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Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad

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Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
Company typeRailroad
IndustryRail transport
Founded1853
Defunct1960
FateMerged with Erie Railroad to form Erie Lackawanna Railroad
Headquarters
Scranton
,
United States
Area served
Northeastern United States
Key people
Perry Shoemaker (president)
ProductsPassenger and freight rail transport (especially anthracite coal)

The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W) was a prominent U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, Hoboken, New Jersey, and, via ferry, New York City, covering a considerable distance. Established in Pennsylvania in 1853, its primary focus was transporting anthracite coal from the Coal Region of Northeast Pennsylvania to key markets in New York City. The railroad’s network extended east to west, ultimately linking Buffalo with New York City.

In the early 1900s, DL&W remained profitable, comparable to contemporaries such as the Lehigh Valley Railroad and New York, Ontario and Western Railroad. However, profits declined following reduced coal demand, especially after the 1959 Knox Mine Disaster. The rise of trucking facilitated by the Interstate Highway System during the 1960s and 1970s further intensified competition. In 1960, DL&W merged with its competitor, the Erie Railroad, creating the Erie Lackawanna Railroad, which later became part of Conrail in 1976.

Before DL&W (1832–1853)

The railroad began as the Leggett's Gap Railroad in 1832 but remained dormant until it was rechartered in 1849. Organized in 1850, it was renamed Lackawanna and Western Railroad in April 1851. The first segment opened on December 20, 1851, running north from Scranton to Great Bend near the New York state line. From Great Bend, it obtained trackage rights over the New York and Erie Rail Road to Owego, New York, and by April 1855 had leased the Cayuga and Susquehanna Railroad (C&S) extending service to Ithaca.

The C&S was a reorganized portion of the Ithaca and Owego Railroad (initially opened in 1834), representing the oldest section of DL&W’s system. The entire network operated on a broad gauge of , consistent with New York and Erie’s specifications.

Separately chartered in December 1850, the "Delaware and Cobb's Gap Railroad" aimed to construct a line eastward from Scranton to the Delaware River. Prior to commencing operations, it merged with Lackawanna and Western under the "Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad" designation on March 11, 1853. On the New Jersey side, the Warren Railroad—chartered in February 1851—extended southeast from the Delaware River bridge to Hampton on the Central Railroad of New Jersey line, traversing mainly through Warren County.

Growth and Financial Success (1853–1940)

The Southern Division commenced operations on May 27, 1856, incorporating the Warren Railroad in New Jersey. To facilitate access east of Hampton toward Elizabeth, a third rail was installed allowing trackage rights usage; by 1864, the CNJ extended service to Jersey City.

On December 10, 1868, DL&W acquired the Morris and Essex Railroad, fully integrating it by 1945. This acquisition provided a direct route across northern New Jersey to Jersey City without dependence on CNJ tracks. The M&E tunnel beneath Bergen Hill opened in 1876, removing reliance on competitor tunnels. Included were branches like the Boonton Line, which launched in 1870 as a freight bypass around congested Newark.

In 1869, DL&W purchased the Syracuse, Binghamton and New York Railroad and leased the Oswego and Syracuse Railroad, thereby extending northward from Binghamton through Syracuse to Oswego’s port facilities. The "Greene Railroad" branch began operations in 1870 under immediate lease. Additionally, leasing of the Utica, Chenango and Susquehanna Valley Railway that same year expanded service northward to Utica with several branch lines.

The "Valley Railroad," established in 1869 to connect Great Bend with Binghamton and reduce reliance on Erie Railroad routes, opened in 1871. By 1873, control extended over the Lackawanna and Bloomsburg Railroad, which ran southwest from Scranton to Northumberland with trackage rights reaching Sunbury. On March 15, 1876, a system-wide conversion standardized all tracks to standard gauge within a single day.

Chartered in 1880 as the New York, Lackawanna and Western Railroad and inaugurated in 1882, this line extended westward from Binghamton to Buffalo and onward to Canada via the International Bridge. It also serviced downtown Buffalo and Hornellsville through branch lines. By 1903, operational reach grew further through control of lines such as the Erie and Central New York Railroad and Bangor and Portland Railway, enhancing regional network integration.

