elmira and lake ontario railroad
click the button below to add the elmira and lake ontario railroad company circa 1886 (new york) to your wish list .
parent pennsylvania railroad acquired control of the connecting newark and marion railway on may 4, 1930, and merged it into the elmira & lake ontario a year later. on january 31, 1956, the elmira & lake ontario was merged into the northern central railway .
the local railroad of interest is (was ?) the bessemer and lake erie railroad .
may 2, 1857 it became the elmira, canandaigua and niagara falls railroad company .
1913 the northern central railroad is incorporated into the pennsylvania railroad system, becoming the elmira branch of the pennsylvania railroad .
1879 it was consolidated with the geneva, hornellsville and pine creek railway company to form the lake ontario southern railway company .
1994 newly formed ontario pathways negotiates the purchase of the unsold railroad right of ways .
february 18, 1859 sold at foreclosure it became the elmira, jefferson and canandaigua railroad company .
the four who were injured were on both trains and hailed from pennsylvania and elmira .
the rochester and lake ontario railroad was organized in 1852 and opened in fall 1853; it was leased to the rochester, lockport and niagara falls railroad, which became part of the new york central, before opening. in 1855 it was merged into the new york central, providing a branch from rochester north to charlotte on lake ontario .
as early as 1851 there were serious thoughts of building a railroad north from pennsylvania to sodus bay on lake ontario so that coal from the pennsylvania mines could be more easily shipped to great lakes markets. sodus bay is reported to be the largest protected harbor on the southern shore of lake ontario .
by 1893, the new york, lake erie and western railroad went into bankruptcy reorganization again and emerged in 1895 as the erie railroad .
a short line from canandaigua to a pier on canandaigua lake was built by the canandaigua lake railroad company, incorporated july 21, 1887, which was merged into the elmira & lake ontario on december 27, 1888. the principal purpose of the railroad was to serve as an outlet for coal shipments from the mines tapped by the northern central, using the coal pier at sodus bay to ship to markets on the great lakes .
according to the times article, the three dead were all on the northbound train — the head brakeman from williamsport, the middle brakeman from elmira and the engineer, also from elmira .
it was built as the syracuse, ontario & new york railway and was completed in 1891 .
the lehigh valley had several other branches in new york state: from the mail line to rochester; the former southern central railroad from sayre to lake ontario; a buffalo bypass; and the elmira, cortland & northern. opened from cortland to ithaca in 1872 as the utica, ithaca & elmira, this old road was once 139 miles (including the leased canastota northern to camden )
the delaware & northern was a bridge line to the ontario & western at east branch .
the erie still did not see profits and via bankruptcy was sold in 1878 to become the new york, lake erie and western railroad .
vanderbilt' s other lines were operated as part of the new york central railroad; these included the new york and harlem railroad, lake shore and michigan southern railway, canada southern railway and michigan central railroad .
the southern central railroad company was incorporated in september, 1865, as the lake ontario, auburn and new york railroad, but subsequently its present corporate title was substituted. the company was authorized to construct a road from fair haven, on lake ontario, to athens, on the pennsylvania state line. 25 miles of the road were opened in 1869; 43 in 1870; 27 in 1871; and the remaining 22 miles in the winter of 1871 - 72 .
during the late 1800’s and into the early 1900’s, the lehigh valley built and acquired numerous feeder lines in upstate new york. these included a line north from ithaca following the east side of cayuga lake to auburn via cayuga and a bypass around buffalo for traffic to and from canada via niagara falls. lines also arose from geneva to cayuga, joining the new york central railroad “auburn road” branch just east of seneca falls to cross cayuga lake; from geneva to naples; from rochester to hemlock lake; and from elmira to oneida lake via east ithaca, cortland, and canastota .
the erie began operating the chemung railroad in 1850; this provided a branch from horseheads north to watkins. the canandaigua and elmira railroad opened in 1851 as a northern extension from watkins to canandaigua and was operated by the erie until 1853. at this point, the erie subleased the chemung railroad to the canandaigua and elmira. the c & e went bankrupt in 1857 and was reorganized in 1859 as the elmira, canandaigua and niagara falls railroad, at which time the erie leased it again. the chemung railroad reverted to the erie in 1858 during the bankruptcy .
the erie began operating the chemung railroad in 1850; this provided a branch from horseheads north to watkins. the canandaigua and elmira railroad opened in 1851 as a northern extension from watkins to canandaigua and was operated by the erie until 1853. at this point, the erie subleased the chemung railroad to the canandaigua and elmira. the c & e went bankrupt in 1857 and was reorganized in 1859 as the elmira, canandaigua and niagara falls railroad, at which time the erie leased it again. the chemung railroad reverted to the erie in 1858 during the bankruptcy .
