Southern Tier-West End News

In today's Batavia Daily News there was an article about NS getting 3 million dollars from the federal government to upgrade the R&S interchange at Silver Springs and for a new bridge over the Genesee River in Letchworth. That's $1.5 million for each project. Could be good news for the west end of the Southern Tier. At least NS is still considering replacing the Portage Bridge, keeping the line open thru to Binghamton.

I've scanned the article as the Batavia Daily News is not online, but can't figure out how to attach a PDF file here. I did put the file on the nstier, tiersightings and rochester railfan yahoo groups if you are members there. If I can find a place to host the file for me, I'll put it there.

Joe@ MP397 on the 'tier

Joe, how many trains a day on the line ??

What is the max. speed on it, in unrestricted sections ?

I'm not sure of the number of trains anymore. NS has been changing things around and the D&H losing trackage rights will change things too.

For sure there is the 205/206, 12T/13T, plus locals and CP/D&H trains. Most of the coal traffic went down to the WNY&P. The 295 auto rack train has been running down the Buffalo Line lately. Maybe someone else can add to this.

For the first time in my life I saw a train (west bound) on the Letchworth bridge today, about 3:40 pm. Unfortunantly I was down by middle falls and it was snowing like mad so I could more hear the thing then see it, couldn't even make out a color.

I never saw a train on it either, but I really havn't tried real hard. I've ridden over it on an Amtrak Excursion a few years ago. It kinda felt like I was floating over the gorge. I'd like to see the old bridge preseved as a walkway if a new one is built upstream like there was talk of in the past. Then again, NS will do what it has to when building a new one if it happens at all. They only got $1.5 million towards bridge replacement. Need more than that. Not holding my breath, but at least its being discussed.

Joe@ MP397 on the 'tier

Farmer Joe wrote:I never saw a train on it either, but I really havn't tried real hard. I've ridden over it on an Amtrak Excursion a few years ago. It kinda felt like I was floating over the gorge. I'd like to see the old bridge preseved as a walkway if a new one is built upstream like there was talk of in the past. Then again, NS will do what it has to when building a new one if it happens at all. They only got $1.5 million towards bridge replacement. Need more than that. Not holding my breath, but at least its being discussed.

Joe@ MP397 on the 'tier

Joe - $1.5M represents perhaps 5 - 10% of the cost of a replacement for the Letchworth High Bridge. But as you suggest at least it's being discussed!!

I've managed to catch a few trains crossing the gorge over the years. Most impressive however was the "Glass City Special" excursion with NKP 765 Berkshire on the point, sometime in the mid-80's. Now THAT was impressive!! ...FB

I've managed to catch a few trains crossing the gorge over the years. Most impressive however was the "Glass City Special" excursion with NKP 765 Berkshire on the point, sometime in the mid-80's. Now THAT was impressive!!

The NKP 765 had to be impressive. I saw that engine back in Nov. '04 in New Haven, IN (near Ft. Wayne) where it is being restored. Should be back on the rails pulling freight for a test run sometime this Spring.

I have seen a NS train on the bridge back in 2002. I happened to be just off the bridge when I saw it coming. The train speed was around 5 mph due to the amount of people on the bridge.

FarmallBob wrote:Joe - $1.5M represents perhaps 5 - 10% of the cost of a replacement for the Letchworth High Bridge. But as you suggest at least it's being discussed!!

It's money to get the project going... engineering and environmental studies mostly.

As for the existing bridge- it's likely that they'll keep it as part of the park's trail system.

I am from the other end of the State, but I've seen about 20 or more trains on the bridge, 2 in 2004. The most interesting was two PRR livery E units in the 1980's. That train crawled along from the east. The bridge was crowded with pedestrians.

Sometimes I have seen trains westbound at what looked like 50mph; probably was really 40. This was back in what for me was the golden era of the mid-80's. NYSW C430's, DH alco's, ge's and emd's; and CR B36-7's. I camped at Letchworth about 4 times. From the cabin area on the east side of the river I could usually hear trains sounding the horns early enough for me to get to the tracks before the train came by. Westbound trains could usually be paced to Warsaw. A few times I would then cut over to Attica, but I don't know if I got there too late or early - probably late.

