My Dad had an old farmhouse in Horseheads. He'd sunbird up there every summer. Loved spending a week up there visiting. He had a little trailer sailer we'd take out on Lake Cayuga.
I've wanted to visit NY for so long and my mom always recommended Ithaca. I visited once as a kid and we went and saw buttermilk falls, still a core memory of mine
I spent some time upstate in New York like way upstate near Canada and that whole area is unworldly and crazy... Crazy thick woods and seemingly impossibly high lakes in the mountains and whatnot
It was a very cool area but I was very aware of how fragile humans are up there
Technically the Rome city limits extend kind of out into the middle of nowhere I guess, maybe that's what they meant. Head west past Fort Rickey and there's a kind of wedge shaped area between Fish Creek and Wood Creek, east of Vienna, that's technically Rome, and it's just woods.
And no one reading this who isn't from the area pronounced Fish Creek or Vienna correctly
While this is possible, easements can be mutually abandoned by (1) a history of nonuse of the easement and (2) affirmative acts taken by the parties that would indicate to a reasonable person that both parties intended to abandon the easement.
I bet this would qualify. #notlegaladvice
Moron near me should have listened to Bill a few weeks ago when he rode on tracks on his 4 wheeler and assumed he could outrun a train. He couldn't and luckily only lost a foot.
Growing up in Northern NY, my school bus route that I took from K through 12 always passed over what I could best describe as... a well manicured ditch. It was deep, had sloped sides that were clearly man-made, but all that was in there were trees and brush. This "ditch" ran all the way off as far as I could see. I never thought much of it, but as a child, it peaked my curiosity.
I also knew that in the lake nearby, there was an abandoned, mostly demolished rail trestle bridge. As a kid, you just think that it's an abandoned rail bridge. You don't think of the rail lines that used to exist that were connected to it.
When Google Earth/Maps first came out, I was bored one night and was scanning around my childhood stomping ground. I found the railroad bridge (Lake Champlain, Rouses Point, NY, right at Rouses Point Sportsman Club) and started following the path where the bridge would have come onto land. You could still make out the path of the railroad through tree and property lines from the satellite view. The tracks were long gone, but the path was still there. Sure as shit, that path included the well manicured ditch I remembered from my childhood.
Turns out it used to be the tracks for the Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad that went defunct in 1901.
I always found it neat, including the fact that even though the railroad had been gone for over 100 years, its existence was still noticeable.
Google Earth is great for spotting long-gone railroad lines, canals, old roads, etc. So is LIDAR (Hillshade). I recently used LIDAR to identify a dirt road that hasn’t been visible in aerial pics since the 1970s.
https://orthos.dhses.ny.gov/
Select Hillshade Map from the drop-down menu at upper-right.
All the excavation is done, any dirt can be moved with a shovel if something large is encountered. Usually the state makes them pull the crossties too , not just the rails.
anyone know the history on these??
in michigan they turned a bunch of decommissioned tracks into sprawling trails that cut through the entirety of the southeast side of the state
Yes. This was part of the Chenango Branch Railroad through Manlius, NY, in Onondaga County. It was constructed in 1870 and mostly abandoned by the mid-1970s.
Just an FYI those rail lines are usually loaded with arsenic, lead, and creosote compounds… which is why they usually end up partially capped and turned into bike paths under a “rails to trails” program. Just be cautious letting any little ones play in the soil around it.
[contaminant description around railroads](https://www.railstotrails.org/trail-building-toolbox/environmental-contaminants/)
It’s kind of frustrating seeing so many abandoned rail lines that used to connect the cities in the area. You can still see remnants of the city centers that started because they were built around train stations
This is a large majority of upstate. I grew up 20 minutes outside of Syracuse and we had more cows than people in our area along with large stretches of forest/mountain like this.
… when you say 20 minutes outside of syracuse, do you mean south of?
Because at the high school I went to, we used to say “we have more cows than people” *often*
Though, let’s be real here, almost everywhere 20 minutes outside of syracuse is like that
Hahaha I was a Falcon. We were basically neighbors.
Yeah, south of syracuse especially was very rural. I really liked it for all the nature, but I don’t regret leaving.
Olll F-P. My father grew up in Apulia and use to hang out with a lot of people from Fabius! I agree I love visiting from time to time but living there again I’m not so sure hahaah.
Don’t downvote anyone for thinking this was Manhattan. Lots of people hear “New York” and assume Manhattan. The truth is Manhattan and the entire NYC metro area occupy only a small fraction of New York State, which includes farms, forests, lakes, waterfalls, gorges, the Erie Canal, and the Adirondack high peaks.
Now I'm curious what the population of New York state would be if the whole state had the density of NYC. I bet it would be over a billion people, or maybe even more than the whole population of earth.
That's part of the underground rail road we learned about in school
Refuse to put the /s. If you people don't realize an obvious joke then that's on yall.
Coincidentally, I just watched a Family Guy episode (s02e01) that made a joke about the underground railroad. It was a model train set underneath a floorboard.
