On this date in Rochester rail history...

[Benjamin Maggi]

August 29, 1978
They then went to CP30 (now CP367) and got a car of livestock, and took it to the Long Branch and spotted it for the customer.

Any more information on this set-out? What type of animal (cows, chickens, etc.) was it? I didn't realize that cattle cars were still in use in the North East in the late 1970s.

[BR&P]

Cattle for Rochester Independent Packers, on Buffalo Road. They had their own cars, initial RIPX ,1100 - 1104. They were long cars - 85 feet. Loaded cars 1 or maybe 2 at a time moved east on NY-4 and were either dropped at the yard, or on 4 Main west of the Long Branch. Because of the urgency to get the stock unloaded, it was a very hot move to get them placed. If a yard crew was working on the west side, they would spot the stock and bring the rest of NY4's drop to the yard. (that drop often also contained loaded mechanical reefers which also had to be handled pronto). If the stock was in the yard, the West or the East Base would be sent over with it as soon as possible.

On the date mentioned, things were pretty chaotic at the yard and presumably at CP35 as well, since NY-4 dropped the cars just west of CP30 at Brighton and the yard engine went down and brought it in from there.

Less than 10 years earlier, NYC/PC was also handling cars of hogs for Tobin Packing on Maple Ave. They arrived in double-deck CB&Q 55 foot stock cars, often 4 or 5 at a time. These cars were just as "hot" and many times more "fragrant" as the cows. I believe that operation ended between 1968 and 1973 but not sure exactly when.

[Farmer Joe]

[quote="BR&P}

Less than 10 years earlier, NYC/PC was also handling cars of hogs for Tobin Packing on Maple Ave. They arrived in double-deck CB&Q 55 foot stock cars, often 4 or 5 at a time. These cars were just as "hot" and many times more "fragrant" as the cows. I believe that operation ended between 1968 and 1973 but not sure exactly when.[/quote]

BR&P, was this hog traffic shipped in on the Falls Rd? The reason I'm asking is I can remember as a little kid, in the late 60's, cattle cars on freight trains on the Falls Rd traveling through Medina. The awful smell is what I remember most. I seem to recall them moving eastbound too. Great posts, keep them coming! Thanks......Joe

[BR&P]

Joe, yes NY-4 came down the Falls Road, usually late afternoon or early evening. PC freight schedules still show that route in 1969. At some point PC or CR began running it through Buffalo and east on the former main line.

Glad you enjoy the posts. I just wish I had kept better notes earlier on. (I actually began keeping a daily journal because I had a boss who was always on my a$$ about something, and I wanted to keep track of what went on each day. But that's a whole story in itself! )

[BR&P]

September 3, 1978

An interesting day at Goodman St yard. Train SERO arrived (SElkirk-ROchester)- with 158 cars The head 49 cars were put into the yard itself, and the rest of the train - 109 empty salt cars for Caledonia - was taken to CP35 (CP373) for the salt train to take over the B&O.

The West Base yard crew had to make a rear end move on BUSE. That train had 31 cars for Rochester, but they were on the rear instead of the head end.

At 9:30PM, a crew was on duty for a Rochester-Newark-Bridge Extra. Using the power and caboose from that SERO train, they took 21 Newarks from the yard. They dropped the Newarks, and picked up a train for Suspension Bridge that had been left there for a reason not recorded. Well, since the train was going up the Falls Road, it would be a natural move to give them 31 Brockport cars when they came by, making another clear track in the yard and saving the next day's local the hassle of getting a train from the yard. Unfortunately, the Operations desk said no dice, the train was hot and had to get to the Bridge pronto.

The kicker was the hot train was told to stop at Holley, and sat there until the track department was able to replace some broken angle bars. They could have made that Brockport move after all, but who knew?

[BR&P]

September 4, 1978

Kids let the brakes off the cars on track 5 in the West Yard at Charlotte. 23 empties rolled east around the wye and blocked River Street. The West Base taxied to the engine house, got on the salt train power, went lite to Charlotte, and shoved the cars back where they came from.

On the way back to the yard, the code line for the Falls Road signals was out, and the West Base had to wait 1 1/2 hours for a maintainer to come crank the switch over at CP70 so they could come off the Charlotte Branch. To save a move the next day, the salt power was tied onto the 109 Caledonias just east of CP35 (remember them from yesterday?) and the crew taxied in.

[BR&P]

September 9, 1979

Lots of phone calls made to Buffalo, Philadelphia, Power Control, etc, to move locos N&W 361 and 408 from Buffalo to Newark for the soon-to-start Ontario Midland Railroad. "Supposedly" all is set and they will move.....


