Eastern Railroad Discussion > Fallen Flag Remembrances, Utica NY

First up is NYC 0-6-0 6721, a 1913 Alco product nicely maintained by the Utica & Mohawk Valley Chapter of the NRHS. The 6721 rests on the ex-DL&W passenger lead into Utica's Union Station.

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Next, both the NYO&W & DL&W had freight houses in Utica. The first picture shows the O&W freight house, home now for many years of a vegetable wholesaler, while the final two pictures show the DL&W-built freight house which presently serves as NYS&W's base for its Utica operations (although a sizable portion of the freight house has been recently leased to a glass company). If memory serves, the NYS&W restored the "Lackawanna Freight House" sign shown in the second photo many years ago, time and the elements having once taken their toll on it.

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When I was trainmaster in Utica in 69-71, The NYO&W station still had a sign on the east end with the NYO&W initials.

It's interesting that the sign remained on the freight house for many years following the 1957 abandonment of the O&W. My interest in railroading was partially sparked by the fact that the by-then abandoned Utica branch of the O&W was very close to my childhood home in New Hartford. Even by the late to mid sixties, when I'd undertake "exploration" treks along the roadbed as a lad, it was a tough slog as trees and brush began to reclaim the right of way. A stone O&W milepost (either "NY 271" or "NY 270") was an especially intriguing discovery.

The O&W was a favorite of mine, although I didn't come to that part of New York State until the mid sixties. What was the work pattern of SU-2 from Norwich to Utica. Also curious why they ran a Rome local out of Norwich on the markers of SU-2. Was the work load too much for one crew?
I also remember we ran a "West Shore East" local (PC) from Illion to New York Mills across many, many crossings in Utica. We had diamonds at both the E-L and former NYO&W crossings in New Hartford. I lived nearby on Wilbur Rd. In that time period we still ran to Poland, Lake Placid, Camden and Vernon (via Canastota}. There were switchers at Rome and Oneida. At Oneida we served an O&W industry by a connection off the old NYC main line which passed over the O&W on a bridge. The O&W had been gone for a mere 12 years in 1969.

Lots of interesting info, MP208! My home was on Merritt Place, not too far from Wilbur Road at all.

What kind of protection was there at the West Shore/ex-DL&W & West Shore/ex-O&W diamonds when you were in train service? Were they both simply protected by signals? I'm told there used to be a tower at both locations but have never seen any pictures of either one. I suppose both towers were probably long gone by the time you were working the West Shore East local job.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/14 08:34 by ut-1.

Rome was very busy from WWII and after and the Rome Local did much of the work between Norwich and Clinton.

The Utica Local out of Norwich did the New Hartford / Utica work which was quite substantial even into Erie Lackawanna days with Mohawk Containers, Sitrue Paper and Doeskin at New Hartford. The Utica job would also take up the slack for the Rome Local for heavy outbound shipments from Eastern Rock at Oriskany Falls.

As to the WS/DL&W diamond there was a tower there, gone long ago and protected by semaphore home signal on the DL&W side. In 1971 the diamond was removed and PC crews going to their Mills Branch (WS) operated over the EL where a connection was cut in and then EL guys also used it in order to get rid of some O&W trackage and operated a short section of WS to get to the former O&W spur where another connection was put in, in place of the diamond.

CR 2528 heads south across Genesee Street in New Hartford just south of Utica and the Westshore crossing in the Summer of 1980.

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And a scene from the Erie Lackawanna side of Utica with Train NE97 delivered by the Penn Central waiting an EL crew for the trip to Binghamton in November 1974 while local power in the form of ex-DL&W GP-7's sit down by the turntable off Oriskany Boulevard. Gerry Coyne photo from Doug Ellison
collection

Trains NE97-74 were the former Maybrook connection trains that operated via Utica and Selkirk after the Poughkeepsie Bridge burned in may 1974. Normal pattern was for NE97 to leave Utica about midnight after arrival of NE 74 from Binghamton. Before the Fall of 1975 power was usual a pool mix of EL and PC consists. After Fall 1975 PC power was rare from Utica to Binghamton.

Some of these train had as many as seven units and at times were over 200 cars by the time they arrived in Binghamton.

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As reference to the Rome Local of the O&W, here is a shot of it on the way north from Norwich to Rome doing some work at Solsville, NY. Those hoppers are probably mties for the eastern Rock Limestone quarry at Oriskany Falls. Bill Wilcox photo - Doug Ellison collection

F-units only very RARELY got to Utica but here is the 807 in A-B-B-A with the 601 hauling a Circus train south off the NYC RR passing Utica Cutlery up towards Noyes Street area headed for the crossing with the DL&W at Canal Branch. Joe Schmitt photo from Doug Ellison collection



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/14 11:44 by train1275.

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In the late sixties the EL was an automatic interlocking and the O&W was a four way stop.

Hard to imagine 200 car freight trains on the Utica branch; they must've been quite a sight & sound heading up Paris Hill (not to mention tying up traffic on Utica's Schuyler Street where there's approx 4/10ths mile street running). These days it's just NYS&W GP40 3040 taking 7-8 cars to/from Sangerfield. Maybe the traffic will change a bit once the line is re-opened to Binghamton next spring. Greatly enjoyed the pics and discussion gents!

And a few more, final reminders of the footprints of the DL&W & O&W in Utica:

1) NYS Historical Marker on "Old & Weary", French Road;
2) West Shore Milepost 233, French Road (approx 500' S of the O&W marker); and
3) NYO&W milepost 272 (nicely maintained by a resident of Chenango Road) on the NYS&W's ex-O&W line to New Hartford.

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