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  • On this date in Rochester rail history...

  • 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

 #1349910  by BR&P
 
Imagine the "fun" of making a 65-mile run through Oklahoma, getting into the truck to deadhead back - and the radio is blatting a tornado warning for about 10 miles away! (We never did see it, and I guess we're 1400 miles off topic, but worth a mention anyway!)
 #1349916  by BR&P
 
nydepot wrote:LA&L #72 was purchased in 1972. Must have been out for wheel work or something more substantial than the LA&L could handle?
A reliable source tells me LA&L acquired RS1 #20 in 1972. The switcher #72 was purchased in 1978. So looks like 72 was on its way to its new home when it passed through Rochester on CR.
 #1350137  by sd80mac
 
C2629 wrote:It was not about a particular day but was a statement about any one of a many days over the years when the weather made a major change. I mentioned snow, but heavy rain, wind, thunderstorms, high heat and humidity were all part of what you might get on any given day.

All right. what you said about that did actually happened back in 96 or 97.

A friend of mine and I went out to raiflanning for for overnight, starting right after his class at RIT end on Friday. It was sunny, warm and beautiful - 70's. At evening, cloud rolled into and started to get cold. Then we get heavy rain in sideway. We have been hopping along the track from CP 359 toward to East. Rain quit about 10 pm but temp continue to fall as well as wind was getting worse. I was worried about tree being knocked down. We end up sitting at a spot near Port Bryon.. Temp was somwhere near 40's We started to head back to west as soon as dawn break out. It's still windy, but less,

When we got back to CP 359 and I had to go to piss. The sun broke through at that time. After I got out of car, I noticed that wind were gone completely, and it was 60's and getting warmer... As I head to RIT to drop friend off, we saw double rainbow over downtown..

Real freak 18 hours weather we had... But good experience.

Why we were railfanning overnight?? If you can recall, there wasn't much manifest trains during the day in CR era like CSX is having right now. and we wanted to see rest of other trains that we dont see during the daylight...

BTW the freak weather was mentioned in D&C the next day, include the rainbow...
 #1350510  by BR&P
 
September 28, 1978

A Conrail work train was planned for the next day, but the 9 cars of ties they were supposed to handle were in Buffalo. So a Buffalo Rochester Turnaround was called to move the Rochesters including the ties. They had Batavia cars as well, and when the train arrived at Rochester, it turned out the ties had been dropped at Batavia!

FD4 SHOULD have had an easier day of it because all his Rochester and Batavia work was supposedly handled by the BRTA. But FR4 wound up stopping at Batavia and getting the ties, then dropping them at Chili where the work train could get them. Oh well!


September 28, 1980

A passenger trip was run for the Central NY Chapter of the NRHS over the east end of the Ontario Midland. When the train departed Hannibal starting back west, it marked the last train to operate through Hannibal, Crocketts and Sterling. The track was subsequently cut back to Red Creek.
 #1350579  by BR&P
 
Just a "day after" edit regarding yesterday's last trip to Hannibal on the OMID. Being a pack rat means - in this case - I have the train's Time Return and Delay Report and - amazingly - was able to locate it! :P

Informally called the "Hannibal Cannonball", the train departed Sodus at 9:35, arrived Hannibal 12:35 and departed 1:05PM. A stop was made at Sterling from 1:40 to 1:55, probably for a photo run-by, and another stop at Red Creek from 2:25 to 2:40. It appears a run-by made also have been made at North Rose, arrival was 3:45 but no departure time shown. Train returned to Sodus at 5PM with the crew off duty at 5:30.

