Questions about LV at Roch Junction and Mendon

I was following the Lehigh Valley mainline today on the bike trail through Rochester Junction and Mendon.

Two questions:

1. I attended a talk a few months ago by LV Historian Sheldon King. I remember in the question and answer session that he said there was a wye at Rochester Junction. Where was this wye? Was it just to the east of the junction with the branch line south to Hemlock? The reason I ask is that there is a small creek just south of the mainline; you can see the bridge where the Hemlock branch crosses the creek, but there does not appear to be another bridge where the wye would cross this creek. There is one break in the foliage to the east of this junction with the Hemlock branch where the wye could be, but no bridge over the creek here (and since all of the other LV bridges are still in place in this area, I find it odd that they would remove such an insignificant bridge over a small creek).

2. I thought that Conrail tore up all the mainline rails in the area of Mendon. Yet as I was crossing Route 64, I looked down between the sidewalk and the pavement on Route 64, and there were two rails (picture). They were in the exact spot where it appears the mainline would have crossed Route 64 (as I could judge based upon the trail). Did Conrail leave in place those rails at the crossing of major roads? Were the rails in Mendon left in place for other reasons?

In some instances the rails in the crossings were left in place and merely paved over. The crossing on RT 251 in Mendon was only removed a few years ago, and I recall seeing quite a few ties piled up which seemed good enough to re-use!

dj_paige wrote: Where was this wye? Was it just to the east of the junction with the branch line south to Hemlock?

The wye was where you suspect. It appears on the 1904 USGS topo of the area: http://historical.maptech.com/getImage. ... g&state=NY.

Evidence of it's existence is tough to spot this time of the year with the abundant undergrowth, leaves on the trees, etc.

Don't know the anwser to the "missing bridge" over the creek. Possibly it had been a wooden structure and no trace remains? (Just a guess.) ...FB

I think the wye might have been where I saw the break in the foliage but no bridge. It occurred to me at the time I was riding past that there seemed to be signs of recent construction right there, and no bridge, and so my mind said "No, that can't be where the wye was". But now that I think about it more and look at that map, perhaps the wye bridge was removed when the LV Trail was upgraded, as it was hazardous to have an old bridge so close to the new trail.

The Hemlock branch bridge over the creek (not the wye bridge) which is still in existence is further away from the trail (as can also be seen on the map) and not as much of a hazard. The Hemlock branch bridge was a combination of masonry abutments and wooden trestle, and I would imagine the wye bridge was similarly constructed and would be in similar condition today if it was still in existence.

dj_paige wrote:The Hemlock branch bridge over the creek (not the wye bridge) which is still in existence is further away from the trail (as can also be seen on the map) and not as much of a hazard. The Hemlock branch bridge was a combination of masonry abutments and wooden trestle, and I would imagine the wye bridge was similarly constructed and would be in similar condition today if it was still in existence.

Paige - Here is a view of the Hemlock Branch bridge as seen from the LV main ROW taken late last fall:

http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/ViewPho ... p=70024315

...FB

Thanks for the picture, it certainly shows a metal trestle, not a wooden one as I said. So if the wye trestle was similarly constructed (why wouldn't it be?), then it was deliberately removed, and my thought that it was removed because it was too close to the LV Trail seems more plausible.

Here is a view across the top of the Hemlock Branch bridge across that creek near Rochester Junction, looking west towards the LV Trail and towards Rochester Junction.

Paige - Nice photo!

Once there's been a hard frost (to knock down some of the abundant underbrush...) it might be possible to find evidence of the "missing" bridge. Gotta think there's some masonry debris, etc still kicking around on the south bank of that little creek!

...FB

dj_paige wrote:I thought that Conrail tore up all the mainline rails in the area of Mendon. Yet as I was crossing Route 64, I looked down between the sidewalk and the pavement on Route 64, and there were two rails Did Conrail leave in place those rails at the crossing of major roads? Were the rails in Mendon left in place for other reasons?

Actually,the LV mainline between Geneva and Batavia was not included in CR, and was scrapped by the combined PC/LV estate. Likewise, the scrappers left rail in place where the Hojack line crosses Klem Rd in Webster. I travel on that road frequently, and I can see the impression of the rails under the pavement.

