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Dan Syrcher's West Shore Dismantlement Photos
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1/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sat Aug 19 14:02:04 2006
Subject: Again, same location but RJ Corman stacking RR ties. All with tie plates and spikes attached. Estimated weight is 300lbs per tie.
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15-Scrap_ties@Genesee.jpg    52147 bytes
2/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sat Aug 19 13:50:02 2006
Subject: The following three photo's were taken on December 18th 2005. I'm standing at Genesee St looking NE. This is where Corman started the dismantlement. It was pretty cold that day so I wouldn't say it's much fun working the railroad.
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13-RJCorman@Genesee_st.jpg    63319 bytes
3/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sat Aug 19 13:55:43 2006
Subject: Same location. The pile of rails from Genesee St to the Ellicott Creek crossing.
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14-scrap_rails@Genesee.jpg    63609 bytes
4/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sat Aug 19 00:48:00 2006
Subject: Standing on the trestle I read this note. The 10th anniversary approaches. Who will be next? Ya know the saying, "Not if but when."
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12-warning.jpg    87511 bytes
5/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sun Aug 20 16:34:32 2006
Subject: Standing at the Cayuga Rd crossing in Depew looking Southwest. This section of the WS was not part of the current R.J. Corman operation.
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36-Cayuga_crossing.jpg    146056 bytes
6/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sat Aug 19 00:41:34 2006
Subject: This is the steel plated trestle that goes across Ellicott Creek SW of Transit Rd and before Genesee St. This thing is really becoming dangerous. The steel is fine, it's the ties. Their are some that are really rotted. ATV's and motorcycles are still going over the bridge. They are using the guardrail to cross a severly rotted tie. That's not the only one. Someone has already died on that bridge and soon someone else will to. After clearing this section of the ROW, the bridge now sits about 4 feet above the remaining ground.
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11-Ellicott_Creek_trestle.jpg    171163 bytes
7/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sun Aug 20 17:22:19 2006
Subject: Here is the entrance to the WSRR yard at Harlem Rd. To the left of center you can see where rails have recently been removed. To the far left and out of view was a set of tracks also recently removed that also looked like they went underneath Harlem Rd. Also, while overlooking the yard it looks as though all the tracks merged at Harlem rd into a single or maybe double track.

