The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) was one of the largest and most influential railroads in American history. It had a myriad of lines running from the east coast to Chicago. Five of those lines operated in Western New York; two to Buffalo, one to Rochester, and one through Salamanca and Olean to Warren and Oil City Pennsylvania.
History
The history of the formation of the Pennsylvania Railroad is very complex. See the pages for the individual lines below for information about the history of the railroads that made up each line.
The PRR operated until 1968 when it merged with the New York Central to form the Penn Central Railroad.
For more details about the companies that became part of the PRR in New York State, see the Pennsylvania Railroad New York State Corporate History page.
Lines Operated
The Pennsylvania Railroad operated six lines in New York State:
- The Rochester Line from Rochester to Hinsdale, NY
- The Buffalo Line from Buffalo to the Pennsylvania state line just south of Olean
- The Chautauqua Line from Corry to Buffalo via Brocton, NY
- The River Line from Olean to the Pennsylvania state line via Salamanca
- The Elmira branch from Sodus to the Pennsylvania state line
- The Narrow-Gauge Railroads – Narrow-guage railroads primary in Allegany and Cattaraugus Counties
See each of these lines for a list of stations, connections, and other information.
More to come!