Spur at Willard, NY

Kendaia I and DElder, do either of you have a recollection of
the spur into Willard Hosp. off the mainline ???

The Willard spur was before my time. I have wondered exactly where the line came across from Hayt's Corners to Ovid and on to the Freight main and Willard, but never get the opportunity to go looking.

chnaus:

The Willard Branch came off the Ithaca Branch at Hayts Corners (MP 44.8). The branch crossed the Seneca Freight Line on a bridge compass south (LVRR TT direction east) of the NY Rt. 96A overpass (now a fill). The location was known as Gilbert Cut. During the winter one could still see the bridge abutments as of a few years ago and I believe that they remain visable. The Willard Branch Ovid-Willard, 2 miles, was abandoned in 1936 and Hayts Corners-Ovid, 2 miles, in 1959.

There was a Willard State Hospital Spur, as well. This came off the Seneca Freight Line just west (LVRR TT direction) of Gilbert station and went down to the old Willard State Hospital heating plant and bakery. This spur was used up to the early 1970s and remained intact until the mid-1970s.

The hospital had its own steam loco for handling the cars of coal. I believe it was an 0-6-0 but don't have the photo handy at the moment.

We found all the remaining landmarks a year ago and I have maps
showing the Willard Branch and the spur into the hospital from the main.
I am trying to find a more detailed map of the hospital grounds when
they were still using rail service.
You can see a lot from the aerial photos but were the sidings from the
respective lines physically connected within the hospital grounds ???

BR&P, I would like to see that photo if you can find it. Considering that
they had a switcher may indicate that the rail did connect at one time.

thanks

chnaus:

Possibly the Willard Branch and the Willard Hospital spur did connect. Archer, in A HISTORY OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY RAILROAD, on page 135 gives the following information:

The Willard Branch was origionally the Hayt's Corners, Ovid & Willard Railroad, built as NG and opened in 1883. The LV aquired the line when it took over the GI&S as the GI&S had leased the HCO&W several years prior. For a time the line was operated as a dual-gauge road. Now, Archer relates that the Willard Branch formed a bridge line between the old and new Ithaca-Geneva mainlines when the Seneca Lake bypass was routed through its Willard terminus. I find this statement to be a bit curious, but understand it as meaning that there was a possible connection between the Willard Branch and the Willard spur. Beats me. One can draw their own conclusion.

Had a post card of the Willard Hospital steam locomotive. It was either a 0-6-0 as BR&P mentions above or a 0-4-0, I honestly cannot recall as I sold the card several years ago. Do remember that the machine was lettered for the Willard Hospital.

Was going to walk the Willard Hospital grounds in order to follow the remains of the branch and spur. Never got to it, alas. When I finally determined to do the walk it was too late as I discovered that some of the grounds had been converted to what appears to be a high security prison.

Question...standing on the LV main, would the switch for Willard have been facing-point on a westbound move or eastbound move?

Found it! It's an 0-6-0, numbered 4, slope-back tender lettered "STATE OF NEW YORK WILLARD STATE HOSPITAL ENGINE No.4 APRIL 1st 1925" The tender has arch-bar trucks, and visible behind the tender is part of a building with a clerestory roof and a tall smokestack behind that - the powerhouse, I presume?

WNYP:

Recall being what it is, I am sure that the Willard Hospital spur switch was on a side track. The switch for this side track was on MT 2 (later, after CTC, the passing siding) and was located just east of Gilbert station and east of Old Varick Road. Both switches were facing point for a westward movement.

That's great. Now, I'll just have to make time to go sneak around down there a bit.

chnaus:

A friend who resides in Auburn, NY recently forwarded to me a copy of a 1902 topo which plainly depicts a connection between the Willard branch and the Willard spur on the Willard State Hospital grounds.

I was down in Ovid today (for a funeral) but on the way back I went down by Gilbert and Willard. Easily found the LV mainline but couldn't manage to spot the old turnout for the Psych Center. Then I drove over to 96A and pulled over at the Gilbert cut. Always knew it was there, but I never stopped and looked at it before. It is quite a huge ravine! But the ROW is getting very overgrown with trees and brush and I must say it was a bit of a chore to imagine a double mainline track going through there. Also couldn't see any abutments for the Hayt's Corners-Willard bridge. I did however find the ROW on my way back towards Ovid. Went down Ovid Depot Rd and followed the line by 2 old barns that I could see, 1 standing still and 1 in a pile. Followed the line east a little more, as it crossed 414/96, and watched it disappear into the fields to the east. Been by this area many many times but never realised the old line went right through there. North a couple miles the old Passenger main comes into view on its way across 414 near Romulus. There is an Amish farm there with their driveway right on the old ROW. How sad, the former "Route of the Black Diamond" is now the route of the horse and buggy!

After the turn of the century, there were two 0-6-0 locomotives serving on the Willard branch:

Baldwin No. 3 c/n 22409 which had a huge snowplow pilot. Acquired in 1903

Baldwin No. 4 c/n 58269, acquired in 1925

TB Diamond wrote:chnaus:

A friend who resides in Auburn, NY recently forwarded to me a copy of a 1902 topo which plainly depicts a connection between the Willard branch and the Willard spur on the Willard State Hospital grounds.

I've seen that topo also and it seems almost impossible for there to have not been a connection.

The connection from the Seneca Freight Bypass to the HCO&W (which became the Willard branch) was constructed shortly after the Lehigh Valley Railroad completed the new Van Etten Jct.-Geneva Jct. freight line in 1892.

Reference: LIGHT IRON and SHORT LINES Vol. X No. 4, December 1992.