by Matt Langworthy
lvrr325 wrote:I don't think you have the slightest idea what I'm getting at.Oh yes, I do. Among other things, you are referring the Ebenezer Secondary... rather than Gardeville Yard.
lvrr325 wrote:Erie out to whatever it is where everything comes together (between Clinton and Seneca Streets), around the curve south onto the Buffalo line, down to the Gardenville, around the curve back west, down around to the former NKP and a ramp there. Maybe they have to buy one or two properties on Electric Ave for the ramp - but where it needs to go is vacant, I don't even think the garage right next to the tracks would need to be torn down. And the elevation there is fairly low by that point, no clearance sign is visible on the overpass in street view but it doesn't appear to be more than 12 feet.NS would still have to rebuild the existing track, purchase land, perform environmental studies (tedious/expensive) and build the ramp. In this scenario, both the curve and the grade for ramp would be pretty tough for longer freight cars, like auto racks.
lvrr325 wrote:A second option would continue the existing ROW and re-use the abandoned south leg bridge crossing the former NKP and EL. It appears the ROW would need to be repurchased on the west side of the bridge. A ramp could come down and enter the CSX/ex NYC as a fourth track, connecting back to NS/ex-NKP somewhere around Mile Strip Road. Aerials make the CSX ROW appear wide enough for the fourth track. It would allow bypassing the ex-EL Buffalo Southern crossing. It could also be tied in to CSX to allow their trains use of the bypass.I can't see CSX selling a strip of land to help make a competitor more efficient. If the connector ties to CSX tracks proper, we're back to the old problem of CSX controlling access, just like they do at CP Draw. If the connector remains separate, it would have to be placed on either the CSX access road or the park east of Lake Ave in Blasdell. Again, CSX is unlikely to sell for the reason mentioned earlier, not to mention the fact they use that road! As for the park, the sports fans who use it (with assistance from allied NIMBYs) would fight tooth and nail to keep it. No elected village board worth their salt is going to take something away from the kids in this era of snowflakes and helicopter parents.
And this scenario fails to address the business property on the other side of Lake Ave, as well as Rt 179.
lvrr325 wrote:Either way it's rehab and signals for a few miles of existing track and whatever it costs to build the connector. Then the drawbridges can fall into the river for all they matter.No, it's a bit more complicated than you think. Rehabbing or replacing the NKP drawbridge and working out a shared usage agreement with CSX would be the smart move by NS.
Matt Langworthy
"It is highly likely that the 1990s were an overrated decade."
"It is highly likely that the 1990s were an overrated decade."