Railroad Forums 

  • GPS display-LVRR meets the Peanut

  • 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

 #1555379  by SST
 
This past Friday I was out in my boat along the Erie Canal to squeeze in one more run. I haven't been in the Canal in a long while and I knew I would be in the dark on my way back to the launch. So I cranked up my GPS, which is pretty old.

As I'm puttering along, I looked at the display and I see the RR symbol. Eventually I figure it out that its the LVRR which crossed Ellicott Creek on the west side of Ellicott Creek Park before turning left at the Peanut.

I kinda laughed because this GPS is pretty old and hasn't been updated for twenty years. Here's a pic of the GPS display:

https://postimg.cc/CRkLG3R2
 #1555977  by Fireman43
 
GPS. - ' lost in Time"?
always tried to figure that area out - you mention where the LV met the Peanut - at Creekside Drive -and headed west - is there not remnants of bridge abutments right there on the creek heading north?? However looking aerial I see no ROW on the north side. is it this spot your GPS. is picking up?
Mark
 #1556028  by SST
 
It has been a couple of years since I explored that specific spot. It is fairly grown in with trees and therefore an aerial view is difficult. But it's there. As you drive along Creekside Drive you can tell where the "hump" of the ROW crossed at the creek. To be honest, I don't remember if there is an concrete abutments on the south side of the creek. I'm pretty sure there isn't on the north shore.

With such nice weather this week, maybe I'll go and explore that area again.
 #1556089  by NYCRRson
 
Pretty sure that the LVRR crossed Ellicott Creek at about the spot your GPS/Loran shows (~1200 Ellicott Creek Rd.) Then made a 90 degree turn and joined up with the NYCRR "Little Peanut" just a little west of Ellicott Creek Park Rd.

Then it followed approx the now existing road called "Raintree Island" (through an apartment complex today).

Then the NYCRR "Little Peanut" (with LVRR trackage rights) ran between what is now called Washington Mills Tonawanda and Service Steel. It met up with the NYCRR Niagara Falls Branch(Buffalo to NF, not the Falls Road NF to Rochester) just before the big NYCRR Bascule Bridge over the canal between Tonawanda and N. Tonawanda.

There was a signal tower (42.021093, -78.869809) that controlled the crossing of the NYCRR Little Peanut (with LVRR trackage rights) and the Erie/DL&W line from Buffalo to Niagara Falls. Went back in that area about 30 years ago with my Dad and examined the remains of the tower foundation and signal control rods all slowly rotting away in the "weeds". The Erie/DL&W line went North from there to cross over the "State Barge Canal" over the fixed plate girder bridge that was about 1/8 mile East of the big NYCRR Bascule bridge (aligned approx with Vandervoort St in N. Tonawana). This plate girder bridge and parts of the elevated approaches where removed about 25 years ago after numerous trespassers where injured on it.
 #1558198  by SST
 
The weather was nice last week so I squeezed in a bike ride. I re-explored the area of the LVRR crossing the creek. The north side of the creek is nothing but trees. No remains other than the hump of the ROW.

See this pic [North side looking north]: https://i.postimg.cc/YSWVn63q/IMG-2393-1.jpg

This picture was taken from the north side of the creek off to the side of the ROW. Stone blocks still remain on the south side.
https://i.postimg.cc/MG025kqp/IMG-2394-1.jpg

As for Raintree Island, I lived there for couple of years. Never knew much about RR's back then. I didn't even know there was a ROW back there until one day I had to park further down and I could barely make out a telegraph pole heavily covered in vines. I started to explore it and there wasn't much there except for the telegraph poles. This was before the hazmat site that exists today.
 #1558273  by DGC-24711
 
SST wrote: Sun Dec 06, 2020 10:31 am This was before the hazmat site that exists today.
Just making sure I'm reading this as meaning that the former ROW is fading into obscurity. (Or will a Geiger counter measure something in that area.)
 #1558377  by SST
 
At the JCT of the Peanut and the LV, there is a small path worn into the ground. Looks fairly used going west. But I would guess that this is due to local traffic in the immediate area [Rain Tree renters and households on the opposite side]. I would also guess as time goes on, and new generations take over, nobody will know what this path was.

Maybe somebodies kid who gets in interest in RR's will find this site and "discover" the LVRR/Peanut JCT. That's why we should never turn away a newbie.