I came across this issue years ago after acquiring various LV employee timetables. I queried my mother who was a resident of Lima from 1929 to 1949 and she seemed to think that at one time "St. Marys Street" was the name of the road which is known to us today variably as Route 15A or Plank Road (according to the state and TN Lima), or Lake Avenue (15A within the Village of Lima). I believe I have seen reference to St. Mary's Street. somewhere since in some old deeds and property records. However a property map dated 1949 for my grandfathers property clearly indicates the name "Lake Avenue" applied at that time at least within the Village.
TT#3 Dated September 23, 1941 simply lists St. Mary's Street, Atwells along with the multitude of other crossings on the entire LV system requiring a member of crew to simply station himself in the center of the crossing and protect pedestrians and vehicles before indicating train movement to proceed.
Protection at this crossing was elevated in 1951 as a paste in General Order No. 1803 for Zone E dated May 22, 1951, (LV Timetable Number 18 dated April 29, 1951) states effective at once:
GO 1803 (d)
"Rochester Branch Atwells (located 1.7 miles east of Lima)"
"Trains and Engines must stop before passing over St. Mary's Street, located 211 feet west of Atwells' and a trainman must position himself in center of crossing with red flag or red light and stop all highway travel before giving signal to engineman to proceed. Lighted fusees shall be placed in receptacles provided for that purpose, on pole, on each side of track. After crossing is cleared, the fusees must be extinguished."
The fact that crews were instructed to go to such effort to protect this crossing clearly signifies to me that this is the correct location (todays 15A) In addition a review of the topograhy at this location would reveal serious sight distance concerns for southbound highway traffic on both sides of the highway. and a serious sight distance condition for northbound traffic on the east side of the road (TT "west"). Further, the highway crests a hill immediately north of the crossing (explaining fusee poles). Finally this is the only highway in proximity to being 1.7 miles east of Lima
What can be confusing is the fact that the track at this location is geographical west to east, but the timetable direction of the railroad is opposite. Therefore a train operating to Hemlock at this location was operating in an eastward TT direction, but traveling due west geographically.
This timetable instruction became a part of subsequent reissues and appears as such even in a 1968 version continuing to refer to it as "St. Mary's Street" The fact the railroad calls it one thing and the local populace calls it yet another is not that unusual. It could have been the place name at the time of construction (ca. 1894) and simply carried through over the years by the railroad engineering department As to Atwell, an 1868 record indicates two Atwell men listed as farmers in a Lima directory.
CA 1962, I remember walking this line with my parents and there was an active farmroad paralling the track timetable direction eastward from the Highway. The right of way fence to fence seems to be wider as well and it could have even easily supported a short siding without difficulty in the area that the timetable identified as Atwells. There was nothing else there in 1962..nor when I drove almost the entire line in a 1964 Dodge after rails were removed. Today this location is highly overgrown with farm access confined to the adjacent field
It was normal practice for the LV to stop and protect this crossing right up until the end. The crossing by 1968 was simply protected with two metal crossbucks equipped with "cat eye" glass beads outlining the words "Railroad Crossing". One of these I acquired at time of abandonment and is now in the possession of the Rochester NRHS. I do not however recall seeing the fusee poles mentioned, nor do I recall any receptacles on the crossbuck masts which were tubular metal. These could have been separate devices..long forgotten, damaged, or removed when the more modern crossbucks were installed.
The other stop and protect crossing on the Hemlock side of the Rochester Branch was at West Main Street in Honeoye Falls and the main track (flasher equipped) crossing at East Main in Lima (Rt 5 & 20) was a stop, activate manually with a switch and proceed with the rear end turning off the lights manually after clearing. The runaround track was not so equipped and was a pure stop and protect. The apparatus at East Main Street was also placed into service under the same GO as identified above.
Timtables up to the end refer to this officially as the Rochester Branch in its' entirety with locations in the timetable measured from 0.0 at Rochester Junction upward in number in both directions to both Hemlock and Rochester. However the line was not marked this way in the field as lines in each direction maintained escalating milepost numbers from the mainline base point. Sibley Road was vicinity of 381 and the Hemlock wye was just beyond 394. There were even 4 (each) 382 mileposts: one on the mainline, and one each to Rochester, Hemlock and the last one on the short spur down to the Honeoye Falls depot. These MPs are also shown as such in valuation maps and track charts I have seen.
As a sidebar the last LV freight train operating on this line was involved in a grade crossing accident on RT 20A at Livonia Center. I believe this was late summer 1968.
There was (is) a substantial wooden curved trestle with ballasted deck about a mile South (TT East) of Lima, about halfway between Lima and the Route 15A crossing at "Atwells". It is highly inaccessible today.
Hope this is of help.
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=42. ... ayer=DRG25
