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The Ups & Downs of a Rural LineElmira, Cortland & Northern RR 1867 to 1967 and OnBy David Marcham
Ithaca, NY - Veteran railroader David Marcham has produced a veritable handbook of country railroading in The Ups & Downs of a Rural Line--the daily jobs of train and enginemen, dispatchers and the entrepreneurs above them. In this history of the Elmira, Cortland & Northern Railroad in Upstate New York, 1867 to 1967 and since, he lays out the extreme perils of the early years, the buccaneers who invested and gambled for power and profit. He recounts how a Book of Rules governs movements and responsibilities during several days along the line in the 1800s, and the growing gap between the brass above and the men on the ground, and men and women in the stations and towers. Typical of much early railroading, the EC&N began as an amalgam of hastily built railroads seeking to link their communities with outside markets. They used light track, trestles, and locomotives, limiting their capacity, but did well with passenger revenue until the automobile arrived in the 1900s. Coal and milk were important freight. The line spent its last years as a branch of the Lehigh Valley. Its peak came in the 1920s and briefly in World War II. From a background in labor relations, Marcham spells out the dangers to trainmen of hand-braking atop freight cars in all weather and coupling between cars before air brakes and automatic couplers were mandated in the late 1800s. The 160-page Ups & Downs contains 150 photos, timetables, rosters, and track maps, orders, and charts. It sells for $19.95 plus 8% NYS tax, and an additional $4.60 for mail orders. For more information, please email admin@thehistorycenter.net or call (607) 273.8284 ext 0.
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