Looking east from the McMaster St pedestrian crossing of the NS Southern Tier line on a steamy 7/4/20 dawn, we see the continuously-lit signals protecting CP-236 (as in miles from Jersey City) near the Erie depot (now an apparently closed restaurant, Bill's). Where 30+ daily schedules EL, LV. and D&H symbol trains used to run here on the eve of Conrail, only two pairs of road freights (22K/23K IM trains between Chicago and Ayer, MA and 309/310 manifests between Elkhart and Binghamton) ply this route in 2020. I used to see 2-3 freights during French class at nearby Owego Free Academy in the late '60s. And before my time, at McMaster St, the DL&W Ithaca branch crossed the Erie main, protected by a manned tower. Not only did Erie/DL&W/EL/LV/D&H/Conrail/CP/NYS&W/GRS locomotives pass through here but so did many Alco steam and diesel locomotives headed west for delivery to other RRs. At least the tracks remain in 2020 with pretty good care by NS.

Photographed by John Barlow, July 4, 2020.
Added to the photo archive by John Barlow, July 8, 2020.
Railroad: Norfolk Southern.

John Barlow's awards:

» Contact the person who posted this photograph.