Ithaca service?

[donoteat]

I'm doing a youtube about Amtrak, and for part of it I want to relate the classic parable explaining the tyranny of small decisions -- the Ithaca railroad. I've been having a little bit of trouble researching the actual last days of trains to Ithaca NY, though. (I feel like it'd have more punch if I could actually talk about the specific train that left the station for the last time that day, y'know)

So far as I can tell the last train to Ithaca was the LV Maple Leaf on February 3, 1961 -- but what was this train like in its last days? What did the schedule look like? I understand the LV ran a handfull of local services after it discontinued the Maple Leaf -- did any of these go to Ithaca?

[OvidPete]

According to "The Handsomest Trains in the World" the last Maple Leaf was ten cars long. There is a photo of the last train at Bethlehem on page 113 of that book. The clock outside of the old Ithaca station, now a Chemung Canal Bank, reflects the time the last train left the station. I think the time was 7:30 AM. I will be in Ithaca in the next day or two and post the correct time. There was a snow storm in Pennsylvania and the train was so late (8 hours) that is was discontinued at Newark. The last locals on the Ithaca Branch ran sometime after 1946 but I am not sure when they ended. The Hazelton to Lehighton local ran for 5 days after the last Maple Leaf before the LV was allowed to discontinue this local.

[OvidPete]

The correct time for the last train at Ithaca was 3:22. I stand corrected. On page 44-45 of the LV in Color Vol 2 are a couple of photos of the last Eastbound Maple Leaf at Easton including a inside photo of the train board. I cannot make out the time for the last train but it was eight hours late by the time it arrived at Easton; it was daylight.

[RichM]

Useless factoid that needs confirmation... I was summer student at Cornell in 1973. Great restaurant called The Station in the LV station. I believe the restaurant had the station’s clock hands positioned at the time the last train left the station, also shown on the menu...

But boy that was a long time ago.

[OvidPete]

You are correct. The clock hands reflect the time the last train left Ithaca though I cannot remember where I read that. Maybe the Ithaca Times

[lvrr325]

"Last" trains tend to get some additional ridership from fans. A better example than the last day might be the couple weeks beforehand.