Jefferson Smurfit to close

[uticajack]

Jefferson Smurfit plans to close it's New Hartford plant within the next couple of weeks. NYS&W currently provides service to the plant.
http://www.uticaod.com/news/x678156519/ ... nt-closing

[riffian]

Was this a major shipper for Suskie??

[uticajack]

My guess...4 - 6 boxcars of paper in per week. Nothing outbound. Major? Maybe for the Utica branch.

[riffian]

So this is a major hit for the Utica branch.......how many shippers remain??

[ut-1]

On an historical note, with the loss of this customer, the NYS&W will no longer use the former O&W trackage, a remnant of the "Old & Weary's" Utica Branch. Smurfit was always THE major customer on this little spur (approx 2 miles long), which includes a bridge over the Sauquoit Creek, but a building firm (Carparelli Bros.) used to receive an occasional boxcar and, every blue moon or so, Niagara Mohawk received an shipment. The NiMo siding was removed many years ago, however, and the end-of-the-line trackage leading to Carparelli has been OOS for a long period too. As a life-long New Hartford resident, it is very sad to see the end of this line on the horizon.

[Cactus Jack]

Recall part of this O&W line was severed between Canal Branch and the Westshore diamond about 1971 and EL trains routed over the Westshore from the DL&W diamond to the former O&W / Westshore diamond to access O&W again and back down into "Mohawk Containers" on the spur.

The O&W was a very busy piece of industrial trackage in Utica into the 1970's with thousands of carloads. Doeskin went out about Nov 1971 and it has been all down hill since.

What is left out on the Mills Branch ? I recall that line being very slow in the later 1970's with a PC crew working down the EL to get to it after the 1971 track realignment but only occaisionally. Then about 1979 Conrail sent out a production gang and rebuilt it. Never touched the ex-EL trackage. Never figured that out. Then about late 1980 the seniorities and jobs were restructured and the Mills Branch became a regular part of the ex-EL Sangerfield Local's work instead of a UT-95 or whatever that travelling switcher was designated that was a PC crew.

I recall it was slow even in early NYSW days with SCI and another customer I now can't recall being about the only business there at the time served regularly.

Then don't forget the Blue Line of the ex DL&W / EL that could consume hours serving all the customers .. parallel to Oriskany Blvd west of Schuyler Street and torn out sometime in NYSW days in the 1990's I think. Sad to think back at all the freight in and out of the area "not that long ago".

I see part of the ex-O&W Fay Street trackage is still intact west of the Arterial north of Canal Branch. Long time since those tracks saw any trains.

[lvrr325]

SCI I believe is still active with a couple boxcars once in a while and there's a place just south of there (behind the Pizza chain store) that gets covered hoppers and usually has 3 or 4 on the siding.

Big plant along the old Blue line, too, that amazes me it doesn't need rail service.

[uticajack]

O.W. Hubbell receives an occasional flatcar of steel. Seen a couple per week in the spring.
SCI has already been spoken for.
Covered hoppers at the other plant (used to be Bonide Chemical) number about 4 per week.
McCrath Distributors receives a couple of boxcars of beer per week.
The plant on the Blue Line is the Old Dunlop Tire plant. They recently announced that they were going to close that plant too.

[lvrr325]

The one with the Japanese/Asian name on it, by the old gas station that was bisected by the ROW?

[RussNelson]

Here is the spur that serves Jefferson Smurfit: http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/20132809" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Here is the remains of the O&W Utica Branch: http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/20151803" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Here is the Niagara-Mohawk spur: http://www.openstreetmap.org/way/75032365" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
And the entire O&W Utica Branch: http://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/2053375" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[lvrr325]

FWIW, the last time I was through, that gas station I mentioned (empty a long time, I believe it still had analog pumps) was finally torn down. Was at the corner of Oriskany Street and Whitesboro Street, with the Blue Line ROW bisecting the exit to Whitesboro Street.