley R. R. Renames the Stock of the Elmira, Cortland and Northern R. R.



Lehigh Valley Engine No. 919

Cortland Evening Standard, Wednesday, May 13, 1896.

Lehigh Valley Notes.

   Two locomotives from the Southern Central division, Nos. 531 and 465, have been sent to Cortland for use on the Elmira division. One will be put upon the new train which will run between Cortland and Elmira with the change of time next week, and the other will be held in reserve as an extra.

   The passenger cars are rapidly being lettered in the car shops here "Lehigh Valley." None of them have been put out on the road yet, but they are expected to blossom forth next week. They are all receiving a new coat of paint, the same color as now, and the new name in silver runs along the top of the cars. At each end are the smaller letters "E. C. & N."

   The new summer uniforms of employees will be put on next Sunday morning. They are of blue of course. The conductors wear a single breasted Prince Albert coat with gold buttons and gold letters on the lapels "L. V. R. R." The baggagemen and brakemen wear sack coats with silver buttons. The caps are of black silk with gold braid and a gold number plate for conductors, and with silver braid and a silver number plate for trainmen. The local agents at the various stations will wear uniforms with silver trimmings.

   Agent E. D. Phillips will next week begin selling through tickets to New York for $5.80 and round trip tickets for $10. He will also have on sale tickets to any points on the Central and West Shore roads.

Reduced Rates to Utica.

   On account of the annual state encampment of the G. A. R. and the W. R. C.* at Utica, May 18 to 20, the Lehigh Valley R. R. will sell special round trip tickets from Cortland for $2.84, McLean $3.12, East Homer $2.50, Truxton  $2.36, Cuyler $2.20 and DeRuyter $2.04. Tickets will be sold going May 10 to 20 inclusive and are limited for return until and including May 21.

   Special attention is called to these dates for the sale of tickets going May 16 to 20, as they are wrong upon the posters issued by the Lehigh Valley Co., which are hung up in numerous places along the line of the road.

 

*  Women’s Relief Corps, auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic veterans.

Cortland Evening Standard, Wednesday, May 20, 1896.

GRAND ARMY AT UTlCA.

Great Crowds Turn Out to View the Imposing Parade.

   UTICA, N. Y., May 20.—Vast throngs of people gathered in the streets to view the G. A. R. parade. The procession was very imposing and the scene on Genesee street, the principal thoroughfare, was especially brilliant, the street being a mass of bunting and crowded with gaily dressed people. About 25,000 viewed the parade. At the soldiers' monument they passed in review of Commander-in-Chief Atkinson and the department staff and Mayor Gibson and the common council. About 2,000 men were in line.

   The retiring commander-in-chief, Edward J. Atkinson, was presented by the members of his staff with a handsome mahogany chest, containing a costly set of silver plate.

   Colonel Shaw then, on behalf of Commander Atkinson, presented Commander Owen, chief aid, with a gold badge and chain and a gold and silver eagle with diamond setting.

   Interest is growing over the contest for senior vice commander at the election today, between Fred Cossum of Auburn and Captain John T. Davidson of Elmira. Nearly 600 delegates have reported at headquarters and 400 members of the Women's Relief corps.

Cortland Evening Standard, Friday, May 15, 1896.

                                                  LEHIGH VALLEY NOTES.

Two Handsome New Trains Will Go Into Service Next Week.

   With the change to the new time card on the Lehigh Valley road next week two handsome new trains will be put into commission. All the coaches have been in the car shops here in Cortland and have been repainted and refinished, and in some cases reupholstered. All have new steel wheels such as the Lehigh Valley uses on all its cars. The first of these trains will start for Camden at 9:30 o'clock on Sunday morning, the passengers who come on from Elmira being asked to change to the new cars here at Cortland. That train will return to Elmira that night and will thereafter be the regular train passing east through Cortland on week days at 9:48 A. M. and returning at 1:42 P. M.

