Railroad Forums 

  • Possible final run for FGLK on the old LV

  • 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

 #1592103  by charlie6017
 
Just came across a Facebook post on the Rochester railfan group that today's Finger Lakes Railway run to Victor will be the final one into the village. There were some cars stored on the far west end and apparently FGLK went to fetch them today. Reportedly the track will be placed OOS west of Hook Rd. (or thereabout).

Bernie Beikirch and I were just talking about this line before last night's RGVRRM meeting. Sad news for us Lehigh Valley aficionados. 😔

Charlie
 #1592129  by charlie6017
 
lvrr325 wrote: Fri Feb 18, 2022 5:41 pm Victor Insulator is done receiving by rail?
The way I understand it, an option is transloading (possibly the spur off Hook Rd?) but yes direct service to the Insulator is done. Four truckloads of clay is the equivalent of one rail car worth. They haven't had service for some time, I guess. The village/town really wants the old ROW to make into a road to help ease traffic on Rte. 96.
 #1592142  by BR&P
 
I'm long removed from anything official but as I understand it:

The Village would like the tracks removed to allow a road to be built
The Town would like the tracks removed to allow a road to be built
The County would like the tracks removed to allow a road to be built
Finger Lakes Ry does not find operating the line profitable
Since the County owns the infrastructure, it would be possible to remove the +/- 10 miles of 136LVM rail from MP 361, just east of rt 96 Manchester westward, and relay it on the Canandaigua line, replacing the 105 lb (or is it 80 lb?) rail there now

There has been interest expressed in running excursions on the line. That should have been created several years ago, and IMHO would have had possibilities. Had a solid dependable attraction been established, perhaps there would be local support for keeping the line. But even at that, the revenue simply isn't there to cover expenses. Reportedly the Insulator plant receives about 2 to 3 cars a month. Let's be generous and say 50 cars a year. Ontario Central used to struggle to survive on 3 times that amount. The track needs maintenance, the 9 grade crossings each get a monthly RG&E bill for power and must be inspected and tested per federal regulations monthly. There's track inspections, insurance, paperwork, and just a ton of other items that eat up great amounts of money.

I'm not privy to what FGLK's intentions are, but it seems they have imposed a de facto embargo on the line citing track deficiencies. Their lease to operate the line gets renewed periodically, and if none of the parties want to renew it, there are legal steps to be taken with the STB and State to allow discontinuance. While the proper procedures must be followed, the STB will not FORCE a railroad to provide service on a line when they are losing money by doing so.

Victor is a bedroom community and there will never be any new surge in freight traffic. It's sad to see things apparently coming to an end. But that's reality. It doesn't matter what we WANT or WISH, it's a business and if it doesn't pay, it can't survive. That line got a hell of a reprieve - the LV shut down in 1976 so it lasted just under 46 years, with 3 different operators. They say you can't fight City Hall. With the County, Village, Town and FGLK all wanting it gone, the chances of fighting FOUR City Halls isn't very good.

Again, those are my thoughts and do not represent the official positions of anybody else.

It was fun while it lasted!
04_22_07 043.jpg
04_22_07 043.jpg (329.67 KiB) Viewed 1751 times
Duncan Richards photo - used without permission :wink:
 #1592304  by lvrr325
 
I fail to see how another road will help with traffic much. Everything that comes in or out has to go to 96 at some point. There already is a road on the ROW for a block in town. The Thruway is right there for people to use to go around the town.

