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The Erie Railroad Diesel Roster

The Erie Railroad diesel roster was a mix of most Alco and GM products with General Electric and Baldwin locomotives also making up part of the roster. And, like its sister road, the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, the Erie did not feature a large diesel roster before its 1960 merger. For a complete/all-time Erie diesel roster please click here. This list of surviving Erie diesel locomotives will be categorized by original numbers the railroad assigned its units and where they are today, whether in operation, cosmetically restored, or in some state of preservation at railroad museums and tourist railroads. Also, just as something to keep in mind if you are not aware, while some locomotives may be painted/preserved in Erie colors this does not necessarily mean that they are of Erie heritage (and likewise, some locomotives may be of Erie heritage that are not in Erie colors).

The Erie Railroad is sometimes forgotten as a classic fallen flag because of its disappearance over a decade before most other lines began to fall. Until its merger in 1960 with the Lackawanna (to form the Erie Lackawanna) the Erie was another mid-sized Class I in the East Coast-Midwest market stretching from New York/Jersey City to Chicago.

Throughout its existence the Erie Railroad was troubled with bankruptcies and organizations but it was able, through the 1950s, to find a degree of success in a market extremely saturated with many other, and larger carries (such as the New York Central, Pennsylvania Railroad and Baltimore & Ohio just to name a few).

American Locomotive Company (Alco)

· Alco S1 #310: Preserved by the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum as Erie #310.

· Alco S1 #315: Preserved on display in Galena, Kansas as Erie Lackawanna #315.

Electro-Motive Division (EMD)

· EMD SW9 #436: Preserved by the United Railroad Historical Museum as Erie #436.

· EMD E8A #833: Preserved by the Juniata Terminal Company as Conrail #4022.

Also, it should be noted that some former Lackawanna switcher and road units continue to remain in some state of operation and in active revenue service with Class Is, Regionals, shortlines, or leasing companies. To learn more about the disposition of these locomotives please click here to visit The Diesel Shop.

While this list will continually be updated it certainly does not completely cover every surviving unit, which was on the Erie Railroad diesel roster. So, if you know of any other survivors out there, whether they are parked and gleaming in a museum or sitting out in the weeds along a forgotten siding please let me know so we can keep this list growing, and you will be given full credit for your help.

For more information on the all types of classic diesel locomotives consider Mike Schafer’s Vintage Diesel Locomotives which looks at virtually all of the classic builders and models from Alco PAs to early EMD Geeps. If you’re interested in classic FMs, or diesels in general, this book gives an excellent general history of both.

You may also want to consider the book Evolution of the American Diesel Locomotive by author J. Parker Lamb. As the title implies the book looks at the history and development of the diesel locomotives, covering 200 pages, from its earliest beginnings to the newest designs and models operated today. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing either (or both) of these books please visit the links below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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