NYSW future?

Sometimes one person can come to personify a company. Depending on the size and the dynamics of the organization, some can survive the loss of that person and others don't because that person was the embodiment of the company.

Wendy's survived Dave Thomas' death because by then he was more of a figurehead and was not running the day-to-day operations.

Martha Stewart Omnimedia, however, suffered greatly when Martha went to jail.

Walter Rich is clearly the embodiment of the NYSW, it's greatest cheerleader and lobbyist. The railroad got to where it is because of his tanacity. And the company is small enough that a single pivotal person can make a difference. Sadly, if he is no longer able to do his job, I do fear for the railroad.

My other big concern is with the mounting efforts in the US Senate to modify federal railroad rules to allow states to regulate solid waste transfer stations--the current bread and butter of the NYSW.

I'm not so sure the NYSW could survive both the lost of Walter Rich AND changes in the garbage-hauling business.

It is fact that WR was the subject of an ethics probe by the NY State Government, the issue was ROWs and the use of ROWs for electric power lines. And WR gave lots of money to Republican lobbyists...do a google search and you can read all about it....now the Spitzer and the Dems are in control, i dont expect NY to support the NYSW very much.

I find it kind of curious tht CSX would want to get rid of NYS&W completely.Hasn't it been a benefit to them when trackwork or a derailment called for an alternate route into NJ?

I find it kind of curious tht CSX would want to get rid of NYS&W completely.Hasn't it been a benefit to them when trackwork or a derailment called for an alternate route into NJ?

It would like all that traffic that is interchanged at Syracuse be handed over in Little Ferry instead.

Dcell wrote:It is fact that WR was the subject of an ethics probe by the NY State Government, the issue was ROWs and the use of ROWs for electric power lines. And WR gave lots of money to Republican lobbyists...do a google search and you can read all about it....now the Spitzer and the Dems are in control, i dont expect NY to support the NYSW very much.

and? that was settled upon and he had to pay a fine, its done and over with.

I think there would be little sympathy among NY legislators for the NYSW if a proposal came along to break it up between CSX and NS. If CSX and NS were smart, they would offer NJ whatever ROW it wants for commuter rail service in exchange for NJ's support for breaking up other parts of NYSW between the two of them.

I think there would be little sympathy among NY legislators for the NYSW if a proposal came along to break it up between CSX and NS. If CSX and NS were smart, they would offer NJ whatever ROW it wants for commuter rail service in exchange for NJ's support for breaking up other parts of NYSW between the two of them.

There is little, if any, power for NY or NJ state government to do anything about the NYS&W's future. All of the NYS&W's track in NY is leased in one way or another. The counties that own the Syracuse and Utica lines would have a say - but in the end they will go along when being presented with a viable operator. In New Jersey all of the tack is owned by the company - the state can present its feelings to the STB but in the end the STB will rule.

Do SU-100 and SU-99 really need to travel NYSW rails, or could that traffic just as easily go to North Jersey via CSX? How many on-line customers exist between Syracuse and Binghamton? north of Sparta? It may be time for NYSW to reinvent itself once again...

Otto Vondrak wrote:Do SU-100 and SU-99 really need to travel NYSW rails, or could that traffic just as easily go to North Jersey via CSX? How many on-line customers exist between Syracuse and Binghamton? north of Sparta? It may be time for NYSW to reinvent itself once again...

Well most of the C&D business that comes from North Bergen and the surrounding areas get interchanged at Binghamton for the NS! Usually the H88 or one of their locals takes that traffic west...

So if the traffic were to switch over to the Riverline it would have to go west to Syracuse and then down the Branch to Binghamton unless CSX steals it from NS..

Or it could continue west to Buffalo and connect to NS or they could probably just give it to NS right at Croxton yard where they interchange a lot of traffic now. Then they could take it west over the PRR.

SecaucusJunction wrote:Or it could continue west to Buffalo and connect to NS or they could probably just give it to NS right at Croxton yard where they interchange a lot of traffic now. Then they could take it west over the PRR.

Yup, that is a possibility too!

There is a fair amount of transload traffic still on line between Hackensack and Butler... while the carloadings suggest the total system volume is in C&D, the revenue may still be in corn syrup, plastic pellets and carbon dioxide. Somehow, there's a methodolgy necessary to meet the switching requirements of Northern NJ.

Dont you think though that if the NYSW ceases to exist, NS, CSX, or Conrail could treat this as a branch line? From Butler east could be served out of Oak Island/Croxton or wherever and anything in Sparta could be served via the Hudson Secondary.

FWIW, New York has always been controlled by the democrats, it just had a kinda-sorta republican governor. And that government down there is about as corrupt as they come, shy of maybe North Carolina.


Odds are the road will be dismembered when the time comes, and various segments will go to other designated operators. CSX and NS won't want someone to be able to step in and try to compete with them. Rumors about that event have been floating around for a long time now.

Onieda County has a substantial investment in the north end of the Utica line, so they'll probably choose an operator there. I'm sure it won't be hard to find operators for the other segments of the line - does NYS&W still actually own the original Susquehanna? Someone may have to outright buy that one. But there are plenty of potential suitors out there.


One thing no one's speculated on is what would become of Ontrack. NYS&W has cars stored on the main track past the switch for the sewage treatment plant, so the service can't even run into the mall right now.

For OnTrack, please see: http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=38788