during 1905, competition developed to build a railroad to williamson and pultneyville on lake ontario, as the ontario and wayne traction company, which had been chartered in 1901 as well as the newark & marion. they now sold more stock to build from canandaigua via palmyra to pultneyville. this line was the newark & marion' s line to williamson, which died from lack of funding .
the elmira, cortland & northern (later part of the lehigh valley) had extended from canastota to camden in 1887 .
the canandaigua and niagara falls railroad continued this line beyond canandaigua to north tonawanda with trackage rights over the buffalo and niagara falls railroad to niagara falls and the niagara falls suspension bridge into ontario. this was leased by the canandaigua and elmira from its opening in 1853 to 1858, when it went bankrupt, was reorganized as the niagara bridge and canandaigua railroad, and was leased by new york central railroad. the nyc converted it to standard gauge and blocked the erie from it .
the canandaigua and niagara falls railroad continued this line beyond canandaigua to north tonawanda with trackage rights over the buffalo and niagara falls railroad to niagara falls and the niagara falls suspension bridge into ontario. this was leased by the canandaigua and elmira from its opening in 1853 to 1858, when it went bankrupt, was reorganized as the niagara bridge and canandaigua railroad, and was leased by new york central railroad. the nyc converted it to standard gauge and blocked the erie from it .
the new york, lake erie and western railroad company was incorporated as the new york and erie railroad company, april, 21, 1832. in 1861 it was reorganized as the erie railway company, which organization was continued until 1878, when it was again reorganized, this time as the new york, lake erie and western .
september 15, 1851 the rail line was completed into canandaigua. this is the canandaigua leg of present day ontario pathways .
the erie still did not see profits and via bankruptcy was sold in 1875 to become the new york, lake erie and western railway .
and western railroad to form the erie lackawanna railroad, becoming part of conrail in 1976 .
the two “legs” of ontario pathways, the canandaigua leg and the phelps leg, are both rail corridors dating back to the mid 1800’s .
new york ontario & western ‘s ellenville & kingston railroad began in 1871 with an eight - mile section between summitville and ellenville, followed by the extension from ellenville to kingston in 1901 .
that portion of the northern central railway lying within this state is a consolidation of three roads, viz. : the chemung railroad, leading from elmira to watkins; the canandaigua and corning railroad, leading from canandaigua to watkins; and the williamsport and elmira road. the chemung road was incorporated in may, 1845, and opened in 1849, having been leased while in course of construction to the new york and erie .
the erie railroad merged with the delaware, lackawanna and western railroad in 1960. the new company became known as the erie lackawanna railroad .
the williamsport and elmira railroad was organized under the laws of pennsylvania in 1852. the contractors for building the road were john s. king, of geneva, and i. j. stancliff and a. s. diven, of elmira, under the firm - name of king, stancliff & co. major wm. h. arnold was chief engineer .
orleans — fifty years ago next month, two trains collided head on in this ontario county hamlet, killing three train crew members and injuring four .
this company, as at present constituted, is a consolidation of the ithaca and cortland, and utica, horseheads and elmira railroad companies, the former of which was organized july 31, 1869, and the latter april 2, 1870 .
in 1988, the bessemer & lake erie railroad became part of transtar, inc. transtar was a privately - held transportation holding company with principal operations in railroad freight transportation, dock operations, great lakes shipping, and inland river barging that were formerly subsidiaries of usx, the holding company that owns u. s. steel. in 2001, the bessemer & lake erie railroad became part of great lakes transportation, llc. on may 10, 2004, canadian national railway acquired the bessemer and lake erie railroad. iron ore and coal are still the route' s major freight commodities .
in 1893 that railroad also went into bankruptcy reorganization, to emerge as the erie railroad .
this road enters new york state in the town of southport, and traverses the towns of southport, elmira, horseheads, and catlin, in chemung county, and montour, dix and reading, in schuyler county .
making this railroad a reality, however, was not going to be easy. other interests were competing to keep this pennsylvania and sodus bay railroad from operating. in geneva, a steamboat company and coal interests were trying to defeat the building of railroads throughout the counties. another railroad was planned to run through phelps in ontario county. in 1873, a new geneva and ithaca railroad began operation .
the first railroad train in america - the mohawk and hudson - opened in 1831 - seventeen miles in length - miles of road in operation in new york in 1845 - location - miles of road in operation in new york in 1878 - cost of construction and equipment - the second railway in this state - the cayuga and susquehanna - the new york, lake erie and western - the northern central - the chemung - canandaigua and corning - the southern central - the lehigh valley - the ithaca and towanda - the geneva and ithaca - the cayuga lake - the utica, ithaca and elmira - the syracuse, geneva and corning - the new york and oswego midland - the tioga and state line - the chemung canal .
like the reading railroad, the prr served atlantic city, new jersey; one of the four railroad squares in the board game monopoly is called pennsylvania railroad .
