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Our Equipment: The Lake Cities Project
The last long-distance passenger train on the Erie Lackwanna was The Lake Cities. The train made its final trip from Hoboken, N.J. to Chicago, Ill. on Jan. 4, 1970, closing out over 100 years of long-distance passenger service on the Erie and Lackawanna Railroads. The goal of our organization is to recreate an Erie Lackawanna long distance train from the 1960s, which we call The Lake Cities Project.
ELDCPS owns three passenger cars which operated on Erie Lackawanna long-distance trains:
Erie Lackawanna Diner 741
Erie Lackawanna 741, ex-Erie 941
Built 1927, Pullman
Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Diner 469
Erie Lackawanna 769, ex-Delaware, Lackawanna & Western 469
Built 1949, Budd
Erie Lackawanna Diner 770
Erie Lackawanna 770, ex-Delaware, Lackawanna & Western 470
Built 1949, Budd
Nickel Plate 10-6 Sleeper City of Lima
Nickel Plate Road 211
Built 1950, Pullman
In addition, we also own three cars that operated in commuter service on the Erie Lackawanna from 1971-1976. These cars, while not owned outright by the Erie Lackawanna, were the last passenger cars ever ordered for the railroad. Purchased and owned by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, these cars operated on the former Erie Lackawanna commuter lines until retired by New Jersey Transit in 2009. While not long-distance cars themselves, ELDCPS will use these cars for fundraising excursions to support the restoration of our long-distance cars.
Erie Lackawanna "Comet" Coaches 1700, 1705, and 1802
Erie Lackawanna 1700, ex-NJ Transit 5718
Erie Lackawanna 1705, ex-NJ Transit 5711
Built 1970, Pullman-Standard
Rebuilt 1987, Bombardier
Erie Lackawanna 1802, ex-NJ Transit 5746
Built 1973, Pullman-Standard
Rebuilt 1987, Bombardier