The Black Diamond Express

Lehigh Valley Railroad.
Black Diamond Express.
1896

Page Three.
The Black Diamond Express
in later years.

Now that we have looked at the original 1896 Black Diamond Express
in detail, and an overview of the LV Atlantic roster, lets finish up this webpage with a brief look at the Black Diamond Express as it changed and evolved over its 63 year run.

As we know, the 4-4-0 American type was the power of choice during the first months of the trains operation in 1896, quickly replaced with the new Atlantics.

The 4-4-2 Atlantic was the primary passenger power from 1896 to around 1906, when newer power began to arrive.

As the 4-4-2 Atlantic replaced the 4-4-0 American, the Atlantic in its turn was also replaced by newer power as steam locomotive technology continually progressed.

In 1902, ten 2-6-2 Prairies arrived, (which were later rebuilt into 4-6-2's)
(these are believed to be only 2-6-2 camelbacks ever built.)

In 1904/1905, with the JP Morgan standardization program, some dual-service 4-6-0 Ten-wheelers arrived, which could be found hauling the "Diamond" at times.

The primary replacement for the Atlantics however was the 4-6-2 Pacific, which first arrived on the LV in 1905, in the form of eight huge (for the time) new 4-6-2 Camelbacks from Baldwin.

Baldwin builders photo, 1905

In the same way that the 4-4-2 Atlantic evolved from the 4-4-0, these 1905 Pacifics were in turn direct decendants of the Atlantics. They were essentially larger, heavier, more powerful Atlantics with an extra set of drivers.

The Pacifics began to arrive in large numbers, and between 1905 and 1926 a total of 121 Pacifics joined the LV roster. (source)
Built by Baldwin, Alco and "Home Built" by the LV at Sayre.

The 4-6-2 Pacific ended up being the primary passenger locomotive for the rest of the Steam Era, being used right up to the end of the last steam-powered passenger runs in 1948.

The 4-6-2 culminated on the LV with the K6B class of 1924 - 1926.
the very last being No. 2099, built by Alco in 1926.

The final "Sayre Built" locomotive was also a K6B Pacific, No. 2089, outshopped at Sayre in June 1925. No. 2089 was later one of the three
4-6-2's streamlined for the 1940 edition of the Black Diamond Express.

Here is 2090, a member of the final class of LV Pacifics, and a beautiful
example of the "LV steam locomotive look" during the late steam era.

The consist of the train also changed rapidly and often, steel cars began to arrive by 1900, and the original wooden cars were soon obsolete.
(although some wooden cars remained in use into the 1920's.)
It is not yet known how long the wood Pullman cars from 1896 remained in service.

Steel Pullman heavyweights arrived in the 1910's and 20's, and naturally the final Black Diamond of 1959 was a completely different train from the original!

The color scheme of the original 1896 train, with the Atlantics and the wooden Pullman consist, unfortunately remains unknown. The cars
might have been green, or "Pullman brown", or black. Apparently the well-known "Pullman Green" wasnt even in use yet in 1896!, and "Pullman Brown" was instead the standard Pullman color of the era.
(Pullman Brown survives today, being used as the color on UPS trucks.)

The 1896 Atlantics might have been green! "Baldwin Olive Green" was a very common Baldwin locomotive color of the era.
(see my Maine 2-footer color page for more detail on Baldwin Green locomotives.)

I hope to track down the color scheme of the 1896 train, for future modeling purposes, and also just for historic completeness.

Fortunately the color schemes of the 20th Century versions of the Black Diamond Express are much better documented.

By the "steel era" of the early 20th Century, LV passenger cars were "Pullman Green" with Gold lettering, and the locomotives were "Basic Black" with white lettering. This scheme probably began around 1900-1910 (exact date unknown) and lasted until 1939.

The first departure from Pullman Green cars and "Basic Black" locomotives arrived in 1939 with the redesigned "Asa Packer". This new incarnation of the Asa Packer featured an Orange & Black paintscheme.

The first use of the famous LV Cornell Red appeared on LV equipment
in 1939, on new diesel switchers painted in the LV "pre-war" scheme:

Baldwin builders photo, 1939 - Authors collection.