2. baltimore and ohio 254645 was accepted from the shipper by the aliquippa and southern and in turn accepted in interchange by the pittsburgh and lake erie and the new york central without adequate inspection to determine that the lading was properly secured for movement .
cornelius vanderbilt obtained control of the hudson river railroad in 1864, soon after he bought the parallel new york and harlem railroad .
jay gould and william vanderbilt together oversaw all east - west rail traffic in the mid - west. the owners (the seney syndicate) of a 350 - mile (560 km) railroad, the lake erie and western railroad, were interested in tapping new sources of revenue. the stage was set for the creation of the new york, chicago and st. louis railroad .
on 13 april 1881 the new york, chicago and st. louis railway company bought the buffalo, cleveland and chicago railway, a railroad that been surveyed from the west side of cleveland, ohio to buffalo, new york running parallel to vanderbilt' s lake shore and michigan southern railway .
. it bypassed rochester, had no manufacturing industries and was too close to the new york central. the lake ontario shore wasn’t able to make the grade and was sold to the rw & o in 1875 at a court sale for a bargain basement price. by building a short connection at oswego, the rw & o now had a through route from suspension bridge to norwood where connections were available to the atlantic ocean .
melious said he drove up on county road 20 and met deputies and railroad officials near the jensen farm .
the economic recession of the late 1970’s meant railroad layoffs, closures, and downsizing .
on december 7, 1850 the tonawanda railroad and attica and buffalo railroad merged to form the buffalo and rochester railroad. a new direct line opened from buffalo east to batavia on april 26, 1852, and the old line between depew (east of buffalo) and attica was sold to the buffalo and new york city railroad on november 1. the line was added to the new york and erie railroad system and converted to the erie' s 6 foot (1829 mm) wide gauge .
in 1845 a charter was granted to the canandaigua and corning railroad company to build a railroad line from jefferson (later know as watkins glen) to canandaigua .
soon the buffalo and state line railroad and erie and north east railroad converted to standard gauge from 6 foot (1829 mm) broad gauge and connected directly with the nyc in buffalo, providing a through route to erie, pennsylvania .
there was a junction of the ny central ottawa div with the ogdensburg & lake champlain at moira. both roads shared the depot but had separate yards. in the early 1960s, while going to school in the north country, i remember one of the popular restaurants was called the crossroads in moira. i also remember there wasn’t really much in the town to indicate that it had been quite a rail center. the ogdensburg and lake champlain railroad ran to rouses point and vermont. by 1901 it was the rutland rr .
( dl & w). the first result of this was the abandonment of duplicate freight facilities in binghamton and elmira, new york. between 1956 and 1957, the erie shifted its passenger trains from its former jersey city terminal to the dl & w' s newer one in hoboken. also, the dl & w' s main line between binghamton and elmira was abandoned in favor of the erie' s parallel main line in 1958. these successful business consolidations led to merger talks (which, at first, also included the
south of franklin, connections were made to the pennsylvania railroad and a number of regional lines .
the pennsylvania and sodus bay railroad never became operational and its route does not appear on seneca county maps prepared after 1874 .
the syracuse, binghamton & new york railroad company was built between 1851 and 1854 and purchased by the lackawanna in 1869 .
the new york central railroad, known simply as the new york central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the north - eastern united states. headquartered in new york, the railroad served a large proportion of the area, including extensive trackage in the states of new york, pennsylvania, ohio, michigan, massachusetts and much of new england and in the canadian provinces of ontario and québec. its primary connections included chicago and boston. the nyc' s grand central terminal in new york city is one of its best known extant landmarks .
my grandfather was a railroad machinist; my uncle a brakeman and conductor for many years. other family members worked on the railroad in one capacity or another from time to time .
that portion of the lehigh valley railroad lying within the bounds of this state embraces what are known as the ithaca and towanda, and geneva and ithaca roads .
