LV main in New York State

[TB Diamond]

BR&P:

The engine shoving the snowplow was CR 7606. We took those photos on 10 February 1978.

Lvrr325:

I took the photo mentioned above that appeared in TRAINS magazine. Photo was taken on 16 December 1977.

Odessa-Van Etten Jct. was removed during the summer of 1978. That portion of the former Lehigh Valley MT Van Etten Jct.-Odessa Station Switch was subsidized under the NYS LDL program after 01 April 1976. The customer in Odessa was Cotton-Hanlon. ConRail referred to this track segment as the Odessa Industrial Track. It was abandoned effective 16 December 1977 per ConRail Atlantic Region Lehigh Division B.O. No. 1-71.

Odessa-Ordnance Int. was removed beginning in August, 1978 so no, it was not removed prior to Van Etten-Odessa, the removal of which commenced in the early summer of 1978.

Mike S.:

I mentioned the incident as, according to a local railfan rumor at the time, A&K tried to bring the car back from Rush to Rochester Jct. but could not move it with the Pettibone. Therefore, the ConRail local crew was talked into retrieving the car. Never heard of the rumor being confirmed, however.

[Otto Vondrak]

Ok, thanks for the Clear up BR&P i remember reading that the ONCT started up very early after the LV died.
Speaking of Victor, anybody know of any pictures showing the Valley in its Prime through Victor and points north? I have seen many Online Imagry, and a little of what is in the LVRRHS back room.
Thanks.
Sean

Sean, check out my article that appeared in June 2006 RMC, had pictures of the LV running on what would become the ONCT.

-otto-

[Otto Vondrak]

I think what Otto meant by Manchester-Victor being isolated was that it was isolated from the remainder of the former LVRR r/o/w and not isolated from the U.S. railroad infrastructure in general. Actually, Victor-Manchester was technically isolated from the remainder of the LVRR plant effective 01 April 1976.

Yes, that is what I meant, thanks for clearing that up. And thank you to everyone who came forward with recollections and memories.

-otto-

[Otto Vondrak]

Reference your query on the removal of the LVRR MT in NYS:

MP 371.0-Batavia: Work began in late 1977. A&K truck on Genesee River bridge removing rail on 16 December 1977. Work continued through the summer of 1978.

So the A&K crews were working through Rush between 1977-1978... safe to say they worked right up to Victor at that time?

Last time I visited Rochester Junction (2000?), you could still see the concrete platform, and there was an electric switch lock on a pedestal at the east end of the platform. I assume this was for crews who wanted to cross the plant to access the Rochester/Lima Branch?

-otto-

[TB Diamond]

Otto:

The end-of-track was at MP 371.0, just west of where the Iron City switch was located. Hard to say when the track up to that point was removed as A&K picked up the rail per grading. Therefore, rail was not picked up in one continuous move along the r/o/w. This was told to me by the A&K truck crane operator. At any rate, yes, it was no doubt removed at some time during 1978.

Am not 100% sure, but I believe that the the electric unlock at Rochester Jct. was from the switch allowing movement off the MT to the Rochester branch.

[lvrr325]

Don't forget the Rochester branch outlasted the Main by about 3 or 4 years, run out of Rochester down to Lima to serve an Agway or something (I forget just what). A lot of signal equipment was left behind when the line was scrapped, even in places where there are no tracks you can occasionally see phone boxes and things.

[bluegrass-express]

Don't forget the Rochester branch outlasted the Main by about 3 or 4 years, run out of Rochester down to Lima to serve an Agway or something (I forget just what). ...

I took a series of photos of the last LV local to Lima crossing the main leaving Rochester Junction. They had several LV boxcars for grain loading at Agway. A friend told me that a follow-up Conrail local ran out of fuel around the junction, but couldn't make radio contact with Rochester yard for help.

[TB Diamond]

The Agway concern was in Honeoye Falls. I photographed the first ConRail local (EX-1, Penn Central 9564) on the Rochester branch at Lima and later, at Honeoye Falls, this on 06 April 1976.