West Shore ROW along NYS Thruway

I travel the NYS thruway often, between Buffalo and Albany. I have noticed an old ROW on the right side of the road heading east at various points between Rochester and Syracuse. Anyone know what line that was? Also, after getting east of Syracuse, i can see an old ROW on the right side again that becomes especially noticeable once i get out by Herkermer/Ilion. Is this the same line as the one i mentioned above?

Formerly the ROW of the NYC West Shore... which once ran all the way to Buffalo, often right alongside the NYC mainline. See the thread here called "West Shore severed as a through route" for more details.

-otto-

Don't know where you are looking specifically, but there is a lot of interurban (Rochester, Syracuse & Eastern) along the Thruway also. You really need topo maps or equivalent, a hi-liter and a couple of reference books.

I noticed that part of the West Shore row east of Ilion to Amsterdam and beyond(I exit at Amsterdam) has been turned into a rail trail. Here's a link for info: http://www.nypca.org/canalway/assessments.shtml
I drove through that area recently on the Thruway and noticed that there seems to be more work turning the row into a railtrail but I don't recall the exact location.

CSX has removed the West Shore tracks from the stone quarry on 5S to Rynex Corners Rd. in Pattersonville including the 5S crossing there.

Ok, i have a more exact location for the line i was talking about. You can start seeing it on the right when heading east on the thruway, just past the Port Byron service plaza, which is bewteen exits 41 and 40. You can see it almost all the way into Syracuse. There's an embankment and old bridge abutments here and there and at some points you can see an active line running alongside a little farther to the south. Is this also the west shore or is this an old interurban?? Thanks.

I think an old LV lin crosses just east of the Weedsport exit. I'm thinking the bridge piers may have been from where the West Shore crossed. I wonder if there was an overpass over the thruway, or if the thruway was built afterward?

Here are the 1902 and 1954 views:

docs.unh.edu/NY/wdsp02se.jpg and docs.unh.edu/NY/wdsp54se.jpg

Looks like the LV flew over.

What you see just east of the Port Byran service area is the old Trolley line between Syracuse and Rochester. Between exit 40 and 39 you'll notice another ROW visible just past the feed mill and run along the T-way for several miles, this is the remains of the West Shore. The active CSX mains are further back south about 1/4 mile so the trains are very visible.

Yes, i have also noticed what looks like where a line crossed the east-west tracks and the thruway. Does the one you are referring to have tall bridge piers with arches in them?? Looks real old.

Yes you are looking at the abutments of the the old RS&E interurban that
was abandoned some time in the 30's I believe. A little further west if you follow the Shore you will see where it turns south ,jumping over the
WLR (abutments there iron long gone) to run thru the village of Weeds-port. The Shore crossed over the LV Fairhaven branch on a bridge right
in the village. Driving further west to Port Byron after you cross the WLR
main look to your right about 1/2 - 3/4 miles and you can see the old
Shore bridge and ROW over the Owasco Lake Outlet.
BTW,back to the RS&E, there was I believe and old abutment with reference to the above mentioned,that stood between the east and west
lanes of the T-way but were removed some years after the T-way was
built. Can someone confirm this?

STEAM ON >>>>>> btw WLR=Water Level Route
/--OOO--:-oo--oo-

The West Shore Line is between the Thuw Way and the Current CSX Main Line once you get close to Port Byron the old Rochestor and Syracuse Trolly line is on the outher side of the CSX Main by about half a mile starting in Port Byron and keeps that distance all the way to Jordon, NY if you follow 31 in Port Byron look for the trolly station in Port Byron its now a leagon post the line is visable and is marked as a pole line for NYSEG.
The West Shore line dose run vary close to the trolly line once you get close to Weedsport but the line will cross 31 and the CSX Main down next to the Millius Truck Station on Rt. 31 and then begins to run between the CSX Main and the Thruw way. The Trolloy line follows 31 till you rach Jordon 31 curves off to the North the Tolloy contnues east any side road that gos South off of 31 between Weedsport and Jordon will show the Trolloy line just look for the Pole Line. On Centerport Road in the town of Brutus the Trolly line crossed at a hump in the road you'll see where she crossed there is a pile of dirt there at the entry way. If you can't find it just ask where the old Weedsport Dump used to be.

The Lehigh Valley traveled North and passed just to the Northeast of Weedsport High School and curved around the back of the school to go North. The Lehigh Valley would have Crossed about 50 yards or so to the East of the On/Off Ramp of the Weedsport Exit.

The plate girder bridge for the LV over the Thruway east of Weedsport was removed in the 1980s. I can remember it into the 1986 timeframe, I think and remember a local LV fan talking about it. It was painted green.

The ROW seen east of Weedsport close to the Thruway is the West Shore. The ROW west of town I'm not sure about. There is one place where the Thruway heads up over a creek (uphill and downhill) and the is a power line and creek abutments below and an obvious ROW. This is west of Weedsport. I always assumed it was the WS but it's interesting to hear it's actually the RS&E.

Charles

Now that I've reread the original post, I agree with SRS125. It's the West Shore from Port Byron all the way to the Syracuse area. I was certain of the Weedsport to Syracuse section but not the Port Byron area and reading a bit in here made it more confusing. The Thruway is built on the RS&E from just west of Port Byron to Port Byron, maybe a mile or so or ROW. The West Shore is visible from where the WS and Thruway cross over the Owasco Lake Outlet at Port Byron all the way west. The RS&E heads south of the West Shore to hit all the towns along Rt. 31.

Charles

This 1904 view my help;
http://historical.maptech.com/getImage. ... g&state=NY


As you can see the RS&E ran south of the old Erie till it got well west of
town. There is an old canal lock of 1851 vintage visible from the T-way
if that helps your frame of reference.

STEAM ON
/--OOO-:-oo--oo- Happy Holidays !!!!!!!