Tourist Lines Take a Beating from Floodwaters

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Scenic railroad halts service

Thursday, Jun 29, 2006

The Adirondack Scenic Railroad has temporarily suspended service between Utica and Thendara because of flooding along the line, railroad officials said this afternoon.

Service will remain halted until the state Department of Transportation has inspected every bridge between the two stations, railroad officials said.

For information, call 724-0700 or 800-819-2291 or visit www.adirondackrr.com.

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LEATHERSTOCKING RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY


FLOOD DAMAGE UPDATE:
An inspection of the railroad yesterday, 6/28 showed the following damage:

1. Minor scouring of the east, and to a lesser amount, west side of the new culvert on Clintonville Hill.

2. Minor to extensive scouring of the west side of the ROW on Clintonville Hill north of the new culvert for a distance of approx. 200 - 400 feet, possibly longer. This damage was caused by the drainage ditch flowing so fast that it overwashed the tracks and stripped away large portions of the cinder roadbed.

3. Severe scouring on the west side of the already damaged culvert north of Clintonville Crossing. This scouring carved out the track substructure, in places, half way under the track itself for a distance of 50 - 100 feet. The damage is so extensive it was not passable by even hi-rail truck, and will be the most difficult and time consuming to repair.

4. Minor scouring of the west side of the small bridge north of O'Neill Station (Cooperstown Dreams Park).

5. Bank subsidence into the drainage ditch just south of the old Phoenix Mills Crossing. The track was not blocked by mud, but several trees were down and have been removed.

6. The property and offices at Cooperstown Junction were completely flooded, with more than 4 feet of water in the basement when the pumps were shut down at 8PM last night. Extensive damage to office equipment and extensive loss of documents. This will be the last time the basement is used for storage of anything, and the upper floor of the house MUST be renovated to protect materials in the future.

All in all, it could have been worse. The two main bridges appear to be holding their own, although water was running through the bottom trusses, but not decking, of the Phoenix Mills Bridge. The Susquehanna River water level north of Hartwick Seminary Bridge is just slightly below tie level, and there is a lake that stretches from our ROW to the Best Western Motel on Route 28.

The southern end of the railroad was not inspected, so any damage there is unknown.

As a result of this damage, the CACV is closed until early next week as we implement repairs and/or devise alternative plans. We may or may not operate Blues Express Trains this weekend up and down Clintonville Hill, at the discretion of Paul Fish, Blues Train operator. All trains on Thursday, June 29th have been canceled. The 1pm train on Saturday, including our first train robbery, has been canceled. Further cancellations will be announced as we ascertain the progress of repairs.

We are activating our Emergency Planning Manual as a result of this disaster, and WE NEED ALL THE HELP WE CAN GET IN MILFORD STARTING THURSDAY, 6/29 AS WE WORK OUR WAY NORTH OUT OF MILFORD MAKING REPAIRS. ANYONE AVAILABLE IS URGED TO COME OUT AND HELP. If we are not in Milford, crews will be out on Clintonville Hill.

Every day the railroad is shut down is a lost day of revenue that we CAN'T AFFORD, so I strongly urge everyone to come out and give us a hand getting things up and running.

Bruce J. Hodges, President & Executive Director Leatherstocking Railway Historical Society Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley Railroad

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Storms derail scenic railroad
Cuyahoga Valley line closed because of damage to tracks in Independence
By Bob Downing

The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad will be derailed until Wednesday, and the northern end of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail remains closed.

Due to last week's thunderstorms and flooding on the Cuyahoga River, the railroad cannot run because of damaged tracks north and south of its Fitzwater rail yard in Independence in southern Cuyahoga County.

That led the railroad to cancel public trips through Friday.

The tourist train was not scheduled to run Saturday through Tuesday because of the July 4th holiday.

For several weeks, until the track repairs are completed, the trains will depart from the Station Road Bridge Trailhead off Riverview Road in Brecksville.

The tracks are owned and maintained by the National Park Service, and the engines and rail cars, all undamaged, are owned by the railroad.

For more details, call 800-468-4070 or visit www.cvsr.com.

Nine miles of the Towpath Trail from Red Lock Trailhead off West Highland Road in Sagamore Hills Township north to Rockside Road in Valley View will likely remain closed until July 21.

Repairs are needed, but the trail is so saturated that it's been difficult to assess how much work will be needed, said park spokeswoman Mary Pat Doorley.

The trail was reopened from Red Lock south to Peninsula, she said.

Other Cuyahoga Valley trails closed because of storm problems are the Wetmore, Dickerson Run, Tabletop, Langes Run, Butler and Perkins bridle trails and a hiking connector trail to the Stanford Hostel in Boston Township.

The Valley Bridle Trail is closed in Sagamore Hills.

For up-to-date information on the park's flood damage and programs, call 330-650-4636 or visit www.nps.gov/cuva/flooddamage.htm.