NS Bridge Replacement - Attica

NS is replacing the overpass at Rt 98 as well as the bridge over the Tonawanda Creek over the next few weeks. Rt 98 is closed until Oct 5, and slow orders through the village are in effect. If you want to watch trains crawl through Attica, this is your chance.

On a side note, expect to wait at least 15 minutes if you happen to catch one of the longer trains crawling through at 238 and Exchange, essentially cutting off the village from the southern routes. I'm actually curious after the train I waited for tonight if they're combining some trains to have fewer trains through the work zone or if it just seemed so long because of how slow it was moving, but it seemed exceptionally long (in terms of cars) compared to the normal stack trains I catch going through.

Thanks for the news!

Checked in on this project this morning. They're stacking big timbers under the old bridge in the roadway. I'm wondering if they're going to set the old bridge on these and cut the approaches to pour new abutments, or use the timbers as temporary "fill" for a shoe fly track. I'm curious as to how they're going to do this job with the railroad still open.

Regarding longer trains, I had to wait for 23K yesterday and it was slow. Traffic was really backed up. I doubt they're combining trains. Maybe they're longer because the holiday traffic is starting. Slow speeds can make a 60 car train take forever to pass.

From what I saw today the timbers you mention are to build up a level surface to work from, which makes sense considering the massive slope coming down West Main and the fact that the intersection of West Main and High (98) is anything but level.

I too am curious how they intend to do this without stopping traffic, unless they're going to shut down the line for a day or so. I also haven't seen much on the Tonawanda bridge done yet, other than some temporary work platforms off the side, so maybe the release I saw about "replacement" was a bit overzealous?

On my way home from work I noticed a train past the Auto signal at Attica Rd heading eastbound, so I expected it was crawling however it was not onto any of the crossings in the village yet, so it may not have been moving. But I'm also confused by this because the eastbound CP signal was all red still. Does anyone know if dispatch is allowing the trains to pass the approach signals but holding them before entering the village for a reason? (This was after 11pm so I doubt the crews are still working at the bridge site)

cant they go down BP/buffalo line to orlean and go east on NY&PA as detour?

Pretty sure the signals on the BPRR leased section are no longer maintained. Don't know about the WNYP leased section.
They'd also have to turn the trains around at Olean, from what I can tell on TTs, although I'm not familiar with the area, so I'm not 100% on that.

It's also been so long since NS has run their own trains on the line south of Gravity, would they have engineers qualified on the route? The 2008 ETT doesn't actually list any operating rules or maximum speeds between Gravity and North Driftwood so I doubt they'd be able to without taking on "pilots" from BPRR and/or WNYP. Probably not worth it for the time the bridges will be out.

Looking at aerial photos, if they went straight to Olean (not turning right at Machias Jct), there might be a reverse move required at Olean. But if they went via Salamanca, then all looks OK. But probably not worth all the trouble on the part of NS, if it were only out for part of a day .

Sort of related, is the WNYP RR still seeing any trains between its east end and west end? I seem to recall the NS run-through coal trains went away some time ago, and there was nothing running between the 2 ends (e.g. Jamestown to Salamanca?, Corry to Jamestown?), even if technically in service.
EDIT: From the time I started typing the post, until I hit submit (with a few interruptions), CTClark beat me to it. Looks like we are thinking similarly.

the manifest trains can hold out.... But I meant to say that they could detour 205/6 and 22/23. However I am pretty sure that they will send these down to Pitts line to Enola and up the Sunbury line

pumpers wrote:Looking at aerial photos, if they went straight to Olean (not turning right at Machias Jct), there might be a reverse move required at Olean. But if they went via Salamanca, then all looks OK. But probably not worth all the trouble on the part of NS, if it were only out for part of a day .

Sort of related, is the WNYP RR still seeing any trains between its east end and west end? I seem to recall the NS run-through coal trains went away some time ago, and there was nothing running between the 2 ends (e.g. Jamestown to Salamanca?, Corry to Jamestown?), even if technically in service.
EDIT: From the time I started typing the post, until I hit submit (with a few interruptions), CTClark beat me to it. Looks like we are thinking similarly.

The WNY&P regularly operates trains from Cuba to Meadville each week. And from Olean to Driftwood.

They go to Wellsville sometimes for freight car storage. Trains to Hornell are rare.

A weekly train goes to Machias to load gravel.

Glad to hear most of the tracks are regularly getting shined up.
Where do they stash the stored cars? - the siding in Wellsville does't look so long. Or do they just leave them on the main? I see from maps a factory just east of Wellsville (Ljungstrom) that had a car or two though, as if it the main were still open to service it.

^The siding just before Wellsville as you are coming from Belmont.

A new deck girder bridge is now in place over Route 98 and open to rail traffic. The street underneath is also open to traffic, at least when no work is taking place. There is some wooden scaffolding in place around the middle bridge pier of the Tonawanda Creek Bridge but little other signs of work on this bridge. Trains should be under slow orders for awhile yet but 36T which was the one train I saw on Sunday morning had little trouble accelerating once its cars had cleared the work area.

The old bridge.

The support columns have been removed so the street has better clearances on the side.

I was at work the day the new bridge went in, but I can tell you that to local Atticans the bridge replacement was quite the talk of the village... People were lining Market Street from the time I left for work at 6:30 until the time I came back home around 4, just to watch the process. The new bridge looks nice, but it definitely lost the that the old one had, as well as that "will it hold" feeling when you were underneath it with a train above. (I know it wasn't in any danger, but the narrow width and low sides of the old bridge definitely freaked some people out that I know)

All these posts and no pictures of the new one?