the cayuga and susquehanna railroad company was the second railroad chartered in this state. it was incorporated jan. 28, 1828, with a capital stock of $ 150. 000, and authorized to construct a road from ithaca and owego .
the first railroad company incorporated in the state of new york was chartered april 17, 1826, under the name of the mohawk and hudson railroad company, and under its charter the first link in what is now known as the new york central and hudson river railroad was constructed, seventeen miles from albany to schenectady .
there is a stone marker for the accident just south of orleans on the ontario pathways, an eagle scout just built
train wreck trail
from near the marker to the river bed where you can still see parts of the trains on the hill .
in 1876 the lehigh valley took over the geneva, ithaca & sayre railroad .
may 4th, 1930 was when the pennsylvania railroad paid $ 140, 000 to acquire the railroad and the next year, on march 2nd, many officials from williamsport and philadelphia came to marion to inspect the road .
if you look at the 1874 map of seneca county you will find the pennsylvania and sodus bay railroad from the very southern end of the county north to seneca falls. looking at the map, one would have no reason to even consider the possibility that this railroad never actually operated and not a single mile of railroad track in seneca county was ever laid for this railroad line !
the schenectady and troy railroad was chartered in 1836 and opened in 1842, providing another route between the hudson river and schenectady, with its hudson river terminal at troy .
the erie railroad, the clearfield progress, november 16, 1967, page 1 .
michigan oscoda press iosco county news - herald oceana' s herald - journal white lake beacon ludington daily news mississippi valley keokuk daily gate city ft. madison daily democrat hancock co. journal - pilot new york finger lakes times olean times herald salamanca press
in 1852 the buffalo and rochester railroad, part of the new york central railroad system, completed a new alignment between buffalo and batavia. the alignment from buffalo to attica was sold to the erie' s buffalo and new york city railroad, a reorganization of the attica and hornellsville railroad, and converted to the erie' s wide gauge. the extension from attica southeast to hornellsville opened on november 17, 1852, giving the erie access to buffalo, a better terminal than dunkirk .
the utica, chenango & susquehanna valley railroad was organized in 1866 and came under the lackawanna in 1870. inclusion of the greene railroad company linked up this road with the syracuse route at chenango forks .
in 1852 the buffalo and rochester railroad, part of the new york central railroad system, completed a new alignment between buffalo and batavia. the new alignment from buffalo to attica was sold to the erie' s buffalo and new york city railroad, a reorganization of the attica and hornellsville railroad, and converted to the erie' s wide gauge. the extension from attica southeast to hornellsville opened on november 17, 1852, giving the erie access to buffalo, a better terminal than dunkirk .
vanderbilt kept most of the rail traffic on his lake shore and michigan southern. fewer trains on the nickel plate meant that they could move faster, so that is the railroad traffic they went after. by 1888 the nickel plate had been dubbed
the meat express line .
observers at fort wayne, indiana reported six long meat trains every night and a couple of fruit trains during the day .
in addition to the syracuse and utica direct, another never - built company - the mohawk valley railroad - was chartered january 21, 1851 and reorganized december 28, 1852, to build a railroad on the south side of the mohawk river from schenectady to utica, next to the erie canal and opposite the utica and schenectady. the west shore railroad later built on that location .
the idea of an east - west railroad across northern ohio was very popular with the people of ohio. they wanted to break the high freight rates charged by jay gould and william henry vanderbilt. no one was less popular in ohio than william vanderbilt since the 29 december 1876 collapse of lake shore and michigan southern railway' s ashtabula river trestle, where 64 people had been injured and 92 were killed or died later from injuries .
the eastern part of the prr' s main line was built by the commonwealth of pennsylvania as part of the main line of public works, a railroad and canal corridor across the state. the system opened in 1834, consisting of the philadelphia and columbia railroad from philadelphia west to columbia on the susquehanna river, a canal from columbia to hollidaysburg, the allegheny portage railroad from hollidaysburg to johnstown, and another canal from johnstown to the terminus in pittsburgh. the philadelphia and columbia railroad had one inclined plane at each end; the allegheny portage railroad had ten .
the new york central lines of 1921 represented what were originally 315 separate companies. the new york central lines did not become known as the new york central system until 1935. the principal component was the new york central railroad which represented 186 predecessor companies. its main line between new york and chicago was officially completed in 1914 when the lake shore & michigan southern was consolidated. the 6, 075 main line and branch miles of the new york central railroad swelled to 12, 550 by the leased, controlled and subsidiary lines .