Founded in 1901, the Delaware Valley Railway sought to establish a northern connection with Erie Railroad at Port Jervis; however, limited service led to its discontinuation by 1937.

Scranton functioned as DL&W’s central hub for locomotive and car maintenance facilities. A $2 million modernization effort in 1910 upgraded these shops with a large machine shop addition. Further car shops were constructed at Keyser Valley (1904) for freight cars and Kingsland, New Jersey (1906) for passenger cars—strategically located nine miles outside New York City—to support expanding operations.

New terminals and route improvements

The company invested in significant infrastructure projects, including the Beaux-Arts style Hoboken Terminal in New Jersey, completed in 1907, and a comparable passenger station erected in Scranton in 1908, which now serves as a Radisson hotel. Additionally, a waterfront terminal in Buffalo was established in 1917.

Incorporated as the "Lackawanna Railroad of New Jersey" on February 7, 1908, the company undertook construction of the Lackawanna Cut-Off, which commenced operations on December 24, 1911. This low-gradient bypass in northwestern New Jersey showcased remarkable engineering achievements such as the Delaware River Viaduct and Paulinskill Viaduct, along with concrete signal towers located at Port Morris, Greendell, and Slateford Junction. Between 1912 and 1915, the Summit-Hallstead Cutoff was developed to modernize the corridor between Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania and Hallstead, Pennsylvania, producing a more efficient low-grade line connecting Scranton to Binghamton. Notable structures on this segment included the Tunkhannock Viaduct and Martins Creek Viaduct. These cutoffs eliminated level crossings, facilitating faster train speeds.

Passenger services

From its Hoboken Terminal hub near New York City, the railroad served major destinations such as Scranton, Binghamton, Syracuse, Oswego, Buffalo, and Utica. Key passenger trains included:

  • Nos. 2 Pocono Express / 5 Twilight (linking Hoboken with Buffalo and connecting to New York Central's Chicago routes)
  • Nos. 3 / 6 Phoebe Snow or Lackawanna Limited (operating between Hoboken and Buffalo)
  • Nos. 7 Westerner / 8 New Yorker (Hoboken-Buffalo service with Nickel Plate Road connections to Chicago)
  • Nos. 10 New York Mail / 15 Owl (Hoboken to Buffalo)
  • Nos. 1301 / 1306 Interstate Express (Philadelphia to Syracuse)
  • Nos. 1702 Keystone Express / 1705 Pittsburgh Express (routes between Scranton and Pittsburgh)

The railroad also managed commuter rail lines serving North Jersey suburbs en route to Hoboken on the Boonton, Gladstone, Montclair, and Morristown Lines. Early promotional efforts highlighted the use of clean-burning anthracite coal through the fictional character Phoebe Snow, representing cleanliness and dependability on the so-called "Road of Anthracite."

Decline (1940–1960)

Anthracite coal was the railroad’s most lucrative freight commodity, constituting more than 14% of Pennsylvania’s output from 1890 through 1940. Other major freight categories included dairy goods, livestock, lumber, cement, steel products, and grain shipments. The Pocono Mountains region—a favored vacation destination especially among New Yorkers—supported substantial passenger volumes that justified expanding mainline tracks to three or four rails.

Nevertheless, economic transformations in the region weakened the railroad’s market position. After World War II, growth largely bypassed cities such as Scranton and Wilkes-Barre along with neighboring counties. Coal lost prominence as fuel oil and natural gas became preferred energy sources. Declines in textile manufacturing combined with advances in refrigeration technology diminished freight volumes from ice harvesting and dairy deliveries that had previously provided steady income.

Natural calamities further strained operations. In August 1955, Hurricane Diane inflicted severe flooding across the Pocono area, damaging approximately 60 miles of track infrastructure and resulting in losses totaling $8.1 million. The Old River line was abandoned due to irreparable destruction. Service interruptions persisted for nearly a month with ongoing speed limitations imposed on affected segments.

The final critical setback occurred in January 1959 during the Knox Mine Disaster when flooding inundated anthracite mines beneath the Susquehanna River. This catastrophe devastated coal mining activities throughout the region and eliminated a vital revenue source for the railroad.

