Groveland Industrial abandonment

dj_paige wrote:Based on my trip down towards Alexander and Attica today, it would appear that there is no more track between Favor St in Attica and Railroad Avenue just east of Alexander. A tiny little bit of track remains inside the Cargill property, clearly visible from the road, but no tracks on the ROW. NS apparently has done a complete job of tearing out whatever track was in place.

Looking south from Railroad Avenue in Alexander
Looking north from Favor Street in Attica
New end of tracks at Favor Street in Attica
Tracks inside Cargill fence

Is the Cargill plant closed down?

I don't know, I was there on Sunday

Pics of the recently torn up Groveland Secondary between Attica and Alexander in March:

Alexander:

http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=172425

Attica:

http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=172427

http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=172429

Compare the pictures above with the pics I took in the same places in 1987:

Alexander:

http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=172354

http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=172355

Attica:

http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=172356

dj_paige wrote:

thebigham wrote:I have pics of when CR tore up the tracks from Alexander to Griegsville in 1988.

Could you post those pics?

I posted them above.

A pic I took in August 1990 at Griegsville:

http://photos.greatrails.net/s/?p=186419

A few hoppers are on their sides on the G&W interchaneg track.

I'll post a present day pic of this location soon.

thebigham wrote:^Thanks for the pictures.

I have pics of when CR tore up the tracks from Alexander to Griegsville in 1988.

I wonder if the will turn it into a bike trail?

In theory they already have, called the "Groveland Secondary Trail", between (north of) Alexander to York on the DL&W. I've not seen any reviews, and I've only seen evidence that one party (or one or more people) have bicycled it. I'm going to give it a try in a week or two.

It's an ATV / snowmobile trail, not a bicycle trail. Nonetheless, I managed to ride more than half of it, starting on the north side of Alexander. The ATVs keep the brush down, and have moved a fair bit of the remaining ballast off to the sides. But they haven't moved all of it, and what remains is either simply bumpy from hitting the rocks, or are hills of ballast that sap your energy like riding with an anchor.

I also did some biking on it recently in the Linwood area. It was rough, but still passable. Unfortunately I was driven away by attacking swarms of deer flies.