The New York and Erie Railroad is the first of the railroads that would generally be known as the Erie Railroad. It was chartered in April 1832 from the banks of the Hudson River to the shores of Lake Erie with the restriction that it could not enter any other state or connect with railroads from other states. This line was completed in 1851 between Piermont and Dunkirk via Little Valley, Cattaraugus and Dayton. The route of the line through Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties was subject to much debate and lobbying and is an interesting story in its own right. The company failed and in 1861 it changed its name to the Erie Railway.
Construction Timeline
Main Line
| Segment | Mileage | Date |
| Piermont – Goshen Goshen – Middletown Middletown – Otisville Otisville – Port Jervis Port Jervis – Binghamton Binghamton – Owego Owego – Elmira Elmira – Corning Corning – Hornellsville Hornellsville – Dunkirk | 44 7 8 13 127 22 36 18 41 127 | September 22, 1841 June 7, 1843 November 3, 1846 January 6, 1848 December 28, 1848 June 1, 1849 October 2, 1849 January 1, 1850 September 1, 1850 May 15, 1851 |
Newburgh Branch
| Segment | Mileage | Date |
| Chester – Newburgh | 18 | January 8, 1850 |
Hornellsville Division
| Segment | Mileage | Date |
| Hornellsville – Portageville | 30 | January 22, 1852 |
| Attica – Hornellsville | 60 | May 3, 1852 |
Buffalo, New York and Erie
| Segment | Mileage | Date |
| Painted Post – Kennedyville (Kanona) | 22 | April 15, 1852 |
| Kennedyville – Avoca | 3 | May 1, 1852 |
| Avoca – Liberty | 7 | May 31, 1852 |
| Liberty – Bloods | 4 | July 1, 1852 |
| Bloods – Wayland | 6 | August 2, 1852 |
| Wayland – Batavia | 54 | March 1, 1854 |
| Avon – Rochester | 18 | October 2, 1854 |
The Buffalo, New York and Erie Railroad was controlled by the Erie, and was formerly the Buffalo, Corning and New York Railroad.