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I spent a couple years on Gold St. one house up from RR tracks. I think I was about 10 or 11 years old. I loved to watch the different engines roll slowly by and engineers always had a smile and a wave to us gawking kids. We did a lot of playing on and around the tracks. It was a great time to crawl on the parked cars. Boxcars, coal cars and tankers. We would follow tracks up to Bordens Milk Plant because they always had lots of cars at their plant. One thing I could never figure out was two or three times a year there would be a dead horse along the tracks. Next day they would be gone, but it remains one of those mysteries we could never solve. Going south on the tracks, we would come to the viaduct on Mitchell St. Anyone remember this overpass? It was quite steep going up and flat on top and steep going down. You could stand on top and when a train went by you could run over to other side. It was a great way to get covered with soot.

I never got down to the roundhouse and warehouse. However, I use to take the train to Utica to visit my Dad. The toilets amazed me as the waste went right on the tracks. Can you imagine this happening today?  Something about the old RR was fasinating to us kids. I guess it is a wonder none of us ever got hurt........

12 comments on this topic:

robermv says:

January 2nd, 2008 at 3:34 pm

I too, used to "play" around the O&W. As an eight year old I would tell my mother I was going "out" and end up in the railroad yards that occupied the site of the present high school. The men were fantastic and friendly. I never even remember seeing a railroad policeman. The memories of the O&W have set in my mind since 1957, but now they are alive in my model railroad. Visit it on Youtube.com search robermv32. I have about 15 videos of my model New York Ontario & Western Railroad there. Hope you enjoy.....and stay off the tracks.

pappy says:

January 3rd, 2008 at 8:49 am

rob...amazing layout. Thank you as I enjoyed the pictures. I always wanted to do that, but never had the time. Now that I'm retired and have time, I don't have the room. I tried N gauge, but it is too small for me. I like HO size. Had a lot of items but sold them on EBay. I saw a few policemen as they were checking for hobos in the boxcars. The hobos would jump off down around Mitchell St. I remember the first night we spent in our house on Gold St. Strange noises, but got use to it in no time.

hsmith says:

January 3rd, 2008 at 8:07 pm

Papy - Just in case you had not read it in the Evening Sun I wanted to make you aware of the passing of our old friend Bill Guinn from West Hill. He will be missed by many.

My dad worked for a short time on the O&W railroad our of Norwich. Also, my grandmother was the Post Master in Beerston, NY. She used to get the mail via the O&W and also hung the outgoing mail on the hook for pick up when they tossed off the daily mail bag. As kids we used to put pennies on the track and then search for them after the train went by. We lived on Natoli Ave when I was very young and that put us almost on top of the tracks. I have many memories of the trains, some steam engines too, sitting on the tracks near E. Main St. Check out your videos and loved them. Thanks for the memories.

NobodysFool says:

January 4th, 2008 at 11:14 pm

robermv- great road power, especially the GP 50s and 60s. A nice "what if". Did you paint and decal them yourself or buy them somewhere? If so, where?

robermv says:

January 7th, 2008 at 4:36 pm

NobodysFool,

No, I do my own painting. Even scratch-built a few cars. It was easier than I thought.

NobodysFool says:

January 7th, 2008 at 9:39 pm

robermv- well, you do great work, and your scenery is fantastic!!! When you're ready to sell some locos, send me a PM if you can. are yours computer controlled or is your track wired into sections?

suzuki750 says:

January 9th, 2008 at 10:07 pm

I lived next to the DL&W tracks. I remember playing in the old Merithew coal bins ( where P&C/Tops plaza is now )I do remember the old viaduct on Mitchell Street.That was pretty cool. We used to release the air on the parked box cars to get them to move.I found out years later that releasing the air actually applied the brakes and that is why the cars never moved. Pennies and roll caps were great to put on the tracks.My father used to take us to the Lyon Brook bridge before they tore it down. What a monster that was.Norwich was really busy with trains up to the mid 70's. Hard to believe there hasn't been one train in Norwich in over a year and a half.Very sad.

suzuki750 says:

January 9th, 2008 at 10:11 pm

Nice videos on youtube robermv !! My great grandfather was a conductor on the O&W, and my granfather was a brakeman.

Becky0001 says:

January 14th, 2008 at 10:06 am

Thanks for the memories Pappy, I truly enjoyed them.

With all of the history here involving the railroads and other heavy industries, it would be a real asset to the community if the entire area got behind the railroad and started insisting that it be re-opened. In all honesty it is a great asset and if it is removed we will never again have the inexpensive transportation system that we have at our feet presently. The most logical operating plan would be to utilize the route as a freight road and also as an excursion line. I have seen where a non-profit obtained a right of way, and then leased the frieght rights to a different operator for a reduced price. The non-profit operated excursions in the off hours of freight operations. The idea was to maintain freight service and for the freight operator to make a modest profit, enough to keep up the equipment and also to help with maintainence.
Allowing the line to be operated by a non-profit does remove it from the taxrolls, but with a line about to be abandoned that is a moot point anyways. There is a way to make this all work, and to honor the memories of the great railroad days this area had.

ny2vapete says:

January 14th, 2008 at 4:32 pm

I grew up on Hayward Ave. in Norwich, now I live in Virginia (since '87). It is sad to hear that the railroad is apparently dead in Norwich. I remember spending lots of time on the tracks, especially down by the "black bridge" behind McDonalds. I understand that the bridge has been replaced? I think Becky has the right idea. Turning the line into an excursion run would be the best thing to try. People would actually love to see the Chenango Valley. I was just on an excursion trip in WV (the Potomac Eagle) this past October and it was packed. I've also been to Strasburg, Cass, the Smokey Mt. Railroad in Dillsboro, NC, Spencer, NC, and the Delaware and Ulster. If someone doesn't make use of the line they will undoubtedly pull up the track, cover it with asphalt or something, and turn it into a bike trail....it happens all the time down here.

pappy says:

January 15th, 2008 at 9:05 am

I remember the first time I saw a modern deisel engine. Not the black coal burner, but the huge, bright painted beautiful engine. What a great machine this was. The engineers would always wave and smile as they slowly rambled by. I, also hate to see the trains go by the wayside. I know that Utica runs an excursion line out of Utica to I believe Old Forge. From what I hear, they do quite well. My wife and I are going to try this trip.

suzuki750 says:

January 18th, 2008 at 11:57 am

The old black bridge is still there. They did replace the Rt. 12 bridge in front of McDonalds.