(this paint scheme was only used on switchers)

And the first use of Red on a LV passenger train also appeared in 1939, with the new streamlined "John Wilkes". Click here for a beautiful painting of the 1939 John Wilkes.

The LV streamlined two older pacifics, numbers 2101 and 2102, for the John Wilkes in 1939. The two locomotives were both class K5 pacifics, built by Baldwin in 1916. The streamlining, combined with the updated train with its new red, black and white paintscheme was deemed a success, and the same treatment was given to the Black Diamond Express the following year.

Three more pacifics, all class K6B, No. 2089, 2093 and 2097, were chosen for the updated 1940 Black Diamond Express, and given the streamliner treatment, with fancy new futuristic shrouds.

2089 was the last "Sayre-built" locomotive, outshopped 15 years earlier. 2093 and 2097 were both Alcos.

In April 1940, the new streamlined edition of the Black Diamond Express made its debut.

Authors collection.

The photo above still shows some of the older Green cars in use..they were not phased out immediately, the 1940 Black Diamond was intended however to have a solid matching trainset, matching the locomotive, as seen in the John Wilkes painting. But older green cars found their way onto the trains when needed.

The shrouds for the five streamlined pacifics (two locomotives for the John Wilkes and three for the Black Diamond.) were designed by well known industrial designer Otto Kuhler, and built "in-house" at Sayre.

The shrouding for the John Wilkes and the Black Diamond was similar, but not exactly the same. Rather than purchase new streamlined locomotives, the LV, ever frugal (especially so at the end of the Great Depression) simply updated locomotives and equipment it already owned. some new passenger cars were purchased for the John Wilkes in 1939, the "American Flier" cars, but these would be the last new passenger cars ordered by the LV. The consist of the 1940 Black Diamond was mostly refurbished older cars.

This famous era of the Black Diamond Express, with its streamlined Pacifics and matching trainset in Red, black & white, sadly lasted only
a short time. World War II arrived, the locomotives were stripped of all their chrome and steel trim for the war effort, and by 1948 the former streamlined beautys were looking sad and worn..grimy black, and wearing only a broad red stripe. The passenger cars also went through an abrupt "simplification" during the war years. When a car would need repainting, rather than upkeep the complicated 1940 Black Diamond or 1939 John Wilkes scheme, it would simply recieve a coat of solid red.

Photos show several of the five streamlined pacifics still wearing their shrouds into 1947 and early 1948. After the arrival of the Alco PA's, their shrouds were removed, and they spent their last few years in anonymous freight service.

Before we leave the steam era, I should mention the last class of steam locomotive to haul the Black Diamond. Although the pacifics were the primary power, the new 4-8-4 Wyomings did haul the train on occasion, when super-power was needed. Although the 4-8-4 Wyomings were used primarily as freight power, five of the type, the T3 class wyomings, were designed as dual-service engines and did see some use in passenger service.

North East Rails collection- used with permission, thanks!

The LV, like all railroads of the time, began to slowly dieselize beginning in the 1920's and 30's, starting with diesel yard switchers.

Steam still reigned during the war years, but the first freight diesels on the LV arrived in 1945, in the form of EMD FT cab units, and steam power on passenger trains was soon to fall as well.

The last steam-powered edition of the Black Diamond Express operated on May 15, 1948, powered by non-streamlined pacific 2091.

The following day, the new Alco PA passenger diesels took over.

Postcard.

The LV purchased fourteen Alco PA passenger diesels from Alco, numbured 601-614, they arrived in the Spring of 1948, and immediately replaced steam on all passenger runs. The big Alcos would be the primary passenger power from 1948, through the 1950's, until the final LV passnger run in 1961.

The PA's were the primary passenger locomotives of the LV diesel era, but the LV also owned a set of steam-generator equipped Alco FA's that served as backup passenger units, and did haul the Black Diamond occasionally.

The final run of the Black Diamond Express occured on May 11, 1959, 63 years after the first run on May 18, 1896.

