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  • NY - Groveland-Dansville-Wayland ex-DLW rail trail?

  • General discussion related to Rail Trails nationwide, including proposed rail trail routes. The official site of the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy can be found here: www.railstotrails.org.
General discussion related to Rail Trails nationwide, including proposed rail trail routes. The official site of the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy can be found here: www.railstotrails.org.

Moderator: railtrailbiker

 #147369  by DonPevsner
 
(1)The NIMBY's killed a move to establish this about six years ago:
a mixture of very few adjacent homeowners and "why spend our taxes on this?" opponents: typical. The Dansville Library chief librarian
strongly supports a rail trail, and can provide details on the Town
of North Dansville's killing the idea in the past.

(2)The view off the line, which is cut into a hillside high above the
Village of Dansville, is spectacular.

(3)Livingston and Steuben Counties could easily establish this,
particularly as the ROW is mostly owned by the Town of North
Dansville in the Dansville area. To the south, the line is still in
and active south of Wayland, as a short line (GWV?). To the north,
the Foster-Wheeler plant in Dansville will soon have several new tenants.
If they ship by rail, the Dansville & Mount Morris line (which uses the
old DL&W main from Mount Morris to Groveland) will see life again.
If not, a new rail trail could run all the way from Mount Morris to
Wayland (with a gorgeous brick DL&W station at each end) if the D&MM
lifts the rails from Mount Morris to Groveland.

(4)My recent email to Livingston County Chairman James Merrick
(dated July 11) on point has not been responded-to.

(5)Suggest this forum's members EMAIL Mr. Merrick, via his
secretary, to support a new rail trail:

[email protected]

(6)The Rochester GREENWAY group would love to see a rail trail
on this line. They already have the old PRR Rochester Branch
from near Rochester all the way to Cuba Junction, plus some ex-
B&O and LV segments near Rochester (and now the Hojack there as
well).

 #151425  by ACLfan
 
"WHY SPEND OUR TAX DOLLARS ON THIS RAIL - TRAIL?"

This question/comment/argument is totally short-sighted!

Very unfortunately, most people do not understand that federal $$ used to purchase rights-of-way and to construct rail - trails are special-purpose federal $$ that are already committed to be spent on rail - trails!

If these dollars are not spent in your community, then they will be spent somewhere else! The dollars won't be returned to the U.S. Treasury for re-allocation, since there are more requests for rails - trails dollars than available monies!

In Florida, communities are very interested in getting rail - trails, as they recognize how they help the local economies! People drive for many miles to ride a rail - trail, as they are safe, interesting and enjoyable for the entire family.

In most communities, public parks with kids playgrounds have been constructed adjacent to the rail - trails.

Also, many specialty shops have been located near to the rail - trails, such as restaurants, small grocery stores, arts and crafts stores, kids stuff stores, and a wide range of other commercial establishments.

ACLfan
 #279322  by DonPevsner
 
While on a visit to Central New York in July, I set up a meeting with county legislators to recommend that a new rail trail and "rails with trail" be established. The new trail would link Rochester and Painted Post, NY (just outside Corning), and would be very scenic. There would be three main phases, in addition to Paragraph (1), below:

(1)Use existing Genesee Valley Rail Trail from Rochester to Mount
Morris, NY.

(2)Link from Mount Morris to Groveland via either "rails with trail"
along the former DL&W main line, or else via existing roads.

(3)New rail trail from Groveland to Wayland, over famous and breathtaking "Dansville Hill." (I drove it in my rental car, and Dansville
looked like a toy city, way down below). The Town of North Dansville already owns 2.5 miles of the ROW, from the former DL&W passenger
station site above Dansville to within about 2 miles of Perkinsville, including the ultra-scenic portion up and over "Dansville Hill."

(4)"Rails with trail" on former DL&W main line from Wayland to Painted
Post.

This would be a highlight for the entire Northeast. The line was abandoned by the Erie-Lackawanna in late 1963, and the rails were
removed in 1964. At last, after over 80 years, "Dansville Hill"
was no longer a serious operational problem (costly helpers working
south from Groveland), and all E-L traffic to Buffalo then moved
over the former Erie main line to Hornell, and the Buffalo Line from
there to Buffalo.

Interested supporters should EMAIL:

[email protected]

(Dennis P. Mahus is the Livingston County legislator representing the
Town of North Dansville, and is coordinating with his colleagues
in Livingston and Steuben Counties.)

 #279469  by RussNelson
 
The most difficult problem in establishing any rail-trail is getting contiguous ownership / permission. Without that you have nothing. Or, rather, you have to start from scratch, creating a bypass around the unwilling owner.

The first step here is to get together all the interested parties ( bicycle club, ATV club, snowmobile club, legislators, and property owners, to put together a plan.

There's an excellent book put out by the Rails to Trails Conservancy which addresses the process of creating a rail-trail. All of my advice above is straight out of the opening chapters of it.

 #279495  by pablo
 
So, is this a case where the ownership is contiguous? Is it even close? I agree with Russ, so let's start there.

Dave Becker

 #305379  by scottychaos
 
You would probably get a lot more interest and discussion if this thread was moved to the NY forum..
this thread is now over a year old, and I just found it! :(

and yes, I am very strongly behind such a railtrail! :P

could someone move this thread?
I think it would do much better on the NY forum..
none of the NY guys are really going to find it here..


thanks,
Scot

 #323885  by Charlie Monte Verde
 
They should have torn out the Erie and left this magnificent route intact.

 #323903  by pablo
 
And again, my question from before still goes unanswered...

Dave Becker