The upper level of my two-level layout is all narrow gauge, depicting a portion of the former Denver & Rio Grande Western’s Fourth Division line in southwestern Colorado and northern New Mexico.
New York Central in Rochester NY
Rochester NY is where I spent my school years, and as such, has a special place in my railfanning memories. The home of Eastman Kodak, the city was served by the New York Central’s “Water Level Route” main line, along with four other railroads: Erie, Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, and the Baltimore & Ohio. In the 1960s, the NYC was the dominant player, and was the healthiest of the five. But things were changing, and the NYC merged with the Pennsy in February 1968 to form the Penn Central. The merger, which formed the 6th largest US corporation, was poorly executed, and the Penn Central declared bankruptcy in June 1970.
Downtown Rochester
The action downtown was centered at the Goodman Street Yard, and this was a great place to see E units hauling both named passenger trains and hotshot intermodal trains, the latest locomotive power leading manifest freights, and early 1st generation diesels handling local switching duties. Fortunately, I had very understanding parents, who many Sunday mornings would stop there on the way home from church and give me 20-30 minutes of trackside time with my camera. The locale was complete with a signal bridge spanning the 4 track main line, in front of the yard tower, for some great shots.
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Additional background info: Besides the NYC east-west main line in Rochester, there was also the NYC Falls Road line west to Niagara Falls, the bridge into Ontario and the shortcut to Detroit; the NYC Hojack Line (former Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg) serving towns along Lake Ontario between Niagara Falls and Oswego; and the NYC West Shore line which bypassed downtown. Of the various branches in town, two stood out for me: the Charlotte Secondary, which connected downtown to the Hojack Line at Charlotte, and the State Street Branch (former RW&O’s entry into the city), passing near my home, which brought coal from the Hojack Line to the RG&E Beebee Station power plant just north of downtown.
Charlotte NY
When I heard a distant diesel horn, I knew it was time to get on my bike and head to Charlotte’s South Yard. This small yard, with horrible track, was wedged between the Genesee River and the bluff, just south of Lake Ontario. The crews were generally friendly, and was where I had my first cab ride. For overhead views, there was always the Stutson Street bridge viewpoint. Typical trains on the Charlotte Secondary were headed up by Alco RS1s in the NYC 8100 series (later 9900 series); after switching the yard, cars would be taken to some of the local industries. Just north of the yard was a neat scissors wye beneath the original Charlotte lighthouse and the Charlotte swing bridge across the Genesee.
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Linden Avenue
For a location featuring fast running in a more rural setting, Linden Avenue on the edge of East Rochester was the place. It was also a test of shutter speed and “freezing the action” with a simpler camera, while still being close to the tracks.
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References: A great resource on the railroads around Rochester is Trackside Around Rochester, 1970-1980 by Daniel Orr and Greg Marling, Morning Sun Books (Scotch Plains NJ), 2016 (ISBN 1-58248-512-7). For an earlier historical resource, see Rochester and Genesee Valley Rails by Mary Hamilton Dann, Railroad Research Publications (Rochester NY), 2001 (ISBN 1-884650-09-0). An excellent article on the Charlotte swing bridge can be found in Central Headlight, Vol XLIV, No.1 – First Quarter 2014 (publication of the New York Central System Historical Society).