In the sports section of today's (June 21) New York Times, author Michael Powell, referring to the last moments of Sunday's Game 7 of the NBA title series, refers to MVP LeBron James this way: "Sprinting five or six steps behind (Stephen Curry) was that 6-foot-8 Erie Lackawanna freight train known as LeBron James."
Nice to see the EL referenced at this late date in such a positive way. But I ask you, fellow railfans, is this the best metaphor Mr. Powell could have used? Why not a UP freight train? Or Conrail? Something else? And why compare Mr. James with a fallen flag railroad in the first place? Frankly, my image of an Erie Lackawanna freight train is one that is mixed, slow, wobbling on its uneven tracks, and likely to break down at any minute and stab a road crossing.
Any suggestions for a more accurate metaphor? I'll forward the best one to Mr. Powell.
(Apologies for mistakenly posting this here instead of under General Discussion; I don't know how to move it from one topic to the other)
Maybe Powell was thinking of that old song, "Where do you worka, John?"
Someone seems to have too much time on his hands.
Mr. Powell is about 59, so probably does actually remember E-L.
http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/q_a_new_york_times_reporter_mi.php
https://www.flickr.com/photos/40666398@N02/13206595684
https://akronrrclub.wordpress.com/tag/cleveland-terminal-tower/ http://ech.case.edu/cgi/article.pl?id=ER
https://akronrrclub.wordpress.com/tag/cleveland-terminal-tower/
http://ech.case.edu/cgi/article.pl?id=ER
James' hometown is Akron, on the EL main.
How about "like a 10,000 ton coal train"
or "like a bullet train"?
Gramp: I forgot that fact about Akron. I like both of your suggestions.
54light15: I didn't think anyone knew that song these days! It appears in an American folklore book from 1940 that I own.
wanswheel: Oh sure, go ahead and make my eyes mist over! The top photo shows what air pollution was like in 1968, but more importantly, it shows a neighborhood I loved. And any photograph showing the Terminal Tower makes true Clevelanders feel as if they were looking at the face of a loved one. As far as the Erie heritage unit...if only, huh?
pajrr: I think you're being too tough on yourself. Just because you have enough time to read my post and then contribute a thoughtful comment is not a sign that you have too much time on your hands.
LeBron was born in his grandmother’s house at 439 Hickory St., between 2 rail lines.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/439+Hickory+St,+Akron,+OH+44303/@41.0955619,-81.5289964,18z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x8830d7ce24fe1b23:0xa242d2a7279b6ce7!8m2!3d41.096233!4d-81.527261
Michael Powell being a New Yorker I can understand his connection with the EL, but LeBron is from Akron where the dominate road was the B&O. So LeBron and his prowess was "Connecting Ohio with the Nation".
A side note- The Lebron James foundation has made it possible for hundreds of kids to ride our train along with their bikes ( mostly supplied by him). Our train being the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. We run between Akron and Cleveland on former B+O tracks.
rluke A side note- The Lebron James foundation has made it possible for hundreds of kids to ride our train along with their bikes ( mostly supplied by him). Our train being the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. We run between Akron and Cleveland on former B+O tracks.
And that would be the railroad that passed closest to his former home; back in the days of the Cleveland Night Express that made the Akron stop at the Howard Street Depot.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
K4sPRR Michael Powell being a New Yorker I can understand his connection with the EL, but LeBron is from Akron where the dominate road was the B&O. So LeBron and his prowess was "Connecting Ohio with the Nation".
Are you mixing up your slogans?
B&O said "Linking 13 great States with the Nation".
AC&Y had several slogans over the years. For a time, they used "Serving Ohio and the Nation".
For the record, the main line of the B&O and the main line of the Erie (E-L) ran parallel through the heart of Akron, and a major PRR branch shared track with the B&O main. The main line of the AC&Y followed a different alignment through town.
Tom
If I remember correctly, the average through manifest freight train on the EL was pretty long, longer than typical of the PRR, NYC, B&O, LV, ETC. Slower but longer. Is my memory correct?
With the number of units up front to suit.
I think it was a compliment to not only Labron, but also the Erie-Lackawanna. They both fought to survive, right to the very end. Unfortunately Mr Powell's images of wobbling on its ueven tracks and likely to break down baffles me. As a Erie-Lackawanna Conductor to the very end, I do remember some branch lines as wobbley (Bloomsburg Branch - CNJ High Bridge Lines), but the Erie-Lackawanna Main Lines remained in good to very good condition, and successfully competed with the PC from New York to Chicago on a daily basis. Our power for the most part was in excellent condition, until Conrail came into existance.
Like I stated, Labron and the Erie Lackawanna fought unsuccessfully to the very end. I couldn't think of a better comparison. On the plus side, Labron will be back next year!
Akron Ohio Hometown of Labron James was on the Main Line of the Erie Laccawanna
CandOforprogress2 Akron Ohio Hometown of Labron James was on the Main Line of the Erie Laccawanna
The photo shows a westbound E-L train passing through Akron. The joint B&O/PRR double track main is to the right in the photo; the E-L yard is to the left. The distant bridge carried Exchange Street over both mainlines, and the E-L and B&O/PRR stations were just beyond. Downtown Akron is in the distance. The small building to the left in the picture is E-L's engine house, where the Alco S2 yard switchers were serviced. The B. F. Goodrich complex is to the left, out of the picture. I would guess the photo was taken in the 1960's, or possibly the 1970's.
From recent sports reports it is sounding like LeBron's Cav's are crumbling in much the same manner Erie-Lackawanna crumbled at the hands of ConRail.
Don't count LeBron out just yet. He and the Cavs are still going to be the favorite in the NBA East to return for what will be his 8th consecutive NBA Finals appearance.
The only players who have appeared in more consecutive Finals, if my memory is correct, are Bill Russell and his teammates from those great Boston Celtics teams of the late 1950s and the whole 1960s.
I have to agree with some of the other posters that an EL reference is entirely appropriate for LeBron. Akron is his hometown, and the EL was, on its main lines, a pretty fast road. They handled hot intermodal traffic for the likes of UPS, who was, and is, quite demanding about the service they receive, with approximately 28 hour transit times from Croxton to Chicago in 1974, when most of the northeastern railroads were in serious decline. The mixed freights were not so slow either, coming in at under 36 hours for the 1000 mile trip, at a time when PC was derailing freights that were standing still in yards. Until PC effectively ruined the interchange to the New Haven at Maybrook, EL was the major segment of a route that got cars from Chicago to Boston for a third morning delivery. Sixteen symbol freights were allowed 50 MPH, with others allowed 40 according to my Time Table No 4 from Feb 24 1974.
As for UP, it doesn't fit geographically, and people in Ohio would much more readily recall the EL, though their numbers are thinning. As for Conrail, well, in Akron, given what they meant for the EL, not a good metaphor.
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