These financial difficulties reflected broader industry-wide declines as U.S. rail traffic diminished after World War II amid growing competition from trucks and automobiles. Neighboring railroads such as the New York, Ontario and Western Railroad and Lehigh & New England Railroad ceased operations by the early 1960s. Over subsequent decades, numerous Northeastern railroads encountered bankruptcy amid this shrinking market environment.

Erie Lackawanna

After Hurricane Diane struck in 1955, the DL&W experienced a sharp financial downturn, worsened by substantial property taxes in New Jersey, a challenge that endured for many years. To rescue the company’s stability, DL&W president Perry Shoemaker aimed to merge with the Nickel Plate Road, which would have established a rail corridor extending from St. Louis, Missouri and Chicago to New York City, maintaining essential double-track mainlines. Although this merger had been contemplated as early as 1920, Nickel Plate’s leadership declined the proposal and eventually merged with the Norfolk and Western Railroad.

In 1956, Shoemaker explored merger or cooperative agreements with the Lehigh Valley Railroad and Delaware and Hudson Railway, but these negotiations were unsuccessful. Ultimately, he achieved a merger with the competing Erie Railroad, resulting in the creation of the Erie Lackawanna Railroad (EL), officially established on October 17, 1960. Shoemaker faced criticism and was marginalized by Erie executives, leading to his departure; he later assumed the presidency of the Central Railroad of New Jersey in 1962.

Prior to the merger, overlapping routes prompted partial abandonment of DL&W’s mainline between Binghamton and Buffalo in favor of shared operations. The DL&W Cut-Off was reduced to a single track in anticipation of consolidation. Passenger services were centralized at DL&W's Hoboken Terminal, while some redundant lines, such as the Boonton Branch, were either sold or discontinued. Following the merger, EL focused freight operations primarily on former Erie routes due to traffic patterns dependent on interchange with the New Haven Railroad at Maybrook, New York.

The 1969 incorporation of New Haven into Penn Central Railroad and the subsequent closure of New Haven’s Poughkeepsie Bridge in 1974 disrupted EL’s freight traffic flow. This forced freight movements back onto former DL&W lines while Erie routes were downgraded. EL adjusted by rerouting lengthy freight trains over the modified Boonton Line and Erie's Greenwood Lake Branch—both originally unsuitable for heavy freight traffic.

In 1972, after the Central Railroad of New Jersey ended its Pennsylvania operations, EL took over additional through freight services between Elizabeth, NJ, and Scranton via the Lackawanna Cut-Off until Conrail's establishment in 1976 terminated this role.

Throughout its existence, EL diversified its freight base by incorporating shipments from sources like Lehigh Valley and secured contracts with firms including Chrysler, becoming an early adopter of intermodal transport. Despite these initiatives, declines in coal shipments combined with escalating labor and tax expenses strained EL’s finances. The construction of Interstates I-80, I-380, and I-81 during the early 1970s further shifted traffic toward trucking, hastening EL’s financial deterioration.

By 1976, facing bankruptcy, EL filed to become part of Conrail, a federally supported regional railroad formed from seven failing northeastern carriers on April 1, 1976.

Conrail

On April 1, 1976, EL’s rail assets were transferred to Conrail. Initially, labor agreements restricted changes to freight schedules; however, by early 1979 Conrail discontinued through freight service on the Lackawanna portion. Freight operations were withdrawn from the Hoboken-Binghamton mainline and consolidated onto alternative routes due to EL's earlier severance of the Boonton Branch near Paterson, New Jersey and difficult grades across the Pocono Mountains.

The Morristown Line remains as the sole multi-track segment within the 900-mile Lackawanna system, preserving its triple-track layout established nearly one hundred years ago.

The Lackawanna Cut-Off was abandoned in 1979 and dismantled by 1984. The section from Slateford Junction to Scranton remained in legal limbo before a single track was retained under new ownership. In 2001, New Jersey acquired the Cut-Off corridor through a $40 million bond approved in 1989 but ultimately paid $21 million for it. NJ Transit projects that restoring service to Scranton will cost approximately $551 million, including new train equipment. A 7.3-mile stretch between Port Morris and Andover, New Jersey encountered environmental review delays but is slated for passenger service resumption by 2025.

