Mike, I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I may be wrong, but I think SFI began looking at this a year prior to submitting the formal proposal, and the increased service coordination commencing in July 1974 was a manifestation of that interest. However, I don't have any documentation to support this. Paul B - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Spinelli" <idrsspin_@_yahoo.com> To: <doctorpb_@_bellsouth.net> Cc: <erielack_@_lists.railfan.net> Sent: Monday, February 02, 2009 12:34 PM Subject: RE: (erielack) What shoulda been > Actually, the EL asked for inclusion Jan. 9,1975. > > Santa Fe Industries released it's "Proposal for Acquisition" > May 30,1975. In the end, Greg Maxwell stated that "We were too far > along with our commitment to Conrail." > > The Chessie/N&W purchases were the USRA's idea to maintain competition > in the northeast. The "Three Systems East concept". > > Mike Spinelli > > Paul Brezicki wrote: >> Mike, your chronology is a bit off. ATSF did consider the possibility of >> acquiring EL in 1974, before EL's trustees considered becoming a part of >> Conrail. The ATSF expressed interest while the MARC-EL proposal was on >> the table. Prior to the onset of the severe recession in the second half >> of 1974, EL was still contemplating reorganization as an independent >> entity. Also around this time, the Milwaukee Road, struggling financially >> and disadvantaged by the 1970 BN merger, proposed to acquire the ex-PRR >> Panhandle (Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St Louis) route between >> Chicago and Pittsburgh. The PC bankruptcy was a cataclysmic event in the >> RR world, and there was lots of uncertainty about how the Northeast RR >> map would eventually be carved up. Railroads consider lots of proposals >> that are never implemented, and the Santa Fe abandoned the idea of >> acquiring EL when it became apparent that a trans-Chicago merger would >> still have an icicle's chance in hell > of getting through the ICC. However, the interest did lead to more > coordination at Chicago including revival of the ATSF-100 symbol and > Croxton origination of ATSF-99 in July, 1974. In early 1975 EL requested > inclusion in the Final System Plan, then late that year Chessie proposed > to acquire most of EL east of Akron. The scuttling of this plan in early > 1976 led to EL's last-minute inclusion in Conrail. >> Paul B >> From: Mike Spinelli <idrsspin_@_yahoo.com> >> Subject: RE: (erielack) What shoulda been >> Santa Fe made inroads toward an offer, and even looked at buying a short >> road that would connect the two bypassing Chicago. But the EL trustees >> had already got in bed with Conrail and didn't want to back out. Some >> wonder how serious ATSF really was. >> Mike Spinelli >> The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List >> http://EL-List.railfan.net/ >> To Unsubscribe: http://Lists.Railfan.net/erielackunsub.html > > > > The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List http://EL-List.railfan.net/ To Unsubscribe: http://Lists.Railfan.net/erielackunsub.html ------------------------------ End of EL Mail List Digest V3 #3011 ***********************************
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