In the distance are tank cars that probably stretched to Bailey Ave. Once in a rare while, I have seen a Conrail caboose parked in here that's used for shoving ops only.
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42-WS@Frontier.jpg    171766 bytes
8/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Fri Aug 18 23:58:25 2006
Subject: Standing underneath the I-90 looking back Northeast towards Harris Hill Rd. I pulled a plate and two spikes and hid them around the corner. I spiked them into the ground so that something would remain of the WSRR.
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04-WS@I90e.jpg    178211 bytes
9/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sat Aug 19 00:29:13 2006
Subject: RJ Corman stacking rails on the truck. When RJ Corman first pulled the rails up near Genesee St during the winter I saw huge gashes in a few trees. Looking at this photo I can see why as the rails are stacked perpendicular to the length of the trucks bed.
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09-Maple_Stw.jpg    184075 bytes
10/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sat Aug 19 15:33:05 2006
Subject: Basically the same position as above but standing on the mainline looking SW. No rails underneath the pavement. The new road that will be fed by the new intersection is visible in this photo.
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25-mainline@Sonwill.jpg    187887 bytes
11/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sat Aug 19 00:36:16 2006
Subject: This is the stack of rails sitting along the Transit Rd crossing. After they finished clearing the line to somewhere near the Thruway, their were 3 stacks of rails along with stacks of ties. Most of the ties still had all the plates and spikes attached. From this photo you can see the signals are still in place. This crossing took a beating in the winter of 2000. The snow was as high as the lower signals. The snow plows wing hit several of them and they went flying into the ditch. Sat there for years. A few high wind storms removed some too. But the concave mirrors are still in place.
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10-Transit-rt78.jpg    188107 bytes
12/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sat Aug 19 15:41:07 2006
Subject: Standing on the mainline looking opposite [NE] along the new culdesac.
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26-MainlineE.jpg    189432 bytes
13/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sun Aug 20 16:44:43 2006
Subject: This is the Union Rd crossing looking Southwest. The Galleria Mall is just beyond the trees. You can see the I-90 bridge in the distant background. The building on the right received RR service at some point. If you zoom in on it you can still see where the 3 loading docks were. They have recently upgraded the building.
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38-Unionrd.jpg    196039 bytes
14/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sun Aug 20 16:51:55 2006
Subject: WSRR meets Galleria Dr looking Southwest.
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39.Galariadr.jpg    204604 bytes
15/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sat Aug 19 00:15:41 2006
Subject: This photo was taken while driving around checking up with the dismantling. This was taken the day after the above photo. You can see RJ Corman pulling up the rails. Behind me and too far to photograph was another crew cutting the nuts and bolts seperating the rails for stacking.
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07-Maple_Stw.jpg    205674 bytes
16/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sat Aug 19 14:40:29 2006
Subject: This is an up close view in the opposite direction of the bending rail. You can see in the background that one of the signals towers is still in place. As of this posting, it isn't standing anymore. It is lying along the ROW. This tower had a lot of damage also due to the 2000 snowstorm and various high winds.
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19-ripped_rail.jpg    213922 bytes
17/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sat Aug 19 00:04:21 2006
Subject: Still standing at the I-90 but now looking Southwest. Although you can't see it in the photo's this area has ties in the ground along the access road. Which came from the switch behind me.
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05-WS@I90w.jpg    219518 bytes
18/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sat Aug 19 00:23:33 2006
Subject: Another photo of RJ Corman pulling up the rails from the same location.
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08-Maple_STw.jpg    221308 bytes
19/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Fri Aug 18 23:36:24 2006
Subject: Standing at Harris Hill Rd [Clarence]looking Southwest. The New York State Thruway is in the background along with the ROW in the distance. As of this photo the rails approaching Harris Hill Rd are still spiked in place and go underneath the road. There is about 3 feet of exposed rail across the street behind me.
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02-Harris_Hill_Rd.jpg    224439 bytes
20/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sun Aug 20 17:08:45 2006
Subject: "The end of the line." We are at the intersection of Walden Ave and Harlem Rd. This intersection has been built up and over the WSRR. The yard is just past the intersection and about 50 feet below.
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41-Harlem_rd.jpg    238553 bytes
21/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sun Aug 20 16:05:41 2006
Subject: This is about 500 feet SW of the previous photo still looking Northeast. The rails on the right were not directly connected to the set of rails for the wye. When you zoom in, you can see that this set of tracks merged with the main on the left and then split for the wye further down.

Also, on the far left is an old wooden trestle from probably WWII when the Curtiss Wright plant and Westinghouse plant was served by the RR's. This is the entrance to the west side of the plant. Not the east side near Holtz Rd.
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31.wood_trestile.jpg    246258 bytes
22/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sat Aug 19 15:28:29 2006
Subject: This is the current view of what's happening at Sonwil. NYSDOT is putting in a new intersection and therefore significantly modifying the crossing. I'm standing on the Wye and in the forground the rails are still in place and go under Sonwil. They've been ripped up on the other side for a while. Beyond the piles of stone in the background is the remains and active track for CSX's Sonwil warehouse deliveries.
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24-wye_at_Sonwil.jpg    258579 bytes
23/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sun Aug 20 17:31:45 2006
Subject: After completing the journey down the WS, I took a quick run up the Harlem Rd bridge and snapped this picture of CSX during humping ops. To the far left and above center is Central Terminal.
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43-Frontier_Yard-hump.jpg    265005 bytes
24/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sun Aug 20 16:29:06 2006
Subject: Would you believe that this is the same location? See what happens in nearly 4 months? Overgrowth. If you look to the right you can see my bike. It is sitting on the beginning of where the siding went to service P.J. Schmidt. Only a small amount of ballast remain.

The rails on the left out of view under the growth have been pulled loose but not yet removed.
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35-siding.jpg    269150 bytes
25/43
From: "Dan Syrcher" sst703 -AT- verizon -DOT- net
Date: Sat Aug 19 14:33:24 2006
Subject: Further up towards Sonwil Dr. I find it interesting that if you kick a rail, it won't move and you've probably stubbed your toe. But the rail bends quite a bit.
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18-ripped_rail.jpg    277683 bytes

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