Street-Running Tracks in NYS?

[D Alex]

I think most of us have seen those you-tube videos of the Susquehanna running down the middle of the street in Utica. I know that before the high Line was built in NY city, they ran down the middle of the avenue, and I know that here in Rochester, trains used to run down the middle of Lyell Ave (not sure when that stopped, though). Is there anyplace in NY where they still do road-running? Not just on the side, but right down the middle of the road?

[DogBert]

1st ave in sunset park, brooklyn. 1-2 runs per week by NYNJRR to service a recycling plant.

[newpylong]

CSX in Hudson.

[ACM]

Mohawk Adirondack and Northern Railroad. Briefly on Canal Street in Carthage.

[rr503]

+ CSX runs down a sidewalk daily to get to Hunts Point

[TrainDetainer]

Painted Post.

[lvrr325]

Might be easier to research if you called it what most do, street running. I think most of the big examples that still see trains have been mentioned.

[Leo_Ames]

Are the tracks along Railroad St. in Rome still active? If so, there's a short stretch there shared with the street, sharing a truss bridge over water.

Length wise it's not worth mentioning, but the fact that it's sharing the roadway across a bridge makes it stand out.

[BR&P]

I know that here in Rochester, trains used to run down the middle of Lyell Ave (not sure when that stopped, though).

I'm trying to place when and where that may have been. Not saying you're wrong but it must have been in the 1800's? Does not sound familiar but I learn something every day.

[D Alex]

I know that here in Rochester, trains used to run down the middle of Lyell Ave (not sure when that stopped, though).

I'm trying to place when and where that may have been. Not saying you're wrong but it must have been in the 1800's? Does not sound familiar but I learn something every day.

It was into the automotive age, and I believe it went down to about where the OLD Ragu plant was.

[BR&P]

I'm trying to place where that was - south side of Lyell, west of Otis depot? In later years Richardson was back in there, and Hubbs and Howe, and a couple others, there was a diamond across the Charlotte Branch. I believe that was originally the Falls Road back when they came through Kent Street and over what later was called the Abandon. But that would not have involved running on Lyell Ave.

Could we possibly be talking about the interurban line - RL&B?

[NYCRRson]

New York State Railways (trolley) ran down the middle of Lyell from Lake Ave to Glide St. At Glide there was a turn around loop. Don't know when this was removed ? Post WWII ? I lived near Lyell and Glide starting in 1982, there were no tracks left in the middle of Lyell Ave at that time.

The RL&B was just north of the Falls Road, Trolley Blvd in Gates was the RL&B roadbed. East of the end of Trolley Blvd at the Barge Canal are two (pretty impressive) railroad bridges over the Canal. The southern one (double tracked) was the NYCRR Falls Road, the northern one was the RL&B. There were still rails crossing Lee Rd (the NYCRR) until about 10 years ago (maybe 15).

Not aware of any "Class One" railroad tracks running down Lyell. The Falls Road (NYCRR) and the BR&P (B&O) still cross Lyell at grade just east and west of Mt. Read Blvd. The Charlotte Branch crosses Lyell at grade further east of Mt. Read. The Ragu plant was about a mile west of the BR&P crossing, the Falls Road was north of the Ragu plant, I don't think they had a siding.

Lots of good info at this web site, there were RR and Trolley lines all over the place.

https://maps.cityofrochester.gov/historic/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Edit, I checked the 1910 map at that website, the RL&B did run down the middle of Lyell Ave starting at Glide St. (then called Kossuch St.) and heading east towards Lake Ave. The 1935 map does not show the RL&B any longer. It shows a turnaround loop at the Northwest corner of Glide and Lyell. Maybe the RL&B had "trackage rights" into the City itself ?

Cheers, Kevin.

[BR&P]

The interurbans did indeed connect with other such lines and went downtown etc. You'd have to consult Gordon's book or some other reference for details, I can't recall. The electric line did haul freight as well but as far as I know did not serve any industries off the Lyell Ave trackage. But I'n guessing that's what OP was referring to.

[D Alex]

....
Edit, I checked the 1910 map at that website, the RL&B did run down the middle of Lyell Ave starting at Glide St. (then called Kossuch St.) and heading east towards Lake Ave. The 1935 map does not show the RL&B any longer. It shows a turnaround loop at the Northwest corner of Glide and Lyell. Maybe the RL&B had "trackage rights" into the City itself ?

Cheers, Kevin.

When the 'subway' opened in , what, 1927?, it had all the interurbans running on it's tracks, the R&ERR, the R&S, and probably your RL&B as well. I know that the R&ERR used to run down Monroe Ave, until the subway opened....and 3 years later, the R&E and all the others were gone.

[jr]

There are numerous places inside Kodak Park, where tracks run in the street. However, they are not generally accessible to the public, and I don't know how much of the trackage is still active.