Delaware and Hudson (subsequently Canadian Pacific)

In 1979, Conrail divested the majority of the DL&W lines in Pennsylvania; the principal route stretching from Scranton to Binghamton, which includes the Nicholson Cutoff, was acquired by the Delaware and Hudson Railway. Later, in 1991, Canadian Pacific Railway took ownership of the D&H and managed this section until 2014, when it sold the line to Norfolk Southern.

New York, Susquehanna, and Western

The Syracuse and Utica branches located north of Binghamton were sold by Conrail to Delaware Otsego Corp., which operates these as part of the northern division of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway.

Norfolk Southern

Conrail accepted an acquisition proposal from CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway in 1997. On June 1, 1999, Norfolk Southern took control of numerous Conrail routes in New Jersey, including most former DL&W lines and the Bangor & Portland branch in Pennsylvania. Norfolk Southern continues to provide local freight services on these tracks. In 2014, it acquired the former DL&W main line running from Taylor, PA to Binghamton, NY from Canadian Pacific Railway and has maintained operations on this corridor since.

NJ Transit

Since 1983, NJ Transit Rail Operations, supported by funding from the State of New Jersey, has operated passenger services over much of the former DL&W trackage along the Morris & Essex Lines extending to Gladstone and Hackettstown. In 2002, NJ Transit merged the Montclair Branch with the Boonton Line to form the Montclair-Boonton Line and utilizes the southern segment of what was originally known as the Boonton Line, now called the Main Line. Hoboken Terminal serves as NJ Transit's central hub.

Trains on the Morristown Line now travel directly into New York's Pennsylvania Station via the Kearny Connection, which opened in 1996. This connection supports NJ Transit's well-known Midtown Direct service. Previously, passengers were required to transfer at Hoboken to reach Manhattan. The current infrastructure features increased through-track capacity, improving both service efficiency and frequency.

Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority

Following Conrail’s division in 1999, ownership of the former DL&W main line between Scranton and Slateford in Monroe County transferred to the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority (PNRRA). Freight and tourist operations on this Pocono Mainline are conducted by the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad alongside services at the Steamtown National Historic Site. Under a haulage contract with Norfolk Southern, Delaware-Lackawanna transports Canadian grain unit trains between Scranton and Harvest States Grain Mill at Pocono Summit, as well as delivering wood products to Bestway Enterprises located in Cresco. Additional clients include Keystone Propane in Tobyhanna. Excursion trains run from Steamtown heading toward Moscow and Tobyhanna, with occasional extensions reaching East Stroudsburg or Delaware Water Gap.

Delaware-Lackawanna also operates Lackawanna County’s heritage trolley service through the Electric City Trolley Museum, utilizing electrified portions of what once was the Lackawanna and Wyoming Valley Railroad. Moreover, it runs trains on a surviving segment of the DL&W Diamond branch within Scranton.

In 2006, railroad authorities from Monroe and Lackawanna Counties established PNRRA with a goal to facilitate restoration of passenger rail service connecting New York City and Scranton.

New York

The majority of the main line westward from Binghamton, New York, has been discontinued in favor of the Erie Railroad's Buffalo route through Hornell. The longest surviving portion of the main line runs between Painted Post and Wayland, currently operated as a shortline by B&H Railroad, which provides service to Bath, Hammondsport, and sections of the Livonia, Avon, and Lakeville Railroad. Additional smaller segments still in use include the stretch from Groveland to Greigsville, managed by Genesee & Wyoming, and the line between Lancaster and Depew, operated by Depew, Lancaster & Western. The branch to Richfield Springs was dismantled in 1998; however, much of its former right-of-way was purchased in 2009 by Utica, Chenango and Susquehanna Valley LLC. This company runs the narrow-gauge Richfield Springs Scenic Railway for tourism and maintains a walking trail along parts of the corridor. Around 1999, a portion of the Cortland-Cincinnatus Branch was reconstructed to support industrial activities.

Pennsylvania

As reported in 2018, the former Keyser Valley branch extending from Scranton to Taylor is under the operation of the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern. This company also manages the former Bloomsburg branch stretching from Taylor to Coxton Yard in Duryea. The segment of the Bloomsburg branch running from Duryea to Kingston is controlled by the Luzerne and Susquehanna Railway, while the section between Northumberland and Hicks Ferry is operated by the North Shore Railroad (Pennsylvania).

See also

References

Further reading

External links

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