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Rochester Junction on the Lehigh Valley Railroad 1892 - 2013 [ Updated December 2023 for the WNYRHS ] by Paul S. Worboys |
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INTRODUCTION
| Paul S. Worboys, a native of Honeoye Falls, is looking for any and all information related to the history of Western New York’s "Rochester Junction." An active Monroe County railroad location from the 1890s to the 1980s, this stretch of former Lehigh Valley Railroad has been resurrected as one of the jewels of the "Rails To Trails Movement." Way back when, railroads were burly scenes of rails, railcars, railroaders, travelers, tramps and troop trains… and the unpleasant results from derailments, missteps at grade crossings or criminal activity. Today, former railroad rights-of-way connote a pleasant walk, a bicycle ride and a place of contemplation in a linear wonderland. At last count nationally, there are nearly 2,500 rail trails, totaling over 25,000 miles of recreational opportunity. A geographer by education, Worboys’ fascination is in the layers of history that converged upon the few square miles around Rochester Junction. As the name suggests, its influence, while extending in four directions, is but a tiny segment of the American landscape… all because of the proverbial "lay of the land." Generations of scientists have studied the glaciers that carved out the Great Lakes and the Finger Lakes; the southern range of the wooly mammoth and other pre-Ice Age fauna; and generations of habitation by the Seneca peoples ("Keepers of the Western Door" within the six-nation Iroquois Confederacy). Europeans, on the heels of the French Army that pushed the Native Americans from their range, staked claims to the land and have farmed for over 200 years… and those of us fond of railroads. Not to be overlooked is the subject of water, when residents in the early city of Rochester were plagued by such debilitating diseases as typhoid, cholera and dysentery. In the latter 1800s, a solution was found in Hemlock Lake, thirty miles to the south. Over time, the city acquired the rights to the entire water body (7 miles long, ½ mile wide) and removed the 100+ cottages and five hotels from the shoreline. Steamboat services went out of business, too. Three separate freshwater conduits were placed – all of them through Rochester Junction to reservoirs in Rochester. Diverting much of the water that once energized mills along the Hemlock Outlet and, especially, Honeoye Creek, the project eliminated those who, coincidentally, couldn’t afford steam power to turn their millwheels. Lehigh Valley Railroad planners drooled over that lake as a major resort, even putting an open-air depot on the waterfront in 1895, but all court actions went against them. With the excursion trade mostly gone, the annual "Hemlock Fair" and a couple of mills were about the only reasons for the railroad to serve Hemlock village, 1/2 mile from the lake. Not to be confused with Rochester, New York, several miles to the north, Paul is looking for any and all information (history, photos, stories et al) related to the subject of "Rochester Junction," New York. Credit will be given to all contributors. Please feel free to contact him at: pjerbley@gmail.com ; by mail Paul S. Worboys, 108 Quail Run Circle, Leitchfield, KY. 42754; or leave a message at (585) 697-4683. Thank you for your help! |
PREFACE
| NOTE: This update goes only as far as the formal opening of the RJCT freight house in 2013, when a recreated blend of the former freight house and a classic LVRR line depot was dedicated. Come back in 2033, for a twentieth anniversary update on developments since Monroe County, the Mendon Foundation and unsung volunteerism (not forgetting the numerous Eagle Scout projects) came to the aide of a desolate relic from the "Golden Age of Railroading." |
 "Lehigh Valley Map 1902 (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
By rail, Rochester Junction was 13 1/2 miles due south of the City of Rochester and surrounded by bucolic farms, forests and streams. As the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company was late to the railroad game in Western New York (building a direct line from Geneva, New York to Buffalo that opened in 1892), it was linked to Rochester by a branch line. A line was also sent to the south, via Honeoye Falls, Lima, and Hemlock Lake, New York, thus converting peaceful, agrarian "Surrine (sic) Hollow" into boisterous, yet secluded "Rochester Junction." |
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| This was the original Rochester Junction depot (1892 to 1896) looking west, with the branch to Rochester passing to the right of the station, until the erection of the fanciful Victorian structure (1896-1973). The original was dismantled and sent to Lima, NY for branch line service (1896-1983) surviving until it was razed in 1983. |
