CSX Charlotte Runner

There was an issue of Model Railroader sometime in '78, I believe, that had a brief article by Harlod Russell with drawings of the Whitcomb loco at Odenbach's. I remember when the R&GVRRM got the Plymouth, I was very confused because I mistook it for the Whitcomb and wondered why it didn't look right. I'd had no idea there was a second critter down there. I heard the Whitcomb had been scrapped on-site, I wonder if any of the bits mentioned earlier are still there.

Scott K.

RussNelson wrote:These were the two tracks entering the plant: http://www.openstreetmap.org/browse/way/70497785 and http://www.openstreetmap.org/browse/way/20127707 . I speculate that this is the Whitman: http://www.openstreetmap.org/browse/node/839668163 .

Thank you for the mapping links, Russ, you did what I would have liked to include in my entry. Also, I need to retract my use of the word center cab in my description of the small locomotive at Odenbach. I had the RG&E locomotive on my mind as I typed. As I mentioned, I remember seeing it, but not much detail.

Hi all. First time poster here. I found this forum from a search for "Ray's Hobby Shop" that was once on Dewey Ave across from Knickerbocker St. Those old enough and from the Rochester area may recall this store. While not finding any thing on Ray's, I did find a post about "Gardner the train doctor" where I shopped with my father and was less than a mile from my house. A rail fan during my late teens centering around the Lehigh out of Sayer, Eire, Chessie and anything down south with tunnels. Gallitzin comes to mind near Horseshoe curve.

If i could ask a few questions. I bike the 390 bike path on a daily basis and I've seen a number of NY cement markers I've wondered about. Starting at the trail on the hojack bed, there's a number of markers that parallels the bike path down to James street. Was there a spur line that ran along here at some point? Or just a general property making for I'd guess, the old NYC?

I also wonder if any of the Rochester folk here have any picture of the Genesee Docks at Turning point from the late sixties, early seventies? I use to ride my mini bike down the access road on the Charlotte Runner to swim off the barge tie ups in the river, now part of the walking bridge. That is, if the RR cops weren't around or so we thought.

Thanks

Gyro, welcome aboard. Those concrete markers with numbers on them (and probably the letter P) are mile markers. The number is the distance on the Hojack line from Pulaski NY. The Hojack line crossed the parkway on the existing bridge east of Dewey. Then went west between Latta and the Parkway. On Island cottage road there is a "hump" where the road rises and then falls back down (approximately at the Greece Police Dept) that is the Hojack line. If you know where to look you can follow it all the way west through Hilton, Hamlin, all the way to Niagara Falls.

Cheers, Kevin.

I don't quite follow your question. Where is James Street? If you're talking about something parallel with I-390, no there was no rail line there. Probably NYDOT property markers.

I'm not sure about the hobby shop. In my time there was Gardner's, across from the cemetery, Herman's on Dewey near Ridgeway, and Carl's which was on...North Clinton maybe? Also, downtown Scrantom's sometimes had interesting stuff.

Genesee Docks was pretty much gone by the late 60's - early 70's, it had been shut down for about 20 years and there was not much left. A guy named Ted Rafuse from Canada had a book out which had many good pics, believe it was called "Coal To Canada" and you can find it on line I'm sure.

Ahhhh, Herman's Hobby Shop. That was it. No wonder I couldn't find anything. Should be Janes Road, mistype on my part. NYDOT property markers sounds right. Thanks BR&P I'll look for that book.

Gyro wrote:I bike the 390 bike path on a daily basis and I've seen a number of NY cement markers I've wondered about. Starting at the trail on the hojack bed, there's a number of markers that parallels the bike path down to James street. Was there a spur line that ran along here at some point?

I know of none. They're probably just state right-of-way markers.

Gyro, can you post a photo or two of these markers?

If they're a 3-sided concrete marker about 3' high like this one below - they're state property boundary markers - have nothing to do with any railroad. There was never any RR ROW on or along what is NY-390.

That's what they look like nessman.

Thanx for the photo, Nessman. I've occasionally seen markers like that... and they are not related to RRing.

At 10:00 this morning, roughly 30 side dumping ballast hoppers headed north over Dewey Ave. That's a fair amount of ballast to be applied somewhere!

??

Were they side dumps, or ballast hoppers? Loaded?

BR&P wrote:??

Were they side dumps, or ballast hoppers? Loaded?

The cars must be ballast hoppers. They had chutes along the side edges and they appeared to be full. I didn't think about a car that actually tipped to the side, but rather the ballast leaving the car from the side, unlike the common coal hopper design.
I just went south on Lake Ave, by Boxart St, and saw the train south of the overpass with guys along the ROW wearing the bright yellow safety vests. I assume they are dumping ballast in that section.

This past week CSX dumped some ballast along the West Shore. Maybe it is the same crew and are working all around Rochester?