First Falls Road Corn Train

On a blustery cold December night, when the thermometer read 10 degrees, the Falls Road Railroad received their first unit corn train bound for the Western New York Energy plant. The facility, east of Medina, NY, is the first ethanol plant in New York State. The train featured two run-through CSX units.

Over a hundred years of railroad experience is in the cab as the FRR crew picks up the train at Junction Road, west of Lockport, NY. Peter Gores regales his mates with a tale of running on the Northeast Corridor, and Superintendent Chris Henrici gets the form from Selkirk to take the train off CSX property.

The first scene on the ground is in a windy Lockport Yard, where Falls Road RS32 2035 has just returned from running Santa Claus trains. The train then crawls through the city of Lockport. Because this was the first unit train and conditions were so unfavorable, maximum speed was kept at 10 MPH the entire way.

After creeping through the sleepy village of Middleport, the 66-car block of corn grinds past the Medina Railroad Museum, about a mile from her final destination. After crossing Alyss (sp?) Road, the train will back into the Western New York Energy plant.

The last two scenes are of the train backing into the mill, and the plant employees taking a sample of the first corn to be doled out among Falls Road brass.

A tip of the hat is due to everyone on hand from the Falls Road that day, as it was a classic Western NY winter's eve. The train arrived at the mill just after midnight.

15 December 2007, Lackawanna Limited video, licensing with permission.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Falls
• Road
• Railroad
• shortline
• GVT
• Rail
• Genesee
• Valley
• Transportation
• railfanning
• CSX
• run
• through
• power
• ethanol
• train

[foamer4269]

This train was 2 months late, don't you love CSX? This train spent most of the trip in a yard in Ohio.

[2NY100]

This reminds me, I have to get to San Antonio after Christmas. I can't stand another one of these winters.