Geneva Times, Friday, Feb. 3, 1961

Last of the Railroad -
    Era Passes Tonight as Lehigh Ends Service
     Alllll aboard - last train for Buffalo forevermore.
    The 4:03 a.m. will round the bend tomorrow and become a part of history.
The era of Lehigh Valley Railroad passenger service in Geneva and New York
State is over when the early-morning train completes its run to Buffalo.
    Next to last will be the eastbound passenger train scheduled to leave
here for New York City at 12:45 a.m.  The latest of the "name" trains to
fall into oblivion will be the Lehigh Valley Railroad's Maple Leaf and the
John Wilkes.
    Their last runs mark the end of 115 years of Lehigh Valley passenger
service in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The John Wilkes was
scheduled to leave Pennsylvania Station at 5:33 p.m., completing a round
trip from Lehighton, pa.
    The Maple leaf was to depart at 7:55 p.m. for Buffalo, N.Y. Another
Maple leaf was to leave Buffalo for New York at 10:50 p.m.
    Primarily, a heavy freight railroad - anthracite and steel - the line
has found passenger traffic an unprofitable burden for years. And on
Wednesday it announced that Interstate Commerce Commission approval
had been granted for the line to end all passenger service, effective after
today.
    The Maple Leaf was so named because it was the railroad's connection
with Canada, which uses the Maple Leaf as a national symbol. The John Wilkes
was named after the English defender of the American colonies. Wilkes-Barre,
Pa., which the road serves, got its name from him and Col. Isaac Barre,
another supporter of the colonies.
    Another name train of the Lehigh Valley was dropped a year and a half
ago. It was the Black Diamond, so named because it ran through
Pennsylvania's anthracite coal regions.
    Other name trains that have disappeared over the years from the New York
terminals include the Baltimore & Ohio's Royal blue, Capital Limited and
National Limited; the New Haven Railroad's State of Maine, the Pennsylvania
Railroad's Red Arrow, American and Trailblazer.
    The New York Central has combined the 20th Century and the Commodore
Vanderbilt, and the latter name is fast fading from use.
    J.R. de Capriles, vice president and general counsel of the Lehigh
Valley, attributed the decrease in the Lehigh Valley's passenger traffic to
increased motor and air travel - and competition from the New York Central
and the Erie-Lackawanna Railroads.
    These railroads also connect New York and Buffalo, and their routes are
shorter, requiring one and a half to two hours less than the Lehigh Valley,
he said.
    Not more than 100 persons will lose their jobs as a result of the
service suspension, de Capriles said, adding that the number may be even
lower.

St.Catharines Standard, St. Catharines, Ont., Canada

February 2, 1961
Direct Link To N.Y. CN Link To Be Cut
   Direct rail connection for passengers from here to
New York City will cease after tomorrow night's train.
   Curtailing of the run by the Canadian National
Railway was forced by a decision of the U.S.
Interstate Commerce Commission to allow the Lehigh
Valley Railroad to withdraw from all its passenger
operations. The Lehigh Valley route carred the CNR
passenger cars from Niagara Falls to New York City.
   Service will continue along the CNR route through
here from Toronto to Niagara Falls, according to a CNR
announcement.
   Officials in the St.Catharines ticket office said
passengers for New York can still find trains at
Welland or Hamilton. Those with heavy baggage wanting
to catch a ship at the Port Of New York can board a
train in St.Catharines and check their baggage through
CNR via Toronto; Canadian Pacific Railroad to
Hamilton; Toronto, Hamilton And Buffalo Railroad to
Welland; and New York Central Railroad to New York
City.
   The commission's decision stated that negotiations
are under way between CNR and the Erie Lackawanna
Railway for institution of join service between
Toronto and New York City over their lines through the
Niagara Frontier. It did not specify whether the
proposed service would connect through Niagara Falls.
   Passenger operations on the Lehigh Valley route had
been continued on a trail basis in 1959 and 1960.
About 700 passengers a day used the four trains and
ICC stated the loads were inadequate. Loss suffered by
the railway in 1958 was estimated at $3,570,933 and in
1959 $1,583,999.