george w. perkins brought frederick d. underwood into the erie railroad in 1910. during the eastern railroad strike of 1913 underwood agreed to accept any ruling made by mediators under the
to the west of rochester, the tonawanda railroad was chartered april 24, 1832 to build from rochester to attica. the first section, from rochester southwest to batavia, opened may 5, 1837, and the rest of the line to attica opened on january 8, 1843. the attica and buffalo railroad was chartered in 1836 and opened on november 24, 1842, running from buffalo east to attica. when the auburn and rochester railroad opened in 1841, there was no connection at rochester to the tonawanda railroad, but with that exception, there was now an all - rail line between buffalo and albany with the completion of the tonawanda railroad. on march 19, 1844 the tonawanda railroad was authorized to build the connection, and it opened later that year. the albany and schenectady railroad bought all the baggage, mail and emigrant cars of the other railroads between albany and buffalo on february 17, 1848 and began operating through cars .
even after the assorted mergers and name - changes, the railroad was always known as the nickel plate in my family .
to restore access to the niagara falls suspension bridge, the erie got the suspension bridge and erie junction railroad chartered in 1868. the line opened in 1871, running from eastern buffalo to tonawanda and then alongside the new york central railroad' s buffalo and niagara falls railroad to the bridge. the erie international railway, chartered 1872 and opened 1874, provided a branch to the international bridge, and the lockport and buffalo railway, chartered 1871 and opened 1879, provided a branch to lockport .
to restore access to the niagara falls suspension bridge, the erie got the suspension bridge and erie junction railroad chartered in 1868. the line opened in 1871, running from eastern buffalo to tonawanda and then alongside the new york central railroad' s buffalo and niagara falls railroad to the bridge. the erie international railway, chartered 1872 and opened 1874, provided a branch to the international bridge, and the lockport and buffalo railway, chartered 1871 and opened 1879, provided a branch to lockport .
on july 1, 1900, the boston and albany railroad was leased by the new york central, although it retained a separate identity. in 1914 the name was changed again forming the modern new york central railroad .
1852 the sodus point and southern railroad surveyed the route and was granted a charter to build. it would be 19 more years before track work was started .
formerly erie railroad tracks pass through nutley, new jersey. track on left is out of service
the geneva and ithaca railroad was incorporated in 1870, and in october, 1874, was opened for business. as mentioned above, it was consolidated with the ithaca and athens, and is now operated by the lehigh valley road .
do you have any pictures or information about the newark and marion railroad? please. you will get credit for anything you contribute .
i knew that something awful was happening, and having some experience in railroad accidents, i braced myself as best i knew how .
the marion branch was operated by the new ontario midland (omid) after 1979, which took over several area branchline operations cast off by conrail. the last train over the old newark & marion was july 1984, with privately owned ex - buffalo rochester & pittsburgh caboose # c2621 the last thing to leave town. by this time, track conditions in marion were terrible, and ontario midland had to pay a fee ($ 100. 00) to conrail for each trip across their mainline to access the marion branch. the cost to maintain the operation could not be justified and the remaining local businesses turned elsewhere. the seventy - nine year life of the newark & marion had come to an end .
the ithaca and towanda railroad company was incorporated in december, 1865, and in 1868, by a special act of the legislature, its name was changed to the ithaca and athens road. it was completed and opened for traffic in 1870. it was subsequently merged with the geneva and ithaca railway, under the title of the geneva, ithaca and athens railroad. this name was afterwards superseded by geneva, ithaca and sayre, and is operated by the lehigh valley road .
in 1890 the new york central & hudson river r. r. published a book entitled “health and pleasure on america’s greatest railroad. ”
the syracuse and utica railroad was chartered may 1, 1836 and similarly had to pay the state for any freight displaced from the canal. the full line opened july 3, 1839, extending the line further to syracuse via rome (and further to auburn via the already - opened auburn and syracuse railroad). this line was not direct, going out of its way to stay near the erie canal and serve rome, and so the syracuse and utica direct railroad was chartered january 26, 1853. nothing of that line was ever built, though the later west shore railroad, acquired by the new york central in 1885, served the same purpose .
the lockport and niagara falls railroad was chartered in 1834 to build from lockport on the erie canal west to niagara falls; it opened in 1838. on december 14, 1850 it was reorganized as the rochester, lockport and niagara falls railroad, and an extension east to rochester opened on july 1, 1852 .
