| This view from Vestal Av shows the end of track as it was in 1990 on what was once the DLW main line from Binghamton to Buffalo. Looks pretty good for not having any trains on it in 25 years. The line was cut here after the consolidation of facilities, which saw, among other things, the Erie moving its trains from their Jersey City terminal to Hoboken, most of them going in 1957, with the Northern Branch trains not changing til 1960. Lackawanna's trains came off this line in 1959, after connections at West BD(now CP Johnson) and Gibson, east of Corning, were cut in. By the mid 80s, the last customers left on the Vestal side of the river were National Pipe and Plastic, and Vestal Asphalt. No trains ran west of the Old Vestal Road overpass. This part of the line, from here to African Rd, was lifted a few years later to become a walking/bike trail, which has turned out to be quite popular. Still, I cant walk it without thinking of a set of F 3s or E 8s picking up speed as they roll down along Vestal Parkway, heading for Apalachin and Owego. |