The Empire Link

Matt L · December 21, 2011, 08:05:48 PM

Since most of you nice folks aren't from my neck of the woods, I will gladly share information and pics from the Empire Link with you. It is a partnership that NS formed with 10 shortlines in upstate NY and northern PA few years back. I figure most NS fans will like seeing the shortlines which interchange with NS, so here we go. ;D

This is the press release from NS announcing the new operation in 2008: http://www.nscorp.com/nscportal/nscorp/Media/News%20Releases/2008/shorthaul.html

The first shortline in the Empire Link we will look at is the Finger Lakes Railway. As the name says, FGLK is located in the heart of the lake region of upstate NY. It is a sprawling collection of former Lehigh Valley, New York Central and Pennsy branchlines, spun off by Conrail in 1995. FGLK is headquartered in Geneva... and their main yard is located there, too. I spent three different days chasing their local HW2 this year. It operates several days per week between Himrod and Watkins Glen. The most recent occasion was just a little over 2 months ago.

Photo taken by me Friday 10/14/2011 in Starkey, NY.

Matt L · December 21, 2011, 08:08:08 PM

HW2 runs through some very scenic countryside. In this case, the train is heading southbound along the western side of Seneca Lake.

Photo taken by me Friday 10/14/2011 in Reading, NY.

Matt L · December 21, 2011, 08:11:37 PM

Most of the traffic for the FGLK local HW2 is salt-related. GE #2307 is emerging from the Cargill salt mine facility at the south end of Seneca Lake.

Photo taken by me Friday 10/14/2011 in Wakins Glen, NY.

Matt L · December 21, 2011, 08:15:29 PM

Much of the waterfront at the south end of Seneca Lake was a sprawling rail yard back in the days when this line was bustling brnach of the Pennsylvania RR. In more recent years, it's been gentrified somewhat (except for the salt mines), so FGLK runs past a couple of marinas and a park on the northbound trip out of town.

Photo taken by me Friday 10/14/2011 in Watkins Glen, NY.

Matt L · December 21, 2011, 08:19:19 PM

The grade on the northbound trip is pretty steep. It exceeds 1% as the train climbs from the lake shore to the hill tops west of Seneca Lake. Thus, FGLK often assigns a B23-7 to the job, even when the consist is a lone boxcar.

Photo taken by me Friday 10/14/2011 in Glenora, NY.

Matt L · December 21, 2011, 08:22:08 PM

FGLK built this transfer yard a couple miles south of where the ex-PRR crosses Norfolk Southern's ex-NYC Corning Secondary.

Photo taken by me Friday 10/14/2011 in Himrod, NY.

Matt L · December 21, 2011, 08:26:29 PM

The former Pennsy Elmira Branch is isolated from the rest of the Finger Lakes Railway's lines, so FGLK bridges the gap via trackage rights on NS's Corning Secondary between Himrod and Geneva. I have yet to see a Finger Lakes Railway train on this route.

Photo taken by me Friday 10/14/2011 in the Town of Geneva, NY.

Matt L · December 21, 2011, 08:33:48 PM

Norfolk Southern interchanges with the Finger Lakes Railway right in the heart of Geneva. NS local H06 makes the the trip north from Gang Mills several night per week (usually Sun-Tue-Thu). By day, FGLK local GY1 uses the Corning Secondary to access the former NYC Auburn Road.

Photo taken by me Fri 10/15/2010 in the City of Geneva, NY.

Matt L · December 21, 2011, 08:37:13 PM

FGLK local GY1 also services a couple customers at an industrial park on the Corning Secondary itself.

Photo taken by me Friday 10/15/2011 in the City of Geneva, NY.

Matt L · December 21, 2011, 08:41:22 PM

The Finger Lakes Railway is more than just a freight operation. They also offer a first rate excursion service. This year saw a cutback in the excursion schedule, but I still caught an excursion on the former Lehigh Valley mainline a few weeks ago.

Photo taken by me Sunday 11/27/2011 in the Village of Victor, NY.

Matt L · December 21, 2011, 08:43:38 PM

Notice the LV-inspired livery on FGLK #2201. Coincidence? Not a chance! FGLK honors the heritage of LV, NYC and even CR with its locomotives. In this case, FGLK is making a nod to the U23B class, which were the last new locomotives delivered to the Lehigh Valley, back in 1974.

Photo taken by me Sunday 11/27/2011 in the Village of Victor, NY.

Matt L · December 21, 2011, 08:46:57 PM

While most of the Finger Lakes Railway fleet is GE, there are a couple of EMDs on the property, too. Indeed, #1701 is one the three original Geeps that kicked off FGLK operations over 16 years ago.

Photo taken by me Sunday 11/27/2011 in the Town of Victor, NY.

