After years of circling the drain, the Somerset Generating Station will close on February 15, 2020. Since its railroad line will no longer be necessary, a 15 mile Buffalo, Lockport, and Olcott Beach (BL&OB) rail trail should take its place!
Opened in 1984, Somerset Generating Station was a landmark of my childhood. Its tall smokestack would billow puffy white exhaust, always drifting with the wind off of the lake and we would often see it from Olcott while getting popcorn. My dad told me that it was one of the more efficient plants worldwide and most of the white exhaust was steam. Unfortunately, the pollutants were still in the steam which will not be missed. Economics finally caught up and next year, it will be the last coal power plant to close in New York State.
In the 1960's and 70's, the lakefront site was eyed for a nuclear plant but only one was built further down the lake in Oswego. By the late 1970's though, nuclear plant construction stopped and instead, a coal plant was built. Coal power plants require too much coal to be delivered by truck so some old railroad track was reactivated. Buffalo, Lockport and Olcott Beach Railway (BL&OB) was built around the turn of the century as an interurban electrified line to connect Lockport and points south to Olcott Beach. A favorite summer destination in itself, people could also transfer to a steamship to Toronto. By 1937, passenger volumes had declined and the line was abandoned for the next 46 years.
In 1983, the former BL&OB line was rebuilt north of Lockport, renamed the Somerset Railroad, and connected to a short section of the New York Central's abandoned "Hojack" line. A large curving concrete bridge was built over Eighteen Mile Creek and several bridges grade separated the line from some of the busier roads. A spur connected the line to the power plant. The Someret Railroad is owned by CSX and uses their locomotives to pull the coal trains as Somerset has no locomotives or crews of their own. There are several small chemical plants and other industry served by spurs in Lowertown Lockport. A data center is proposed to replace the plant and will not need freight rail service. North of Old Niagara Rd, there are no other industries on the line which makes that 15-mile section perfect for conversion to rail trail since without the power plants or other industries along the line, CSX will likely abandon it after the power plant clean up.
Costs of constructing the rail trail are not exorbitant and would be eligible for grant funding. First, the County should acquire the line north of Lockport from CSX. Then, the rails can be removed and sold for a profit while the ties will have to be recycled for a net loss as recycling costs have climbed in recent years. The County could then chose a trail paving material, fine dust gravel being the cheapest but asphalt being more expensive and longer-lasting. The County could also construct several parking lots to increase access by leasing or buying land from adjacent owners or constructing narrow parking lots on the former railroad right of way.
While some parts of the County have trail access, especially communities on the canal, Newfane and Olcott do not. The trail terminus in Lockport would be a short ride away from the Erie Canalway Trail on low volume streets, expanding the number of potential users. Rail trails are popular community amenities nationwide and locally too. This trail's potential connection to the lake would attract lots of users and quickly become a popular community amenity. The County Parks Department, the County Legislature, and local jurisdictions should begin the planning process to acquire the railroad right of way from CSX and begin applying for grants. The BL&OB Rail Trail could be a gem of the community, connecting residents to Lake Ontario and beyond, and help the County recover from the loss of its largest taxpayer, the Somerset Generating Station.
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