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goscrewyourselves

goscrewyourselves

I'm the one
Hi Guys,

Letchworth Park is a State Park about 45 minutes from me and is (locally) re-known for it's water falls and serenity. It is also a place where the Norfolk Southern Rail Line crosses the Genesee River.

The current Bridge was built in 1875, after a fire destroyed the then Erie Railroad Wooden Bridge, and is 820' long and 240' high.

Recently, the State Government received a Federal Grant to replace the old girl with a new Arch Bridge to be built just south of the current bridge. The current bridge will remain in use until the new one is completed. How long that will take is anyones guess; however, construction is suppose to start sometime this year and I will be going back and forth to watch the construction as it progresses.

This is going to be a mammoth task, I would think but is about the most exciting thing (Railroad wise) to happen in New York for some time.

Here is a picture of the current bridge, followed by an article explaining what is to occur:

portage_trestle_01_zpsxs9w4pqm.jpg


The Article:

http://www.democratandchronicle.com...oad-bridge-approved-letchworth-park/21059581/
 
Very nice scenic area, for sure!
Not sure that I understand how a new bridge will "speed up" the flow of rail traffic?
Sounds like g'ment talk to me.
 
Horseman,

I can only assume that the state got the grant because the line runs through a State Park, can't see any other reason for it off hand well, other than giving Cumo (or whatever his name is) something to "crow about". Because it does run through a State Park, you can bet your life that the State is going to be sticking its nose in every chance it gets as well.

To be honest, I didn't read the full article as I was more excited about the thing happening. What Patrick said though sounds right, about newer bridges having higher weights and speeds. All I know is it is going to be fun to watch it all take shape, especially when the time comes to remove the old bridge. Actually, I'd like to see the old bridge stay, just as apart of history if nothing else.
 
Itll be interesting to see the progress.
That old bridge sure looks spindlely by today's standards.
 
Not to sound combative, but let's be real: If corporations were allowed to do whatever they wanted without restrictions, that scenic view would be the LAST thing on their minds as they blasted their way through the state park. I know government can sometimes be a pain, but do you really trust corporations to preserve ANYTHING other than their bottom line? The oversight of the state will drive up the cost, sure, but it will also make sure the park doesn't have some line carving the easiest and ugliest path through what is obviously a beautiful place. Bottom line is we're talking about private corporations here, and if they didn't feel the end cost was worth it they wouldn't build the line. Trying to blame the government for making them not f*ck the whole environment around it is kinda silly.
 
Mike,

Not sure if your reply was directed at me but, if it was, I honestly couldn't agree more with you.

Letchworth Park is an amazing place and completely natural, the history behind it is pretty fascinating to say the least and, if I'm not mistaken, one of the few State Parks where people still own their own places and live, albeit not too many.

The last thing anyone would want would be to have a private corporation plowing their way through it without any regard for where they are, especially as the location of the bridge is not too far up from the Parks main attraction, the falls and the original residence (now a restaurant) are only spitting distance from it.

I really can see the entire build being over seen, not just by the State Pollies but by the EPA, whatever Conservation Groups are around as well as the Park Administration as well. And, all of that is going to be needed too.
 
Now I'm wondering if the park was established before the line went thru or the other way around.
We have lines running thru parks as well, most were there long before the area was declared a park.
 
As the current bridge replaced an earlier timber bridge in 1875, I would think it likely the railroad preceded the park. Probably find that the new bridge's arch design has been adopted to better blend aesthetically with the scenery. Certainly a beautiful spot. You say the new one will be south of the current, will that be closer or further away from the falls?
 
Rico,

My immediate answer was to have been the railway was there first, and geographically it was.

What is interesting though, is that William Letchworth bought about 1000 acres of land "near the portage" in 1895, although it is not clear if the land he bought included the land crossed by the railway. He (Letchworth) then handed the land and all properties on that land over to the State in 1906. What I suspect is the land originally bought by Letchworth and handed to the state did not include the railway.

Glenn Iris Estate (the sole reason behind Letchworth Park) is located 16 miles from Mt Morris, essentially in no mans land back in 1895. The 1000 acres that Letchworth bought (altogether) is about 4 square miles, as such the Glenn Iris Estate was a very small part of what is now Letchworth Park. It is also interesting that there are still 3 or 4 privately owned homes within the park itself.

Due to those things, I believe that neither the railway, or the vast majority of Letchworth Park was given to the State by Letchworth but "taken" by the State to form the Park some time after 1906, a land grab which also took in the area which the NS Rail line now runs through.

So, the short answer Rico is yes the railway was there before Glenn Iris Estate but, may not have been apart of the land given to the State in 1906. Hope that makes some sort of sense.

Toot'n,

The new bridge will apparently be closer to the falls by about 75' (23 meters). While that may not sound a lot, I think it will be when you consider how close the current bridge is to the Upper Falls now. I am guessing that the new bridge will run (almost) directly over the top of the Upper Falls, or close to it. Next time I go up there, I'll take a good look and pace out the distance between the falls and the bridge.

Toot'n - IF the new bridge is going to be 75' south of the current bridge, this is roughly where it will be:

Upper%20Falls%20and%20Bridge_zpsehyov7fz.jpg
 
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wombat457 said:
Mike,

Not sure if your reply was directed at me but, if it was, I honestly couldn't agree more with you.

Letchworth Park is an amazing place and completely natural, the history behind it is pretty fascinating to say the least and, if I'm not mistaken, one of the few State Parks where people still own their own places and live, albeit not too many.

The last thing anyone would want would be to have a private corporation plowing their way through it without any regard for where they are, especially as the location of the bridge is not too far up from the Parks main attraction, the falls and the original residence (now a restaurant) are only spitting distance from it.

I really can see the entire build being over seen, not just by the State Pollies but by the EPA, whatever Conservation Groups are around as well as the Park Administration as well. And, all of that is going to be needed too.
Click to expand...

It wasn't really directed at you specifically, Tony. Just a general frustration with the world :)

I guess it just pains me that even when the government is doing a good thing and actually helping to improve our world people still slam them just because it's the evil government doing it. I actually get it, because I'm so incredibly frustrated with government and politics these days. I just keep seeing people railing against the government just because it's the government, rather than stopping to think about whether they're actually right or good in that particular instance. Sometimes my frustration with that spills over and I get on my soapbox even when it's not necessarily all that warranted. Sorry about that.
 
MikeOwnby said:
It wasn't really directed at you specifically, Tony. Just a general frustration with the world :)

I guess it just pains me that even when the government is doing a good thing and actually helping to improve our world people still slam them just because it's the evil government doing it. I actually get it, because I'm so incredibly frustrated with government and politics these days. I just keep seeing people railing against the government just because it's the government, rather than stopping to think about whether they're actually right or good in that particular instance. Sometimes my frustration with that spills over and I get on my soapbox even when it's not necessarily all that warranted. Sorry about that.
Click to expand...

Not a problem Mike, again, I know what you mean when it comes to "government - any government, politician". I think we get so used to them "screwing things up" that we tend to forget that every now and then they actually do things that are beneficial.

Soap box away mate, hell I do :)

KB02 said:
Boy! That's a hell of a grade getting onto that bridge, huh?!?!? ;)

Gotta love Goolge earth!
Click to expand...

Yu know, I was sorta thinking the same thing ... maybe that's why they're putting in a new bridge ????? :D
 
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