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Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Steam Locomotives

The classifications given by railroads to their steam locomotive fleets were as varied as the machines themselves with several different designations within a particular class! The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie steam locomotives were likewise characterized by a wide range of classes. In any event, the information here is most certainly not a complete, all-time listing of P&LE's steam fleet and also is merely meant to list the general types of steam locomotives operated by the railroad.

For much of its life the railroad was under the control of the New York Central railroad but after the collapse of the Penn Central in 1976 the railroad was spun off and for the first time in over a century became a completely independent operation. By the late 1980s CSX Transportation began using the P&LE’s main line heavily as a through route and eventually took over the fledgling carrier in 1993, operating it as the Three Rivers Transportation Company.

If more information on Pittsburgh and Lake Erie steam locomotives comes available I will very much include it here. It should also be mentioned that while the P&LE owned several large steam locomotive designs such as 2-8-4 Berkshires and 2-10-2 Santa Fes, none of these survived preserved today.

Class A-2a

The P&LE's Class A-2a included its fleet of seven 2-8-4 Berkshires.

Other steam locomotive designs owned by the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad included the 2-8-2 Mikado (46 in total), 4-6-2 Pacifics (Class K, which were operated by the P&LE but owned by one-time parent New York Central), 0-8-8-0 articulateds, 2-8-0 Consolidations, 0-6-0 switchers, and 0-8-0 switchers.

For more information about Pittsburgh and Lake Erie steam locomotives please click here to visit SteamLocomotive.com, the premier online resource covering steam. Also, for a few photos of P&LE steam locomotives please click here to visit George Elwood's fallen flags photo archive.

The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad is one of the smaller fallen flag systems as it operated a main line stretching from Connellsville, Pennsylvania to Youngstown, Ohio, via its home city of Pittsburgh. Interestingly it never reached Lake Erie although it did become quite profitable moving large amounts of raw materials, such as ore, coke, coal, limestone, and steel since the railroad connected the once sprawling steel network located in the region, particularly around Pittsburgh. For much of its life the railroad was under the control of the New York Central railroad but after the collapse of the Penn Central in 1976 the railroad was spun off and for the first time in over a century became a completely independent operation. By the late 1980s CSX Transportation began using the P&LE’s main line heavily as a through route and eventually took over the fledgling carrier in 1993, operating it as the Three Rivers Transportation Company.

For more reading about steam locomotives like those operated by the P&LE consider Perfecting the American Steam Locomotive by author J. Parker Lamb. As the name implies the book details the earliest history of steam engine technology, even before it was used in railroad applications. His book later explores the development of steam locomotive technology in the United States from the 19th through the 20th centuries, covering not only the most popular steam locomotive designs but also the most successful manufactures to build them. The book has received excellent reviews and is a great resource on steam locomotives and a fine reference tool; you should find it very useful.

Also, consider the book American Steam Locomotives from author Brian Solomon. While this publication does not include quite as much technical data as Lamb's book, Perfecting the American Steam Locomotive, it is still a very good resource with lots of information and best of all, is loaded with photographs! 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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