RE: (erielack) Re: Fw: DL&W Depot Johnson City, NY 1965

["tabeckett_@_stny.rr.com" <tabeckett@stny.rr.com>]

The candy factory was Fair Play Caramels, which was right at Willow Steet
where it crosses the tracks=2E The building is still there, but hasn't bee=
n
used in over ten years=2E The power plant is NYSEG Goudy Station, not Niag=
ara
Mohawk=2E It is now owned by a company called AES, and receives coal by ra=
il,
getting several trainloads per week=2E NS switches the plant-no joke-with
C40-9s and occasionally SD 60s, or even SD 70s=2E NS did some serious tie =
and
surfacing work Christmas week a year ago, and the line is in beter shape
than it had been in years, but it still ain't 70 MPH main line=2E National=

Pipe and Plastic in Vestal is still rail served, and the line extends to a=

point just east of Old Vestal Road, where the overpass is still in place=2E=
 I
don't know if the tracks extend as far as Broome Bituminous, which is just=

before the bridge, and I've never seen them get or ship anything by rail=2E=

The west end of the spur, from African Rd to Bridge Street is now a walkin=
g
trail=2E

Tom B

Original Message:
- -----------------
From:  WSmith5957_@_aol=2Ecom
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2003 10:06:53 EDT
To: dougellison_@_stoneconsulting=2Ecom, laurellines@juno=2Ecom,
railroaddoug_@_erols=2Ecom, alfred_runte@email=2Emsn=2Ecom,
erielack_@_lists=2Erailfan=2Enet, johnkluge@citcom=2Enet, OverCrailway@aol=2E=
com
Subject: (erielack) Re: Fw: DL&W Depot Johnson City, NY 1965


Doug,
             Neat foto of the DL&W Johnson City station=2E If memory serve=
s
me=20
correctly, the station was on the East side of the tracks so this view
would=20
be looking West toward Vestal=2E In the early 60s, there was a roustabout=20=

called the 'over the river' job that worked Johnson City, the power plant,=
=20
and on to Vestal=2E We'd leave the Conklin DL&W yard in the afternoon with=
 15=20
or 20 cars & a GP9 or maybe an Alco switcher and run the former DL&W
mainline=20
past West BD where the ERIE & DL&W lines parted company=2E At that point,
we'd=20
begin switching industries - maybe sometihing for EJ shoe Co=2E then on to=

the=20
Johnson City station area where there was a small cluster of industries -
one=20
of them sticks in my mind, a manufacturer of caramels=2E Cars for him were=
=20
known as the 'candy man cars', thence to the power plant near the DL&W
bridge=20
over the Susquehanna river, always good for a few hopper cars although the=
=20
Company lost that business due to poor service (in an 'economy' measure,
the=20
yardmaster cutoff a yard job and had us switch the yard for hours -
sometimes=20
the full shift - and the coal didn't get to the powerplant when they neede=
d=20
it=2E Niagra Mohawk decided to TRUCK the coal in so they wouldn't have to
shut=20
down=2E Whatever money this saved the RR, it lost them another customer=2E=
 Hey,=20
10 cars here, 10 cars there & now you have a whole train you've eliminated=
=2E
      As an official told me,'We have to be cost effective'=2E They were a=
nd=20
now there's no more Erie-Lackawanna=2E
Regards,
Walter E=2E Smith

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