Railroads

New York State has a great railroad history and was the home to hundreds of different railroads over the years. The list below is not exhaustive and covers mainly railroads operating in Western and Central New York. As I have time and energy I will work my way east and fill in those gaps.

Major Steam Railroads

In 1900, six major railroads operated in Western New York, including:

• Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway
  • Rochester Line – Rochester to Salamanca and Pennsylvania state line
  • Buffalo Line – Buffalo to Ashford Junction
  • Silver Lake Railroad – Silver Lake Junction to Perry

• Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
  • DL&W Main Line – Buffalo to Binghamton
  • Syracuse Branch – Oswego to Binghamton
  • Utica Branch – Utica to Chenango Falls
  • Richfield Springs Branch – Richfield Junction to Richfield Springs
  • Ithaca Branch – Ithaca to Owego
  • Cincinnatus Branch – Cortland to Cincinnatus

• Erie Railroad
  • Attica Branch – Avon to Attica
  • Rochester Line – Rochester to Corning
  • Buffalo Line – Hornell to Buffalo
  • River Line – River Junction to CB Junction
  • Original Main Line – Binghamton to Dunkirk
  • Meadville Line – Salamanca to PA State Line
  • Buffalo and Southwestern Branch – Buffalo to Jamestown
  • Niagara Falls and Lockport Branches – Buffalo to Suspension Bridge and Lockport
  • Mount Morris Branch – Avon to Mount Morris

• Lehigh Valley Railroad
  • Auburn Branch – North Fair Haven, NY to Sayre, PA
  • Auburn and Ithaca Branch – Auburn to Ithaca
  • Elmira and Cortland Branch – Elmira to Camden
  • Ithaca Branch – Ithaca to Geneva Junction
  • New York Main Line – Buffalo to Sayre, PA
  • Naples Branch – Geneva to Naples
  • Rochester Branch – Rochester to Hemlock
  • Seneca Falls Branch – Geneva Junction to Cayuga Junction
  • Willard Branch – Hayt’s Corner to Willard

• New York Central Railroad
  • Main Line – Syracuse to Buffalo
  • Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway – Buffalo to Pennsylvania State Line
  • Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley and Pittsburgh Railroad  – Dunkirk to Pennsylvania State Line via Falconer
  • New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate)  – Buffalo to Pennsylvania State Line
  • Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad  – Oswego to Niagara Falls
  • Fall Brook Railway  – Lyons to Pennsylvania State Line
  • West Shore Railroad – Syracuse to Buffalo
  • Auburn Branch (or “Auburn Road”) – Syracuse to Rochester
  • Niagara Falls Branch – Rochester to Niagara Falls
  • Buffalo Belt Line
  • Niagara Falls Branch – Buffalo to Niagara Falls
  • Buffalo to Lockport Branch
  • Canandaigua Branch – Canandaigua to Batavia
  • Tonawanda Branch – Tonawanda to Batavia
  • Attica Branch – Batavia to Attica

• Pennsylvania Railroad
  • The Rochester Line – Rochester to Hindale, NY
  • The Buffalo Line – Buffalo to the Pennsylvania state line just south of Olean
  • The Chautauqua Line – Corry, PA to Buffalo via Brocton, NY
  • The River Line – Olean to the Pennsylvania state line via Salamanca
  • The Narrow-Gauge Railroads
  • The Elmira – Sodus Point Line – the former Northern Central Railroad

Smaller Steam Railroads

In addition to the major carriers, a number of small railroads operated in the area, including:

• Arcade and Attica Railroad and predecessors, including
• Bath and Hammondsport Railroad
• Buffalo and Susquehanna Railroad
• Dansville and Mt. Morris Railroad
• Genesee and Wyoming Railroad
• Kanona and Prattsburgh Railroad
• Pittsburg, Shawmut and Northern Railroad
• Springville and Sardinia Railroad
• South Vandalia and State Line Railroad

Electric and Street Railroads

Interurbans and street railways operated in and around cities throughout Western New York. These lines carried passengers and freight between cities and often paralleled steam lines from competing companies. Some of the electric lines in Western New York included

• Warren and Jamestown Street Railway
• Jamestown Street Railway Company
• Chautauqua Traction Company
• Jamestown, Westfield and Northwestern Railroad
• Panama Traction Company
• Western New York and Pennsylvania Traction Company
• Olean, Bradford and Salamanca Railway Company
• Rochester and Sodus Bay
• Olean, Bradford and Salamanca Railway Company
• Buffalo and Erie Railway