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  • Unfinished Railroads of New York State

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Unfinished Railroads of New York State

Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New York State.

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New York, Boston & Montreal RR

 #354582  by Bernard Rudberg
 
There are bits and parts of the NYB&M still in the woods in Dutchess County NY. That railroad had graded the line and was about the lay down track when they went bankrupt in the financial panic of 1873. If you know where to look you can still find the roadbed and unfinished bridge abutments that have been there 130 years.

The Rutland was supposed to be part of that line too.

Bernie Rudberg

 #354625  by RussNelson
 
I looked at it again, and if I'm right in my supposed path of the BCnNY, the vast majority of it as graded. At least, there remains to this day a clear ROW on the aerial photos going most of the way from Batavia to Buffalo. The thing that bothers me is that .... it doesn't go to Akron. Goes from Batavia, Cohocton Rd. in Pembroke, is Tillman Rd., south of Clarence, then I lose it in the quarry south of Harris Hill.

 #354760  by nydepot
 
The Somerset was built on a trolley line, hence the line on the parts that didn't get reused. The Somerset used the trolley line and parts of the RW&O.

Many former electric lines have power lines on them to this day.

Charles
Mr. Lehigh wrote:I've noticed that path off the end of Cohocton Rd. for a long time. I used to visit a cousin that lived in the neighborhood as a kid (long long time ago). I always thought that it looked an awful lot like a ROW, but never saw any mention made of a railroad there. I guess my keen eye for abandoned ROWs is as sharp as ever!

Does the ROW for the Somerset RR that was supposed to go to Gasport, but instead became a high tension line ROW count?

 #354774  by Farmer Joe
 
Hey Russ,

Yes the BC&NY kind of vanishes west of the county line quarry. I'm not sure if that's due to the ROW not getting that far or time and development taking its toll. They quit building because of the lack of money. I can spot it from some roads in eastern Erie county, but even then I'm not sure. I could be looking at old fence lines.

Charles, as far as Six Flags traffic on Rt 77 goes, don't try and head south on 77 thru Corfu at 10:00 AM on a summer Saturday or a day that there is a concert. I'm lucky to live a couple miles east of the park where its traffic doesn't bother me. BTW I can almost spit on the old DL&W ROW from my computer desk. Too bad its gone.

Joe

 #354862  by nydepot
 
Farmer Joe wrote:Charles, as far as Six Flags traffic on Rt 77 goes, don't try and head south on 77 thru Corfu at 10:00 AM on a summer Saturday or a day that there is a concert. I'm lucky to live a couple miles east of the park where its traffic doesn't bother me. BTW I can almost spit on the old DL&W ROW from my computer desk. Too bad its gone.

Joe
I've heard they never really got a handle on the concert traffic even after all the years they have had concerts there. Even waiting to leave after one can take hours.

Charles

NYB&M RR

 #354914  by Bernard Rudberg
 
Russ, I just got back from the Big E train show in Springfield and saw your note.

The NYB&M was to be built using several existing small lines strung together with some new connecting links. In Dutchess County, the Clove Branch and the ND&C were part of that scheme. In addition they were going to build new tracks from Clove Valley south to Carmel.

I have maps of the Dutchess County sections. I will send them to you.

Bernie

 #359849  by RussNelson
 
nydepot wrote:On the RN&P: Only one section was constructed - Rosses to Sonyea. The section that became the PS&N (Swain south) was only graded. Predecessors of the PS&N did the actual construction and by then it had been sold off at the RN&P auction.

The sections north of Cuylerville were graded along with some masonry work.
Hmmmm..... that brings up an interesting point. Should I include a railbed as "unfinished" if the original company that started to build it went out of business, but a railroad was later built on that railbed? From a historical point of view, perhaps so. From a "fiinding railbeds in the field", I think not. My own personal interest leads me to the latter, but I'm happy to accommodate people whose interest tends to the first.

Charles, could you look at this entry and tell me if I have accurately recorded the unfinished railbeds which were never built upon by a successor to the RN&P?
http://rutlandtrail.org/gmap.cgi?RNnP.ny.track

 #359941  by nydepot
 
Looks correct!

Charles

 #360358  by RussNelson
 
I've updated http://russnelson.com/unfinished-railroads.html with the Rome and Osceola, which was (I think) partially completed north to Lee Center, but which Dick Palmer says was graded beyond that point. Or maybe it was graded to that point?? I'm not sure. May have to do some field research this spring after all the snow melts.

unfinished RR

 #363922  by izzy1975
 
FYI - I believe there is an unfinished railway at the Happy Hollow Campground between Lowville and Castorland NY. i remember it seeing the roadbed and followed it for awhile and then it adruptly ends with a huge embankment! However you have to stay the campground to get to it!

Smithville Flats

 #364412  by henry6
 
The Central Valley Railroad. Smithville Flats to Geneganslet, narrow guage. 1864-1869. Chenango County. Not on any map! Almost was, however. Found an 1870 atlas which had county maps of NY. Was looking for this railroad, but knew it was gone in late 1869 and therefore would not be on any published maps because maps were published in different years. BUT, upon looking closely at the 1870 atlas map could see an "erased" line along the supposed route of the railroad. Russ, you've got a lot more digging to do to complet your project!

 #365132  by RussNelson
 
That one doesn't count, Henry. They ran trains on it in the summer for three years. They had big plans, true, but they laid tracks on everything they graded, so it doesn't count as unfinished by my criteria.
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