Somerset Railroad
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Template:Infobox SGRailroad The Somerset Railroad Template:Reporting mark is a shortline railroad that operates in Niagara County, New York. The railroad was built in the 1990s with the primary objective of providing coal to the Kintigh Generating Station, a 675 megawatt coal-fired power plant located in Somerset, New York. The Railroad in reality was built in 1983. From Lockport it runs on the Ex.International Railway Co. (IRC)interurban (intercity trolly) line opened in 1900 under the name Buffalo, Lockport & Olcott Beach (BL&OB)which became part of the IRC in 1902. From Newfane the SOM sweeps of the IRC (abondoned in 1937) to the Hojack line in Appleton,NY (Township of Newfane, Niagara County,NY) to West Somerset in the Town of Somerset. It then swings off to a series of spurs & a loop at the AES (formeraly NYSEG)Coal-Fired 675 Megawatt Power Plant.
Although the Somerset Railroad owns 428 rotary-dump gondola cars, CSX provides their motive power and operates the railroad. Prior to the acquisition of Conrail by Norfolk Southern and CSX in 1998, Conrail provided motive power. The Somerset Railroad right of way includes 15.59 miles (25 km) of trackage, known as the Somerset Secondary. Unit coal trains from Youngstown, Ohio, run to Erie, Pennsylvania, and then to Buffalo and then north to the Niagara Branch, where they finally swing off onto the Lockport Branch, and then in Lockport, New York onto the Somerset Secondary.
The coal cars are unloaded using a rotary dumper at the power plant. Also on the line in Lockport is a chemical plant which receives anhydrous ammonia via the railroad.
References
- The Greater Rochester Railfan Page, Somerset Railroad (http://24.169.115.143/rochesterrailf/som.htm). Retrieved August 7 2004.