Rail City in Sandy Creek

[Leo_Ames]

Is it closed now?

I stopped by last summer and there was no sign of activity. It previously had a musuem in the depot about Rail City, as well as a gift shop inside with books and such other stuff.

[Otto Vondrak]

Rail City has been closed for about 25 years now... there is a museum about Rail City on the property... but I dont know anything about it.

This might tell you more...

http://www.co.oswego.ny.us/tourism/hist ... lcity.html


-otto-

[rchm2004]

In response to the questions on RAIL CITY MUSEUM, suggest you visit www.railcitymuseum.com. The current Rail City Historical Museum is intact and open by appointment. You can contact the owner at [email protected]. The RCHM is a static museum of a museum [Rail City] which recounts the history of Rail City Museum and all of its equipment during its years of operation from 1955 to 1974. The Rail City Historical Museum was open for three years [1997 - 1999]. The owner, son of the founder Stanley A. Groman, MD from Syracuse, NY, discovered his father's negatives in 1991. He spent 7 years developing over 3,000 images many of which are posted on the website and located in the current Rail City Historical Museum.

The owner hopes to reduce the overhead by going non-profit and reopen the RCHM museum full time in the future. It was originally opened under a "for profit" venture as the owner wanted to retain the focus of the museum as it was his father who built the original Rail City Museum. The intent was always to return all profits to the museum to perpetuate it but as is often the case the proceeds did not cover the overhead of insurance, workers conpensation, etc., for the three years that it was opened. But the museum is totally intact and can be visited with advance notice from the owner.

For any other questions, visit the website at www.railcitymuseum.com or post any questions.

[BR&P]

The home page saved me some digging, as it gives the date of the TRAINS magazine article I vaguely recall - December 1995.

Some equipment was sold, some was scrapped when Rail City was dismantled. What became of the NYC caboose 19086?

[rchm2004]

Regarding the NYC caboose 19086 - in 1993, one year after the death of the founder - Stanley A. Groman, MD, my brother and I auctioned off the ten steam locomotives and remaining railroad equipment. Our thinking at the time was that the vintage equipment may never be restored if it remained on the premises any longer. The legacy of Dr. Groman would live on along with the equipment that he salvaged from the scrap heap when he constructed Rail City if we could get it out to buyers reasonably.
The auction was conducted by Kruse International Ltd.

The winters in upstate New York are brutal and took their toll on the equipment and structures from 1955 to that time. And the humidity in the summer didn't help any. Most of the ten locomotives sold for under $3,500 - a real buyers market. But that was good - it afforded many individual buyers an opportunity to acquire equipment and still have funds for restoration. And much of the equipment has been restored, placed in operation, or at the very least placed on static display. One locomotive traveled as far as Revelstoke, British Columbia (from Sandy Creek, NY).

The NYC 19000 series caboose was sold to a private individual. We are in the process of checking with all of the buyers to see how and when the equipment was restored and placed into operation.

When I opened the Rail City Historical Museum in 1997 I would have given my right arm to have one of those locomotives or one of the four cabooses on display out front but alas, they were all sold in 1993. At that time I was just beginning the research on Rail City, developing thousands of photos, revisiting all of the original site locations across the US, looking up any and all individuals connected with Rail City, and did not realize that these efforts would lead to the current museum. The interest in Rail City Museum that came from the article in TRAINS Magazine plus countless presentations to NRHS chapters in the northeast on Rail City Museum revitalized a general thirst for more information on the original museum leading to the present Rail City Historical Museum.

[BR&P]

Thanks for the info! Glad to hear the caboose (and much other equipment) went to individuals and not to scrap. Keep following up, maybe some of them are ready to sell back.

[Otto Vondrak]

Of note, a piece from the Rochester NRHS collection was once loaned to Rail City... RTC donated Subway car #60 (a Brill trolley) to us after the end of service in 1956... since we had no museum grounds or other place to store the car, an arrangement was made to display the car up at Rail City. After Rail City closed, somehow the State of New York got a hold of it, with intent to display the car at the state museum. This never happened, and the car was placed in outdoor storage until we negotiated its return in 1996.
-otto-

[O-6-O]

FYI, the Flagg Coal 75 which just ran at Trainfest on the Ohio Central
was purchased at the auction in 93'. The Gramlings (father&son)
brought it back to Indiana where they live and restored it to operation
and it now resides in Michigan with PM 1225 at the MSTRP. Go to
their website to see her. She looks great.

STEAM ON
/--OOO--:-oo--oo-

[Leo_Ames]

I stopped by twice (guess it must've been August or September 1998 and 1999).

Was very nice, hope to see it reopened again full time.

[Schooltrain]

I used to see the tracks alongside Route 3 in early spring, after the snow had melted and before the grass came up. I drove by Rail City yesterday and noted that the old ROW is now all grown up to garbage trees. Are the tracks still in place? Is there any surviving remnant on site other than the Deer Creek Station?

[Leo_Ames]

The tracks are gone now.

I've seen what I think was the old row there, but there were posted signs or something similar I believe so I didn't want to explore in fear of making someone mad (been a few years, so my details could be wrong).

And there's a gazeebo there and at least 1 or 2 rundown buildings or sheds around the property

[JDFCLK96]

What happened to Bath & Hammondsport #11? This was the last steam locomotive to operate at Rail City, right?

[rchm2004]

RAIL CITY TRACK - The rail was sold during the 1993 acution.

B&H NO. 11 - is inside a shed at Middletown, NY. The locomotive is owned by the Middletown and New Jersey RR. A photograph was noted in a new book on the railroad that came out last year. The photo was of one of their diesel locomotives but No. 11 could be seen in the background.

STRUCTURES - Most have gone the way of the track. But the "Moffett Tunnel" is still standing. The Firebarn was given to Nelson Husted out of appreciation of his support of Rail City. Nelson died a few years back and the building was passed on to a local resident who has done nothing to restore or protect the vintage equipment still inside. Of course, the Deer River Station has been restored and is the site of the Rail City Historical Museum.

[joshuahouse]

So the M&NJ owns the B&H #11 outright? My understanding was that it was owned by a private party and simply stored there.

[O-6-O]

Didn't I read where the elderly owner of the M&NJ died a couple of years
ago. I believe the road is now shut down. Could/should an effort be
made to return B&H 11 to Sandy Pond? I'm of course assuming the
owner (Mr Gorman) even wants it.I think it would be great.

STEAM ON
/--OOO--:-oo--oo-