Conrail71's Blog
Monorail, monorail, MONORAIL!!!
This would appear to be the last year for the monorail at the Midtown Plaza in downtown Rochester. An announcement was made this fall that the historic building with attached office tower will be razed to provide space to build a new corporate headquarters for Paytec.My wife and I took the kids to ride the monorail one last time and to visit Santa. We also went across Clinton Ave. on the Skyway bridge to see the H.O. train display in the Chase Concourse. It's good to see that improvements are made from year to year on the 4 display layouts maintained by the Rochester Model Railroad Club.While talking to the monorail operator we discovered that the fate of the attraction like the monorail itself is litteraly up in the air. The Rochester holiday institution ws offered to the Strong Museum of Play who expressed no interest in taking the 50+ year old train. I'm anxious to hear the fate of this unique holiday attraction, I hate the thought of it ending up as scrap metal or disappearing to a far off land... Time will tell.
Categories: Railroad Newsfeed
The pile got a bit bigger today...
The coal pile at Russell Station that is. We heard the train blow for 
Dewey Ave. early this afternoon while I was shoveling the driveway so once I was done we went to watch. The train was halfway across Greenleaf Rd. when we pulled up so I figured we'd grab some shots on Ling Rd.
Dewey Ave. early this afternoon while I was shoveling the driveway so once I was done we went to watch. The train was halfway across Greenleaf Rd. when we pulled up so I figured we'd grab some shots on Ling Rd.
The first shot is of the tailend inching across Ling Rd. About 24 cars later came the power, a GP-38-2 and GP-40-2. The snow piles at the edges of the road had already been knocked down so this must not have been the first train since all the snow we got. The last 2 shots are of the power heading back up to get the second half of this cut that were left just west of Greenleaf Rd.
Oh, and on a personal note, I would like to send out a heartfelt thanks to the "nice" "lady" in the silver Ford Focus with the duct tapped mirror for her concern. Luckily, she took time out of her "busy"(bodied) day to verbally scorn me for pointing a camera in the direction of a train and a powerplant. After a comment regarding my possible lack of my parent's marital status at the time of my birth she decided a call to the local P.D. was in order. I'm sure they had other more important work to be doing than to cater to a lonley old bitty's laments. The officer was very professional about it and asked me what I was doing. I simply responded that the baby and I were there to watch the train before going home. That was it, "Have a nice day!" and off he went. Thanks Lady! (I use the term lady loosley, she had the mouth of no lady I've ever met.)
Categories: Railroad Newsfeed
CSX commuter service!?!?
In a word, no, but it is starting to look more like North White Plains (or Northeast) than Rochester Yard around here. That MP15 looks like it's ready to head up to Wassaic with it's 2 car train! The James Fenimore Cooper #6184 and car #6148 were in Rochester today coming or going I'm not sure which. That isn't too rare in and of itself but the Rochester Chapter of the NRHS's Empire State Express cars were also in the yard. The coaches along with the R.P.O. Alonzo B. Cornell are being ferried to the museum's property in Rush, N.Y. "BING","Attention at Rochester, now arriving on track eleven, The Empire State Express, with nonstop coach service to Oatka Junction with connecting service to Industry, New York running forty years late, is now boarding."
Categories: Railroad Newsfeed
50 for Russell
Well, surprise surprise! We heard the horn this morning while we were getting the mail so we jumped in the Blazer and took off! The power was just coming up to Lake Ave. as we crossed the bridge so we swung down Boxart St. and snapped off a couple as the power was coming under the bridge.
After that we headed north to Petten St. The day was scuzzy but I shot the train anyhow. I counted 50 loads as the train continued north under the O'Rourke Bridge. I hope to catch as many trips on the runner as possible before the end...
Categories: Railroad Newsfeed
More coal !!!
For now the Charlotte Runner is still a relevant source to railfan! Last week we caught 2 big GE units at Greenleaf Rd. The train was so long that the tail end was just under the Lake Ave. over-pass in Charlotte. I'm gonna miss the trains in my neighborhood even if they are CSX!
Categories: Railroad Newsfeed
Caboose Motel
My wife surprised us with a trip to the Caboose Motel in Avoca, New York this Veteran's Day. They have 5 former Conrail N5 cabooses on a section of track that you can sleep in! The cabooses would have been originally built for the Pennsylvania Railroad but are now all painted red with black roofs. Each car has a different roadname on the side of each one, If I remember right they were Nickle Plate, Erie, New York Central, Great Western and Pennsylvania railroads. We, of course, stayed in the New York Central painted caboose! The outside of each caboose is pretty much all original but the interior transformation is quite nicely done. As you enter there is a small table on the right and a bathroom with a shower on the left. In the cupola there is a bed on each side of the car at the level of the cupola windows, neat!
To the rear of the car is the "master" bedroom with a full size bed on the left and a single size bed on the right. The room had heat and A/C and a coffee maker with coffee on the sink counter under the left side cupola bed. There is also cable T.V. and a fridge. One more neat touch was a speaker mounted on the wall next to the phone that played train sounds. Don't worry there is a volume control in case the sounds are too much. This was a fun experience to sleep in this renovated caboose and if you're in the area I would highly recomend it!!! If you do stay at the Caboose Motel remember that Cohocton is just north up 390 a bit, home to the B&H's engine house and for the moment a lot of BIG Alcos!
