The main line of the New York Central Railroad was formed from the consolidation of a number of smaller railroads. When completed, the main line between Albany and Buffalo was a four-track “water level route” with few hills or valleys to traverse. It went through the primary cities along the way, including Syracuse and Rochester.
History
The New York Central was formed on March 17, 1853 by the merger of ten railroads. Two of them formed the main line between Syracuse and Buffalo: the Rochester and Syracuse Railroad and the Buffalo and Rochester Railroad.
Syracuse to Rochester
The Auburn and Rochester Railroad was chartered May 13, 1836 and opened on November 4, 1841 as an extension of the Auburn and Syracuse Railroad via Geneva and Canandaigua to Rochester. The two railroads merged on August 1, 1850 to form the Rochester and Syracuse Railroad (known later as the Auburn Road).
This was an indirect route between the two cities and the Rochester and Syracuse Direct Railroad was chartered and immediately merged into the Rochester and Syracuse on August 6, 1850. That line opened June 1, 1853, running much more directly between those two cities, roughly parallel to the Erie Canal.
Rochester to Buffalo
The Tonawanda Railroad was chartered April 24, 1832 to build from Rochester to Attica. The section from Rochester 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. On March 19, 1844 the Tonawanda Railroad was authorized to build the connection, and it opened later that year.
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.
Stations
Syracuse * Warners * Memphis * Jordan * Weedsport * Port Byron * Fox Ridge * Savannah * Clyde * Lyons * Newark * Palmyra * Macedon * Fairport * East Rochester * Brighton * Rochester (Passenger Station) * Cold Water * Chili * Churchville * Bergen * South Byron * Batavia * Corfu * Crittenden * Wende * Lancaster * Depew * Buffalo (Central Terminal)
More details
The table below lists the passenger stations on the New York portion of the line. It is drawn from different sources and we do not have a milepost for some stations.
| Station | Distance |
| Syracuse Warners Memphis Jordan Weedsport Port Byron Fox Ridge Savannah Clyde Lyons Newark Palmyra Macedon Fairport East Rochester Brighton Rochester (Passenger Station) Cold Water Chili Churchville Bergen South Byron Batavia Corfu Crittenden Wende Lancaster Depew Buffalo (Central Terminal) | 0.0 9.9 12.4 17.4 22.0 25.2 28.8 32.3 38.5 45.5 51.0 54.7 63.6 71.1 73.4 77.7 80.9 85.9 91.6 95.9 99.0 105.8 113.4 124.2 129.1 132.1 138.8 140.0 146.9 |
Clippings
Timetables
Learn More
- Moody, John. “The Railroad Builders”. 1919. http://cprr.org/Museum/Railroad_Builders/Railroad_Builders_02.html
- New York Central Railroad. 1943. List of Officers and Representatives, Stations and Other Facilities.
- Wikipedia. “New York Central Railroad”