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Abandonded Railroad lines do you ahve nay near where you live?

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Abandonded Railroad lines do you ahve nay near where you live?
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, August 27, 2005 10:36 PM
Well ihave the abndonded Strong city district from neva crossing to lost springs in my county good ole chase county here in kansas, i would have pictures but the water is all over the road its flooding here, and it sucks.
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Posted by Modelcar on Saturday, August 27, 2005 10:43 PM
........Sure, a Cinn. to Chicago CSX line abandoned in '94 and now a beautiful walking and biking trail...and paved. Also many interurban lines that ran in many directions out of the city many years ago...Plus a Pennsylvania branch that required trackage rights to get to it from Anderson, In....

Quentin

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Saturday, August 27, 2005 10:44 PM
At work, the old Milwaukee Road line forms one property line, and the old Rock Island line comes right through the parking lot. Illinois Central passenger depot is across the street, and CNW abandonded lines are within a few miles too.

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

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Posted by andrewjonathon on Saturday, August 27, 2005 10:57 PM
Is there anywhere in the country that doesn't have abandoned railroads all over the place?
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Posted by Modelcar on Saturday, August 27, 2005 11:01 PM
....When younger I used to like to explore abandoned ROW's.....Still like to ID them when traveling and see them....Did a lot of looking and sorting out the 100 plus years old South Penn RR ROW in Pennsylvania and in 1940 the original Penna. Turnpike followed that route...{approx}, from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh area....One can still find fills and cuts along side of the Turnpike if you know where to look...Especially in Somerset Co....And of course others.

Quentin

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Posted by mudchicken on Saturday, August 27, 2005 11:33 PM
06:

Plenty....The more obscure the better. When you have to retrace old R/W's as part of your job, it never gets dull.

Salina Nothern RR
Kansas Midland
Kansas Central/ UP Central Branch ng
St. Louis, Ft. Scott & Wichita RR
Denver, Memphis & Atlantic RR (Almost NG)

Know these? You ought to - They're close to you! (What about Bazaar to Cottonwood to Strong City?)

ATSF Middle Division - RIP
Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
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Posted by GN-Rick on Sunday, August 28, 2005 12:46 AM
Absolutely. I live very near to the old Everett & Monte Cristo Railway.
The right-of-way is just across the river I live on. It was a short line
built in the 1890s to service the mines at Monte Cristo, Wa., and trans-
port the concentrated ore to a smelter in Everett. It went through many
incarnations-E&MC, then Monte Cristo Railway, then was sold to
the Northern Pacific in 1899 as the Monte Cristo branch and then
spun off to another private owner and operated as the Hartford
Eastern using gas cars and doodlebugs. It finally was abandoned
in 1933. Today, some of it is a trail in a very scenic river canyon.
Rick Bolger Great Northern Railway Cascade Division-Lines West
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Posted by andrewjonathon on Sunday, August 28, 2005 12:51 AM
Originally posted by GN-Rick

