For over 80 years, the Pennsylvania Railroad line between Hinsdale and Rochester connected the Great Lakes with northern and central Pennsylvania. It was built in 1882 on the property of the abandoned Genesee Valley Canal and was used until the early 1960s.
The Rochester Branch connected at Hinsdale with the Pennsylvania Railroad Buffalo line.
History
The main part of the line was built in 1881/1882 by the Genesee Valley Canal Railroad from southern Rochester to Hinsdale. A separate company, the Genesee Valley Terminal Railroad Company, was chartered in August 1882 to build a 2.5 mile line from the northern terminus of the Genesee Valley Canal Railroad to a connection with the New York Central at Lincoln Park in Rochester. This allowed passenger trains to get to the New York Central station in Rochester. Both companies were immediately leased by the Buffalo, New York and Philadelphia Railroad.
Timeline of the Line
Over its lifetime, the combined line was operated by the following companies:
- Buffalo, New York and Philadelphia Railway / Railroad (1882 – 1887)
- Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad / Railway (1887 to 1900)
- Pennsylvania Railroad (1900 to 1963)
Branches
- Swains Branch – A short branch than ran from Nunda Junction, through Nunda, to Swains, NY.
Passenger and Freight Operations
In 1926, steam trains were replaced with gas electric cars called hoodlebugs or doodlebugs. Passenger service was reduced at this time as the railroad began to run mixed trains containing freight and passenger cars. Passenger service was eliminated in 1941 and, as the US postal service began to use trucks to distribute mail, freight business further declined. The PRR abandoned the line in 1963 and part of the line is now used by the Genesee Valley Greenway.
Stations
Below is a list of stations on the line that I have compiled from different sources. Over the lifetime of the line different companies opened, closed, and renamed stations in response to the needs of the time. Not all of these stations were in operation at the same time, but they all appeared on different timetables for passenger trains running on the line.
Rochester * Rapids * Genesee Junction * Whites * Severence * Scottsville * Wadsworth Junction * NYC Crossing * Avon * Fowlerville * York * Retsof Junction * Piffard * Cuylerville * NYLE&W Crossing * DL&W Junction * Mount Morris * Sonyea * Tuscarora * Junction * Nunda * Rosses * Swains * West Nunda * Oakland * Lewis * Portage Park * Portage * Ambluco * Wiscoy/Rossburg * Fillmore * Houghton/Houghton Creek * Caneadea * Oramel * Belfast * Rockville * Black Creek * Cuba * Hinsdale * Olean
Details and Mileage
| Milepost | Station 1882 | Station |
|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | Rochester | Rochester |
| 2 | Rapids | |
| 5.8 | Genesee Jct. | |
| 7.7 | Whites | |
| 9.4 | Severance | |
| 12.3 | Scottsville | Scottsville |
| 14.5 | Wadsworth Jct. | |
| 16 | NYC Crossing | |
| 20 | Avon | |
| 23.9 | Fowlerville | |
| 26.3 | York | |
| 28.2 | Retsof Jct. | |
| 29 | Piffard | |
| 33.1 | Cuylerville | Cuylerville |
| 35 | NYLE&W Crossing | |
| 35.3 | DL&W Junction | |
| 36.9 | Mt Morris | Mt. Morris |
| 41 | Sonyea | |
| 45.2 | Tuscarora | Tuscarora |
| 48.4 | Junction | Nunda Jct. |
| 51 | West Nunda | |
| 53 | Oakland | |
| 55 | Lewis | |
| 56.3 | Portage Park | |
| 57.7 | Portage | Portageville |
| 60.2 | Ambluco | |
| 64.0 | Wiscoy | Rossburg |
| 67.9 | Fillmore | Fillmore |
| 72.1 | Houghton Creek | Houghton |
| 75.1 | Caneadea | Caneadea |
| 77 | Oramel | |
| 78.5 | Belfast | Belfast |
| 81 | Rockville | |
| 86.4 | Black Creek | Black Creek |
| 91.1 | Cuba | Cuba |
| 98.7 | Hinsdale | Hinsdale |
Clippings
Timetables
Maps
Learn More
- Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway. “From Canal to Rail: A Short History of the “Rochester Branch” Railroad“