New York Railroad Archive

Riverside Junction

The interlocking tower at Riverside Junction in the early 1950’s. Located on the south side of the Allegheny River between Carrollton and Limestone, the tower protected the crossing of the BR&P mainline and Erie RR Bradford branch over the Pennsylvania Railroad Salamanca Branch. Facebook – “The Buffalo Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway Company” page.

Riverside Junction was a junction where the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) line eastward from Olean crossed Erie Railroad Bradford Branch (on the west) and the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway (BR&P) mainline (on the east) which ran parallel to each other at this point.

The first railroad through the junction was the Buffalo, Bradford and Pittsburgh Railroad, a predecessor of the Erie, which was opened between Carrollton, NY and Alton, PA on January 1, 1866. The Rochester and Pittsburgh Railroad, predecessor of the BR&P, built its line through Riverside Junction in 1883. Also in 1883 the  Buffalo, New York and Philadelphia Railroad built the 20.70 mile segment from Olean to Salamanca through Riverside Junction.

An 1898 report on the PRR by the New York State Railroad Commissioners described the junction:

At Riverside Junction, one track of the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburg Railroad ; a tilting target is used as a protection ; all trains stop. At Riverside Junction, one track of the Erie Railroad ; a tilting target is used as a protection ; all trains stop.

There was a connection between the BR&P line with the PRR at Riverside Junction, as seen in the LIDAR image in the map section below. I am intrigued by the small wye on the PRR line just to the east of the junction.

The LIDAR image in the Maps section and the photo below are really amazing ways to visualize what used to be there since the only track still in place is the former BR&P, now Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad. The PRR line was abandoned in 1965 and the Erie line in 1976.

A drone photograph looking north on the former Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway and Erie Railroad lines at Riverside Junction, NY. The snow highlights the former Pennsylvania Railroad track running from left to right on the south shore of the Allegheny River. Jim Cook photo from the “Railroad Photos and Memories , Western New York and PA” group on Facebook.

RJ Tower

RJ Tower governed the operation of the railroads that operated through the junction. It was built in 1919 and was destroyed in the 1970s. One posting on railroad.net (linked at the bottom of the page) stated that:

One of the men who was involved in its demolition in the 1970’s recalled that they first tried a wrecking ball, but that the 22″ thick (at the base) reinforced walls were too much. They filled the building with flammable material and set fire to it. After softening the reinforcing with the heat, they dynamited it. They had plans to demolish one or more other towers, too, but decided to leave them to the vandals and mother nature.

An interesting fact about RJ tower is that it was built by the BR&P, but the Pennsylvania Railroad was responsible for staffing and operating it.

Pennsylvania Railroad

The Pennsylvania Railroad had a stop at Riverside Junction, but I have not been able to find any photos of the station or much information about it. It is possible that it was just a platform to allow passengers to transfer to the BR&P or Erie.

The PRR line was first constructed 1882 or 1883 by the Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Western Railroad and was operated by the Buffalo, New York and Philadelphia Railway / Railroad (1882 – 1887), Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad / Railway (1887 to 1900), and the Pennsylvania Railroad (1900 – 1962). The line was authorized for abandonment in 1962 to allow for the construction of the Kinzua Reservoir on the Allegheny River.

A PRR list of stations and sidings from 1923 show the station as being just to the west of the point where the PRR crossed the Erie and BR&P lines.

The PRR connected with the BR&P here and used the BR&P track to run into Bradford, PA.

Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway

A southbound Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway “Flyer” passenger train passing RJ Tower at Riverside Junction near Carrollton, NY. The train is just about to cross over the Pennsylvania Railroad line between Olean and Salamanca, NY. The photographer is standing on the tracks of the Erie Railroad Bradford Branch, which paralleled the BR&P at this point. Photo found on The Buffalo Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway Company Facebook page.

The Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburgh Railway had a double-track mainline that ran geographically north-south (railroad east and west) through Riverside Junction. The second track was laid in 1900. The 1900 BR&P annual report noted:

The road between East Bradford, Pa. , and Riverside Junction, N. Y., a distance of 8 miles, was graded for a second track, which it is expected will be completed at an early day.

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