| The photo above courtesy of the Linderman Library, Lehigh University Exhibitions & Collection: Photographer: William Rau, 1860-1920. [Mr. Rau was the official LVRR photographer and achieved a world-wide reputation for the quality of his images. He was provided with his own train in which to photograph and process the beauty and diversity of the landscape along the LVRR.] |  "William Rau \"Photography Special\" - Collection of Paul S. Worboys (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2013 - Paul S. Worboys - Collection of Rochester Junction \"Junque.quot; (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©1940 Vera Hanson - Rochester Junction \"parking\" from the front yard of the Terry Hotel. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©1909 Collection of Paul Worboys - Rochester Junction boasted of a post office, from the origins of Rural Free Delivery from 1902 to 1950. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©1959 Last westbound Black Diamond arrives at Rochester Junction (collection of Robert French) (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2008 - Photo and Sign by Paul S. Worboys - Same location as previous photo – sign in same location, but somewhat lower. \"Knee Wall\" outline of the Depot foundation can be seen in the background. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©1930 (Rochester Historical Society) - 1930's view from the new Rochester Public Library, with the Erie train sheds across the Genesee (depot out of sight at far right), the Rochester Subway (placed in the former Erie Canal bed - Erie Canal had been diverted south of the city decades earlier), and the Lehigh Valley depot perched over the Genesee River. Downtown Rochester is immediately behind the photographer. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
The Lehigh’s whimsical 1905 depot in downtown Rochester, which literally hangs over the Genesee River, remains as a revitalized rib joint called "Dinosaur Bar-B-Que." Following its founding in Syracuse, it is one of six locations operating, with Buffalo, Troy, Harlem and Brooklyn still cookin’. |  "©2005 Paul S. Worboys - Just as Dinosaur B-B-Q was evolving into a popular night spot and restaurant, my late friend Frank Plimpton was my model. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©5/11/59 Jim Scanzarell, - The last eastbound Black Diamond arrives at the Rochester Junction depot. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
The passage of the Interstate Highway Act in 1956 and the opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway in 1959, proved harmful to the nation's rail industry. People took to the roads in their automobiles and passenger service on all railroads rapidly declined. On May 11, 1959, two "Black Diamonds" made their last runs through Rochester Junction. On April 1st, 1976, the historic Lehigh Valley Railroad was absorbed into "Conrail." |  "©1967 John Marshall - Rochester Junction Depot - Collection of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Historical Society - lvrrhs.org (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
| Meanwhile, the Junction itself has been silent (in railroad terms) for over four decades. Sadly, the fanciful Victorian station went up in flames on Easter morning, 1973. Michael Redmond, a reader, sent trackside photos taken by his late father, Larry, on that fateful day. Living on the hill above the Junction, it must have been very painful for the Redmond family to watch local firefighters wage a fruitless battle against the flames. |
 "©1972 Vince Milliken - Rochester Junction mainline bridge with East bound freight. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©1973 Larry Redmond - Rochester Junction Station goes up in flames. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©1973 Larry Redmond - 77-year-old dry wood and a stiff breeze made for a losing battle for the firefighters. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©1973 Larry Redmond - The heavy slate roof collapsed onto the first floor. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©1973 Larry Redmond - The blaze was snuffed-out – but rekindled hours later. Being too
far gone to save, the determined fire was allowed to totally consume the iconic structure. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©1977 Paul S Worboys - Freight house drawing. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
.jpg','popUp','750','386','20','20') "©1978 Paul S Worboys - Rochester Junction five years later. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
Rochester Junction without the depot (site was just out of photo to right). Looking north; L-R: Terry Hotel; mainline is in foreground; branch line to Rochester behind the Terry Hotel; Plains Road to the right and going uphill; Junction Road coming in from right just above depot; Freight House center [the roof was cut back years earlier]; mainline and Rochester branch passenger shelters on the far right; house above tracks is one of several erected for |
