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RE: (erielack) Neat Ole DL&W Boxcar Pic

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I do not believe that the Lackawanna Line was an Express Company--the  "Lines" were unincorporated multi-railroad co-operative ventures wherein various railroads would associate to establish a premium carload service using established routes.  These lines were also known as Fast Freight Lines and by using established, obligated trains on key routes were able to overcome some of the delay otherwise inherent in multiple railroad interchanges.  Most of the Lines also employed dedicated agents or represenatives (freight solicitors) who could provide the valuable service of "encouraging" the participating railroads to move the Fast Freight Line traffic in an expeditious manner.  Insofar as I know the story of the Fast Freight Lines hasn't been adequately written.  Most large railroads, the DL&W and Erie, for example, would participate in more than one Fast Freight Line.  
        Some other Lines I am aware of are the Blue Line and the Canada Southern Line which were allied with the Vanderbilt railroads, the Union and Star Lines which were PRR allies, the Erie Despatch [sic] on the Erie, the Globe Line on the DL&W-L&P-BNY&P, etc.
        In the very late Nineteenth Century the following Fast Freight lines ran on the DL&W:
        Lackawanna Line
        Great Eastern Line
        Lackawanna Livestock Transportation Company
        Northwest Despatch Fast Freight 
The Lackawanna Line and the Great Eastern Line used their own and railroad-owned cars while the other lines supplied their own cars.  All cars and freight were moved in the same trains with other through freight.
        The following Fast Freight lines ran on the Erie at that time:
        Erie Despatch
        Commercial Express
        Interstate Despatch
The lines using the Erie were co-operative lines and the cars are owned and repaired by the various companies forming the respective lines.  Cars were handled in regular freight train service.
        The benefit to the shipper in using the Fast Freight Lines was a faster and more dependable service across multiple railroads.  
        BTW Express service, the original comment which started this string, on the DL&W was provided by the United States Express Company and the Produce Despatch Express Company and on the Erie by the Erie Express and later Wells Fargo & Company Express. 
        The various Express companies were merged into Railway Express c. World War I and the Fast Freight lines died about the same time.  More research is neede.
        Hope this explains what the Lines were not and a bit of what they were.
MJC


> From: toddsyr_@_twcny.rr.com
> To: erielack_@_lists.railfan.net
> Subject: Re: (erielack) Neat Ole DL&W Boxcar Pic
> Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2009 23:17:53 -0500
> 
> Thanks Schuyler.
> 
> Todd K. Stearns
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Schuyler Larrabee" <schuyler.larrabee_@_verizon.net>
> To: "'EL Mail List'" <erielack_@_lists.railfan.net>
> Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2009 11:06 PM
> Subject: RE: (erielack) Neat Ole DL&W Boxcar Pic
> 
> 
> >I suspect it stands for "Lackawanna Line," an express company.  Back in 
> >them thar days, there were a
> > lot of "Express Lines" which were forerunners of companies like REA, UPS, 
> > FedEx, and so on.  Another
> > common one is "Star Line."  There were others, but of course, I can't 
> > think of any of them now.
> >
> > SGL
> 
> 
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