Absolutely. I live very near to the old Everett & Monte Cristo Railway.
The right-of-way is just across the river I live on. It was a short line
built in the 1890s to service the mines at Monte Cristo, Wa., and trans-
port the concentrated ore to a smelter in Everett. It went through many
incarnations-E&MC, then Monte Cristo Railway, then was sold to
the Northern Pacific in 1899 as the Monte Cristo branch and then
spun off to another private owner and operated as the Hartford
Eastern using gas cars and doodlebugs. It finally was abandoned
in 1933. Today, some of it is a trail in a very scenic river canyon.
[/quote
I know the line you are talking about. I hike down in Robe canyon once in awhile. It is a great little hike. You can easily imagine the steam locomotives coming through the tunnels. I live in Lake Stevens so it is not too far away.
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Posted by GN-Rick on Sunday, August 28, 2005 1:11 AM
Well, andrewjonathan, I live uphere in Robe, so I have really close
proximity to this line. I also happen to own an original Hartford
Eastern Public Timetable and have a brake shoe I found up in
the area. Age of this is obvious-being from an outside-brake beam
truck. It's interesting-thought I'd just mention it.[:)]
Rick Bolger Great Northern Railway Cascade Division-Lines West
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Posted by BNSF_GP60M on Sunday, August 28, 2005 1:30 AM
Here in Kings County, Ca there is was a branch for the San Joaquin Valley Railroad that went from Lemoore to Stratford that was torn up in the mid 90's. where this line crossed a highway, you can still see the RXR on the pavement. In Tulare County, Ca there is all the old grades for the Visalia Electric (SP subsidiary) with some crossing signals still standing and a few bridges. Also there is the old Santa Fe line that were part of the valley district. Many of the grades are still there and even part of it is a walking trail.
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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 28, 2005 7:49 AM
There are many in the Southwest Missouri/Southeast Kansas area. Northeast Oklahoma,Joplin & Pittsburg,Southwest Missouri Electric,Missouri Pacific, St. Louis - San Fransico,Miami Mineral Belt,Kansas Oklahoma and Gulf, Kansas City Southern,Missouri and North Arkansas,many mining company owned narrow gauge lines and some grades that where built but never got rail.
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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 28, 2005 7:53 AM
Please for give me for omitting the ATSF in the abandon lines of Southwest Missouri and Southeast Kansas.
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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 28, 2005 7:54 AM
Please for give me for omitting the ATSF in the abandon lines of Southwest Missouri and Southeast Kansas.
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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 28, 2005 7:57 AM
There are many in the Southwest Missouri/Southeast Kansas area. Northeast Oklahoma,Joplin & Pittsburg,Southwest Missouri Electric,Missouri Pacific, St. Louis - San Fransico,Miami Mineral Belt,Kansas Oklahoma and Gulf, Kansas City Southern,Missouri and North Arkansas,many mining company owned narrow gauge lines and some grades that where built but never got rail.
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Posted by alcodave on Sunday, August 28, 2005 8:12 AM
At one end of my street is the abandoned Erie/Erie Lacawanna dayton branch and at the other is the old Erie marion yard.Also there is an abandoned interurban line in my town.
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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 28, 2005 9:20 AM
I lived in Susanville, California for a number of years where I developed an interest in logging railroads. These logging railroads had long since been abandon, but I tracked them down. Here is a map of logging railroad grades that I put together from one of the operations in the area, it was the Fruit Growers Supply Company, buying arm for the California Fruit Growers Exchange, now called Sunkist, the Orange People.

http://home.att.net/~lassen.logger/FGS_Map.htm

Jim - Lawton, NV MP236
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Posted by Junctionfan on Sunday, August 28, 2005 9:31 AM
In my area we had 3 very busy lines that now have gone. The Canada Southern line which was owned by the NYC, the Cayuga Subdivision which was CN, and the Dunnville Sudivision which was T,H&B.

At one point in time, CN, CP, TH&B, Wabash/NW and NYC used to go through the area.
Andrew
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Posted by CShaveRR on Sunday, August 28, 2005 9:37 AM
I use two abandoned rights-of-way to bike to work--both are within two miles of where I live: the former Chicago, Aurora & Elgin and the former Chicago Great Western. Both are pretty well preserved as rail trails.

Carl

Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)

CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)

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Posted by SchemerBob on Sunday, August 28, 2005 9:41 AM
I live close to Ottumwa, Iowa and they have several abandoned spur tracks. An abandoned railroad bridge still crosses the Des Moines River and the tracks still come down from the bridge. The spur follows the BNSF mainline for a ways and then goes behind the water plant. All the spur tracks are still there but havn't been used for several years.
Long live the BNSF .... AND its paint scheme. SchemerBob
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Posted by miniwyo on Sunday, August 28, 2005 11:27 AM
The South Pass branch here is still used, but not as it was origonally bilt for, It is just used through town now, it services lots of industry, and also a local Progress Rail Services, railcar shop. It used to run all the way up to Atlantic city to service a couple of the mines up there, but the tracks now end at an abandoned coal mine that was shut down about 15 years ago.

RJ

"Something hidden, Go and find it. Go and look behind the ranges, Something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you. Go." The Explorers - Rudyard Kipling

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Posted by doghouse on Sunday, August 28, 2005 12:44 PM
Bangor & Aroostook.
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Posted by CSXrules4eva on Sunday, August 28, 2005 1:24 PM
Do I have any abandoned line were I live. Man do I have tons of them. There are more abandond rights of way than active one here in my state PA. The ones that I'm really familiar with are located in the Philadelphia, Lehigh, and Susquehanna reagions.

