Lehigh Valley RS-2 works the Chapin Manufacturing siding at Batavia, NY. According to their website, Chapin is a manufacturer of lawn and garden products since 1903. They must be a good rail customer, because this small piece of the former LV mainline is one of only a couple of pieces of the Lehigh Valley west of Van Etten Junction that was not abandoned and removed after the formation of Conrail on April 1st, 1976. The LV mainline was removed just a thousand feet or so west of this location. To access this siding, the LV mainline was left in place from here east to the bridge across the former PC/NYC Peanut line about a mile away. The LV mainline, including the bridge was removed to the east of there, but a connection was put in to the Peanut Line. The Peanut Line was accessed via a connection to the Water Level Route just a bit to the northwest. I’m not sure if the Peanut Line connection to the Water Level Route was put in before or after the Conrail merger, but the Peanut Line at one time crossed under or over the Water Level Route. Today, the Chapin Manufacturing siding is served by the Genesee Valley’s Depew Lancaster and Western, which primarily serves customers on the former Peanut Line north of the Water Level Route and uses trackage rights on the now CSX Water Level Route to access the former-LV trackage. I’m curious whether any RP contributors from central New York have pictures of the GVT serving this former LV customer. R.T. Steinbrenner Photo
