Pennsy Sodus Point line/Ontario Pathways

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of exploring the former Pennsylvania RR Sodus Point line(which ran from Stanley, NY off the Pennsy Elmira branch due north to Sodus Point). It is now a rail trail operated by Ontario Pathways(see link: http://www.ontariopathways.org/) which has done a very nice job creating a hike and bike trial, rehabilitating bridges, etc. I hiked the section starting south at route 96 about a mile west of Phelps. The Ontario Pathway group has installed a kiosk with a lot of info and photos of the former rail line, including photos of the Sodus Point trestle, an southbound train with empty coal cars, and a really neat photo of a steam engine crossing the bridge over routes 5 & 20(which when I last checked, was still in place). It also states passenger service on the line ended in 1935, last steam engine in 1957, and the last coal train road the line in Dec. 1967. I hiked in about a half mile, crossing two original railroad bridges that had been renovated for pedetrain use. A very pleasant surprise was stumbling upon the former Lehigh Valley main line right-of-way which apparently crossed the Pennsy and a large stream over what must have been a good-sized trestle. All that's left are three piers sticking up through the trees. I did scamble up to the LV right-of way. Naturally, it's overgrown but the thick layer of ballast keeps it intact(last train 3/31/76).
I'd like to pick up a copy of the Pennsy Elmira branch book which I saw for sale at a local NRHS meeting a few years back. Has anyone seen it? Someone else asked about it on a recent thread.
Regarding Sodus Point, I had read that coal was unloaded off the trestle and shipped from there to various locations, including the power plant at Oswego until 1963 when the Erie-Lackawanna won the contract to supply Oswego. Until then, it seems to me that it would have been easier for the Pennsy to hang a right at Wallington and continue eastward on the Hojack(NYC) to Oswego. Was this not done because the NYC was a competitor?
It certainly would have been easier than unloading at Sodus Point, traveling about 25 nautical miles to Oswego, and then unloading again.
Also, I biked the other Ontario Pathway(former Pennsy) from Canandaigua to Stanley about 5 years ago. Parts of it were a little rough but I'd like to check it out again since I know Ontario Pathway voluteers have improved it. There is practically nothing left in Stanley in terms of railroad archeology. I've seen old photos of Stanley and it must have been a neat crossroads (including the LV Naples branch, which I believe never got a lot of traffic during it's life; mostly grapes, wine, agricultural products and passengers).

I was in the Naples area this past weekend and tried to check out the old LVRR trail on the high tor DEC property. It is quite overgrown and only suitable for hiking and heavy mountain biking, as it was quite muddy. North of the DEC property, the ROW literally vanishes, it is very difficult to find traces of it in either Middlesex NY or Rushville NY. What sort of industries did the LV Naples branch serve? Did they serve Widmer Winery? It looks as if the Naples branch ended in a small RR area with buildings that is still standing. Does anyone have any insight? I too hope to chekc out the Ontario Pathway trails during Labor Day Weekend.

Brooks

The LV running starting a mile or so(north of route 21)northeast out of Naples is easy to follow. It runs in the valley parallel to route 245. I remember when the line was still in use but never saw a train on it. It crossed route 21 and county route 12 right at the bottom of a very steep hill! It was abandoned Naples to Rushville in 1970, and Rushville to Geneva in 1976. The right-of-way is very hard to find around Rushville but there is a small old RR bridge still in tact just to the east of the main drag through Rushville opposite Railroad Ave.
There was a book about the Lehigh Valley in upstate New York published a few years ago which I believe has info on the Naples branch. The author's name is Mary Hamilton Dann. She gave a presentation at the NRHS a few years back, and I think the book is available in the Monroe County Public Library System..

You can order a copy a Mary Dann's book through the Rochester CHapter, NRHS at www.rochnrhs.org.

Charles

rls62,
The book your looking for is "Pennsylvania Railroad's Elimra Branch"
by Bill Caloroso. Published by Andover Junction Publications, PO Box 1160,
Andover, New Jersey, 07821. I purchased a copy 10 years ago. I live in Newark and remember as a child the coal trains going to Sodus Point and mtys south. The large coal boats coming into Sodus Bay, and the pier itself. The Wayne County Historical Society also has a large library with books and news articles pretaining to the coal/train operations including the news stories of the fire which destroyed the about 200' of the end of the pier. The fire destruction was somewhat irrelevant because at the time the pier was being dismantled, the fire was caused by a welders torch being used to dismantle the metal structure parts.
I am also curious. I tried to check out the Ontario Pathways site and got server not available. Where was this pathway west of Phelps on 96 with the info plaque? I know about where the RR crossed under the 96 via an overpass but don't recall a plaque or pathway. Of courses it's been a couple years and I haven't really looked for anything here either. I know to the NE of Phelps the railroad turned from traveling a short distance east as it crossed Rt88 and turned north again, the bridges over the outlet are still inplace and rather large. The bridge over the canal in Newark is still up even tho the grading has been removed from either side leaving the repective north and south piers and bridge standing by itself.

Roadster,

It is a bad link, remove the parathensis and you'll do fine.

Brooks

I regards to why didn't the PRR send the coal by train via the NYC Hojack to Oswego. The trestle had exsisted for many years prior to the 1940 opening of the NImo power plant in Oswego. Coal was transported to Canadian and other lake ports. When awarded the contract for the Oswego NiMo coal, it was natural to continue sending it via Sodus Point rather than share it with the NYC which most likely would have put a large charge on the coal to try to drive the price up. This would make NYC's bid look alot better and the coal would have traveled by rail via the Oswego/Fulton or B'ville branches.

Here's the link again: http://www.ontariopathways.org/. If that doesn't work, just type ontario pathways into the search engine at it will come up first on the list.
Thanks for all the info. The trailhead is located south off 96(there is a small parking lot with an Ontario Pathways sign). The parking lot is located perhaps .25 miles east of the intersection of routes 96 and 488.
Thanks for the answer regarding Oswego. I figured it was something like that.
I plan on hiking it further, perhaps from a trailhead that begins at the southern end in the small community of Orleans on route 488. I know there's an old water tower there that was built for the railroad but is still used by the local fire dept. It was mentioned on a previous thread.

I'm looking for some help. Just where did the Sodus Branch cross over/
under the Thru-way? Every rail line between Albany and Buffalo I've
located except this one. If somebody has the mile post(t-way) to the
tenth this might help. I've looked and looked and just can't find the damn
thing. Thanks..

STEAM ON
/--OOO--:-oo--oo-

Here is a link that should bring up a topo map that shows the Sodus Branch crossing the Thruway NW of Phelps just W of the RT 88 bridge:

http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=18&n= ... atum=nad83

I believe it's gunna be near MP 350, next time I roll through there on the T-way I'll grab the MP and tenths for ya. I have also looked knowing the area well and it is hard to reqonize it.

I was able to get a copy of the Caloroso book, in nearly new condition, using the Amazon.com search feature this past spring. But it took nearly six months to find one!

The PRR passed under the Thruway just west of the Geneva exit. Geneva is MP 327 so the overpass over the Sodus Point branch would be right around Thruway milepost 329 or 330.

I believe in a previous thread it was identified that this underpass had been filled in by the NYDOT, hence why it is so hard to find from the thruway. Someone linked a photo from TerraServer showing the fill.

Brooks

0-6-0
The NYS thurway MP is 332.4. You'll notice the roadway goes up a slight incline as if approaching a bridge but there's no bridge and the roadway goes back down to ground level. there is heavy brush in the area beside this spot but that's it. Don't blink.