The “Auburn Road” is the nickname given to the original line of the New York Central Railroad between Syracuse and Rochester. This line was built to service all the major towns between the two cities and as a result it was much longer than the later main line.
The Auburn and Syracuse Railroad was incorporated on May 1, 1834 and opened in 1838 between those two points. The Auburn and Rochester Railroad was chartered on May 13, 1836 and began service in August 1841. and completed the link between Rochester and Syracuse. On August 1, 1850 the two roads consolidated and became the Rochester and Syracuse Railroad.
This was a very indirect route between Syracuse and Rochester as it passed through the towns of Auburn, Seneca Falls, Geneva, Canandaigua, Fishers, Victor and Pittsford to Jay Street in Rochester. The Rochester and Syracuse Direct Railroad was chartered to build a direct route between the two cities and was merged into the Rochester and Syracuse Railroad on August 6, 1850. This route opened in 1853 and closely followed the route of the Erie Canal, shaving twenty one miles off the original route.
The Rochester and Syracuse, along with nine other railroads between Albany and Buffalo, were merged on March 17, 1853 to form the New York Central Railroad.
Due to the shorter distance of the main line between Syracuse and Rochester the Auburn Road became a branch line and feeder to the main line. Regular passenger service lasted until May 18, 1958.
Stations
The table below lists the passenger stations on the line from a 1911 timetable and a January 14, 1951 timetable. Stations with no decimal point in the distance appear in the 1911 timetable but not in the 1951 version.
| Station | Distance |
| Syracuse Solvay Fairmount Camillus Martisco Halfway Skaneateles Junction Sennet Auburn Relius Cayuga Seneca Falls Waterloo Geneva Oaks Corners Phelps Phelps Jct Clifton Springs Shortsville Chapin Canandaigua Paddlefords Mertensia Victor Fishers Rail Road Mills Pittsford Brighton Rochester | 0.0 4 5.7 8.6 10.8 14 17.5 20.8 26.1 32 36.9 41.6 44.9 51.5 56.3 59.4 61 63.7 68.2 70.9 74.0 79 82 84.0 87.8 90 94.5 99.5 102.3 |
References
- Stevens, Frank Walker. The Beginnings of the New York Central Railroad: A History. 1926. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York. Excerpt on Auburn and Rochester Railroad found at http://www.iment.com/maida/familytree/gibson/auburnrochester.htm
- Stevens, Frank Walker. The Beginnings of the New York Central Railroad: A History. 1926. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York. Excerpt on Rochester and Syracuse Railroad found at http://www.iment.com/maida/familytree/gibson/rochestersyracuse.htm
- Wikipedia. “New York Central Railroad“.
- Wikipedia. “Rochester and Syracuse Railroad“.