Ernest Lehr, Superintendent of Motive Power for the Lehigh Valley Railroad, watches as the last westbound "Black Diamond" leaves Sayre, PA on May 11, 1959.
Sayre Evening Times photo.
Richard Palmer collection.

The John Wilkes made its last run on February 3, 1961, and the final LV passenger train, the Maple Leaf, ran the following day, February 4, running 8 hours late through a blizzard.

So ended over a century of passenger service on the Lehigh Valley.
The sleek Alco PAs were demoted to freight service, (never regeared however), they didnt last long as freight units, and were traded in on newer power. the last PA left Sayre in 1967, never to return.

Motive power summary
Lehigh Valley Railroad
Black Diamond Express
1896-1959.

4-4-0 American - May - July 1896.

Baldwin Builders photo - 1895

4-4-2 Atlantic - primary power 1896 - 1906.

2-6-2 Prarie - not primary power, but in use 1902 - 1906.
(quickly converted to 4-6-2's)

4-6-0 Ten Wheeler - not primary power, but in use 1905 - 1910's.

4-6-2 Pacific - primary power 1905 - 1948.

Streamlined 4-6-2 Pacific - primary power 1940 - 1948.

4-8-4 Wyoming - seen at times on the Diamond, 1934 - 1948.

Steam generator equipped Alco FA set - seen at times.

Alco PA - primary power 1948 - 1959.

Today, in the early 21st century, 50 years after the Black Diamond Express made its final run, what remains of the train today?
sadly, very little.

Not one single locomotive that ever hauled the train survives today.
No LV steam locomotives survived the scrappers torch, and each of the Alco FA and Alco PA diesels met the same fate.

Seven LV passenger cars are known to survive. All are steel cars
from the early 20th century. Its possible all seven saw service on
the "Diamond" at some point, and the two solarium/observation cars still exist! See Lehigh Valley Survivors for more specifics on the surviving passenger cars.

Even though so little survives, its really not surprising or unusual.
Most of the LV passenger locomotives disappeared before the rail-preservation movement was well underway, and the same situation exists for nearly every famous 20th century passenger train. We cant see any New York Central 4-6-4 Hudsons today either.

But we have our books, we have our photographs, we have museums, we have surviving stations and about half of the LV mainline is still in use today..and we have history.... The LV itself has now been gone over three decades, and its popularity has not diminished!

Long-live the LV! and the memories of
"The Handsomest Trains in the World"

The End.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading! :)
comments, corrections, additions are always welcome! (email link is below)

and its not really the end!
because I intend to update this page and search for more historic information.

It's very likely there is incorrect information on this page, and clearly a lot of incomplete information! I hope that over time more details will be filled in. If you have anything to add, please let me know! full credit is always given.

I plan to visit several local libraries over the coming year, primarily to search for color data for the 1896 Black Diamond Express. Rochester, Buffalo, Ithaca and Sayre libraries are all in my sights. Im hoping newspaper reporters in May 1896 took the time to describe the train to their readers in detail, including the color scheme.

The data on this webpage was compiled from the following sources:

Books:

"The History of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, The Route of the Black Diamond"
by Robert F. Archer. 1977.

"The Handsomest Train in the World" by William T. Greenberg, Jr. and Frederick A.
Kremer, with Theodore F. Gleichmann, Jr. published 1978.

"Lehigh Valley Railroad Passenger Cars - Photo and Diagram Book No. 1" by
M. Mickey and D. Warfel. published 1980. (there never was a "Diagram Book No. 2")

"Rails North - Lehigh Valley Railroad in New York State" by Central New York
Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, Inc., 1971

Webpages:

Catskill Archive webpage, reprint of December 1907 article.

James Mack's LV webpage.

North East Rails, LV steam roster.

LV steam locomotive data on "Lehigh Valley Modeler"

Jasper N. Haines' Scrapbook

Discussion forums:

LV forum on railfan.net
(1896 Black diamond thread)
(Sayre-built thread)

LV forum on railroad.net
(1896 Black diamond thread)

LV forum on American Rails.

Railway Preservation News
(Pullman color scheme thread)