Freight service Sayre - Binghamton

[urrengr2003]

What type of freight service was available in the 60's between the LV & D&H interchange at Binghamton? Who had ownership of the single main track between Binghamton and a connection with the LV at(I guess) Owego? Have seen many pics of both LV and D&H power on the trains that operated over this route. This must have been thru traffic from the west to D&H service for New England and Canada thru Mechanicsville; can't believe the D&H would short haul themselves on traffic from the east when they had access to this traffic at Scranton and Wilkes Bare. Account so many pics of both LV and D&H power on these trains was there an equity arrangement to furnish power and or crews between these carriers?

[TB Diamond]

The LVRR/D&H Sayre-Binghamton freight service operated over the Erie (later the E-L) double track main line between Owego and Binghamton where they connected with the D&H.

There were actually two different trains, OF-1/FO-2 which were LVRR and OF-3/FO-4 which were D&H trains. Both LVRR and D&H crews were qualified to operate over the Erie and D&H crews were qualified to operate over the LVRR Owego-Sayre.

[urrengr2003]

Have seen photos on another site that show LV & D&H locos at Smithboro NY taken in 1964. LV single track is parallel to Erie mains and located on north side. Later attempts at rationalization of plant may have resulted in trackage rights agreement with Erie.

[TB Diamond]

The Erie main line through that area into E-L remained double track. The LVRR Auburn branch remained in service Sayre-Owego until 01 April 1976.

[lvrr325]

The LV branch crossed under the Erie not too far from Sayre (Waverly) and ran parallell to the Erie into Owego. Some track west of Owego was actually kept, as far as the 17C overpass of the Erie, the scar of a connecting track there is still visible, but it's been cut back to just short of Southern Tier Recyclers and appears to be only used for car storage.

So the story goes, the trackage rights from Owego to Binghamton were the D&H's, aquired by trading to the Erie the rights to serve the Moon Mills in Binghamton. Which eventually went out of business, but the D&H retained the rights to run to Owego.

You basically saw two round trips per day, one day job, one night job, as mentioned before one an LV train and one a D&H train. They alternated off and on who ran when. The LV was known for using it for break-in of recently overhauled engines, so almost any road diesel could turn up on it.

Before the EL was folded into Conrail, it was expected this traffic would continue, and part of the line was refurbished only to be torn up a few years later.



One strange thing, the last siding going west from Owego looks like a Y, but it's not, and there's a string of cars on what would be the west leg with no visible connection to any other track, it's not even clear to me how they got in on that track in the first place.