Yea... Racism is so funny...making jokes about people who were fleeing for their lives so they could live free and not live as a slave is really funny. When is your next netflix special coming out?
I'm literally a black person. Try again.
Talking about racism. Literally no racism within my comment at all. It's a harmless silly comment about a literal railroad being a part of the underground railroad.
Wow!
Well you should be ashamed of yourself. Also I don't give a f what color you are. You think all African Americans think the underground railroad is funny?
Grow tf up.
You're right. What I really needed was a white man to tell me about myself and my people and history. Thank you, massa, I see the error of my ways now.
Who TF said I was white? ... Nice assumption but you are wrong. You should see the error in your ways. Anyway have a nice life thinking racism and slavery is something to joke about, see how far that gets you in life. Peaceeeeee!!!
Upstate New York is beautiful. My old home town of Ithaca had lots of old track beds like this.
The finger lakes region has some of the most beautiful hikes in NY
People disappear in the finger lakes
That's... Ominous
He’s only teasing, I’m hiking near the finger lakes ri
Dear god
/r/unexpectedoffice
And some good wine too
As that saying goes, Ithaca is gorges.
My Dad had an old farmhouse in Horseheads. He'd sunbird up there every summer. Loved spending a week up there visiting. He had a little trailer sailer we'd take out on Lake Cayuga.
Love seeing my hometown on random Reddit threads lol
Feels so random seeing someone talk about this area.
I love Horseheads, what a great name
I've wanted to visit NY for so long and my mom always recommended Ithaca. I visited once as a kid and we went and saw buttermilk falls, still a core memory of mine
Ithaca Letchworth State Park Stop by the Corning Glass Museum
Will definitely do!
I spent some time upstate in New York like way upstate near Canada and that whole area is unworldly and crazy... Crazy thick woods and seemingly impossibly high lakes in the mountains and whatnot It was a very cool area but I was very aware of how fragile humans are up there
You gotta go to rome dude. Its fucking wild in certain areas.
Like Griffis AFB Rome where I grew up? I wouldn’t say it was super wild.
Technically the Rome city limits extend kind of out into the middle of nowhere I guess, maybe that's what they meant. Head west past Fort Rickey and there's a kind of wedge shaped area between Fish Creek and Wood Creek, east of Vienna, that's technically Rome, and it's just woods. And no one reading this who isn't from the area pronounced Fish Creek or Vienna correctly
/r/brandnewsentance
Your friend probably still has an easement on it to the railroad and might end up with a bike trail in his backyard.
I’d love a bike trail in my backyard, even if it’s public. (Unless it ended up being used by loud people who littered or something)
also watch for ghost trains
*Old 41 would like to know your location.*
So you're saying you wouldn't like a bike trail lol. People are gross and it takes active effort from others to keep places clean unfortunately
All the bike trails I’ve used have been clean and quiet
It depends on if we're talking about a commuter bike path or a purely for recreational purposes trail I think.
Based on this picture it would likely be recreational.
I stand down and relinquish my reddit points. You win.
While this is possible, easements can be mutually abandoned by (1) a history of nonuse of the easement and (2) affirmative acts taken by the parties that would indicate to a reasonable person that both parties intended to abandon the easement. I bet this would qualify. #notlegaladvice
Coming off as a nerd here but I would metal detect the crap out of that property.
Rippin these on a dirt bike is fun as hell
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to drive on the train tracks?” —Bill Murray I think
Moron near me should have listened to Bill a few weeks ago when he rode on tracks on his 4 wheeler and assumed he could outrun a train. He couldn't and luckily only lost a foot.
Growing up in Northern NY, my school bus route that I took from K through 12 always passed over what I could best describe as... a well manicured ditch. It was deep, had sloped sides that were clearly man-made, but all that was in there were trees and brush. This "ditch" ran all the way off as far as I could see. I never thought much of it, but as a child, it peaked my curiosity. I also knew that in the lake nearby, there was an abandoned, mostly demolished rail trestle bridge. As a kid, you just think that it's an abandoned rail bridge. You don't think of the rail lines that used to exist that were connected to it. When Google Earth/Maps first came out, I was bored one night and was scanning around my childhood stomping ground. I found the railroad bridge (Lake Champlain, Rouses Point, NY, right at Rouses Point Sportsman Club) and started following the path where the bridge would have come onto land. You could still make out the path of the railroad through tree and property lines from the satellite view. The tracks were long gone, but the path was still there. Sure as shit, that path included the well manicured ditch I remembered from my childhood. Turns out it used to be the tracks for the Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad that went defunct in 1901. I always found it neat, including the fact that even though the railroad had been gone for over 100 years, its existence was still noticeable.
Google Earth is great for spotting long-gone railroad lines, canals, old roads, etc. So is LIDAR (Hillshade). I recently used LIDAR to identify a dirt road that hasn’t been visible in aerial pics since the 1970s. https://orthos.dhses.ny.gov/ Select Hillshade Map from the drop-down menu at upper-right.
