 In the 1930s , the New York Central provided the majority of the service in Erie with over 20 trains daily , including the original Lake Shore Limited . The famed 20th Century Limited , however , passed through Union Station nightly without stopping . Union Station was on the New York Central 's main line , often referred to as the " Water Level Route " , with trains that traveled west to Cleveland , Toledo and Chicago , and east to Buffalo , New York City , and Boston . The New York Central also had service from Erie via a branch line to Youngstown , Ohio , with connections to the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad . Conversely , the Pennsylvania Railroad ran only a few trains from Erie — mainly the Northern and Southern <unk> to Harrisburg , Philadelphia , and Washington , D.C. , as well as a daily train to Pittsburgh . 
