Questions on a shortline in Upstate, NY

[CS641]

My job has had me on the east coast quite a bit lately and I recently found myself in the town of Green, New York. There is what appears to be an abandonned line that runs north and parralells NY SR12 for 40 or so miles.

Anybody know the history on this line? When it was abandonned and why?

Thanks!

 

[JWKessler]

I just had my Thanksgiving dinner at Barons in Greene! I got home, and found this post while killing some time.

The line in question is the New York Susquehanna and Western from Chenango Forks, just up rt 12 few miles, to Utica. It is part of the line from Binghamton to Utica. The line from Chenango Forks to Syracuse is still in service.

The Utica branch had very light traffic and the floods of 2006 did some major damage to it. There were several washouts and some bridge damage. The line was embargoed rather than abandoned. There are efforts under way to get it put back in service.

Back in the 1980s I rode an excursion from Binghamton to Sherburne, and Norwich used to see a fair amount of traffic in the past.