LV Mile-Marker Story, Question, Opportunity?

[expensivelawnmower]

This was somewhere around 10 years ago on a hot summer day; 2000 or '01. Me and a friend were venturing around our hometown of Manchester, as we often did. This particular day's exploration was to be west down the LV (yes ONCT, I know) as we were always around the roundhouse and had seen everything there was to see over the years. I figured covering the stretch between Rt 96 and County Rd. 28 would be a nice change. We walked down and back, checked out a culvert under the track along that stretch. Didn't really have much to look at as I expected. It was a fine day just the same. I think I spent a lot of it trying to comprehend how many thousands of tons of freight and passengers rolled over this now quiet space for so many decades. Anyway, we started back toward town and I hit the jackpot - Look there in the weeds! A metal sign laying there all rusty! Well I had to have it. The marking was cutout-style similar to that mentioned in LV Whistle Post http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.ph ... le#p843200 It was an "A" and under that "51" I believe. Im not sure about the number but I am positive about the "A". I would guess that was for "Auburn" and the distance seems about right - I'm sure someone could pin that down. So why don't I go check my prized find and double-check that number? Well after a minute or two walking along with that rusty hunk, bees started pouring out of the end and I got it good on the ear. I grew up allergic and although I'd developed immunity through injections, I figured it best not to take a chance and abandoned my sign for a better pace getting home. Of course I intended to go back for it, but those teenage days get the best of us and it just never happened. I was 14 or 15 at the time. So there's the story... Did I get the "Auburn" part right? And for the opportunity: I won't tell the railfan community as a whole to walk right by the sign which declares that this is private property. I tend to avoid that these days, especially on busy lines or in populous areas. But... I may go back one of these days and look for it. And I would encourage anyone that thinks they could obtain permission to do so - go for it. If it hasn't already been claimed, I believe it would be east of that culvert and definately on the north side of the track. Not way down in the swamp but not right out on the flat either. I personally would donate it to a worthy display home if I ever found it (how about Shortsville...). That would be a good approach if you were to ask FGLK to let you wander their line. But watch those bees!
Evan J. West

[Lehighton_Man]

I'll have to look around in the area next time I am up in Manchester. I work up there anyway so it shouldn't be too much of a hassel. And as for those Bees, a can of Brakeclean from any area autoparts store does the trick.

[lvrr325]

If you left it laying in plain sight, it's gone into someone's private collection by now. Or someone picked it up to scrap. Although I have to say if I'd seen this post before the last time I was coming back from out there, I would have made a detour and gone for a walk. I've wanted an LV milepost for ages.

LV mile markers were also made in the same manner as Whistle signs, but they were diamond-shaped.

However "A51" makes no sense, Manchester was mile marker 359 and that I can see no Lehigh branch did like other roads with a letter for the city the line originated on branch line mileposts. One with a 4 could make some sense, as the west end mileposts went into the low 400s, but there's no reason for it to have gotten there - a lot of that line suffered the ignominy of not even seeing a wreck train, it was scrapped by crews with trucks. 361 would make the most sense, since that would be about the right place for that mile post.

I considered that maybe A could be for Advance for a signal number plate, but LV only used number plates on intermediate signals and they were regular GRS equipment at the end, white on black on a silver bracket.

[lvrr325]

Have to correct myself, as I found a picture of a bridge ID sign made the same way, but more of a square with rounded corners on top and cropped corners on the bottom, for a bridge on the Niagara Falls branch, labeled NI (number) B. Per the caption, LV labeled bridges in a mile using that mile designation, with the first one sublettered A, the second as B, and so on. So I would assume you in fact found a bridge ID sign rather than a mile marker. They used the same recycled steam boiler tubes for posts, which were hollow and both easily bent over and snapped off, and prone to rot out with age.