Charlotte Running Track
Encyclopedia
The Charlotte Running Track, locally known as the Charlotte Runner or the Charlotte Branch, is a CSX Transportation
-controlled branch line located in Rochester, New York
. The track is roughly nine miles in length, beginning at control point 373 on CSX's Rochester Subdivision
and snaking north through the residential and industrial sections of Rochester's west side before turning to the west in Charlotte
onto what was the Hojack Line, terminating just to the west of Rochester Gas and Electric's Russell Power Plant in Greece.
before reaching a switch that leads to the Falls Road Industrial Track, the lone remaining remnant of the Conrail Falls Road Secondary in Rochester. Just past this switch, another split on the line heads east to the former New York Central mainline trackage, which is no longer used due to the lack of customers following the closure of the Kleen Brite chemical company in 2004. Meanwhile, the Charlotte Branch continues to the north toward Kodak Park
.
North of Driving Park Avenue, the Charlotte Runner parallels the Rochester and Southern Railroad
. The two lines follow one another into Kodak Park, the gigantic industrial complex run by Eastman Kodak
and maintained via an intra-plant railroad
. Just north of West Ridge Road
, the KPRR interchanges with both tracks. The RSR and the Charlotte Runner then turn to the northeast for a stretch before the RSR turns to the north while the Charlotte Runner continues northeast, following the path of the Genesee River
.
Just before the Genesee empties into Lake Ontario
in Charlotte, the line turns west onto the former Hojack Line. The track continues to the west for just under two miles before coming to an end after crossing the Lake Ontario State Parkway
, roughly a 1/2 mile after the switch to the power plant.
. There are currently five online customers on the line, two of which are the largest customers that CSX has in the Rochester area.
Following the closure of the BeeBee plant, volume along the Runner significantly decreased due to the lack of coal trains for the BeeBee. This amount could further decrease in coming years as RG&E is expected to shut down the Russell Station in 2008, leaving Kodak as the only major customer on the line and leaving the only remaining portion of the Hojack Line west of Webster
prone to abandonment.
, and passed through ownership by the New York Central Railroad, Penn Central and Conrail before CSX acquired the line as part of the Conrail breakup in 1999.
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
-controlled branch line located in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
. The track is roughly nine miles in length, beginning at control point 373 on CSX's Rochester Subdivision
Rochester Subdivision
The Rochester Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of New York. The line runs from Syracuse west to Buffalo along the former New York Central Railroad main line. At its east end, west of downtown Syracuse, the line becomes the Mohawk Subdivision...
and snaking north through the residential and industrial sections of Rochester's west side before turning to the west in Charlotte
Charlotte, Rochester, New York
Charlotte is a neighborhood in Rochester, New York located at the mouth of the Genesee River along Lake Ontario. It is the home of the Port of Rochester and Charlotte High School.-Early Settlers:...
onto what was the Hojack Line, terminating just to the west of Rochester Gas and Electric's Russell Power Plant in Greece.
Trackage
The Charlotte Runner branches off of the CSX main at CP-373 via a wye that allows access from either the west or the east. Heading north, the line passes under Interstate 490Interstate 490 (New York)
Interstate 490 is an auxiliary Interstate Highway that serves the city of Rochester, New York, in the United States. It acts as a northerly alternate route to the New York State Thruway , leaving it at exit 47 in the town of Le Roy and rejoining the highway at exit 45 in the town of...
before reaching a switch that leads to the Falls Road Industrial Track, the lone remaining remnant of the Conrail Falls Road Secondary in Rochester. Just past this switch, another split on the line heads east to the former New York Central mainline trackage, which is no longer used due to the lack of customers following the closure of the Kleen Brite chemical company in 2004. Meanwhile, the Charlotte Branch continues to the north toward Kodak Park
Kodak Park
Eastman Business Park, formerly Kodak Park, is a large manufacturing and industrial complex in the city of Rochester, New York, in the United States. The complex is run by Eastman Kodak and is located north of downtown Rochester and south of Lake Ontario...
.
North of Driving Park Avenue, the Charlotte Runner parallels the Rochester and Southern Railroad
Rochester and Southern Railroad
The Rochester and Southern Railroad , a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc., is a class III shortline that runs from the city of Rochester in Monroe County to Silver Springs, NY. The RSR started in 1986, when the B&O sold off its Buffalo and Rochester branches...