the oldest part of the new york central was the first permanent railroad in the state of new york and one of the first railroads in the united states. the mohawk and hudson railroad was chartered in 1826 to connect the mohawk river at schenectady to the hudson river at albany, providing a way for cargo on steamboats to avoid the erie canal. the mohawk and hudson opened on september 24, 1831, and changed its name to the albany and schenectady railroad on april 19, 1847 .
organized april 24, 1872. line of road: junction northern central railway, n. y. , to tioga railway, n. y. , about 6. 5 miles. this road is intended to run from the junction of the northern central railway, 2. 5 miles south of elmira, n. y. , to the pennsylvania state line, to intersect a branch of the tioga railroad. the road was opened in 1877 .
the few railroad jobs to be had went to the folks with closer family ties than i could muster .
here' s the link again: urltoken. if that doesn' t work, just type ontario pathways into the search engine at it will come up first on the list. thanks for all the info. the trailhead is located south off 96 (there is a small parking lot with an ontario pathways sign). the parking lot is located perhaps. 25 miles east of the intersection of routes 96 and 488. thanks for the answer regarding oswego. i figured it was something like that. i plan on hiking it further, perhaps from a trailhead that begins at the southern end in the small community of orleans on route 488. i know there' s an old water tower there that was built for the railroad but is still used by the local fire dept. it was mentioned on a previous thread .
1882 sold at foreclosure again. was bought by a. h. harriman who reorganized it to become the sodus bay and southern railroad company .
the buffalo and lockport railroad was chartered april 27, 1852 to build a branch of the rochester, lockport and niagara falls from lockport towards buffalo. it opened in 1854, running from lockport to tonawanda, where it junctioned with the buffalo and niagara falls railroad, opened 1837, for the rest of the way to buffalo .
the paterson and ramapo railroad and union railroad opened in 1848, providing a connection between the erie at ramapo and jersey city, across the hudson river from new york city. through ticketing began in 1851, with a required change of cars at ramapo due to the gauge break. in 1852 the erie leased the two companies along with the paterson and hudson river railroad, and erie trains begin operating to the new jersey rail road' s jersey city terminal on november 1853 after a third rail for wide gauge was finished .
also in 1855 came the merger of the lewiston railroad, running from niagara falls north to lewiston. it was chartered in 1836 and opened in 1837 without connections to other railroads. in 1854 a southern extension opened to the buffalo and niagara falls railroad and the line was leased to the new york central; it was merged in 1855 .
the utica and schenectady railroad was chartered april 29, 1833; as the railroad paralleled the erie canal it was prohibited from carrying freight. revenue service began august 2, 1836, extending the line of the albany and schenectady railroad west from schenectady along the north side of the mohawk river, opposite the erie canal, to utica. on may 7, 1844 the railroad was authorized to carry freight with some restrictions, and on may 12, 1847 the ban was fully dropped, but the company still had to pay the equivalent in canal tolls to the state .
the spuyten duyvil and port morris railroad was chartered in 1869 and opened in 1871, providing a route on the north side of the harlem river for trains along the hudson river to head southeast to the new york and harlem railroad towards grand central terminal or the freight facilities at port morris. from opening it was leased by the new york central .
the buffalo and niagara falls railroad was also merged into the new york central in 1855. it had been chartered in 1834 and opened in 1837, providing a line between buffalo and niagara falls. it was leased to the new york central in 1853 and merged in 1855 .
in december 1928, s. c. comstock of newark, who had large canning interests in marion, bought the controlling interest in the railroad. he devoted a good deal of time to improving the railroad, more land was purchased and sidings were installed, making a greatly expanded yard for shifting and loading .
reader paul shinal of seneca falls — he is the secretary and historian of the central new york model railroad club and historical society — suggested we revisit this may 14, 1964, accident on its 50th anniversary since “it was likely the last major accident resulting in the death of railroad employees in this area. ”
although educated as a physician, william seward webb built two hundred miles of railroad and opened up the adirondack wilderness where others had failed. new york central tracks reached into the adirondacks. one line even went across the canadian border to ottawa. the adirondack railroad originally started in herkimer and later moved to utica .
the paterson and ramapo railroad and union railroad opened in 1848, providing a connection between the erie at the village of suffern in ramapo and jersey city, across the hudson river from new york city. through ticketing began in 1851, with a required change of cars at ramapo due to the gauge break. in 1852 the erie leased the two companies along with the paterson and hudson river railroad, and erie trains begin operating to the new jersey rail road' s jersey city terminal on november 1853 after a third rail for wide gauge was finished .