Matt L · December 21, 2011, 09:00:14 PM

That being said, EMDs are slowly dwindling on the FGLK roster. Three of them, including #1751, have been sold or traded in recent years. This GP9 had the distinction of being the only unrebuilt on the Finger Lakes Railway until she was recently traded to the Conway Scneic RR.

Photo taken by me Saturday 10/30/2010 in Farmington, NY.

By now, I think you have the idea of how I'll present the shortlines in this thread. Each of them will be a partner with NS in the Empire Link and I hope y'all enjoy it.

For more information on the FGLK roster: http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/scottychaos/FGLK/

(A special thanks goes out to my friend Scot Lawrence for putting the roster list together.)

Finger Lakes Railway excursions: http://fingerlakesscenicrailway.com/

FGLK freight operations: http://fglkrail.com/

Matt L · December 22, 2011, 08:15:12 PM

The Corning Secondary predates NS ownership- it was the name given to the ex-NYC/PC Corning Branch by Conrail. A couple years before CR spun off the Geneva Cluster to the Finger Lakes Railway, it sold a portion of the Corning Secondary between Gang Mills, NY and Wellsboro, PA to GROW (Growth Resources of Wellsboro), a gov't agency.

Freight operations on the line are handled by the Wellsboro & Corning, while the passenger excursions are operated under the Tioga Central RR banner. For over a decade, the two operations were separate. Both were purchased by the Myles family (a veterans of RR industry) in 2008, so the distinction between WCOR and TIOC is pretty blurry these days.

WCOR has been a beneficiary of the gas drilling boom in northern PA. Freight operations were conducted with three smaller Alcos when the Myles family took over, but the traffic growth necessitated the purchase of 4 SD40-2s in early 2010. I caught up to a pair of EMDs that summer as they headed north to interchange with NS.

Photo taken by me Monday 8/23/2010 in Middlebury Center, PA.

Matt L · December 22, 2011, 08:17:48 PM

The WCOR local passes through an agribusiness that is a rail customer.

Photo taken by me Monday 8/23/2010 in Middlebury Center, PA.

Matt L · December 22, 2011, 08:23:47 PM

Owing to a flood control project which created the lake in the background, roughly 10 miles of the Corning Secondary was relocated by Conrail in 1977. That created a pretty steep grade (1+%), so the SD40-2s get a serious workout on the northbound trip.

Photo taken by me Mon 8/23/2010 in Tioga, PA.

Matt L · December 22, 2011, 08:27:22 PM

This is where WCOR crosses the NY/PA border.

Photo taken by me Mon 8/23/2010 in Lindley, NY.

Matt L · December 22, 2011, 08:29:23 PM

The Wellsboro & Corning passes through farm country in upstate NY's Southern Tier region.

Photo taken by me Mon 8/23/2011 in Lindley, NY.

Matt L · December 22, 2011, 08:32:11 PM

The Wellsboro & Corning local is just a few miles from interchange with NS at Gang Mills.

Photo taken by me Mon 8/23/2010 in Erwin, NY.

Matt L · December 22, 2011, 08:35:24 PM

It is difficult to see WCOR interchange with NS without trespassing, so I settled for this shot from across the highway. Those NS engines were on the move, so they may have been going interchange with either WCOR or the B&H.

Photo taken by me Mon 8/23/2010 in Gang Mills, NY.

Matt L · December 22, 2011, 08:37:23 PM

The weather in the morning was misty and rainy... but WCOR's southbound trip in the afternoon was under dry skies.

Photo taken by me Mon 8/23/2010 in Tioga, PA.

Matt L · December 22, 2011, 08:41:28 PM

The WCOR SD40-2s' brakes were squealing as they headed down the grade created near Hammond Lake.

Photo taken by me Mon 8/23/2010 in Niles Valley, PA.

Matt L · December 22, 2011, 08:46:18 PM

I hope you enjoyed this visit to the Wellsboro & Corning RR. When I resume this series, we'll look at the transload operation in WCOR's main yard, as well as the Tioga Central's excursion operation... which I have ridden.

NSMoWandS · December 23, 2011, 03:02:25 PM

Great Pics! Too bad most of what I live near is Class 1's with widecabs! Love short lines!

Matt L · December 24, 2011, 07:18:13 PM

Quote from: NSMoWandS on December 23, 2011, 03:02:25 PM
Great Pics! Too bad most of what I live near is Class 1's with widecabs! Love short lines!

Thanks! I get to see a little bit of everything here in upstate NY (and northern PA): old, new, EMD, GE and my personal favorite- Alcos!

Speaking of Alcos, the Wellsboro & Corning RR uses a rare Alco RS3u as one of their switchers. On this occasion, #506 had just finished shuffling hoppers at WCOR's transload facility.

Phoot taken by me Monday 8/23/2010 at Wellsboro Junction, PA.