Pittsburgh & Lake Erie LE&E Branch questions

Hi All:

Had a few questions on the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie LE&L Branch in Youngstown and would really appreciate any & all answers!

1. What was the main purpose of the line as built? To serve local steel mills or provide a better connection to the NYC/PRR etc than going through downtown Youngstown?

2. When was it single-tracked?

3. When was it actually abandoned and why?

4. Can anybody help me pinpoint exactly where Graham Tower and MY Tower were? Were Girard tower and MY Tower one and the same?

5. Where did the traffic go at the MY Tower end and was the P&LE power swapped out there?

Thanks,

Frank

1. As you said, it was built to bypass the mill traffic. NYC had trackage rights over PRR to Detour to Niles Jct then onto B&O like PRR had to Ravenna. NC also had trackage rights on B&O to Lansingville so they had two ways to route.

3. I believe it was abandoned very early 1980's, do not recall seeing anything run when I was at YSU 82-84.

I just got a chance to get back to this.

MY tower was at the Girard end, Graham was down at the south end. Speed limit was 25 except over railroad crossings was 10. There were three crossings listed, all protected by pole target; two at Lansingville [Canfield Branch PRR, RIS Corp tackage], one at Youngstown [Austintown RR, ErieRR]. They did serve directly YS&T Brier Hill Coke works [10mph]. The route was Automatic Block except as noted.

Old ett's show Cleveland Div trains operated through from Struthers to Ravenna Jct of LE&P via P&LE, LE&E,PRR,B&O. So I would assume they would have used NYC power the whole way. Later the NYC used B&O all the way from Struthers to Ravenna Jct also for some trains.