| key railroad people and their families. The hillside was covered with a workers camp; the first Rochester water line ran parallel with the railroad toward Rochester (two more followed nearby); electric crossing lights were not installed until 6/1/1954 due to frequency of school buses; one of the wooden "RR Crossing" crossbucks was donated to the Mendon Foundation by the Sochins, who lived in the former Terry Hotel; this photo was taken from site of the RJCT baseball field, where ballgames were lively prior to World War I. |  "1910: The Rochester Junction \"Blue Jays,\"sponsored by Bill Terry (Owner of the Terry Hotel) and led by Charley \"Iron Man\" Senn (front right) (Mendon-Honeoye Falls Historical Society) - (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "Terry Hotel c.1910 - Jennie and William Terry’s Hotel has many stories to tell, like Winston Churchill's supposed visit and the Terry's Rochester Junction \"Blue Jays\" baseball team, comprised of railroad men and farmers. It stands strong today, the last true vestige of old Rochester Junction. (postcard series by the Honeoye Falls Times) - (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
The Terry Hotel built by William and Jennie Terry, was the center of activity and today remains as the primary tangible survivor of the Junction. It has had an eclectic history, first as a hotel, a post office, watering hole and shelter to some fascinating people. A legend has it that Sir Winston Churchill stopped for "refreshments" after a speech in Rochester. More recently, the hotel was purchased by the pastor at the Honeoye Falls Presbyterian Church, Reverend Val Fowler (now retired) and his wife, Carol. They restored the property and initiated a new history to this stalwart building. |
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| While this c.1912 scene is "freight only" - the passenger shelters ("umbrella sheds" to this writer) indicate another major aspect of Rochester Junction, when branch trains from the city of Rochester (arriving at the right) and those off the Hemlock Branch coming from the south (left), met such crack mainliners as the "Black Diamond," the "Star," the "Maple Leaf," et al, heading west for Buffalo and east to New York City. Thankfully, the platform and a knee-wall on the depot footprint remain to outline the setting and launch one's imagination into the halcyon days of the Lehigh Valley and Rochester Junction! Terry’s Hotel, with a unique history of its own, can be seen at the upper right corner of the photo. (Courtesy of the Honeoye Falls Times postcard series, c.1907.) |
| With the demise of the mainline in 1976 and the branches in 1981, the place reverted to the serenity of pre-railroad days. Mother nature took back the land and the salvage companies took back everything with scrap value by 1984. |
 "©Paul S. Worboys - This print of The \"Black Diamond Express\" depicted in 1896, probably hung in some Lehigh Valley executive’s office, until the company went belly-up and the desire to protect such a wonderful piece of memorabilia was lost. (Acquired at a railroad show and donated to the Mendon Foundation by Paul S. Worboys). (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©1981 Paul S. Worboys - \"Tombstone of the Past\" – passenger shelters on west side of depot (along with the freight house) stood until being bulldozed April 15th, 1983, as was the former RJCT depot that was moved to Lima in 1896. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©1983 Vernon Smith - 1983 4/15: The original freight/express house was bulldozed away, as was the speeder shed (background). The home of long-time expressman, Frank Yorks, stands on the hillside yet today. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©1984 Paul S. Worboys - April, 1984: Workers with acetylene torches were cutting bolts et al, preparing for a truck to carry away the spoils. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©1996 Paul S. Worboys - Mother nature is captured… taking over the mainline platform at Rochester Junction. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
| Along with other fascinating eras of history that transpired in the vicinity, from geologic influences of the Ice Age, to a Seneca town destroyed by the French in 1687, to a pitched battle between millers and Rochester over water rights, Rochester Junction is a multi-dimensional place that has come back to life in the form of the "Lehigh Valley Trail." |
 "©2003 Paul S. Worboys - The writer’s hounds marked their territory around the Lehigh Valley mainline bridge over Honeoye Creek, just west of the Junction. Volunteers have created a much safer passage for trail users of all kinds. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2004 Paul S. Worboys - Groomers have worked hard to create a first-class rail-trail from Victor (Victor Trails) to the Greenway Trail alongside the Genesee River. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2005 Paul S. Worboys - Spring turtles, residents of nearby Honeoye Creek, found idyllic conditions for depositing eggs in the stone dust. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2005 Paul S. Worboys - One of the first knee-wall projects tackled by various Eagle Scouts, was the footprint of the Junction’s interlocking tower, together with the \"green box\" of advanced technology that allowed for the demise of such iconic structures. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2005 Paul S. Worboys - One of the information kiosks, placed along the Lehigh Trail, was erected by Eagle Scout, Christoff Napp, where the branch to Rochester swung from the mainline (left). The knee-wall, erected on the footprint of Rochester Junction depot, has become a haven for trees and hosta. Also, the LV’s easily passable mainline bridge over Honeoye Creek stands in the background. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2006 Paul S. Worboys - A Mendon Foundation newsletter in 2006 carried the story of one Eagle Scout, Liam Dooley, and a former diamond hero on the Rochester Junction “Blue Jays,” Charley “Iron Man” Senn. Liam led the decking team that brought a key bridge on the wye into safe use, with the spirit of Senn and his teammates cheering him on, Page 1. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2006 Paul S. Worboys - A Mendon Foundation newsletter in 2006 carried the story of one Eagle Scout, Liam Dooley, and a former diamond hero on the Rochester Junction “Blue Jays,” Charley “Iron Man” Senn. Liam led the decking team that brought a key bridge on the wye into safe use, with the spirit of Senn and his teammates cheering him on, Page 2. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2006 Paul S. Worboys - The depot knee-walls allowed for sign placement to inform the traveler where they stood. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2010 Paul S. Worboys - 2007-2010: Sign projects, including distance markers, were taken up by several Eagle Scouts, who chose locations up and down the Lehigh Valley Trail. This one represents a yeoman effort to orient the lost trail user. (Signs donated and placed anonymously) (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2008 Paul S. Worboys - The speeder shed knee-wall project by Eagle Scout, Jason Asarese, was enhanced by two rails… thought to be 1890s originals used on the branch to Honeoye Falls. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2011 Eric Baker - The late Hank and Marie Moffitt at Rochester Junction. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
The late Hank and Marie Moffitt, purveyors of Dipper Dan Ice Cream and inveterate riders of trains to vacation destinations, pose on the former Junction baggage cart they harbored for decades in their garage. When asked if they were willing to donate it to the Mendon Foundation project, they were "all in" from the start. Eagle Scouts, restored the cart [Teddy Cost] and erected a |  "©2011 Paul S Worboys - The late Hank and Marie Moffitt at Rochester Junction. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©1992 The Moffitts partook of a special excursion on a private railroad car, restored LV business car #353, \"The Black Diamond.\" as it was pulled by an Amtrak train through sunny climes, Hank wrote on the flipside of this postcard photo: \"The Bloody Marys are great!\" (contributed by the Moffitts) (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
| shelter [Ben Stewart], while the Moffitts’ son-in-law, Eric Baker, and their daughter’s former classmate, Paul Worboys, caught photos of them preparing to leave town in style. |
 "©2011 Paul S Worboys - Scout Dan Smith restores the \"Station Master’s Garden\". (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
Scout Dan Smith, with Master Gardener Arlene Cluff in charge of the plantings, supervised the clearing and restoration of the "Station Master’s Garden," that delighted travelers during the heyday of passenger train travel. It had been covered with blacktop for decades. |  "©2011 Paul S Worboys - The garden had been covered with blacktop for decades. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2011 Paul S Worboys - On this same weekend, Rodney Ham, whose hands were involved in almost every task performed at the Junction, went below decks beside the garden to investigate what was the depot cistern… or was it the septic tank? (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
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 "©2011 Paul S Worboys - Box car door buried in the since 1964 is still in the dirt, March 2011. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2011 Deb Jackson - Ian Jackson gives Warren Wallace a hardy handshake after his un-earthing the box car door near the end of October 2011. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
Practically fifty years later, one wag thought it would make for an interesting reminder of that massive kerfuffle. His photograph of the half-buried artifact prompted Eagle Scout, Ian Jackson, to have that door put on display, along with getting a congratulatory handshake from Warren Wallace. |  "©2011 Paul S Worboys - With a hard winter approaching, a crew of professionals came in to create a new passage over Surrine Creek’s eastern wye bridge. When the snows arrived, the bridge deck and railings were virtually complete. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2012 Wayne Sheeler - Lehigh Valley boxcar (#62638) makes its way through Canandaigua, New York. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