No doubt long-time Syracuse folks still have pics from this. And if you ever were wondering just what time the very last train left Hannibal or Sterling, now you know! :wink:
 #1350675  by lvrr325
 
IIRC the D&H coach now more or less permanently residing at the NYS Fairgrounds was on that trip. Back then it was relatively recently in regular service and could still be interchanged around.
 #1350683  by BR&P
 
That's correct. The D&H coach - 223? 229? - was named August Bierley or something like that. I THINK the other car was an ex-PRR P-70 coach but I'm not certain.
 #1350743  by BR&P
 
September 30, 1979

Preparations continued for the October 1 startup of Ontario Midland RR. Actually, Alco 361 had been running the line for a couple weeks, under contract to the track contractor who was rebuilding the line on a state funded project. That basllast-dropping project had several starts and stops as Conrail waffled on whether or not it could be done, the union guys attempted to throw a roadblock or two, and the FRA crippled the pieces of rolling junk the contractor called hopper cars.

On this date the 361 was renumbered 36, and "Ontario Midland" was lettered crudely on the sides.

Now it had already been determined that the first move the next morning was a trip to Newark to get cars from the interchange. It was noted that Plassche Lumber at East Williamson had finished unloading a flat car. Since car hire costs accrue hourly, OMID would start paying at 12:01AM, and the sooner the car could be taken off line the better. But it was desired to get the first train on its way south promptly.

Conrail had run their last train. (passing Sodus the engineer - not one of their finest - had given the OMID power a salute which MIGHT have meant "ONE last train" altho he used a strange finger to do it with :P ). OMID's insurance was already in effect. So Sunday night several OMID officials fired up one of the locos, ran lite the 3 or 4 miles to East Williamson, and brought that flat car to Sodus where it could catch that first train to Newark.

It's a fact of history that OMID didn't start operations until October 1st. Or did they? :wink:
 #1350991  by BR&P
 
October 1, 1979

First day for OMID and ONCT. Because the entire OMID line was 10MPH, and delays from contractors working on the track, the day crew went from Sodus to Newark, to Webster, and outlawed at Ontario Center. A relief crew took over but was hampered by dead radios and very thick fog. Using fusees, the remaining customers were served including Seneca Foods at Williamson. The second crew went off duty about 0230, having finally managed to make it back to Sodus.

Ontario Central's first run was uneventful, with 10 inbound cars being handled.
 #1351007  by nydepot
 
Interesting. My source is the outline the LA&L used to give out when railfans asked about the engines.

BR&P wrote:
nydepot wrote:LA&L #72 was purchased in 1972. Must have been out for wheel work or something more substantial than the LA&L could handle?
A reliable source tells me LA&L acquired RS1 #20 in 1972. The switcher #72 was purchased in 1978. So looks like 72 was on its way to its new home when it passed through Rochester on CR.
 #1351017  by BR&P
 
I was told the 72 arrived while the addition was being built on the old engine house. It reportedly had wheel tread built up with weld and the wheels had to be turned right off the bat. This was apparently being done while the building had a roof but no walls yet.
 #1351263  by lvrr325
 
D&H 229 "C. J. Brierley" - built 1916, modernized 1943, donated to CNY NRHS 1968, at that time the oldest coach in service on the D&H. Leased back by the D&H due to equipment shortages in 1975, named at that point in honor of the road's senior conductor. Remained in service through 1977 when Amtrak turboliners replaced conventional equipment. By conicidence the last remaining bit of turbo train, a spare nose, sits just a few feet from this car. (unless some remain in Wilmington).
 #1354251  by BR&P
 
1978 - It is the job of unions to nip at management's heels. But sometimes it was taken a little too far. Conrail had 3 recently arrived cabooses on hand, 19876, 19821, and 19798, brought in because the union kept complaining the ones they had were no good. But when they were offered to the various traveling switchers, the conductors all turned them down, saying they were happy with what they had! As of this day they had been there about 6 days with no takers.
 #1354268  by charlie6017
 
BR&P wrote:1978 - It is the job of unions to nip at management's heels. But sometimes it was taken a little too far. Conrail had 3 recently arrived cabooses on hand, 19876, 19821, and 19798, brought in because the union kept complaining the ones they had were no good. But when they were offered to the various traveling switchers, the conductors all turned them down, saying they were happy with what they had! As of this day they had been there about 6 days with no takers.
I take it these "new" hacks were in worse shape than the ones they were already using? :P

Charlie
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