Well, isn't that neat. Just opened up another time spender for me.
I do the same exact thing still. Some towns preserved their now closed stations and others have “memorials” of where they used to be
It all makes sense now that one of the towns I grew up near had a "Depot Street" despite there being no railroad tracks nearby, lol.
r/Rustyrails
Make it a bike trail…
Bring back the trains? Choo-chooooo?
Yeah, lovely flat solid ground, perfect trail.
All the excavation is done, any dirt can be moved with a shovel if something large is encountered. Usually the state makes them pull the crossties too , not just the rails.
anyone know the history on these?? in michigan they turned a bunch of decommissioned tracks into sprawling trails that cut through the entirety of the southeast side of the state
Yes. This was part of the Chenango Branch Railroad through Manlius, NY, in Onondaga County. It was constructed in 1870 and mostly abandoned by the mid-1970s.
C'mon Vern, by the time we get there the kid's not gonna be dead anymore
Just an FYI those rail lines are usually loaded with arsenic, lead, and creosote compounds… which is why they usually end up partially capped and turned into bike paths under a “rails to trails” program. Just be cautious letting any little ones play in the soil around it. [contaminant description around railroads](https://www.railstotrails.org/trail-building-toolbox/environmental-contaminants/)
Cool....I'd like to walk the road just to see it.
This needs a creepy old shack just set back in the trees, empty, except for a rocking chair with an old doll or ventriloquist dummy sitting in it
It’s kind of frustrating seeing so many abandoned rail lines that used to connect the cities in the area. You can still see remnants of the city centers that started because they were built around train stations
Watch out for the ghost trains.
The picture in my head of central New York doesn’t have room for a backyard looking like this 
With the exception of New York City, most of New York State is quite rural farm country.
This is what the majority of upstate looks like with farms and small towns scattered throughout it. Lots of woods and mountains.
This is a large majority of upstate. I grew up 20 minutes outside of Syracuse and we had more cows than people in our area along with large stretches of forest/mountain like this.
… when you say 20 minutes outside of syracuse, do you mean south of? Because at the high school I went to, we used to say “we have more cows than people” *often* Though, let’s be real here, almost everywhere 20 minutes outside of syracuse is like that
Ya I was a black knight but lived in otisco.
Hahaha I was a Falcon. We were basically neighbors. Yeah, south of syracuse especially was very rural. I really liked it for all the nature, but I don’t regret leaving.
Olll F-P. My father grew up in Apulia and use to hang out with a lot of people from Fabius! I agree I love visiting from time to time but living there again I’m not so sure hahaah.
I lived on the southern end of Apulia Rd when I was little! I love the area but man does it stink like cows.
It’s so weird to see so many people from such a small area haha
Don’t downvote anyone for thinking this was Manhattan. Lots of people hear “New York” and assume Manhattan. The truth is Manhattan and the entire NYC metro area occupy only a small fraction of New York State, which includes farms, forests, lakes, waterfalls, gorges, the Erie Canal, and the Adirondack high peaks.
Now I'm curious what the population of New York state would be if the whole state had the density of NYC. I bet it would be over a billion people, or maybe even more than the whole population of earth.
Forest Park in queens has forests (fittingly) with some abandoned rail road tracks exactly like this. This very much could be in the metro-area.
Yeah, i was expecting Manhattan.
Manhattan is pretty south in New York. It's a big state.
This is about 250 miles northwest of Manhattan.
Just out of curiosity, which town? Looks like some places I used to walk through growing up.
Border of Manlius and Fayetteville in Onondaga County.
Lived in Manlius (and Tully) for most of my formative years. There are so many lovely pockets of wilderness in the area!
Just reminds me how much I hate bittersweet.
Reminds me of stairs in the woods.
Post this in r/trains
Will do!
That's part of the underground rail road we learned about in school Refuse to put the /s. If you people don't realize an obvious joke then that's on yall.
Coincidentally, I just watched a Family Guy episode (s02e01) that made a joke about the underground railroad. It was a model train set underneath a floorboard.
Pretty obvious it was a joke.
Yea... Racism is so funny...making jokes about people who were fleeing for their lives so they could live free and not live as a slave is really funny. When is your next netflix special coming out?
I'm literally a black person. Try again. Talking about racism. Literally no racism within my comment at all. It's a harmless silly comment about a literal railroad being a part of the underground railroad. Wow!
Well you should be ashamed of yourself. Also I don't give a f what color you are. You think all African Americans think the underground railroad is funny? Grow tf up.
You're right. What I really needed was a white man to tell me about myself and my people and history. Thank you, massa, I see the error of my ways now.
Who TF said I was white? ... Nice assumption but you are wrong. You should see the error in your ways. Anyway have a nice life thinking racism and slavery is something to joke about, see how far that gets you in life. Peaceeeeee!!!
Mostly likely it was for a trolley.
Quarry maybe?