The real excitement came when a 14-ton LV boxcar (#62638) was secured from the defunct LV classification yard at Manchester and delivered via circuitous route (especially avoiding bridges) to a display track at Rochester Junction. Donated and hauled in 2006 by Thompson Grain, Inc., the whole process, from permits to planning and securing a DOT route, took nearly six years! Here we see it trundling through downtown Canandaigua, seemingly headed in the wrong direction, but it eventually got there! |  "©2012 Doug Morgan - After turning heads from Manchester to Rochester Junction, the boxcar load was maneuvered into position by Klug Crane Services. And, it must be noted, that a former New York Central flat car, purchased from the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum at Industry, joined the boxcar display two years later. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2012 Paul S Worboys - This is the scene several days before the boxcar arrived. The freight house storage and restrooms, together with plumbing for toilets and drinking fountains were completed first. The intersection of Plains Road and Junction Road sits at the base of the hill. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2013 Catarina Carosa - With Peter Carosa managing the exterior work (for his Eagle Scout credit) his crews operated below roof-line level. Utilizing the coming of spring and summer, volunteer crews and Eagle Scouts busily weatherized the freight house exterior. Here we see several boys wielding brushes of primer or paint. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2013 Paul S Worboys - As the date to dedicate the Mendon Foundation Freight House was being formalized, a thankless task (among many thankless tasks performed by volunteers) was completed by an anonymous painter. Thirty-four roof brackets required two coats of primer and paint. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2013 Paul S Worboys - It was nearly a year later that, with an infusion of funds, interior work began in earnest. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2013 Paul S Worboys - Carpentry, wiring, drywalling, rafter work, and several stages of priming and painting, required a goodly amount of expertise to set up the final stages for public presentation. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2013 Paul S Worboys - By June 2013, The \"resurrected\" Rochester Junction Freight House was almost complete. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
At least from outward appearances, the Freight House was ready to entertain. Even the former Terry Hotel, though nearing its 115th birthday, was looking spiffy… thanks to the renovation efforts of Reverend Val and Carol Fowler. Rochester Junction’s welcome mat on “Freight House Dedication Day.” Freshly-painted and ready to receive rail fans AND Junction fans, this electrical switching box stands at the corner of Plains Road and the parking area (formerly the LVRR mainline right-of-way). |  "©2013 Paul S Worboys - Original highway crossing control cabinet. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
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 "©2013 Paul S Worboys - Following the ceremony, many attendees enjoyed refreshments, banter and the sunny day that some might have assumed would never arrive. Eyewitness anecdotes about personal Junction experiences were many and varied. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2013 Catarina Carosa - Warren Wallace, too ill to attend the ceremony, passed away less than three weeks later. He will be remembered by all who knew him for his steadfast dedication to the people and the projects behind the Lehigh Valley Trail. (photo by Catarina Carosa) (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2016 \"Mendon Foundation\" - A very popular event over the years has been \"Race the Trail,\" which has expanded public awareness of recycling former railroad rights-of-way for public enjoyment. This is the announcement for 5th Annual \"Inner Locomotive\" race that was held Sunday August 28, 2016. The Mendon Foundation sponsored its first \"Black Diamond Express Half-Marathon and 5K Trail Races.\" This very successful event continues, with its 12th race day held last August 2023. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
THE END… for now.
| This site has become a junction once again, with astute trail users wondering about its history. To date, many sources of information are scattered throughout the region - in books, newspapers, attics and public memories. As noted earlier, a 2021 compendium of sorts has offered a "one-stop" view of the place… Rochester Junction Then and Now. But many hands can play. There is no one-stop view. Railfans and historians, sure, but the writer has collected a wide variety of artifacts, ephemera and personal recollections from the hoi polloi who have something to offer on this subject. As one of many self-anointed collectors of information related to "Rochester Junction," is it pompous when credit is given to all contributors? There is always room for anything collected strictly for posterity… and without profit motive. Please know that Honeoye Falls is my native home, branch trains passed by my window and pilgrimages to Rochester Junction have been ongoing for over sixty-five years. Contact me via snail mail at 108 Quail Run Circle, Leitchfield, KY. 42754; email at pjerbley@gmail.com; or leave a message at (585) 697-4683. Thanks! |
 "©2021 Paul S Worboys - Rochester Junction Walking Tour Map. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
 "©2021 Paul S Worboys - Rochester Junction Walking Tour Key. (10K) CLICK to Enlarge") |
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