   The other train will start for Elmira at 6:35 Monday morning, arriving at 8:50 A. M. During the day it will make a trip to Ithaca and return over the G. I. & S. division, and will then leave Elmira for Cortland at 6 P. M., reaching here at 8:17. The old cars will be put into the shops and will be repainted and refitted as fast as possible.

   Three crews will in the future take the place of two now on duty on the trains. The distances covered are arranged so as to divide the work. The longest run of any crew for a day is 232 miles, which is the run from Cortland to Elmira, to Ithaca, to Elmira and back to Cortland. The next longest is 150 miles—from Cortland to Canastota, back to Cortland and back to Canastota. The third run is only fifty miles—from Canastota to Cortland. It is arranged that the crews shall take each of these three runs in succession. That will give them easy work after hard work and will give every crew a rest after the strain of a long run, and at the same time will give them an average of 144 miles per day.

   A special train containing Superintendent Titus, General Roadmaster Cafferty and Roadmaster Swart went over this division yesterday as far as Canastota. Mr. Titus was in Cortland again this morning.

Cortland Evening Standard, Tuesday, May 19, 1896.

                                            BLACK DIAMOND'S RECORD.

               New York to Buffalo, 448 Miles in 9 Hours, 8 Minutes Running Time.

   BUFFALO, May 19.—The Lehigh Valley's new limited train, the "Black Diamond Express," which left Jersey City at 12:14 yesterday afternoon, rolled into the Buffalo depot at 10 o'clock last night, having made the distance 448 miles in nine hours and eight minutes, actual time, thirty-eight minutes being deducted for stops. The train will run on a regular ten hour schedule. The steep Allegheny mountains were climbed at a sixty mile an hour clip, while on the level as high as seventy miles an hour was made, Laceyville to Sayre, a distance of fifty-six miles, was covered in forty-nine minutes.

   The Lehigh officials were elated over the success of the initial trip and declared that they will run the "Black Diamond" against the best time for the distance.


                                   Cortland Evening Standard, Friday, May 22, 1896.

                                                 IS YOUR TICKET GOOD?

                             Those Who Ride the "Black Diamond" Will Pay Cash.

   General Passenger Agent Chas. S. Lee of the Lehigh Valley has sent out a circular of instruction to agents and conductors pertaining to the issuance and use of tickets on the "Black Diamond Express." Conductors are to inspect the tickets offered by passengers before they enter the train. The following tickets will not be good:

   Second class or immigrant tickets.

   Theatrical or party tickets marked special.

   Advertising mileage tickets.

   All forms of commutation tickets.

   School and fifty trip tickets.

   Clerical and employee tickets.

   The person accompanying the body of a dead person must present a first-class ticket for the transportation of the body. News agents are not permitted on the train, either en route or at stations. Baggage will be sent as far as practicable on train preceding or immediately following this train, and no commercial or theatrical baggage will be carried.


                                                        "Railroad Dan.”

   Car Inspector Frank M. Kenyon of the Lehigh Valley this morning came into possession of a fine large maltese cat which had ridden at least as far as from DeRuyter on top of a steam pipe over the front truck of a coach on the westbound express train. The cat was put off at Cuyler but got on again and was put off again at the junction but again persisted in climbing on board. At the station Mr. Kenyon took him in charge and has taken him to his home, 182 Port Watson-st. He has given him the name of "Railroad Dan" and prizes him very highly, although his record is not quite equal to that of the famous dog, "Railroad Jack."

 
   

Links:

1) History of Railroads in Tompkins County:
http://ecommons.library.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/11518/6/A%20History%20of%20Railroads%20in%20Tompkins%20County.pdf

2) Lehigh Valley Railroad: http://www.lvrr.com/
3) Lehigh Valley Railroad Historical Society: http://www.lvrrhs.org/history/index.htm
4) Lehigh Valley Railroad, Hemlock, N.Y.: http://hemlockandcanadicelakes.com/hcl_railroad.htm
5) Jim Clare sings Black Diamond Express on YouTube: http://youtu.be/JqA2i_eQXZ8