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  • Chasing railroads for my birthday

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

Moderator: Otto Vondrak

 #1433246  by RussNelson
 
My 2017 birthday trip was delayed by our move to New Hampshire, so it was the last weekend in April. A new state to explore! But I still have some things in NY to explore. First, to the Solvay Cable Road (not a railroad, BUT it has a tunnel). I visited it back in 2008. It was winter, the tunnel was full of icicles and footing was very uneven. On this trip, there was no ice. I walked quite a ways back, and found that the tunnel had a slight curve in it! If you go back to that point, past the curve, you can see the light at the south end of the tunnel. It wasn't very bright, but you could see that you could get out. The story I heard was that it gets extremely wet at that end, and the water is very cold. I chose not to try to walk the whole thing.

Went looking for the Erie Canal Heritage Park at Port Byron. Unfortunately, it was still closed "Until Early Spring". If the beginning of May isn't early spring, I don't know when spring starts. Found the trolley power house for the Rochester, Syracuse & Eastern, which I had buzzed past twice before while Cycling the Erie Canalway Trail (end to end). Stopped by the trolley station there and in Weedsport.

Stopped by Farrell Road in Syracuse. Three things of interest there. First was the track which came off on the north side of Farrell Road and ran along it, curving to the SE and entering a warehouse. Unfortunately, I was too late by a year or two, because it had all been ripped out. The tracks ran through the location of a new building for trucking. It needed a whole new parking lot, so the railroad went. Next was a visit to the trolley bridge abutment on the north side of the Baldwinsville Subdivision behind the large building SE of Farrell Road. There are a bunch of bridge pier foundations in the wetland, and going up to the Baldwinsville Sub, with just one on the south side. The south side abutment is completely gone as well as everything else associated with the trolley. Finally, the spur on the south side of Farrell Road going into a building is out of service.

Syracuse next, with a visit to West Jefferson Street, to find out that the bridge past the end of Fabius Street is now destroyed by new construction. Fortunately, the three abandoned bridges at West Jefferson Street are still there. Discovered that a narrow alley between two buildings was actually a railroad right-of-way.

North of Canastota I saw a portion of the new Oneida Canal, still with water in it. Also found the building in Oneida Lake Marina that used to be a lock for that canal.

On to Beebee Bridge Road to explore the Burt Line. I had only walked a small portion of it on my last visit. If you keep going east from the road, you'll find a small fill, then a much longer and wetter cut. It went on even further East than I walked it this time.

Explored at Oneida Castle. Walked some of the Oneida Rail Trail. One of the West Shore abutments has been removed (the low one).

South of Canastota ran the Elmira, Cortland & Northern, later the Lehigh Valley. It's now a trail from the outskirts of Canastota all the way to Cazenovia. I didn't hike the whole thing, just from there to Canastota Reservoir (now defunct, but the dam controlhouse is still standing, albeit without much of a roof.)

Hiked the Gorge Trail in Cazenovia. Found something I missed when I bicycled it two times previously: a bunch of concrete piers, as if for a power line or an elevated penstock for one of the mills along the Chittenango Creek.
 #1454650  by Mika
 
Hi!I love your blog. Not many blog about the Ontatrio and Western Rail to Trail in the Catskills. I am going to embed your blog int my blog. The trail has since you have been in Hurleyville much improved. I did go biking with Campers on the Trail from Ferndale . I saw remnants like old oak wood which were part of the railroad bed . A Farmer had unearthed it. If you know and look you still find remnants....artifacts

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I have worked for Camp Shane, Ferndale (Old Station Road Hill behind the Oil Stations) and the old Rail Grade is just below our Camp and then goes into the Canyon cut into the Rock. Its private land belonging to the Camp and then after the Canyon it belongs to the old Farmer. Me and a friend went there with our Camps ATW. There is a Trailer from the Scrappers it has been left in the Canyon since 1958 and it is in shambles. The roof has given in. There are also some old metal things from the OW. Nobody ever goes there. It looks godforsaken...you get eventually to the street but biking becomes impossible at some point becausehouse owner planted bushes and it makes the trail entrance invisible from the street. Next to the TRail is a company whichhas got an original OW Coach in the Yard. After squeezing yurself through the bushes you come out on the other side of the street from U-Haul.The trail continues on the other side of the Interstate and is interrupted by the Interstate. If you continue it you get to Hurleyville.