Railroad Forums 

  • Erie main thru Blauvelt,NY

  • Discussion relating to the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, the Erie, and the resulting 1960 merger creating the Erie Lackawanna. Visit the Erie Lackawanna Historical Society at http://www.erielackhs.org/.
Discussion relating to the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, the Erie, and the resulting 1960 merger creating the Erie Lackawanna. Visit the Erie Lackawanna Historical Society at http://www.erielackhs.org/.

Moderator: blockline4180

 #708990  by Steve F45
 
I was browsing thru someones gallery of pictures trying to trace the original erie main thru blauvelt,ny. It got my interest in trying to figure out where the line ran. So using historicaerials.com i followed it from the wye in sparkill,ny. My 2 question's about the line are hopefully basic.

1. How did the original main cross over the NYC? Was it a trestle? Did it have a diamond? Did they even connect there at all?

2. How far did the line go west? I could only really make it out on the aerial site for a maybe a 1/2 mile after it crossed by the hudson shores hobby shop, where the line looks like it went thru there backyard.
 #709156  by RichM
 
Steve, make a trip to West Shore Hobbies, it's behind the public library in Blauvelt, north of Dominican College.

The Erie line actually crossed Western Highway at grade just south of there, and while the bridge over the NYC/CSX line is gone, the stone abutments are still in place along right of way. The clearance was pretty high, looks to be have been at least 20-24 feet. I had hiked the line back to Nanuet more than 30 years ago when most of the rails were still in place, but because the line was already in the process of being abandoned, the cut west of Western Highway was typically always flooded.

I think we discussed in some of the older forums that there was no interchange here because of the grade separation... although it may have been possible either within the Orangeburg Pipe facility, or Camp Shanks, because the Erie dropped down to the same elevation about a mile south of the bridge, to acess Orangeburg Pipe and to cross 303 at grade (where the new pedestrial walkway has been placed near Lowe's).
 #709161  by CarterB
 
IIRC, the old Erie Main to Piermont, crossed the West Shore NNW to SSE (at grade??), just south of present Mountain View Ave, in Blauvelt.

http://mapper1.acme.com/save.cgi?lat=41 ... =2&dot=Yes

The ROW west a bit is part of the Orangeburg Trail, then mostly visible ROW all the way to Suffern, NY. Rails still in place from Suffern to Spring Valley, where the Pascack MN line still runs, then over to Nanuet. At that point, http://mapper1.acme.com/save.cgi?lat=41 ... =2&dot=Yes

the Pascack Line heads south, but the ROW of the Piermont Branch continues East towards Blauvelt and on to Piermont.
 #709334  by Steve F45
 
RichM wrote:Steve, make a trip to West Shore Hobbies, it's behind the public library in Blauvelt, north of Dominican College.

The Erie line actually crossed Western Highway at grade just south of there, and while the bridge over the NYC/CSX line is gone, the stone abutments are still in place along right of way. The clearance was pretty high, looks to be have been at least 20-24 feet. I had hiked the line back to Nanuet more than 30 years ago when most of the rails were still in place, but because the line was already in the process of being abandoned, the cut west of Western Highway was typically always flooded.

I think we discussed in some of the older forums that there was no interchange here because of the grade separation... although it may have been possible either within the Orangeburg Pipe facility, or Camp Shanks, because the Erie dropped down to the same elevation about a mile south of the bridge, to acess Orangeburg Pipe and to cross 303 at grade (where the new pedestrial walkway has been placed near Lowe's).
Rich, i was actually at westshore hobbies on saturday. I had always wondered what was with the wooded/weed infested area adjacent to there parking lot. Maybe i'll hike this trail someday.
 #761420  by oknazevad
 
CarterB wrote:IIRC, the old Erie Main to Piermont, crossed the West Shore NNW to SSE (at grade??), just south of present Mountain View Ave, in Blauvelt.

http://mapper1.acme.com/save.cgi?lat=41 ... =2&dot=Yes

The ROW west a bit is part of the Orangeburg Trail, then mostly visible ROW all the way to Suffern, NY. Rails still in place from Suffern to Spring Valley, where the Pascack MN line still runs, then over to Nanuet. At that point, http://mapper1.acme.com/save.cgi?lat=41 ... =2&dot=Yes

the Pascack Line heads south, but the ROW of the Piermont Branch continues East towards Blauvelt and on to Piermont.
Jut as a correction, the rail between Suffern and Spring Valley is NOT intact, there are large chunks missing. There is no longer a connection between the PVL and the Main Line in Rockland County. A portion from the Suffern end does survive as the Suffern Industrial Track, but it's completely gone in the Monsey area where it use to cross Rt 306. Strangely, though, when the recently rebuilt a bridge on Rt 59 that used to carry the highway over the tracks, they rebuilt it with the same arching allowing for the same clearance. Probably so that the highway wouldn't have to be regraded.
 #783998  by pdtrains
 
There was never an active interchange of cars between the NYC/PC and the EL at orangeburg, at least since 1960.
There was a physical track connection, as both RR's served orangeburg pipe, (SE quadrant) and glenshaw glass (NW quadrant)
I was riding on the caboose of the 1st northern local one day, in the late 60's with my 8mm movie camera running, and
a PC freight crossed beneath us just as we were heading over the trestle.