Old Erie alignment near CP Silver Springs

[sd80mac]

I take my comments back. I misread. I read too quickly and I thought that we were talking about south of Silver Spring.

My bad.... Sorry....

[RussNelson]

Silver Lake Jct was the name for the BR&P/B&O location Just above the lettering where the single track branch to Silver Springs and Perry branches off to the South.

Fixed, thanks!

[ctclark1]

I don't mean to necropost on an almost 2 year old topic, but I ran across this map while I was researching some other stuff and I figured I'd provide some answers about the "old alignment" in question at Rock Glen. Refer to this map.
There was in fact a spur to "American Electrolytic Co" (ie, a salt processor of some kind, I'm guessing) from both Erie and BR&P, and as lvrr325 mentioned, this shows up on Topos up to 1932 prior to what is now Rt 19 being realigned.

As lvrr325 also mentioned, the current and same alignment for the Erie main is shown all the way back to 1905 topos. In fact the only even remote reference on the topo maps that I can see to an old alignment for the Erie is in the 1944 topo after the NY 19 realignment where a broken line is shown through the area, and then nothing until the 1974 topos where they apparently re-evaluated the contour lines and you can see one cut in the 1350' line just south of the pipeline.

[BR&P]

That first map shows some nice detail on how the siding were laid out there. While maybe the Erie had an old alignment even farther back, if that is accurate we can see what the track plan was for many years. Anybody have any more info on that company? I sure wish Steven Gilboy was still alive, I'm sure he'd have the answer.

[ctclark1]

Bingo... I don't know why I didn't think to do it earlier, but I decided to check the 1866 map, which shows the original alignment of the "BNY&E" (Buffalo New York & Erie) south of "Newburgh" (aka Rock Glen). It defintiely cuts across what is now 19 further north, and without the sweeping curve the line has now. I think based on what the topo map I previously references shows, as well, the spur next to the reservoir seen in the 1902 map was actually the line, not the spur to the salt plant.

While we're on the topic of Erie realignments, If you look in the same 1866 series of maps at Genesee Falls, it clearly shows the original alignment west of the Portage Bridge there too - straight with a single curve, instead of the "s" that exists now... My guess is they were probably both done around the same time, and I would hazard a further guess that they may have been done during the rebuilding of the Portage "Viaduct" (as Wikipedia calls it) in 1875 since the line was pretty much shut down anyway.

[jr]

Anybody have any more info on that company?

My Dad told me about an old salt well company that had once existed near Silver Springs. They were bought out by a competitor, who subsequently brought in a freight car load of iron pigs and dumped them down the well to "spike" it, so no other competitor could ever re-use that well. The State found out about this and passed legislation that forbids the deliberate destruction of natural resources.

American Electrolytic might have been the location of the well in question.

JR

[BR&P]

Here we go!

"In 1901 the National Salt Co. sold its salt works at Rock Glen to the American Electrolytic Co., of which W.C. Gouinlock, Warsaw NY, is president. In the spring of 1902 the company began the manufacture of caustic soda and bleaching powder by the Moore electrolytic process. Both products were successfully made and marketed at current prices. Hardly was the enterprise under way when the great strike in the coal regions occurred, rendering it difficult to obtain fuel, and, at the same time, the price of bleaching powder fell 50%. The two causes rendered manufacture unprofitable, and work was suspended awaiting more favorable conditions."

https://books.google.com/books?id=bbbOA ... o.&f=false" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[sd80mac]

While we're on the topic of Erie realignments, If you look in the same 1866 series of maps at Genesee Falls, it clearly shows the original alignment west of the Portage Bridge there too - straight with a single curve, instead of the "s" that exists now... My guess is they were probably both done around the same time, and I would hazard a further guess that they may have been done during the rebuilding of the Portage "Viaduct" (as Wikipedia calls it) in 1875 since the line was pretty much shut down anyway.

they did it to lower the % of the grade to make it easier to go uphill after the bridge. But for Rock Glen, I cant say why. But with that obviously long new alignment, it could be the same reason.

[RussNelson]

Erie Main was rerouted between CP Rock Glen and CP silver springs. Looking at satellite imagery, it looks like there was a realignment a long time ago but I have not found any information on it.

Yup, right here: https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/48060897" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[RussNelson]

Now I'm wondering what, if anything, is left of the American Electrolytic Company's plant. Looks completely treed-over now, but I'll bet there are traces of foundations.

[ctclark1]

I had been trying to figure out if this was anything or just an oddly laid out junk pile... Bing's bird's eyes of the area are so grainy it's impossible to tell anything from it.

[BR&P]

Well, it's a good time of year to explore if you can get there when the ground is bare. Once the vegetation greens up you can walk 5 feet from something and not have a clue it's there.

[s4ny]

http://www.loc.gov/resource/g3803w.la000579/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

1853 Wyoming County map seems to indicate there was a realignment.

[thebigham]

Pics I took on Dec. 27, 2018.