Railroad Forums 

  • CSX on/over the Erie Canal. in N. Tonawanda

  • Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New York State.
Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New York State.

Moderator: Otto Vondrak

 #1295430  by SST
 
The weather has been spectacular that past couple of weeks. Yesterday, I took what will likely be the last run to N.T. for the season. I was lucky enough to catch a train on the drawbridge crossing the Erie Canal. In all the years I've been around this bridge, I've never caught a train sitting on it in prep for delivery down the Peanut. I've seen trains crossing it, but never like this. Got lucky!

In these pictures, you'll notice that their are rail cars in front of and behind the engines. As we got closer, the engines separated from the cars on the left and pushed the hoppers to the right. I immediately knew he was pushing down the Peanut to Exolon Ind. [may be different company now]. As we went under the bridge, the engineer waived to us. After that, we tied up and went for lunch at Crazy Jakes. A lot of different scenery showed up. Lunch was very good!

The train and remaining cars were gone when we got back to the boat. A good day.

This is a zoomed in picture he has just separated from the cars on the left.
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We are closer to the bridge but not zoomed in. He has separated.
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Close up as we passed underneath.
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 #1295600  by SST
 
Haha. There were a couple of girls that I would have loved to have photographed but they were sitting to close. It would have been too obvious.
 #1495448  by DGC-24711
 
The business (Washington Mills currently I believe) on the corner of E. Niagara (which becomes Creekside upon the Town Of Tonawanda) and Wales Ave, and the rail cars it takes delivery of on the remainder of the NYC Peanut line/LVRR spur from the CSX Niagara line intrigues me.

In the 1980s I remember my dad asking friends of my parents who once lived in that tiny neighborhood west of NY 425/north of Fillmore Ave about the tracks at the end their street. "Oh a tiny train goes by all the time," he said.

Every time I pass over them on NY SR 425 I look down for activity. If I'm traversing street level in that area, I take every opportunity to ride on Wales and slow down over the tracks looking for some. I always notice the position of 3 or 4 beige hopper cars and that they are moved around (from the back of the building- "main line" , or out front of the building on the siding.) This past summer I saw a yellow pay loader, you know one of those large tractors that are left in large parking lots to shovel snow, pushing those beige colored hoppers on the tracks next to the building.

I love those pictures above in this thread. [And a bit separate from this topic/thread- those brown Conrail Coil Shield cars (2/3 at a time) I've seen being taken on the "Lockport Spur" along Erie Av in NT.]

It's alive!
 #1495712  by SST
 
Wow, nice to see my old pictures. I didn't think photobucket was allowing access to pictures anymore. Guess they changed their mind.

A fine day of boating although I can't recall with specifics on the other steaming traffic as mentioned. I'll have to look in the boat logbook to see if anything was written.

Edit: Checked the logbook......no specifics written. Not even where I had lunch. Although it was probably Dockside Inn. Boat came out two days later.

Just a few more months and I'll be back in. Weird winter.