in 1853 the prr surveyed the lancaster, lebanon and pine grove railroad from philadelphia west via phoenixville to salunga on the portsmouth, mount joy and lancaster railroad. this was done in order to show the state that the prr was willing to build its own alignment around the philadelphia and columbia. on july 31, 1857, the prr bought the whole main line of public works. the philadelphia and columbia railroad was integrated into its system. most of the new portage railroad, just completed the previous year at a cost of $ 2. 14 million, was abandoned, while short sections became local branches. the canals were abandoned, and short sections were filled and covered by rails. in 1904 the new portage railroad east of the gallitzin tunnels (through the
muleshoe curve
) was reopened as a freight bypass line .
plane number 1 of the portage railroad was bypassed on april 1, 1852. other planes began to be bypassed by the new portage railroad, completed in 1856, but on february 15, 1854 the prr' s new line opened, leaving the old one on the east side of the ridge in altoona and running west via the horseshoe curve and gallitzin tunnel, only using a short portion of the old portage railroad near south fork and a longer adjacent section of new portage railroad. a reciprocal trackage rights agreement made march 18, 1854 allowed the prr to use that section for free .
the new york central paid a high price for the rw & o but got a well - built railroad in a fairly populous and non - competitive area .
on december 1, 1871 [ 2 ] the prr leased the united new jersey railroad and canal companies, which included the original camden and amboy railroad from camden, across the delaware river from philadelphia, to south amboy, across raritan bay from new york city, as well as a newer line from philadelphia to jersey city, much closer to new york, via trenton. track connection in philadelphia was made via the united companies' connecting railway and the jointly - owned junction railroad .
a truss - style bridge — known as the rumsey street bridge — that was built for the railroad in seneca falls .
in 1867 vanderbilt acquired control of the new york central, with the help of maneuverings related to the hudson river bridge in albany. on november 1, 1869 he merged the new york central with his hudson river railroad into the new york central and hudson river railroad. this extended the system south from albany along the east bank of the hudson river to new york city, with the leased troy and greenbush railroad running from albany north to troy .
for 11 round trips on weekdays and saturdays, and four round trips on sunday .
a new commuter line was built through westchester and putnam counties in 1879 and 1880 .
the new york, chicago and st. louis railroad, abbreviated nyc & st. l, was a railroad that operated in the mid - central united states. commonly referred to as the nickel plate road, the railroad served a large area, including trackage in the states of new york, pennsylvania, ohio, indiana and illinois. its primary connections included buffalo, new york, chicago, illinois, cleveland, ohio, indianapolis, indiana, st. louis, missouri and toledo, ohio .
in the 1850s one railroad route (railway line) to get from new york to chicago meant disembarking in erie, pennsylvania and boarding another train. this was because the railroads which met in erie had different gauges (the distance between the rails). from erie to ohio, the gauge was 4 feet, 10 inches via the franklin canal company' s railroad. from new york state to erie the gauge was 6 feet via the erie and northeast railroad .
by the mid - 1980’s when i went looking for a job, there was little chance to work locally on the railroad .
as well as providing an important link, it also put the lackawanna in the resort business. the branch to richfield springs was on canadarago lake and tourist trains now ran from hoboken. the utica - binghamton line was a big dairy carrier and solid milk trains ran until the late 1940’s. army reservists also used this line up to the 50’s to travel from new jersey to utica then over the new york central’s st. lawrence division to camp drum near watertown .
the utica, clinton & binghamton railroad was owned by the delaware & hudson, leased to the o & w, and finally sold to the o & w in 1942 for $ 250, 000. the rome & clinton railroad was sold by the d & h to the o & w in 1944 .
henry tatnall was the first professionally - trained vice president in charge of finance on the pennsylvania railroad, serving from 1904 to 1925 .
the troy and greenbush railroad was chartered in 1845 and opened later that year, connecting troy south to east albany on the east side of the hudson river. the hudson river railroad was chartered may 12, 1846 to extend this line south to new york city; the full line opened october 3, 1851. prior to completion, on june 1, the hudson river leased the troy and greenbush .
melious was on shuttle patrol until daylight. two others with four - wheel drive vehicles, fred durkee and lloyd aikens, were also called in to help. melious transported the dead and injured, as well as railroad bigwigs .