. The two lines follow one another into Kodak Park, the gigantic industrial complex run by Eastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak Company is a multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquarted in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1892....
and maintained via an intra-plant railroad
Kodak Park Railroad
Owned by Eastman Kodak Company, the Kodak Park Railroad is a private railroad that services Kodak Park in Rochester, New York....
. Just north of West Ridge Road
New York State Route 104
New York State Route 104 is a long east–west state highway in Upstate New York, United States. It spans six counties and enters the vicinity of four cities—Niagara Falls, Lockport, Rochester, and Oswego—as it follows a routing largely parallel to that of the southern shoreline of Lake...
, the KPRR interchanges with both tracks. The RSR and the Charlotte Runner then turn to the northeast for a stretch before the RSR turns to the north while the Charlotte Runner continues northeast, following the path of the Genesee River
Genesee River
The Genesee River is a North American river flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides hydroelectric power for downtown Rochester....
.
Just before the Genesee empties into Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
in Charlotte, the line turns west onto the former Hojack Line. The track continues to the west for just under two miles before coming to an end after crossing the Lake Ontario State Parkway
Lake Ontario State Parkway
The Lake Ontario State Parkway is a parkway along the southern shore of Lake Ontario in western New York in the United States. The western end of the highway is at a partial interchange within Lakeside Beach State Park in Carlton, Orleans County. Its eastern terminus is at an intersection with...
, roughly a 1/2 mile after the switch to the power plant.
Statistics
Though much more important in previous years (see Usage for more info), the Charlotte Runner is still a vital piece of CSX's trackage in Monroe CountyMonroe County, New York
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 744,344. It is named after James Monroe, fifth President of the United States of America. Its county seat is the city of Rochester....
. There are currently five online customers on the line, two of which are the largest customers that CSX has in the Rochester area.
Current
- Marshall Boxes, Rochester
- Comac Builders Supply, Rochester
- Eastman KodakEastman KodakEastman Kodak Company is a multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquarted in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1892....
, Rochester - WeyerhaeuserWeyerhaeuserWeyerhaeuser is one of the largest pulp and paper companies in the world. It is the world's largest private sector owner of softwood timberland; and the second largest owner of United States timberland, behind Plum Creek Timber...
, Rochester - RG&E Russell Station, Greece
Mass Transit
- None (However, the line is in proximity to the Port of Rochester, where the terminal for the ferry that traveled between Toronto and Rochester from 2003 to 2005 is located)
Usage
Despite being a branch line, the Charlotte Runner has seen its share of mainline traffic over the years. Aside from the long coal trains that make their way to the Russell Station every month, the line also carried coal trains that went to RG&E's BeeBee plant located near High Falls in downtown Rochester. These trains would travel the length of the runner and, after crossing onto the Hojack portion of the line, would travel east on the Hojack (as, at this time, the Hojack was intact for a short distance to the east of the Charlotte Runner), crossing over the Genesee River on a swing bridge that dates back to the days of the RW&O, and returning to the city on the Rochester Running Track. The plant and the line were closed within two years of each other and, by 1998, the Rochester Runner and the Hojack east of the Charlotte Runner were abandoned and removed. The swing bridge is the only remnant of this portion of the line that remains to this day.Following the closure of the BeeBee plant, volume along the Runner significantly decreased due to the lack of coal trains for the BeeBee. This amount could further decrease in coming years as RG&E is expected to shut down the Russell Station in 2008, leaving Kodak as the only major customer on the line and leaving the only remaining portion of the Hojack Line west of Webster
Webster (village), New York
Webster is a village in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 5,216 at the 2000 census. The village and town are named after orator and statesman Daniel Webster....
prone to abandonment.
History
The Charlotte Branch was built in the 1880s by the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg RailroadRome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad
The Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad, commonly known as The Hojack Line, operated along the south shore of Lake Ontario, from Niagara Falls, New York to Oswego, New York. Different segments of the line were abandoned at different times...
, and passed through ownership by the New York Central Railroad, Penn Central and Conrail before CSX acquired the line as part of the Conrail breakup in 1999.