Finger Lakes Railway (FGLK) Discussion - 2013

wow....that is pretty detailed. How do you know all the ins and outs of the job (start time, work to complete, order in which it is done?) Most people have posted that FGLK is an as needed railroad. Most jobs start when the customers need a switch. There have been times, and people have reported, train horns around Auburn @/or near 0500. that's before 0700! Plus, who cares about industry switching? mainline action is where the excitement is! and we all know the 24.5MPH FGLK main is totally worth your time.

Awol wrote:Plus, who cares about industry switching?

Actually, I find industry switching very interesting and "main-line" action less interesting.

What's wrong with that?

Charlie

Awol wrote:wow....that is pretty detailed. How do you know all the ins and outs of the job (start time, work to complete, order in which it is done?) Most people have posted that FGLK is an as needed railroad. Most jobs start when the customers need a switch. There have been times, and people have reported, train horns around Auburn @/or near 0500. that's before 0700! Plus, who cares about industry switching? mainline action is where the excitement is! and we all know the 24.5MPH FGLK main is totally worth your time.

I've had many jobs where I have worked either Days or Nights and was able to get both aspects of there average time in which they pass I also got laid off from a job and was out of work for 3 months so the boredom was filled with chasing after finger lakes from point A to B along the main line.

Good Example Finger Lakes on average hits Seneca Falls between 12:00p.m. and 1:00p.m. East Bound (times may vary) if this is the case you have 45 minuets to an Hour before they hit Auburn. When they depart Auburn you have 15 - 20 minuets to get to Skaneateles Jct. Past Skaneateles Jct. You might as well make a mad dash to the Home Depot parking lot in Camillus, NY and just follow along Milton Ave as it runs all the way from Camillus to Solvay along the FGLK line.

If you choose to stay on Milton Ave and want to watch CSX action on the main line make a Left on to Bridge Street cross the Bridge and make a Right onto State Fair Blvd go up the hill and make a Right onto Willis Ave make a fast right at Glen Falls Cement / Honeywell Property you can cross the tracks down by the cement property but stay just to the right of the crossing and park no more than 10 feet from the sideing going into the cement plant if you park close to the maine line CSX will chase you out. If the cement plant is not open park by there office.

Thanks for the info.
Anything about closer to Keuka, such as Geneva-Himrod, Watkins, Canandaigua, or Penn Yan.

Thanks,
Lee

ebtmikado wrote:Thanks for the info.
Anything about closer to Keuka, such as Geneva-Himrod, Watkins, Canandaigua, or Penn Yan.

Thanks,
Lee

I would check with poppyl he keeps good tabs on FGLK and NS movements down that way as do a few outher notable people on here.

ebtmikado wrote:Thanks for the info.
Anything about closer to Keuka, such as Geneva-Himrod, Watkins, Canandaigua, or Penn Yan.

Thanks,
Lee

Yes, but rarely..

Himrod and Geneva see FGLK trains a few days a week..(not sure of the exact schedule..someone else can clarify that.)

Canandaigua and Penn Yan *very* rarely see trains..
If you just drive to one of those cities, hoping to see a train, 99% of the time you will not find anything..

Geneva would be best..(will see some trains, or at least locomotives..)
followed by Himrod or Watkins Glen (*might* see a train, if you time it right, would be best to try to find out when a train might be headed that way)
Canandaigua and Penn Yan are worst on the list..IMO, dont even bother..

Scot

Based on what a couple friends who live in/near Canandaigua have told me, FGLK sends a local there on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. I've seen the train myself on a couple of Thursdays in recent years, so I believe them. Power is normally a single B23-7.

That's been the schedule on this line going back to at least 1990.

Got a text message from a friend of mine who reports that Finger Lakes departed Solvay at 5:20p.m. West with them SD40-2's as of now it is 8:27p.m. and they have not hit Auburn yet. I suspect a late night train bound for Geneva. message posted 5/28/13

ebtmikado wrote:Thanks for the info.
Anything about closer to Keuka, such as Geneva-Himrod, Watkins, Canandaigua, or Penn Yan.

Thanks,
Lee

Wednesday is the best day to catch action between Himrod and Watkins Glen, although FGLK made a run to Watkins yesterday morning and, I believe, came back light early in the afternoon.

Lately, FGLK has departing Himrod (or passing through on the way from Geneva) between ten and eleven AM and returning around three PM.

In addition to the obvious railfanning sites in Himrod and the crossings at Rte. 14 and North Glenora Road, there are crossings with good lines of sight on the Shannon's Corners Road and Dundee-Starkey Road. If you venture to Watkins Glen to catch action at US Salt, make sure that you remain on public property as they have become very sensitive to anyone trespassing and are quite willing to press charges. Cargill action, although less frequent, is easily observed from public areas.

Now that the lumber cars are out of storage at Benton, the run to Penn Yan from Himrod will be even more infrequent.

Not part of this topic but if you are in the area you can catch NS HO6 northbound nightly Sunday through Friday. It now comes through Dundee around eight PM and hits Himrod about fifteen minutes later.

Poppyl

Thank you.

That NS job sounds interesting as well. I'll post links to the videos and photos I'm able to catch.

Lee

scottychaos wrote: Canandaigua and Penn Yan *very* rarely see trains..
If you just drive to one of those cities, hoping to see a train, 99% of the time you will not find anything..
Scot

So they're not twice a weekly as they used to be??? I often see them on T and Th when I get home after work in afternoon..around 4 ish at Wine place (whatever that new name is now)... It's almost every TH but T may be skipped (or they beat me to get out of Canandaigua before I get home). That was what it was couple years ago.

Well, just as I thought HW2 was on some sort of "schedule", things changed up a little today. It departed Himrod a little past 8 AM and returned just after Noon. For purposes of chasing HW2, I'd be in the area around 8 AM just in case. If they don't depart until later, one can run to the Crossing Diner down by the Rte. 14 crossing for coffee or breakfast in the meantime.

Poppyl

"to the Crossing Diner down by the Rte. 14 crossing for coffee or breakfast in the meantime." Poppy's a true railroader after all! "Stop at the Eagle Hotel in Himrod for beans.". HO-6 goes on duty Gang Mills 17:00 M-F with Mike Price is Right as your engineer. Monday trains are good size for FGLK interchange and Fridays. Mondays will find lots of sand cars for the Guardian float glass plant.

CEFX SD40's hit Auburn going West to Geneva 6:40p.m.