Wayland - Perkinsville

Looking at some aerial photos on Terra-Server, it looks like there was a wye to the northeast of the Gunlocke plant. Anyone know about this ?

Track charts from 1940's seem to show a wye on the west side of the plant.

Also aerials seem to show a wye just east of Perkinsville on the north side of mains, again this doesn't show on track charts I have.

...a wye up there because it was a the "top" of the eastbound hill and pushers may have been turned. And at Wayland there was a connection to the Pittsburg and Shawmut and another to the Erie, either or both producing a wye.

Check the link below.
In the vicinity of the Perk. wye was the narrow gauge
line from the marl pits, for a few years it went to
Wayland. Note the interchange track in Wayland.
I believe this was actually the narrow gauge r-o-w.



http://historical.maptech.com/

chnaus
im not seeing a wye near wayland on this map:

http://historical.maptech.com/getImage. ... g&state=NY

there is the Shamut coming in and connecting to the DL&W,
a short spur off the LAckawanna at perkinsville,
and a track connecting the DL and the Erie..
no wye anywhere?

Scot

take a look at the "New York Mapping Gateway" for Wayland!
WAYYYY more detailed than terraserver!

http://www1.nysgis.state.ny.us/MainMap.cfm

I was just using that to poke around Wayland..
still not seeing a wye,
and I can find NO trace whatsoever of that line connecting the Erie and the LAckawanna!
none!
seems like the ROW should still be visable..
its mostly undeveloped land still..all other ROWS are very clear.
are we sure it was really there?
could the map be wrong?

Scot


1904
http://historical.maptech.com/getImage. ... g&state=NY

today
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=42. ... ayer=DRG25

ah!
ok, I think I see the wye now..
just east of Gunlocke..

I could be wrong, but I dont think its a wye..
it *looks* like one, because of the way that field is shaped, with that nice round arc, but there seems to a be a farm road crossing the DL that is making West side of the wye..

there is definately a spur off of the DL into the gunlocke plant..
that makes the east side of the wye..
but I think the west of the wye is that farm road..
I drew the tracks in Red, and the farm road in yellow..
(this is just my intrepretation, I could be wrong..)
but I think im pretty close..there is no smooth arc on the west side that would indicate a wye..

Thanks for all the replies !
I agree with the layout of track and farm road at Gunlocke. Makes sense.
The 1940's track charts show a wye west of Gunlocke on the north side of the tracks, probably west of the depot and overpass.

Now, how about the Perkinsville wye. Was that really there, or some remanant of the narrow gage. Also, not being from the area, what was that operation all about ??

http://www1.nysgis.state.ny.us/MainMap.cfm

Link to aerial imagery - Perkinsville

PS&N right-of-way is at bottom as it is veering away from the DL&W

Wayland (RR east) is to the right

now that definately looks like a wye!
(perkinsville..)

is the center of the wye filled with water??

http://www1.nysgis.state.ny.us/tempimag ... 468ABC.gif

its right where the Shawmut meets the Lackawanna.
just a tiny bit west of the junction probably..

it doesnt show on the 1904 topo map..

http://historical.maptech.com/getImage. ... g&state=NY

The line connecting the DL&W & Erie was actually the Wayland Beltline which was used by the Millen Cement works in the late 19th & early 20th centuries which brought in coal from all 3 RR's for its boilers plus marl from the marlbeds southwest of the village. A small 10-ton saddle tank locomotive was used for hauling these loads.

If I remember correctly the stories from my father and uncles, the Wye that is seen that is filled with water was used to turn helper engines from Groveland. It was removed at the end of steam, in the 1950's. The locals used to refer to the water surrounding the wye as the "Wye Ponds". It was a popular fishing spot when I was growing up.

Scotty, the areas you have circled on your images were a spur to the shipping dock of the newest part of the Gunlocke plant, what was then refered to as the "desk plant." When I was working there in 1976 - 1979, they were still shipping some by rail. I believe that was taken out sometime in the last ten years.

The line from the old marl pits (marl was used to make cement) and the line which connected the DL&W and Erie in Wayland were removed in the early 1900's when a cheaper way to make cement was found. The ROW in the village was probably built over as the village expanded, and nature has more than likely obscurred the rest. For everybody's interest I share an excerpt from "Our Heritage - Wayland Area - 1976":

"During the years 1892 - 1912, while the Millen Cement Works was in operation, a line connected all three railroads (DL&W, Erie, and PS&N) to the plant. This gave them access to coal to supply their five boilers and other incoming freight, and a means for shipping their cement. A small ten-ton saddle tank locomotive was used for the hauling of these loads in addition to bringing marl to the plant from the beds southwest of the village. This locomotive had the caption 'Wayland Belt Line' printed across the cab and was called 'little Bertha', having been named after the wife of engineer Burt Bennet. The Belt Line gave a uniqueness to Wayland, shared by larger cities."

The sidetrack that was circled in the aerial photos was built by Erie Lackawanna when the Gunlocke plant was expanded--about 1973, IIRC. I have not seen any evidence that it was ever part of anybody's wye track. Gunlocke retired it about 1999.

From my drives around the area, I believe the side street that runs northward from the back (east) side of the plant may well be the old Belt Line, or parallel to it. Seems to me that there is a power line there too that suggests an old ROW.

WDB

The Lackawanna had a wye just west of the DL&W Wayland station and north of the main line This was used to turn around pusher locomotives from Groveland.

The PS&N had a wye just east of Perkinsville at the point where the PS&N mainline became parallel to the DL&W main. This wye was south of the DL&W main.

Between the two wyes there was a DL&W yard that was up to 8 tracks wide. The PS&N main line was just to the south of this yard and ended just to the east of the Wayland DL&W station.

There never was a wye just east of the Gunlocke plant.

At that time S. Lackawanna St. was US 15 and crossed the tracks just east of the station.

Scotty, sorry I did not expand may description of the area.
I had several map sites open and gave the wrong link.
A guy I worked with shared his grandfathers stories of
working on the "Belt".

Another source once told me that the original Wayland
depot sat west of the present one. About 30 years ago
there were a few wooden bldgs on the north side of
the track west of the overpass. These were rumored
to have been m-o-w support as there was a large group
that worked out of Wayland.

Was the area of the "Perkinsville wye" called Wayland Tank ??

The wooden DL&W station in Wayland was replaced in 1917 with the brick structure which still survives.

The wye east of Perkinsville was part of the PS&N. They referred to the general area as Lackawanna Jct.

The PS&N grade south of Perkinsville is very visible from I-390. On the driver's side for northbound traffic just as you start to go downhill towards Dansville.