R&S and B&P on the BR&P.

Well I finally got the elusive Paul Pietrak BR&P book!
(at the RIT train show last Sunday!)
and along with the new morningsun BR&P book, I have a winter's worth of reading ahead..

im originally a LV, D&H and Erie fan from the Southern Tier..
these remote Western NY regions are somewhat foreign to me..
The BR&P was a fascinating line! very interesting stuff..

I have a few questions on the current operations of the former BR&P lines in NY state..
I know the R&S currently runs only as far south as Silver Springs, where it interchenges with NS/CP.
the BR&P "Rochester side" is now torn up between Silver Springs and Machias..
why did they do that?
the interchange with the NS/CP was "good enough" and they no longer had a need to bring any trains up from Salamanca?
what was the reasoning for that abandonment?

The B&P has essentially abandoned the Buffalo side of the BR&P from Buffalo to Salamanca..
so far, im sure that is all correct..

well then, what is the deal with the B&P running into Machias and then south to Salamanca?
how are B&P trains getting to Machias?
So is the B&P active on the BR&P from Salamanca north, through Ashford Junction, briefly running on the "Rochester side" to Machias, then via some other line to Buffalo?
Do any trains at all currently run north from Salamanca to Ashford Jct?
that part is confusing me..
thanks,
Scot

R&S = Rochester & Southern
B&P = Buffalo & Pittsburgh.
(2 current railroads)

BR&P = Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh..the ancestral railroad.
was taken over by the B&O in the late steam era..

The "Buffalo line" north from Ashford Jct is in operating condition which was suppose to be for West Valley. I've driven and flown over this section. I have never seen any traffic on it though. North of West Valley to near Orchard park is in poor condition at best and I don't think anyone wants to put the money into it. The trestle does look impressive from the air at Springville.

Assuming money and interest was available, this line would be great for excursions. Perhaps operating from the town of West Valley to Ellicottville [The Depot Restaurant] or to Salamanca. The line between West Valley and Ashford Jct is impressive. Incredibly scenic. From the car and from the plane. An open gon during the fall or even a winter run would be outstanding.

Trains out of Salamanca go up to Ashford, over to Machias, and on to the NS Buffalo-Harrisburg line to Buffalo. At Ashford you can take the old line up to the West Valley plant. I drove by there this past weekend and they had a couple flat cars. The grade crossing before the plant, you can always see where the wheel flanges have gone through the dirt at the crossing recently. So they must get some regular traffic to the plant

From what I understand, B&P was interested in trackage rights on Conrail's Buffalo line (ex-PRR), and let the original BR&P route deteriorate so that now they are "forced" to use their trackage rights on the ex-PRR line (today NS). Makes business sense- why bother to maintain a paralell route with little or no on-line traffic? Local customers are served in the Orchard Park area (my old college roommate's dad is one of the customers- Electro Abrasives). Those two or three customers seem to be a thorn in the railroad's side, as they dont seem too interested in serving local traffic. And it appears that Erie County will continue to taunt residents and railroads alike with rumors of proposals to have regular excursion service to Rich Stadium (home of the Buffalo Bills) in Orchard Park via the B&P trackage.

On the R&S side, Silver Springs to Machias was removed sometime after takeover from CSX in 1985. The reason given was that there was not enough traffic on the route to justify keeping it in place. It does seem to effectively sever the Rochester line from the rest of the GWI system, but it appears traffic is routed via Buffalo and the NS (ex-Conrail) Southern Tier Line.

http://www.gwrr.com/images/3B3_map.gif

I may not have all the details, but that's the short story. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Rumors and speculation have swirled around these two lines since their inception in the late 1980s.

-otto-

thanks for the info guys..
it all makes sense now..
for some reason I was thinking the B&P was running south out of Buffalo now, and not using BR&P tracks north of Salamanca at all..
glad to see the line is still in use up to Machias..
hmmm..im feeling a "tour" coming on!
Scot