Abandoned Lehigh & Lake Erie in Buffalo/Lackawanna NY

[lvrr325]

Probably four to six trains, LV at the end had four pair of mainline trains plus locals; at Buffalo at least two pairs went to Niagara Falls and the rest to Tifft. Later one pair, the Apollo trains, would run through and bypass the L&LE.

[TrainDetainer]

My friend said he actually saw some movement on the Lehigh and Lake Erie back in 1996, is that even possible? It was around the area where the ex PRR and Lehigh and Lake Erie merged together. Could it have been car storage, or maybe just on the ex PRR?

In 1996 the 2000 or so foot section of the L&LE/PRR ROW around Abbott Rd was still an active part of CR's Buffalo Line, terminating at CP-5, so yes he could very well have seen BUPI/PIBU or an ML train going through. That portion from CP-GJ to CP-5 became inactive with the CR split in 1999.

[TheBeaver101]

Late reply once again, but that is interesting. I thought trains passed through CR's transformed Gardenville cutoff until about 2006 or so, (but I don't know what trains would have passed through considering that section belongs to Norfolk Southern but connects to the CSX/ex-NYC main line in Blasdell/Lackawanna NY). The crossing at Willet Rd. I remember seeing in decent condition around 2008-2009 or so, but overtime it quickly began to deteriorate (the track was blocked off eventually). I assumed it was active until maybe 2006 or 2007 because it did not look like it was in too rough of condition, and it had just started to deteriorate.

[ctclark1]

The overall demise of the cutoff (and why it will never be used again) is discussed at great length in the Gardenville thread, but if memory serves correctly (I can't find the NS documentation for it anymore, so it is possible I'm mis-remembering it) the condition of the bridge over Electric Ave was what officially knocked the cutoff OOS after the CR split in '99.

But yes, NS has no use for the cutoff except as storage even if that isn't the case because there's nowhere for them to go. I don't think NS made much use of it at all, unless they were interchanging with CSX at Seneca for a short time while everyone got their ducks in a row after the split?