Abandoning the former BR&P through Orchard Park

[fredmcain]

BR&P,

It's possible to do that but's it's tricky. Lyndon Henry had all his stuff from the Yahoo! Light Rail e-group archived and transferred over to io groups but probably most didn't. Probably most if not all of the original BR&P photos that were on the Yahoo! Group have been lost - but I don't know that for sure yet.

Regards,
Fred M. Cain

[bkrizzle19]

Just a weird, random bit of an update on this line, the chunk of rail just north of Martin Rd. in Lackawanna seen in the attached picture that had been laying to the side of the tracks for quite a while has now been put back into place, noticed this as I drove through this crossing a few days back.



Also heard through the grapevine from someone that claims to have seen a high railer truck running down the line south over the Milestrip viaduct in Orchard Park a month or two ago, perhaps these two happenings are related.

[Fireman43]

Update:

https://buffalonews.com/news/local/as-s ... a.amp.html

In this article is a nice link to the project that contains The Cattaraugus Rail Trail study promoting the trail it’s whole length using a drone .
Mark

[Fireman43]

Question on this article about people loving or hating the rail trail.
Reporter talks about the rail trail ROW goes through the residents ‘property’.
Is not the ROW still owned by the railroad or it’s successor?

[BR&P]

Question on this article about people loving or hating the rail trail.
Reporter talks about the rail trail ROW goes through the residents ‘property’.
Is not the ROW still owned by the railroad or it’s successor?

Short answer: "It depends". In some cases, the entire right of way can be sold intact to a power company, a municipality, a trail group, whatever. In other cases, upon abandonment the ROW reverts back to whatever landowner it was taken from or granted by, back when the line was built. The particulars are buried in dusty ledgers and law books which have to be located, examined, and perhaps argued over.

[bkrizzle19]

Happened to notice while driving North into OP by the country club that the ROW on the south side of the bridge that had previously been overgrown has been cut down, and when looking back after passing under the bridge noticed that there were portions of rail on their side next to the ROW towards the station. Was not able to get out and poke around due to weather but wondering if progress on the rail trail has caused someone to rip up the rails beyond the station.

[Fireman43]

Wondering if the tale of the train wreck in Zoar Valley could be a take off on the Angola wreck of 1887?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angola_Horror

[SST]

Happened to notice while driving North into OP by the country club that the ROW on the south side of the bridge that had previously been overgrown has been cut down, and when looking back after passing under the bridge noticed that there were portions of rail on their side next to the ROW towards the station. Was not able to get out and poke around due to weather but wondering if progress on the rail trail has caused someone to rip up the rails beyond the station.

I noticed that along Rt240 in Colden, a section of ROW is now clearly marked for snow mobiles passing directly in front of Kissing Bridge. Other sections are still not in use and the random bridges that I could see are still blocked by a fence and concrete blocks. Is this progress?

[bkrizzle19]

Apologies for the rough roadside photography but if you're able to tell, the rails have indeed been ripped up from Jewett Holmwood Road to the bridge over 240/277 and the trees / shrubs in the ROW have been cut down and cleared.