In Philadelphia area:
Abandoned ex Philadelphia Reading passanger line a cut off from Cresham that lead to Whitemarsh on what is now NS Harrisburg Division ex PRR. I have ex Reading now Septa R5 line, a little cutoff from Orland ex Reading to Allentown PA is abandoned. I know of a branch line that goes from Landsdale, PA up to Quakertown which was Reading now CSX that has part of it's line abandonded at Hilltop Shelly all the way into Bethlehem Steel. Was ex Reading then East Penn Railroad. I know of ex Penn Central which went from Fernwood to Newtown Square. I know of ex PRR lines that went from Norristown to Oaks which was a branch line. Actually at the old Oaks inerlocking there is an old 45 toner abandoned there.

Lehigh Valley:
I know of ex Northampton and Bath trackage that went from Navarro to Bath yard. I know of Wilkes Barre & Eastern track that went from Stroudsburg over to Suscon. Whole buch of LV trackage taken up or abandoned one place is at Hawk Mountain in the upper portion of Lehigh Valley.

Susquehanna both Upper and Lower Counties:
Near the Endless Mountains who bunch of Erie, Lackawanna, Delaware Lackawanna, and Delaware and Hudson. One line that was sold by NS to a regional railroad includes the famous Struckka Viaduct (spelling) I beleive that was old Erie trackage. Of course there is a whole bunch of abandoned Reading and PRR ROW along with LV.
LORD HELP US ALL TO BE ORIGINAL AND NOT CRISPY!!! please? Sarah J.M. Warner conductor CSX
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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 28, 2005 2:12 PM
There are some abandoned railroad lines in Walla Walla that goes from the penitentiary to the east end of town, it was formerly used by the Burlington Northern railroad, then the Blue Mountain railroad took over the BN and the UP lines in the Walla Walla Valley area, the Blue Mountain railroad still uses the UP lines going from Walla Walla to the Boise Cascade as well as north of Walla Walla to somewhere way east in Washington and south to Pendleton, Oregon.
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Posted by chemung on Sunday, August 28, 2005 2:50 PM
Waba***race,63 miles south from Councill Bluffs.on the old Wabash line from St.Louis to Omaha.http://wabashtrace.connections.net/wbthome2.html
hope the link works.Gives discription and info.

Dave W.
Omaha,Nebr.
A travling man AF&AM
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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 28, 2005 3:36 PM
Almost every former C&NW R-O-W out of Fond du Lac is abandoned. First to go was the FDL-Sheboygan line, torn up in the "60's. Then the FDL-Clyman Junction line was torn up about '85. The FDL-Wisconsin Rapids line was abandoned after WC took over the FV&W in '88. And most of the line from FDL-Butler Yard came up about 3 years back.

The FDL-Clyman line became the Wild Goose trail, and parts of the FDL-Wis. Rapids line became the Mascoutin trail.
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Posted by GP-9_Man11786 on Sunday, August 28, 2005 3:46 PM
I live near the old NYC Walkill Valley line, now a rail trail. The old station hear in New Paltz is now an up-scale Italian place. In addition the old New Haven Maybrooke Line passes through the outskirts of town. A sectionb of it, leading up the the Poughkeepsie Bridge is also a trail.

Further north in Kingston, is the old NYC Catskill line. Most of it is abandoned except for two isolated sections, which are now tourist railroads.

Modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad in N Scale.

www.prr-nscale.blogspot.com 

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Posted by railfan619 on Sunday, August 28, 2005 3:54 PM
WE got a few of them here in wisconsin one is the old SOO line that runs from the old milwaukee road yard (dont know the real name for it ) any way it runs west towrds the old allis chambers plant and I even think it interconnects with. The ex CN&W now Up but not to sure on that last I heard they were going to try to turning that line into a bike path [:(][:(]
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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 28, 2005 4:14 PM
yeah the old sanat fe branch form strong city to cottonwood Falls to Bazzarr, you can see it in alot of places they just abandonded the strong city to cottonwood falls part in the early 80's so alot is still pretty visable, the bridge piers over the cottonwood River are still there.
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Posted by pat390 on Sunday, August 28, 2005 8:00 PM
old wabah abandoned in the 60's with rails ripped out about ten miles north of town
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Posted by waltersrails on Sunday, August 28, 2005 8:46 PM
Yes theres a few near where i live if you count a 30 mile raduis. The one in my town was an ex-CSX / B&O line. ANd 20 miles east is an old ICG/Wabash line. i wi***hey still ran mostly the B&O.
I like NS but CSX has the B&O.

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