Frontier Fuel RR?

Just north of I90 when you are on I290 heading north (Buffalo area), you go under a railroad bridge painted green with a standard NYS green sign on it that says "Frontier Fuel RR" on it. What exactly is this bridge for?

Charles

That sign has been on the bridge for years. I brought up the same guestions almost 5 years ago.

The current track goes all the way to the water treatment plant. I've never been lucky enough to spot a train on it.

The track may have been used over the past couple of years to remove contaminated soils that belonged to the developement of "nuclear energy." I think.

it connects to csx's wonnalancet running track

Some of those signs were probably made from old, out of date maps, Frontier Fuel was the name of the Ashland Oil Refinery back before the 1960's. The bridge & rail line are part of "The Branch", or the extream North end of the Wonalancet Runner, which is former NYC trackage that origanally serviced the Ashland Oil Refinery to the East of the thruway. The Refinery is closed but the storage tanks and marine unloading dock are maintained in mothball status for any possible future use. The property right next to the Refinery, to the East is now called the Seaway Land Fill, otherwise known as "Mount Tonawanda". There was heavy chemical pollution of the Seaway site with a certain amount of radioactive dirt left over from the WW 2 A-bomb project. The Army Corps was using that line to get loaded waste material cars out of the area for disposal off site. Most of that major work is pretty much done except for the area right around the small creek there. See: http://www.lrb.usace.army.mil/fusrap/tonsites.htm

-B in B

I've found that the thruways have never been on top of changing road labels. They don't "disappear" by the hands of railfans, becasue they are over thruways, and the roads and tracks above are usually fenced off. On my way down to PA from Buffalo last week I noticed a bridge over the I-90 just south of Buffalo with a sign reading "B&O RR". I just had to laugh to myself.