Categories: Railroad Newsfeed
MBTA at Rochester
Today in Rochester Yard we spotted this MBTA GP-40M (i think). This is a neat looking locomotive! It's got a wide cab, rare for a 4 axle unit (around here anyways), flared SD-45 style radiators and a wide striker plate on the rear end to mate up with the car diaphragms. Oh, yeah and the purple paint! The problem is that while I was shooting the "T" engine the yard crew was switching a couple of MTA cars. They were both "named" cars but the cut was out of range to see what they were. The cars were shoved onto a track with DMM and GWI cars so I would imagine they are heading to Dansville.
Categories: Railroad Newsfeed
Eastbound CSX on the "shore"
October 22, 2007 was a very warm day! The baby and I were on Scottsville rd. to run an errand so I figured we'd take a ride by Genesee Jct. to see if anything was going on. As I looked west I could see the nose of a CSX unit just coming back up onto the main. We crossed the river and went up E. River Rd. and stopped in front of the I.B.E.W. building. I got the baby out of her carseat without waking her and we got to the front of the truck just as the train was sounding for Scottsville rd.It's a good thing this baby LOVES trains! On the first blast she was wide awake looking for the train! She had both hands waving and was shouting "Hi wooo woo, hi wooo woo..." at the top of her lungs! As the train continued east I kept snapping off pics while the baby kept shouting and waving. On the last shot I was able to get the entire train into frame, that's as rare around here as warm days in October...
Categories: Railroad Newsfeed
Another unit for Dansville.
Yesterday in Rochester Yard the crew was switching cars with the MP 15 and a GP-38-2. On the end of their string of cars was this "old school" GP-(7 or 9 not sure) with a low nose and an ox collar intake! She looked pretty solid, to my untrained eye. She'll deffinately need a coat of paint!
Categories: Railroad Newsfeed
The Last of the Many???
With the fate of the Russell Station power generating plant all but sealed the end is most definitely near for trains on the north end of the Charlotte runner.I paced the power along the driveway of the apartment complex on Lake ave. The 2 EMD's put on quite a show as they dragged the loads around the curve and up the grade under Lake ave.
Two crew members confer for a few moments before the train continues west across Greenleaf rd. and up onto the bridge over the Lake Ontario State Parkway.
Categories: Railroad Newsfeed
The last of the many? part 2
Todays power, a GP-38-2 and a GP-40-2, sound for the grade at Greenleaf Rd. 
The engines are working hard to drag the 29 loaded cars up the grade towards the plant switch.
Cars of various heritage make up this and most coal drags into Russell, I counted about 5 Conrail hoppers and one FRISCO hopper.
The engines are working hard to drag the 29 loaded cars up the grade towards the plant switch.
Cars of various heritage make up this and most coal drags into Russell, I counted about 5 Conrail hoppers and one FRISCO hopper.
Categories: Railroad Newsfeed
The last of the many? part 3
The first shot in this section shows the tail end clearing the Greenleaf Rd crossing. The train will proceed west until the power is up on the bridge that crosses the Lake Ontario State Parkway. Once the last car clears the switch the train will back down into the plant.Like magic the rear end appears out of the woods! Under the watchful eye of this grew member the train will back across Ling Rd. then through the gates of Russell Station.
The power sits idle for a moment as switches are lined.
In the last shot we see the power shoving hard against the weight of the loaded cars. In minutes the motorists will be underway, unaware of the future of the rails they are about to cross. I hope to catch at least one more train on the runner.
Categories: Railroad Newsfeed
Train #48 has a few surprises!!!
We caught Amtrak train #48 near CP 367 today. Pulling the train was a back-to-back pair of GE Genesis units. Tucked in behind today's power was a unit destined for the NJT. Then, at the rear of the train was a private car. This car makes frequent trips through the area and is easily recognized by the neon "Navy" tail sign.
Categories: Railroad Newsfeed
More cool stuff at Goodman!
Today in the yard were two Metro North commuter cars! The Sojourner Truth and another unnamed coach were tied up on the end of a cut of cars on 4 main. I was unsure as to whether they were coming or going but it was still a nice surprise! I later found out they were returning to the N.Y. area.The MP-15-T is still in Rochester also. It was busy switching cars with one of the other EMD GP's in the yard.
On the other end of 4 main we saw that there was a former NS GP-15-1 attached to the east end of the cut. Lotsa stuff happenin' in the yard today!
Categories: Railroad Newsfeed
Two switchers in Rochester Yard!
Today in the yard there are 2 switchers! One is CSX MP15T #1217 which has returned to Rochester after a short absence. The other is TANX #99 former Chaparral Steel, probably bound for Dansville.
Categories: Railroad Newsfeed
211 on the Charlotte Runner!
We were just about to go in the house when we heard the train cross Dewey Ave. so of course we had to chase it. We pulled into the parking lot on Boxart St. for the first shot. I was surprised to see 2 BIG GE6 axle units drift into view. An even bigger surprise was to see 211 again! I must've shot this unit on 3 or 4 different occasions, but never on the "Runner". Next we zipped up Lake Ave. to Stutson St. to the over-look at the location of the old bridge. The power looks right at home next to the old station. The last shot shows the engines turning west and entering the "North Yard" on the old Hojack Line. 10 or 15 years ago this shot would have been a little harder to get as the approach tracks to the swing bridge across the Genesee River used to occupy this spot.
Categories: Railroad Newsfeed
Power in Greece
I caught 2 CSX units in the "North Yard" on the old Hojack Line in Greece, New York. They had a box car on the end of their train so I suspect that they would have either switched the Weyerhauser factory on the way up or would be doing so on their way back south. There was a county crew repainting the R X R's on the road surface on this date so it made a neat bit of action in the foreground.Categories: Railroad Newsfeed