I work with a woman who went to college in Brockport, and when I mentioned the bridge she knew exactly what I was talking about. Apparently she and her boyfriend were on the bridge when a train came, a lot faster than 10 mph. She said she was never so scared in her life. She clung to the railing as the train came rumbling by. She said she look along the railing ahead of her and she could see the whole bridge waving left and right.

A married railfan has a good chance of seeing a train on the bridge by bringing his or her spouse on a picnic near the upper falls. Between the picnic and a walk up to the bridge and on a couple of the trail, a train is bound to come by. In October, my family and I were on the trail under the tracks (trail 2, I think)(the trail under the stone/concrete arch, not the bridge) when we heard a horn to the west. We got to within sight of the bridge by the time a couple of NS GE's crept down.

I have a Conrail timetable from '97. Much of the speed west of Binghamton allows for 50 mph. Of course, speed restriction for the bridge is 10 miles per.

I rode on the "Glass City Special" back in '86 or so. That was a great trip!
We picked it up in Henrietta on the West Shore near the GV market, headed east to Lyons, south through Geneva to Corning, and then onto Buffalo. Of course the high point of the trip was crossing the trestle at Letchworth. It was dusk so I couldn't see into the gorge very well. Another treat was running the final leg of the trip on part of Buffalo's belt line. I wish another excursion like this would run. It was worth every penny.

There were two Glass City Limited's.
The one thru Lyons had F's or E's.
The other went straight down the Tier.
Seem to remember one had Amtrak equipment.
The Tier was like a long green tunnel and junk, junk, junk.

chnaus wrote:There were two Glass City Limited's.
The one thru Lyons had F's or E's.

chnaus - One Sunday morning in the late 80's I waited for westbound passenger movement on the Westshore at Archer Rd in Chili. Power was a pair of sharp-looking E8(?)-A's in PRR livery. Would that have been the "Glass City" also?

That Amtrak Special I was on was a Glass City Limited sponsored by the Western NY chapter of the NRHS. It was in the late 90's right before the Conrail split. We were on Saturday's train powered by F-40s and Sunday's train was a GE and an F-40. The train let us off on the Bath Secondary in the Dresser Rand plant. There were shuttles to downtown Corning form there. It was a great experience just to ride the 'tier.

While crossing the Portage Bidge, there were people on it, butts up tight to the railing. Some with nervous looks on them as the train inched by their bellies.

Its going to be a wait and see on how the progress is on the bridge replacement. I'm sure we'll see the updated interchange with the R&S happen first. I wonder how they are going to do that. The R&S intersects the 'tier at a sharp angle pointing sort of east. A connector track with the switch favoring westward movements looks kinda tough to do, but I'm guessing that's going to be the plan. It would allow R&S trains to run right off of their line and head to Buffalo without any run arounds like they do today. Hmmmm, is R&S getting trackage rights to Buffalo? They didn't complain about the cancellation of the D&H trackage rights. Ooops, there is the railfan in me speculating again.........

Joe @MP 397 onthe 'tier

nessman wrote:

FarmallBob wrote:Joe - $1.5M represents perhaps 5 - 10% of the cost of a replacement for the Letchworth High Bridge. But as you suggest at least it's being discussed!!

It's money to get the project going... engineering and environmental studies mostly.

As for the existing bridge- it's likely that they'll keep it as part of the park's trail system.

Back in 2002, Modjeski and Masters supposedly performed everything but constructing the bridge. The quoted cost was $10 million for construction. Evidently NS wasn't satisfied, or the study wasn't completed- if Rudy forgot about it. Then again- Rudy is a pretty busy guy with lots to think about. About the best thing from a railfan's point of view would be seeing piles of bridge building blocks trackside along the old bridge.... maybe $1.5 million would help that.

Tom H>