Another possibility may exist. Did LV cross Rt. 64 North-South or East West? If N-S then it may have been there longer as I've heard that CR used the remains of the Rochester and Hemlock Branches for a few years to access an insulating company in Lima. Does anyone know anything about that?

Matt Langworthy wrote:Another possibility may exist. Did LV cross Rt. 64 North-South or East West? If N-S then it may have been there longer as I've heard that CR used the remains of the Rochester and Hemlock Branches for a few years to access an insulating company in Lima. Does anyone know anything about that?

The mainline crossed Rt 64 East/West. If CR used LV rails to access an insulating company in Lima, that would be on the Rochester/Hemlock branch itself, not the mainline at Rt 64.

There have been at least 2 walking tours conducted at Roch.Jct
in recent years. They were led by Paul Warboys of Honeoye Falls.
Paul related that there was to be some waterline work(digging of
some sort) and they would remove the east leg bridge and dig
thru the space under. This was dry most of the year.
We did ,in fact, walk over it. The deck beams were quite bad.

One reason why the rails were left in place at the crossings was so that vehicular traffic would not be interrupted -- and that the rails, ties and substructure underneath in these places (especially after years of deferred maintenance) was in fairly poor shape from years of road salt and the daily beating of cars and trucks. The materials were of little or no salvage value. Easier/cheaper to just slap a layer of asphalt over the crossing and walk away from it.

Yesterday (10/30/05), I went for a walk on the LV Trail - parked at Quaker Meeting House Rd. and headed west to Rochester Junction. It was an absolutely glorious fall day, perfect for traipsing about looking for artifacts, etc. Firstly, the trail is fantastic. If you haven't had a chance to visit, I suggest doing so. You can walk or bike (or ride horses), parking is easy, obviously no laborious grades, refreshments in Rush - a perfect family outing. The Mendon Foundation, local boy scout troops, etc. have done a great job. I apologize here and now for leaving out anyone else. Thank you nonetheless.

Even though I've been hanging around the junction for years, I never knew the existence of the wye for the Hemlock branch until it was brought up on this forum. Sounded like a good reason for a hike. Since most of the leaves are down, I had an easy time once I got off the main trail and headed down the Hemlock branch. (Note: the Hemlock branch is not part of the official trail, hence not paved or laid with stone. If you head off the main trail, I advise good boots, long pants, etc.)

Sure enough, it was fairly easy to spot the east leg of the wye. And yes, there are two bridges on the east leg, not just one, and both are intact.

The southernmost one (closest to the south wye switch) is over what appears to be a sewer line. It appears there was something there before (such as a creek bed or drainage ditch) which necessitated a bridge, but whatever it was is gone. I was able to walk under the bridge and touch the underside. Nearby is a manhole assembly and vent pipe, which led me to believe it is a buried sewer line.

The northernmost one (closest to the east leg switch on the main) goes over the same creek as the bridge on the west leg. It is visible from the main trail right now (although you have to know what you're looking for) but will become much more evident with fewer leaves and an inch or two of snow.

Both bridges are of substantial design, moreso than the west leg bridge. The stone foundations and girders are complete. The timbers above are decayed but walkable (at your own risk). I looked for dates briefly but did not see anything obvious. The line itself (the east leg) is barely passable - a machete would have helped.

One note of interest: slightly west of the west leg bridge, on the south side, there are a number of foundations. The most interesting was a circular foundation with a couple of cavities. If I had to guess, I would say "water tower". Anyone know?

In any event, it was a great day all around.

Go before it's 20 below!

8222 wrote:One note of interest: slightly west of the west leg bridge, on the south side, there are a number of foundations. The most interesting was a circular foundation with a couple of cavities. If I had to guess, I would say "water tower". Anyone know?

You mean this structure? Yeah, I was wondering what that was myself. Who can enlighten us?

That was the location of the pumphouse and treatment plant.
If you studied the bridge near this site you would notice it was
unusually wide. There was a short stub that held a car or two of
coal to fire the boiler for the steam powered pumps.The points
started on this bridge.
There are many concrete works in this area, you hit just the tip
of the iceberg.
Follow the creek upstream and you will find the remains of the
diversion dam that kept the pumphouse pond filled.
Honeyoye Falls Hist. Soc. had a large display on rr's and the Jct.
You might ask to see some of the photos that were displayed.
The pumphouse was visible in a few.