Somerset Coal Trains Done For Good?

Came across ALOT of pics/videos on the tear out at Somerset.
Credit for them goes to local poster “Handfull of Trains “
This is one of many he has of the Somerset RR.

https://youtu.be/GNkIaDRU1TE .

I didn’t realize how big the rail yard was .
Some of the videos talk about 100’s of the hoppers being scrapped .

Gulf Yrestle

https://youtu.be/E8YyQQwdhD8

Which also begs - all the rails and ties , do they reuse the rails or melt them down.

Forgot to ask - did the plant have its own dedicated switcher?

Mark

Fireman43 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 26, 2023 8:28 pm Forgot to ask - did the plant have its own dedicated switcher?

It did... not sure where it went though...

No Number - GE SL-144 center cab, built 11/1983, serial # 44342, Purchased new

Long ago I flew over it a couple of times. I had aerial pictures of it with my original technology digital camera. Awful pictures. They have long disappeared.

I was catering a weding last week at Bond Lake below the escarpment southwest of the plant. While taking a break I looked out the window and noticed a very tall smoke stack with modern LED flashing lights. I was surprised to see the smoke stack still standing. Personally, I think its a good thing to keep for aid to navigation whether by land, sea or air. But I'm sure somebody will complain about it and force it to be taken down.

Hey Dan...

Once most of the site is cleared, the smoke stack and boiler are supposed to come down at once via controlled demolition (explosives) later this year or next year. The turbine building will come down next by mechanical means. They're doing it in this order to protect the 24,000 > 345,000 volt transformers behind the turbine building for the data center that's being built on site.

Here's the demolition plan:
https://www.aes.com/sites/default/files ... 20Plan.pdf

Here's a couple of pictures I took when you and I flew up there in April 2004.

lvrr325 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 18, 2022 3:33 pm This would have made for a dandy excursion line, with no other traffic to deal with.

Perhaps... if there was no competition. There are at least half a dozen excursion operations within a 2 or 3 hour drive... including excursions on the Falls Road at Lockport. What would entice passengers away from the other excursions?

nessman wrote: ↑Thu Jul 27, 2023 10:31 am Hey Dan...

Once most of the site is cleared, the smoke stack and boiler are supposed to come down at once via controlled demolition (explosives) later this year or next year. The turbine building will come down next by mechanical means. They're doing it in this order to protect the 24,000 > 345,000 volt transformers behind the turbine building for the data center that's being built on site.

Here's the demolition plan:
https://www.aes.com/sites/default/files ... 20Plan.pdf

Here's a couple of pictures I took when you and I flew up there in April 2004.

While writing the above reply, I kept thinking, "Didn't Mr Nessman fly with me..?" haha. I guess so! Those were the gool old days! Good pics.

For years I’d always caught that stack with its plume of smoke as I was on the escarpment in Clarence .
Always in front of me as I came north on Transit Rd at the old Eastern Hillary Mall:

20miles? 30?

And now as I drive across Niagara county in the area of Lockport and Gasport all the high tension power lines that were installed 40 years ago from the plant - are those be utilized now?
Mark

Fireman43 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 31, 2023 7:48 pm And now as I drive across Niagara county in the area of Lockport and Gasport all the high tension power lines that were installed 40 years ago from the plant - are those be utilized now?
Mark

Yes. The generating station capacity was 675 MegaWatts and the completed data center being built at the station's site requires 500 MegaWatts. The dual radial 345,000 Volt transmission circuits will be used to wheel power to the data center end user customer.