Rochester, New York
The Buffalo, Rochester &
Pittsburg began unloading coal along the Genesee River in 1889, loading
coal into
ships for transport across
Lake Ontario to Canada. Eventually a huge steel trestle was built along
the river shore,
at the end of Boxart street.
The B&O took over the BR&P in 1932, and today the Genesee Docks is mostly remembered as a B&O facility.
The steel trestle was demolished and removed in 1974, and the spur to the docks was removed.
see "A
history of Rochester Railroads" for more information on how the BR&P
and the B&O fit into the history of
Rochester railroading.
Today, the site of the docks
is part of Turning Point Park, and the right of way of the main tracks
to the docks has
been turned into paved trails.
The remaining BR&P-B&O
tracks in Rochester are today operated by the Rochester
& Southern Railroad.
Photo from the Rochester,
NY Library collection.
This photo is from the location
of today's Turning Point Park overlook,
right off the parking lot.
(based on the wood railing in the foreground,
it appears the area was
also an overlook back then.)
"Mouse-over" the image below to toggle between 1926 and 2007.
The 1926 map is from a Rochester
city "Plat Map", in the collection of the Rochester Library.
More maps, and lots of historic
photos can be found on the Rochester Library's Rochester
Images page.
The 2007 Aerial photo is
from http://maps.live.com
be sure to check out the
"birds eye views"! where you can find photos like this:
Thats a look at the Docks
area today, looking West..concrete supports for the main trestle are still
visable
right on the river edge,
left side of the photo above.
Same area, looking South:
Those "Birds eye Views" are
created by a company called Pictometry,
which is based in Rochester!
Scot Lawrence
Rochester, NY