Lockport,NY Erie/NYC Interchange - old map

I recently came across a website that had a very unusual map for locating potential industrial building for Niagara county.

Go here and click on "Buildings" to see the interactive map.
http://www.nccedev.com/

The map shows railroad tracks that haven't existed for quite some time. I can't imagine that they used a 40 year old map for a new website, but it appears they did!!

But it raises a question that I believe has been discussed before in this forum, did the Erie and NYC railroads ever interchange traffic in Lockport?
According to this map, they certainly could have, up the north end of Mill Street on what is now part of Somerset RR. The Erie's "Gulf Industrial branch" meets the NYC branch up there.

The map also shows the branch across the canal to Van Buren and up Mill Street which was removed prior to 1983(the only map I can find). It was shown on a 1973 map, but ended before crossing Clinton. Can anyone pinpoint when the bridge was taken down closer than after '73 but before '83?

This old map even shows the former Buffalo & Lockport RR which ran to N. Tonawanda from Lockport Junction, which I believe was removed in the late 1950s or early 1960s!!

Anyone know what the branch is that is shown leaving the Falls Road line over in Cambria/Sanborn and heading up towards Bond Lake? What industries did this serve? How long has this branch been gone?

Thanks.
Tom

I have a great railroad atlas from Steam Powered Video that shows a connecting track between the Falls Road and Erie, so they did interchange in the area. According to Niagara By Rail, most of the Erie/EL line between Tonawanda and Lockport was removed shortly after the start-up of Conrail in 1976. The bridge probably went with it, so I'd guess it was razed in '77 or '78.

t-croz wrote:
The map also shows the branch across the canal to Van Buren and up Mill Street which was removed prior to 1983(the only map I can find). It was shown on a 1973 map, but ended before crossing Clinton. Can anyone pinpoint when the bridge was taken down closer than after '73 but before '83?

Anyone know what the branch is that is shown leaving the Falls Road line over in Cambria/Sanborn and heading up towards Bond Lake? What industries did this serve? How long has this branch been gone?

My memory is very vague about the Market St bridge but I remember it being there, it was a truss style, I think it was taken down about 1981-1982 ish. When my mom and dad would take me to Widewaters Drive in, I remember seeing it.

As far as the branch into Cambria, I am not overly familiar with Cambria. The switch appears to be at the corner of rt 425 and rt 31. I remember a siding there where Railbox boxcars would unload bricks at a ramp. That was customer was active up until at least the early 90s. Other than that I cant tell you more.

It was always my understanding that the Sommerset RR was built after
the "hojack" was abandoned. Looking at this map shows both. What
year was the Sommerset built?

STEAM ON
/--OOO--~-oo--oo-

It was built in 1983. Somerset used short sections of both former Erie and Hojack ROW, but most of the roadbed was new. Does anoyne know that route was chosen instead following the Hojack line from either Niagara Falls or Rochester?

The HOJACK through Niagara Falls goes through the Niagara University campus. They would not stand for coal trains cutting off campus traffic and 'Endangering the lives of students'(?).

The original plan from NYSEG was to use the Falls Branch to Gasport and then go north along the powerline ROW. Farmers and emergency vehicle lobbys got all NIMBY over that.

Finally a local individual noted that the old trolley line ROW from Lockport to Olcott would cut through less farm land and fewer key roads. That is why the current route was selected.

I understand about the college campus but what of the Rochester-Barker segment?

Thanks for the info on the trolley line- I never knew it existed! That explains the some of the rationale (aside from my question). Of course, suing an old torlley roadbed must have made the gradfing easier...

Matt Langworthy wrote:I understand about the college campus but what of the Rochester-Barker segment?

The decrepit condition of the Waterport trestle would have been a show-stopper along with many other issues. It also would have made little sense to have to run to Rochester, out the Charlotte Runner with its severe grade and then back west over the poor track of the Hojack.

In 1977 it was taking 3 days for a three car train to make the run from Rochester to Ransomville. At least forty miles of track would have to be replaced to get a coal train through. It is less than 10 miles from Somerset to Gasport. And the Waterport tressle problem.

I think the rail had been stripped before the final decision had been made on what route to be used. Obviously NYSEG was not considering fixing any of the Hojack.

I remember when they were debating what route to take, I had a copy off all the blueprints of possible routes. This was before the idea of the current route surfaced. There were about 2 dozen blueprints of the hojak all the way from NF to ROC, and also the route the Gasport spur would have taken.

I wish I knew what happened to all those drawings.

med-train wrote:And the Waterport tressle problem.

Obviously NYSEG was not considering fixing any of the Hojack.

That explains it- I hadn't been aware of that issue. I don't think NYSEG had to shoulder the bill for construction alone. I think they got a grant from NY state or the feds.

A couple of updates...

I found out that the US Department of Agriculture has the Air Force take pictures of the county every so many years so experts can study farm land and water areas, etc. The USDA on Lake Avenue in Lockport has pictures from 1951, 1958 and 1966. Pics from 1938 can be viewed at the COunty Highway Department on S. Niagara.

I looked at the 1951 and 1958 pictures(these are B&W and about two foot square). The detail is pretty good but rails are still hard to see.

The Lake Avenue Railroad bridge shadow, in the pic, is just about identical to the Upside DOwn bridge shadow....but as you might guess...upside down. Still searching for a picture of this bridge at various historical societies and such.

Also, found a reference that might explain the spur in Cambria. Supposedly there was a stone quarry for that Bethlehem Steel had to supply Limestone for their blast furnaces up there. Anyone know any more about this?

Thanks,
T-croz

Was the Somerset Railroad originally crossing NY-78 (Lockport-Olcott Road) at grade? There seems to be a parallel right-of-way just to the north of the existing (raised) grade, looking at the aerial photographs.

That was the old crossing they used until the overpass was finished a couple of years after the plant went into operation.

I'm glad Russ Nelson & NS59 brought this back up.

To my knowledge the Erie and NYC never interchanged traffic at Lockport. However, and according to former employees that I talked to years ago there was an agreement between the two railroads to share service to the industries in the lowertown section of Lockport. The Central would do the switching for 6 months then the Erie for 6 months, prior to the Erie the non NYC months were handeled by the IRC.

The branch to what is now Bond's Lake was built to serve the quarry . Stone from this quarry was referred to as Queenston Whirlpool Marble, really a very hard limestone quarried as large blocks for building. The branch was removed in the early 1900's except for a short stub that served Thruway Builders Supply until the 90's.

On the Somerset/Rt 78 crossing, the original plan was to cross at grade but the local NIMBYS and Emergency Services made enough waves to get a grade seperation. They did agree to allow the grade crossing to be built so the railroad could begin service until the overpasses could be built (two were needed as Jaques Rd was too close to Rt 78).