CSX Charlotte Runner

CPSmith wrote:More info on the "mini-dam" photo. Apparently taken in 1910. The temporary dam was probably used to permit repairs, whatever, in the next section.

The building is identified as the "Hotel Lexington".

I'm digging this thread (bad pun not intended, if you can believe that!). For the longest time, I remember the Hotel Lexington
being called the "Lexington Inn". I worked many years (1993-2001) at T&L Automatics, which is on the site of the old Standard
Brewery and took a few liquid lunches on 2nd shift along with one of their Wimpy Burgers at "The Lex!"

In the early 1960's, southbound trains would stop at Emerson Street to phone the dispatcher for permission to proceed through CP70, CP35, and eastward to the yard. This left the train hanging back toward or over Lexington Ave. depending on length. Even after radios came into use, if there was traffic which required the Belt to wait, that's usually where they sat.

On countless occasions, somewhere just south of Lexington the empty hopper cars or boxcars disgorged a few teenage "hoboes" who began the trudge northward back toward where they had come from.

The dam is clearly made of concrete and has a spillway to maintain water levels. Likely reason for this is when the original Erie Canal was abandoned, portions of it remained as "branches" off the new relocated Barge Canal to continue providing service to businesses that needed it.

BR&P wrote:On countless occasions, somewhere just south of Lexington the empty hopper cars or boxcars disgorged a few teenage "hoboes" who began the trudge northward back toward where they had come from.

In the early '80s, a friend and I were among those "hoboes". We picked up a southbound empty coal train near Ridgeway Ave and rode it for a while. The trains were so long and slow that we could walk back and ride the same train a second time. Until it sped up. That's when we got off before it was too late and stayed off.

I went for a bike ride along the path that leads through Turning Point while scouting photo locations for senior pics and noticed the following developments:

1. Two red painted ties placed just north of the Box Shop:



2. Looking back towards the Box Shop - track looks recently used:



3. Down by Patten St.



4. "Derail" sign at start of Charlotte Yard:



5. Charlotte yard, you can also see the derail



Now i am more of a lurker so I don't know if these changes mean anything or if it is just due to the recent flooding. Anyone more knowledgable been down here?

Full size versions are available here: http://www.aipphotography.com/Images/20 ... -May-2017/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It looks like some of the locations were accessed by trespassing. As a fellow photographer, please take the following advice to heart: don't trespass! It's illegal and dangerous. There plenty of safe and scenic locations to take senior photos.

Matt Langworthy wrote:It looks like some of the locations were accessed by trespassing. As a fellow photographer, please take the following advice to heart: don't trespass! It's illegal and dangerous. There plenty of safe and scenic locations to take senior photos.

Quoted for truth. I know it seems cool and all, but it's not only seriously illegal, it is seriously dangerous. You're not always going to hear a train and the engineer isn't always going to see you or be able to stop in time.

That being said, I presume CSX has officially taken the Runner out of service north of the Box Shop. The derail had probably already been there (end of a yard, don't need runaway cars running back towards the city) but the red ties indicate an End of Track to trains, since they no longer have any need to run north of that point. (There's a chance this was already common knowledge, I haven't looked back in this thread to see if it was already mentioned).

That must be a very recent change, as several of us from the forum hiked that very area from the Box Shop northward about 3 weeks ago. There were NO red ties at Milepost 8 at that time.

Based on that post, it appears they are once again running around Kodak outbounds at Kodak rather than taking them down the hill (which never made sense to me anyway). And the telephoto shot of the West Yard shows the track there is not in the best shape. Looks like the photographers might have missed a shot at the last train to leave Charlotte!

BR&P wrote:That must be a very recent change, as several of us from the forum hiked that very area from the Box Shop northward about 3 weeks ago. There were NO red ties at Milepost 8 at that time.

Based on that post, it appears they are once again running around Kodak outbounds at Kodak rather than taking them down the hill (which never made sense to me anyway). And the telephoto shot of the West Yard shows the track there is not in the best shape. Looks like the photographers might have missed a shot at the last train to leave Charlotte!

Which they re-ballast and tie last summer.

BR&P wrote:That must be a very recent change, as several of us from the forum hiked that very area from the Box Shop northward about 3 weeks ago. There were NO red ties at Milepost 8 at that time.

Based on that post, it appears they are once again running around Kodak outbounds at Kodak rather than taking them down the hill (which never made sense to me anyway). And the telephoto shot of the West Yard shows the track there is not in the best shape. Looks like the photographers might have missed a shot at the last train to leave Charlotte!

Guess Rochester crew is doing it ahead of EHH's visit to make them look good and hopefully that with their action, EHH might keep Rochester yard??

sd80mac wrote: Guess Rochester crew is doing it ahead of EHH's visit to make them look good and hopefully that with their action, EHH might keep Rochester yard??

Geez, don't show Hunter the April Fools Day thread about making the West Shore the main line, it might give him ideas!

Gyro wrote:Which they re-ballast and tie last summer.

That was the tip-off right there. I might have even said that on a post here. When they upgrade and improve something, be sure you have your photos of it because it may not be around much longer.

BR&P wrote:That was the tip-off right there. I might have even said that on a post here. When they upgrade and improve something, be sure you have your photos of it because it may not be around much longer.

Yeah, I didn't forget about your comment. Also, new paint on the wall = Bu-BYE! Wondering if they did paint the wall at that abandoned building about half mile east of Wayneport Rd and building at Chili JCT.. LOL...

When that coal-fired power plant is done, I know that Charlotte Runner will be thing of past shortly...

Here's page 34 of this thread from 2012 with pics and discussion of the branch and its future: http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.ph ... t#p1056052" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

All of these locations were accessed from the Turning Point trail, for the first one you can follow the trail from the turning point parking lot.

The people walking the track were not related to me, ,I would never take a client on tracks, even OOS. Tje scouting part was for the turning point path and vicinity.

I figured out to check out the current conditions of the runner while I was there.

Why would they fix it last year then abandons?

Apete2 wrote:Why would they fix it last year then abandons?

Re-read the comments above...