to acquire a source of fuel for its locomotives. this action began with the february 26, 1859 merger of two earlier roads to form the buffalo, bradford and pittsburgh railroad company. the new organization was sponsored by the new york and erie railroad company, later known as the erie. the b. b. & p. ran for 25. 97 miles through
albany industrialist and mohawk valley railroad owner erastus corning got the above railroads together into one system, and on march 17, 1853 they agreed to merge. the merger was approved by the state legislature on april 2, and ten of the remaining companies merged to form the new york central railroad on may 17, 1853. the following companies were consolidated into this system, including the main line from albany to buffalo :
no attempt, however, was made to construct the road until the building of the chemung canal from elmira to watkins. the successful accomplishment of this project was regarded by the citizens of ithaca and owego as detrimental to the interests of their towns, and a movement was started by simeon de witt, then a resident of ithaca, and others to build the road. in march, 1832, the capital stock was increased to $ 300, 000, and the road was opened in april, 1834. in the following month the capital stock was increased to $ 450, 000, and in april, 1838, the legislature authorized a loan to the company of $ 250, 000, taking a lien upon the road and its appurtenances .
hostilities began between the railroads and the townsfolk on 7 december, 1853, when the railroads started changing their tracks. the mayor led a force of about 150 townspeople under the guise of' special police' to' restore order' to the situation. these police officers tore down railroad bridges and ripped up the tracks, earning them the nickname' the rippers'. the rippers' actions left a nearly eight mile gap in the erie and northeast railroad' s rail line. the rippers threw rotten eggs and spoiled vegetables at railroad officials who attempted to prevent the destruction of the company' s property .
the canandaigua and niagara falls railroad was chartered in 1851. the first stage opened in 1853 from canandaigua on the auburn road west to batavia on the main line. a continuation west to north tonawanda opened later that year, and in 1854 a section opened in niagara falls connecting it to the niagara falls suspension bridge. the new york central bought the company at bankruptcy in 1858 and reorganized it as the niagara bridge and canandaigua railroad, merging it into itself in 1890 .
reynolds, william, peter k. gifford, and robert d. ilisevich. european capital, british iron, and an american dream: the story of the atlantic & great western railroad (the university of akron press, 2002) .
along the line of the hudson river railroad, the high line was built in the 1930s in new york city as an elevated bypass to the existing street - running trackage on eleventh avenue, at the time called
death avenue
due to the large number of accidents involving trains. the elevated section has since been abandoned, and the tunnel to the north, built at the same time, is only used by amtrak trains to new york penn station (all other trains use the spuyten duyvil and port morris railroad to access the new york and harlem railroad) .
. the erie railroad repair shops were located in hornell, and were hornell' s largest employer. hornell was also where erie' s main line split into two routes, one north to
the railworker railroading has always been a special kind of dangerous job. with the prestige of working for a railroad came the daily dangers. injuries and death were always feared. the heavy weight of all railroad items and the speed of the trains created an atmosphere where all employees had to be alert at all times. male and female employees worked at all kinds of jobs. all kinds of physical and mental skills were needed. there are nearly 100 job descriptions associated with railroading .
three years after the fighting started the politicians at the state capitol in harrisburg passed a law which authorized the state to standardize the railroad gauges .
in 1848 the railroad built the starrucca viaduct, a stone railroad bridge over starrucca creek in lanesboro, pennsylvania which has survived and is still in use today. the viaduct is 1040 feet (317 m) long, 100 feet (30 m) high and 25 feet (8 m) wide at the top. it is the oldest stone rail bridge in pennsylvania still in use .
the saratoga and hudson river railroad was chartered in 1864 and opened in 1866 as a branch of the new york central from athens junction, southeast of schenectady, southeast and south to athens on the west side of the hudson river. on september 9, 1867 the company was merged into the new york central, but in 1867 the terminal at athens burned and the line was abandoned. in the 1880s the new york, west shore and buffalo railway leased the line and incorporated it into their main line, taken over by the new york central in 1885 as the west shore railroad .
another reason for the popularity of the new york, chicago and st. louis railway was the positive economic impact on cities that any new railroad went through at that time. during a newspaper war to attract the new york, chicago and st. louis the norwalk, ohio chronicle newspaper referred to the new york, chicago and st. louis as
... double - track nickel - plated railroad .
the new york, chicago and st. louis adopted the nickname and it became better known as the nickel plate road.
the elmira and lake ontario railroad was a subsidiary of the northern central railway and later the pennsylvania railroad , formed to give the northern central an outlet for coal traffic on lake ontario . 
the elmira and lake ontario railroad was a subsidiary of the northern central railway and later the pennsylvania railroad, formed to give the northern central an outlet for coal traffic on lake ontario.
the elmira and lake ontario railroad was a subsidiary of the northern central railway and later the pennsylvania railroad, formed to give the northern central an outlet for coal traffic on lake ontario.