September 9, 1980.

Ontario Midland was handling a move of fresh pears for Gerber. The pears were loaded in bulk in BNFE reefers at Williamson Storage & Ice, and moved to ....Ashville NC?....via Cinci-SOU. At this date, they had been out of cars for a few days and the shipper was getting antsy. Two cars did move to Lyons but too late to make the local's train to OMID.

Train ELSY-8 had 12 BNFE cars, 21st to 32nd deep in the train. After a lot of begging, pleading and persuading, Operations and the Chief Dispatcher agreed to have the main line train stop at Newark and set the cars off on the PRR connection so OMID could make a special move to get them.

The OMID crew was on duty at 8:30PM, and after confirming the cars had been dropped, headed south to get them using engine 36. Upon arriving at Newark, they got permission from the CR dispatcher to go down to get the cars. The headlight probed the darkness - and showed only empty rails. After checking all the way to the Track 1 mainline switch, it was obvious the cars were not there. By this time the afternoon dispatcher had gone, the night guy didn't know what to say. Supposedly the cars had been dropped, but it looked like they had been taken through east.

About to give up and return north empty-handed, the OMID made a request of the dispatcher. Permission was granted to run west on the CR controlled siding to CP15 at the west end of Newark. And there, on the OMID Marion Branch, were the 12 cars!

So the cars were taken east, shoved up the connection to OMID, to Mud Mills siding. There the engine ran around, took the cars north, and made the delivery to the customer at 0-dark-30. The crew marked off at 0215 (the conductor facing a 45 minute drive home and a 6AM start at his regular job). Just another adventure in short-line railroading!

[BR&P]

September 10, 1978

LA&L 72 was moved from Goodman Street Yard to Cairn Street along with other cars for the former PRR and EL. No notes on where it was coming from - was that when LAL first bought it?


September 10, 1979

N&W 361 and 408 did successfully move from Buffalo in train BISE, and the local moved them to Motts siding in Williamson.


September 10, 1980

By 2:30PM, 3 of the 12 reefers delivered in the wee hours of the morning had been loaded with pears on the Ontario Midland.

[Matt Langworthy]

September 10, 1978

LA&L 72 was moved from Goodman Street Yard to Cairn Street along with other cars for the former PRR and EL. No notes on where it was coming from - was that when LAL first bought it?

Number 72 is ex-South Buffalo. The LA&L purchased the S2 directly from them. I'm not sure if that was the purchase date, though.

[BR&P]

September 15, 1980

Ontario Midland extra board crew on duty 4:30PM. Went to Williamson, then to Newark and got 24 cars delivered by CR. Went to Red Creek and return, spotted first car of feed for new customer, Wegman's Egg Farm at Wolcott NY. Off duty 4:15AM. I believe the conductor's regular job started at either 6 or 7AM. Real railroading isn't all fun and games!

[C2629]

Its a beautiful winter day for rail fanning, the sun is out and the temperature is just above freezing, a really great day to watch trains. Then about noon a front rolls in, the temperature drops to 15, the sky turns dark and cloudy, the snow starts falling with flakes the size of a half dollar and the wind is gusting to 25 mph. What does the rail fan do? Most likely he/she calls it a day and heads for home, the train crew on the other hand still has several more hours of work before calling it a day. Railroading is not always fun !

[sd80mac]

Its a beautiful winter day for rail fanning, the sun is out and the temperature is just above freezing, a really great day to watch trains. Then about noon a front rolls in, the temperature drops to 15, the sky turns dark and cloudy, the snow starts falling with flakes the size of a half dollar and the wind is gusting to 25 mph. What does the rail fan do? Most likely he/she calls it a day and heads for home, the train crew on the other hand still has several more hours of work before calling it a day. Railroading is not always fun !

What year was this? was this one end up having double rainbow over rochester the following morning, bouncing back into warm weather from temp drop and raining in horizontal that night.

[nydepot]

LA&L #72 was purchased in 1972. Must have been out for wheel work or something more substantial than the LA&L could handle?

[BR&P]

What year was this? was this one end up having double rainbow over rochester the following morning, bouncing back into warm weather from temp drop and raining in horizontal that night.

While there have been many snowy days like that, I think he was painting a generalized hypothetical day rather than one particular instance.

[C2629]

It was not about a particular day but was a statement about any one of a many days over the years when the weather made a major change. I mentioned snow, but heavy rain, wind, thunderstorms, high heat and humidity were all part of what you might get on any given day.