 Bernet served as president of the Erie Railroad, another of the Van Sweringen's holdings, from January 1, 1927, through May 1929.His presidency of the Erie was characterized by a series of cost-cutting measures that included replacing much of the railroad's by then outdated rolling stock with new, more efficient equipment such as the Erie's Berkshire 2-8-4 steam locomotives, which were larger and more powerful than Lima's then current L-1 model Berkshires.Erie's Berkshires were of a design that included drivers, larger boilers and full-length locomotive frames; these locomotives helped change the Erie from a drag-freight railroad to a fast-freight railroad.