The following information was gathered from the EL Chat Site site and may be the results of several people.
The old Erie main line went through Goshen. Sometime just before or just after the creation of the commuter operating authorities that relieved Conrail of the burden of operating various commuter lines in January 1983, the new main line, now called the Southern Tier by NJT, was created by abandoning the former Erie Main Line, and making the former Erie Graham Line Conrail's line to Port Jervis and west. Conrail was maintaining 2 lines that wound up in the same place: one line that saw about 10 passenger trains a day, and another that had declining freight traffic. The decision was made to combine all traffic onto 1 line. The former Erie Graham Line had the easier grade, so it remained in service.
The old Main Line swings West at Harriman for about 1 mile into Nepera Chemical. From Howells Jct., the line goes East about 3 miles into Middletown to connect with the MNJ. About 20 miles of the old main have been abandoned.
The Graham Line runs north of Goshen. It is currently used by Metro North (NJT in NY) for all commuter trains to Port Jervis. The Old Main Line once ran from Harriman thru Oxford, Goshen (there was a branch running from Goshen to Campbell Hall that was removed) and Middletown and was used by commuter trains by the EL and NJT until about 1981 or 82. They then abandoned the ROW (which to me was heartbreaking because this was the original Erie Main) and sent all Commuter and freight traffic over the existing {improved} Graham Cutoff. It was longer, but less congested. Parts of the old main is now a foot/bike trail between Goshen and Middletown with plans to expand and pave it. In Middletown the old Erie Station was expanded and is now the city library. It is beautiful inside, and you can tell where the main once ran through the parking lot.
The Graham line is alive and well and is now the Conrail-NJT-Metro North Main. It is the old main that is abandoned, and I believe part of it still exists to Monroe to service a few customers there.
Last Updated - 24 Jan 98