Unless you did like in Ithaca with Rt. 13 and split it into two one way roads through the village with three lanes (where there's room) each way. That's possible, although to work smoothly would require the split to probably be west of Rt. 251.
 #1592308  by nydepot
 
My understanding is the LV ROW would be a no exit link from near Rt 251 to the other side of the village. Currently, 96 backs up starting near Rt 251 and continues through all the stop lights (heading east) then lightens up. Not sure the workings though.
 #1592313  by Matt Langworthy
 
I have driven thru Victor numerous times this winter and the rails were usually covered in snow. That's a sure sign of little, if any, business. The transload operation (telephone poles) near Rt 251 ended years ago. That leaves Victor Insulators as the sole customer on the west end of the line. The community next to the tracks has been gentrifying for the past 10 years, so the chance of any other customers wanting to move there is extremely slim. I can see why FGLK would want to remove the rail and reuse it on a busier stretch of track. Sad to see another piece of LV vanish... but that's what happens when a community is more interested in housing tracts than industries that generate jobs.

P.S. I am glad I got a couple cab rides and an excursion ride on the line.
 #1592347  by umtrr-author
 
nydepot wrote: Mon Feb 21, 2022 5:54 pm My understanding is the LV ROW would be a no exit link from near Rt 251 to the other side of the village. Currently, 96 backs up starting near Rt 251 and continues through all the stop lights (heading east) then lightens up. Not sure the workings though.
A no exit link... that seems rather NIMBY to me.
 #1592375  by BR&P
 
The scenario I heard proposed was to split the highway in the area of rt 251, with eastbound traffic going on the LV. It would follow that right of way through the village, and re-converge about where the overpass now is east of town. The present Rt 96 would become one-way westbound within that stretch. The businesses within that stretch would be accessible from either side. With room for at least 3 lanes, it would allow much improved traffic flow.

That may or may not be what they end up doing, but that's one idea being considered. At the moment, traffic coming into the village from the west/north sometimes is backed up halfway to Rt 251. I hate seeing the line gone but speaking just from a public convenience standpoint, it should be a huge improvement.
 #1594852  by mdevall1
 
I haven't been to Victor in a number of years, but yeah, things will be quite different there with the rails gone. That's how progress goes, I guess...
 #1595044  by lvrr325
 
On my way back from Batavia I stopped and took a number of photos in Victor, while I still could.

It's clear a train hasn't been in there in some time. The only freight car to be seen was the old LV boxcar turned into a retail space up on the Auburn Road ROW.

The only issue with a split at 251 is it would require retaining a 90' right and then a 90' left for eastbound traffic. Looking at a map, a more graceful transition could be made between Wilkins RV and Victor Mini-Storage down to the ROW. It might impact a section of trail, but I am sure they can deal with that.

On the east side of town it looks like it would be relatively simple to connect to Brace Rd. and reconfigure that road's junction with 96. The overpass across the tracks also crosses a brook, so it can be retained until replacement is needed and then I suppose a culvert or something installed for the brook to pass through.
 #1595338  by nessman
 
The plans are on town and county's websites. The ONCT ROW would be for local access to businesses along Rt 96 - eliminating turns on to and off of Rt 96.

https://www.victorny.org/DocumentCenter/View/2390
https://ontariocountyny.gov/DocumentCen ... 04-29-2019

Shame to see it all go... but the ONCT has seen little use in recent years. The good of the many as opposed to the needs of the few - in this case, Victor Insulator. Don (BR&P) and his wife were nice enough to have me tag along for a run back in 2000 when they picked up the Alco from the FGLK interchange after returning from the LAL shops. Neat little operation.

The NYSDOT even replaced the Rt 251 crossing at what's now the eWaste recycling facility like 20 yrs ago. I don't think it was ever used.
 #1595346  by BR&P
 
Has it been THAT long, Les? Time flies. I guess the lesson is observe and enjoy what's out there today, whether you are behind the camera or behind the throttle. Today's "Ho-hum" is tomorrow's "WOW!".
 #1595431  by nessman
 
BR&P wrote: Sat Apr 09, 2022 3:17 pm Has it been THAT long, Les? Time flies. I guess the lesson is observe and enjoy what's out there today, whether you are behind the camera or behind the throttle. Today's "Ho-hum" is tomorrow's "WOW!".
Time flies indeed!! I guess sooner or later all good things must come to an end. That was a fun day for me - again, thank you! I'll always remember it!